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why are you an atheist?

Started by randomvim, September 11, 2016, 03:14:56 AM

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PopeyesPappy

Because we know shit happens without god, and that makes god the least likely explanation for those things we have yet to be able to figure out.
Save a life. Adopt a Greyhound.

Duncle

I don't believe in Thor or Yahweh for the same reason that I don't believe in Santa Claus. Quite simply, there is no evidence for the existence of any god, and additional strong reasons for not believing in the specific deities of the various extant religions.

For example, Christianity:

-The bible is full of internal contradictions and furthermore runs counter to established science in many areas (e.g. the creation myth).

-The Christian God as he appears in the bible is a moral abomination, and yet christians claim that he is perfectly good, the source of all true ethics etc. Completely absurd bullshit.

-The Christian concept of their deity seems to be incoherent. The most well-known example here is the problem of evil, but there are others.

-Large chunks of Christianity have been lifted wholesale from other religions, especially Mithraism.

I could go on, but that will do for now.

DeltaEpsilon

Quote from: Johan on September 11, 2016, 02:47:42 PM
Oh what the hey, I'll give the whippersnapper a shot. I am an atheist primarily for two reasons. First, because there is no evidence that supernatural beings of any sort actually exist. The other reason I'm an atheist is the bible.

That just means you deny the Christian god.
The fireworks in my head don't ever seem to stop

Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: DeltaEpsilon on September 12, 2016, 08:04:05 AM
That just means you deny the Christian god.
Actually not necessarily. The Babble is a good primer on religious claims. Spotting the absurdities in that case can, and usually does, promote a healthy skepticism about such claims by other religions. So the Not So Good Book can be an important first step on the path to a rational life.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

SGOS

Quote from: Mr.Obvious on September 11, 2016, 03:45:03 PM

So if you want to hear Why I am an atheist. Let's hear Some arguments as Why not to be. If any of them make sense, you might sway me. If they don't, i'll yell you Why I don't 'believe' them. That's Why I must ask; 'why aren't you?' Before I can give you THE answer you seek.

This is an excellent question that makes a lot of sense.  I doubt if theists think about why they are not atheists.  I didn't back in the day.  I just believed in a god, and I was taught not to question it.  So why would the question, "Why am I not an atheist," even cross my mind?

Gawdzilla Sama

I was areligous from the start, no programming at home and the propaganda I encountered in the world at large failed to impact on me. I don't know if "native atheist" or "natural atheist" works better there, but they're shorter than "what would I be anything else?"
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

SGOS

Quote from: randomvim on September 11, 2016, 03:14:56 AM
Why are you an atheist?

Because I'm not a theist.  That might sound flippant, but it's not.  I didn't begin my journey toward atheism with that question.  It seems to me there is question of far greater importance than that trivial query. 

The first question I asked when I thought about God, was how do I know he is real?  This is the question at the very top of the importance pyramid.  It's important for at least two reasons.  First, if he is real, it has important implications for mankind and my personal life.  If he is not real, he has no import at all.  Second, the problem of existence demands to be questioned by any half way rational person, because God leaves no tracks.  If you are going to believe something, knowing (as opposed to just believing) is absolutely critical.  Otherwise you are just waving your philosophical arms around in empty space.

To answer such an important question, you must begin sifting through evidence, and objectively discard anything without substance.  Unfortunately, for me as a Christian, after years of sifting, I had nothing.  I didn't bother looking at evidence against his existence.  I only considered evidence for, because that's what is important.  I could find nothing of substance.  Hence, I couldn't prove to myself God was real, and I couldn't believe in something so insubstantial by my force of will alone.

Sal1981

I'm an atheist because of the disturbing lack of evidence for god(s).

randomvim



Quote from: Johan on September 11, 2016, 02:47:42 PM
The other reason I'm an atheist is the bible.
Thanks for the shot. what about the Bible seems to be support for being atheist?



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randomvim

Quote from: Hijiri Byakuren on September 11, 2016, 03:03:14 PM
Because I'm not retarded.


Fair and balanced (like Fox News).
That's incredibly rude and hateful. never a good reason for an opinion , nor a good opinion to have.

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randomvim

Quote from: Mr.Obvious on September 11, 2016, 03:45:03 PM
When you have no Reason to believe in a deity, it's hard to explain Why you don't believe in a deity, other than by saying 'because I don't believe in a deity'.
Which would be essentially answering 'why am I an atheist?' With 'because I am an atheist.'

It is not untill someone can make a convincing argument for a god hypothesis, that a counterargument should come into play.

So if you want to hear Why I am an atheist. Let's hear Some arguments as Why not to be. If any of them make sense, you might sway me. If they don't, i'll yell you Why I don't 'believe' them. That's Why I must ask; 'why aren't you?' Before I can give you THE answer you seek.

That being said. If you don't want to explain Why you believe, that's fine. People do that here more than enough already. [emoji14]
Excuse me. I always saw this sort of opinion as a debate. two sides to one story. in a debate all sides support their own claim with more than just criticism of opposing claim.

Similar to different opinions on gravity, we look at opposing claims and evidence.

Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: randomvim on September 12, 2016, 07:58:54 PM
Thanks for the shot. what about the Bible seems to be support for being atheist?



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The problem with the Bible is it doesn't support religion.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

Hijiri Byakuren

Quote from: randomvim on September 12, 2016, 07:59:55 PM
That's incredibly rude and hateful. never a good reason for an opinion , nor a good opinion to have.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
It's called hyperbole, and I tend to use it when repetitive shit like this gets posted.


Fair and balanced (like Fox News).
Speak when you have something to say, not when you have to say something.

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PickelledEggs

Because my dogs farts could clear out Soddom and Gomorrah faster than god could even hope to

Gawdzilla Sama

OP, did you look around before you started this thread?
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers