Atheism, Not a Choice?
Most if not all theists believe atheism to be a choice. To them it is something you can choose to accept or reject. Therefore, to the typical theist, if you become an atheist, you have chosen to be one. If you leave atheism, then you have chosen to leave it. While this second argument is most likely true. The person who decides to abandon atheism for theism has most likely made a choice. The person who becomes a theist has usually made a choice. [except in the case of young children raised as theists, who are almost always too young to make this choice.] However, is it true that a theist who converts [or more accurately "deconverts"] to atheism, really chosen to be an atheist? I don't think so.
For me, I certainly did not have a choice in becoming an atheist.
Although I am now quite happy as an atheist... when I first lost my faith, I wanted SOO BADLY to go back to it.
Being raised as a typical theist, I held the erronious belief that if I simply went to church and prayed hard enough, then Jesus would answer me and turn me back to him and away from my sin of "rejecting him." - Amazingly, I was so badly brainwashed at this time, that I didn't realize that I didn't choose to become an atheist, that it just happened, I thought that "I was being sinful and turning away from God, or God was "testing me."
So... I went to church and prayed, and begged, and sang praises, and through my heart and "soul" into trying desperately to find my way back to Jesus.
Certainly I tried hard enough, but the "light of God" never touched me, I was outcast.
So, does one "choose" atheism...
I doubt it.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Skycomet the Fallen Angel on -
As for raising children, I would recommend for atheist parents lost in how to raise their children [not saying it's you Doone, just some probably are lost] the book, "Living in the light" from the American Atheist Store.
It's $12 and apparently offers some nice tips.
http://atheists.org/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPat...
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Permalink Reply by Doug Reardon on -
It wasn't a choice for me, atheism makes sense, the supernatural does not.
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Permalink Reply by Reggie on -
People may make decisions that lead them to a belief or an unbelief, but ultimately there is no choice in it as far as I can see.
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Permalink Reply by Maysan on -
I don't think that people choose their believes, however they choose whether they want to be critical thinkers or not. You can either decide to question the inherited believes and find your own, or you can just follow the crowd and enjoy their approval.
Once you choose the skeptical way there is no control over the end results, you don't decide what will make sense to you.
That's why most theists hate listening to atheists, because they force them to face their hidden doubts. By shouting and insulting atheists they are actually trying to silence the little voices in their heads that keep telling them that what they believe in is nonsense.
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Permalink Reply by Karri Fox on -
The goal of this page http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/RELIGION-IS-EVIL/116143208424783 is to "Help Enlighten the world to the fact that Atheists are the only truly moral people you know!"
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Permalink Reply by Matthew on -
It also wasnt really a choice for me either. It was a long slow painfull process and I felt horrible and wanted my god back too and was crushed when I came to realization that it was all bullshit.
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Permalink Reply by Misty: Baytheist Living! on -
Atheism isn't a choice.. it's a conclusion.
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
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Permalink Reply by Doug Reardon on
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Hey Misty:
That sounds like a great slogan!
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Permalink Reply by Lorenz van Gool on -
Well said!
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Permalink Reply by pat on -
I was born into a freethinking famly my first exposure to religion was at 16. To make my girlfriends family happy I attended her church and I gotta say, thier is no way I could believe that stuff. I tried , it just seemed so silly. Choose atheism? naw, I was born that way.
There is a quote (not mine) that sums up atheism for me. It goes "Atheism is just the end result of criticly examining religious claims ,applying reason logic and an open mind" .
( if someone knows who said that send a reply eh! )
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