Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Timothy Gentle on February 11, 2011 at 3:53pm

When I was still christian, I clung to that belief, even when I knew it couldn't be true. Eventually I just couldn't hold on any more. That's why I'm atheist.

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Permalink Reply by Snowcrash on February 11, 2011 at 4:13pm

Hmm it might seem that some of us are angry but i'm quite sure most are real atheists that have examined the evidence or lack thereof and concluded there is no god.

 

As to the being angry part i think it's more frustration with christians and religious people in general, they seem so thickheaded and never seem to listen to reason even when you show them all the evidence.

And they tell us atheists that without god we have no morals and that hitler and stalin were atheists even though they weren't, lumping us together with 2 of the biggest mass murderers of the past just to show us how evil atheists are.

 

And one of the biggest reason to be frustrated with religious people is that they try to get special treatment above all others, Like wanting creationism being tought in school, prayers in school, children being indoctrinated from birth, the current anti-science movement is a very big concern of mine.

Also the part about being treated as a second class citizen when you tell your an atheist doesn't sit well with me.

 

So yes, i am frustrated that in the 21st century most people on this planet are still believing in a bronze age book that teaches nothing but ignorance and keeps people from using their brain.

____________

"Men rarely (if ever) manage to dream up a God superior to themselves. Most Gods have the manners and morals of a spoiled child. – Robert A Heinlein"

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Permalink Reply by Dale Fisher on February 11, 2011 at 7:38pm

I agree with everything you have said Snowcrash.  I have no reason to write why I am an atheist, because you have already said why better than I ever could.  Thank you.

 

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Permalink Reply by Laura Foster on February 11, 2011 at 11:40pm

That reminds me of this article by Greta Christina on atheism and anger.

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Permalink Reply by Kris Feenstra on February 11, 2011 at 4:13pm

It depends really.  Theism can be applied to philosophy (including science), culture, morality, government, and life style.  Somebody can attach significance to the term 'atheism' in any area where they feel theism has significant presence.  In that way, a person may very well have much stronger connection to atheism regarding social injustices than to the nature of the universe.

 

For instance, when it comes to the nature of the universe, I am only meaningfully atheist up to the point that someone starts proposing gods that hide in the absurd extremes of abstraction, or more appropriately, non-definition.  When it comes to gods that are defined as undefined, I really just stop caring.  Waste. Of. Time.

 

Now, if someone wants to use such a god to justify homophobia, as an example, my mindset changes somewhat.  If their god is true, and is homophobic, I still will not follow its command.  I will not be immoral just because it has been commanded by some unaccountable demon.  With or without such a god, I still hold to the belief that morality must be determined by logic, evidence, compassion and sympathy.  Morality must be assailable to reason; deities are simply not relevant.  This stance is atheistic in itself though it makes no explicit assertions that gods don't exist.

 

Now, I'm not suggesting that a person could be an atheist on gay rights and a theist  with regard to the universe.  I'm just saying that a person's atheism could effect strong beliefs in one aspect of their life, yet the individual could maintain a fairly passive disbelief (bordering in indifference) towards the question of the existence of gods.  I don't think that's wrong.

 

On a personal level, I never was a theist in all my life, nor was I ever compelled to become one.  I have yet to encounter a convincing argument.  Perhaps, to a Christian, Christian mythology is somehow different from Norse mythology, but the only difference I noticed between them as a child was that the latter was far more interesting than the former.  They are both predicated on the same basic type of evidence, so it made no sense to say that one was credible by default whereas the other was not.  Both would need to be scrutinized under the same standards, and in doing so without motive or bias, neither appears to be anything more than fairy tales. 

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Permalink Reply by Kris Feenstra on February 11, 2011 at 4:35pm

I guess it would depend on the nature of the disagreement.  Priests molesting boys is not permissible in Christian theology.  Girls?  Probably.  Boys?  Nope.  It's not a major philosophical conflict to disagree with priests molesting boys yet still be a good Catholic.

 

But in other cases, it's more complicated.  Religious institutions derive their authority from a higher place (doesn't matter if it's imaginary).  In many cases, that higher place is a god who is infallible and beyond reproach.  How can one contradict the validity of one mandate from such a god without also questioning the validity of all others?  That leaves some cognitive dissonance to either ignore or resolve.  One of the ways to resolve it is to give up one's faith altogether. 

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Permalink Reply by Bill on February 11, 2011 at 4:34pm

There are many reasons to be an atheist. But there is simply no logical reason not to be.

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Permalink Reply by Laura Foster on February 11, 2011 at 11:40pm

That could be a shirt.

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Permalink Reply by Julien on February 12, 2011 at 12:33pm

There is only one real reason for being an atheist: the fact that there isn't enough evidence to prove that any god exists. You can't have any other reasons for being an atheist, but you can have a lot of reasons for being against religion in general, or a religion in particular, or against religious people, or one in particular, you can have a lot of reasons for being against a god - but then you are not an atheist anymore, because, if you have something against something that you say doesn't exist, then what the hell are you? Certainly not an atheist, not anymore. If you are an atheist because you think gods are mean and only like to play with their creatures, that's not being an atheist, that's just being against a god, not denying that any god exists. That's how I see things regardin reasons for being an atheist, and the only reason why I'm an atheist is because there isn't enough evidence to prove that any god exists. I am angry, but I am angry with religion and with religious people in general for being so close-minded and keep the delusion alive, but those reasons can't be attributed to atheism. Whoever claims other reasons for being an atheist, is not really an atheist.

 

People should not confuse the various ways of opening your eyes and realize that it is all bullshit with actual reason(s) for not believing something exists. The only reason to not believe something exists is the lack of evidence to support that that particular thing does exist.

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Permalink Reply by Richard Raymond on February 11, 2011 at 5:21pm

Show me an atheist that hasn't been hurt or insulted by religious people.  Show me an atheist that hasn't seen total hypocrisy , anti-intellectualism and disbelief in science.  Show me an atheist that didn't become an atheist because of one or more of those issues.  I know that atheism is the default position, but the vast majority of people were on the receiving end of religious brainwashing to some degree at one point or another.  Religion is a MVP ( memetic viral problem)-not most valuable player! We aren't atheists because we love the religious.

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Permalink Reply by Cathleen Sessions on February 12, 2011 at 1:22pm

I was not hurt or insulted by religious people.  Hypocrisy is a human condition.  Biologically we need to be part of a group and my church really wasn't anti-intellectual and really did believe in science.  I did not become an athiest because of those issues. 

 

I gradually realized my atheism and then felt like a hypocrit for going to chruch and stopped. 

 

I know others have more unhappy experiences but your argument is not logical as you are generalizing.

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Permalink Reply by Julien on February 12, 2011 at 1:44pm

Atheism has nothing to do with religion. By calling yourself an atheist, you only say that you don't believe any god exists, not that you are against religion (and all related products) and what it has done for thousands of years. So, the only reason to not believe any god exists is the lack of evidence supporting their existence. The series of events that got you to be an atheist is a completely different thing. I was angry with my father, a religious nut - not the only reason I was angry, and I was bored, so I tried to find something to do to fill my free time, and I find, amongst other things, religion. I started reading here and there, and then I found Think Atheist, and I began to read the Wiki you can find here which was really helpful and I started to see that all I've been told so far was bullshit, and since then I read all I can about religion and I try to inform myself. So, that's the way I became an atheist, not the reason why I am an atheist. The reason why I am an atheist is because, so far, I haven't found any evidence to support the existence of any god. There is a big difference between the two.

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