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Why do atheists not believe in God?
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Religion is merely a tool used to keep the population in line, nothing more than ancient fairy tales. The Caliph declaring himself as the Prophet's successor is no different to the divine right of kings that we kicked into touch in the 17th century.
Explain dinosaurs from a creationist perspective?
Explain dinosaurs from a creationist perspective?
Original post by Tahira__
What's the point?
It increasing your faith and gives a purpose in life, the way you live your life and how you act in relation to others
It gives you a guidance in how you live your life etc.
It increasing your faith and gives a purpose in life, the way you live your life and how you act in relation to others
It gives you a guidance in how you live your life etc.
So you support lending yourself a falsifiable sense of purpose on a basis backed by no evidence?
You support treating others kindly because a higher being told you to do so?
You support abiding by certain guidelines which dictate your lifestyle because a book says you should?
How about you find a purpose for living which is derived from your perceivable experience, not upon a baseless premise of an intelligent being granting you an afterlife?
How about you treat others kindly because you want to reduce suffering, not because some supposed higher being wants you to?
How about living your life as you see fit, pursuing your own happiness and the happiness of others, unconstrained by the rules a book contains?
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Tahira__
What's the point?
It increasing your faith and gives a purpose in life, the way you live your life and how you act in relation to others
It gives you a guidance in how you live your life etc.
It increasing your faith and gives a purpose in life, the way you live your life and how you act in relation to others
It gives you a guidance in how you live your life etc.
All of which can be and is done without believing in the rest of the (rather sinister) nonsense perpetuated by organised religion.
I also don't see how 'increasing your faith' is an inherently good thing, which is what you seem to imply.
(edited 8 years ago)
god is just a metaphor for human ignorance - to believe in god is to believe in ignorance personified. how is that useful? what am I gaining from the belief in god? what about a mythological representation of our ignorance is credible today? why would the universe and its origin revolve around basically the idea of an all powerful (and even all-loving) wizard? how does this sound any different from the myths of ancient times?
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Tahira__
Then how were you created
This being, a human body, which is the most complex creation on this earth
Was created by no one? It just came to be?
This being, a human body, which is the most complex creation on this earth
Was created by no one? It just came to be?
its called science and evolution honey x
Original post by Tahira__
Why is this because we do not see God, so why do we believe in him?
This is because we will not be able to withstand God beauty, just as we cannot stand to look at the sun's beauty with our two eyes
This is because we will not be able to withstand God beauty, just as we cannot stand to look at the sun's beauty with our two eyes
Rubbish, we can't stand to look at the sun because it is too bright, not because it is too beautiful
Original post by Tahira__
The expansion of the universe
"And it is We who have constructed the heaven with might, and verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it."(The Qur'an, 51:47)
The earth orbiting around the sun
While referring to the Sun and the Moon in the Qur'an, it is emphasized that each moves in a definite orbit."It is He Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They swim along, each in an orbit. "(The Qur'an, 21:33)
The sky
We made the sky a preserved and protected roof yet still they turn away from Our Signs.."(The Qur'an, 21:32)This attribute of the sky has been proved by scientific research carried out in the 20th century.The atmosphere surrounding the earth serves crucial functions for the continuity of life. While destroying many meteors big and small as they approach the earth, it prevents them from falling to earth and harming living things.
Would you like me to give you any more evidence? I would be happy to
"And it is We who have constructed the heaven with might, and verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it."(The Qur'an, 51:47)
The earth orbiting around the sun
While referring to the Sun and the Moon in the Qur'an, it is emphasized that each moves in a definite orbit."It is He Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They swim along, each in an orbit. "(The Qur'an, 21:33)
The sky
We made the sky a preserved and protected roof yet still they turn away from Our Signs.."(The Qur'an, 21:32)This attribute of the sky has been proved by scientific research carried out in the 20th century.The atmosphere surrounding the earth serves crucial functions for the continuity of life. While destroying many meteors big and small as they approach the earth, it prevents them from falling to earth and harming living things.
Would you like me to give you any more evidence? I would be happy to
1) The universe isn't steadily expanding, it's accelerating so that's wrong.
2) The verse about the sun being in an orbit in the context of night and day is wrong. Night and day is caused by the Earth spinning, not the sun. The sun orbits the centre of the Milky Way but the verse doesn't mention the galaxy at all so it cannot be taken to mean this. It is clearly a case of 7th century Arabs seeing the sun move across the sky and thinking the sun orbited the Earth.
3) The verse about the sky is meaningless and not miraculous in the slightest.
Original post by Paranoid_Glitch
I think atheists are often ignorant.
Wait so someone who believes in what is basically magic is more ignorant than someone who wants evidence of some kind? Ok then carry on.
Original post by Tahira__
What's the point?
It increasing your faith and gives a purpose in life, the way you live your life and how you act in relation to others
It gives you a guidance in how you live your life etc.
It increasing your faith and gives a purpose in life, the way you live your life and how you act in relation to others
It gives you a guidance in how you live your life etc.
Correction. It makes you feel as if you have a purpose in life, with nothing to suggest what you've done will have changed the universe in any way. Every religious text makes it abundantly clear that Gods don't NEED our worship, they simply want it. You chose to follow the edicts of a faith because it gives you personal satisfaction but there are much more fun ways of finding satisfaction that following a code.
You can get guidance on how to live you life from philosophies that have absolutely nothing to do with god at all.
Original post by BefuddledPenguin
Because reality appears to have a strong atheist bias.
It's not immediately obvious to me why this has to be the case.
and as adults have the critical thinking skills to simply reject it the same way they rejected Santa when they were six.
Okay, irrespective of the potential existence of God..
Equating Santa with the existence of a deity probably doesn't indicate the strongest of critical thinking skills, although that's probably moreso due to ignorance of available philosophical literature (not necessarily a bad thing) or an influence from several New Atheists who don't really know what they speak of (a bad thing)
Whilst at university I decided to read through the bible in full (I was an English Language and Literature student, English literature borrows a lot from the bible) and what I found was that not only does the book come across as less realistic than Harry Potter, but that god, as a concept, is fundamentally totalitarian. To believe in god is to believe that we are being watched and judged every second of every minute of every day. Not just for our actions, but for our thoughts and beliefs. This is literal thoughtcrime, having read 1984 just prior to reading the bible I found too many parallels between god and Big Brother. Except at least Big Brother wouldn't drag you to Room 101 just for having the wrong emotions, but envy is such a harsh sin it's even mentioned in the commandments.
But you just said above that you went past Christian dogma, now you're referencing it again? How did reading the Bible make you abandon classical theism when you already abandoned the dogma previously? Perhaps CT, if true, is fine with bisexuality -- because of maximal benevolence. The Bible wouldn't necessarily negate that
It's not some silly little rule like not eating shellfish or wearing two fabrics of clothes or the evil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersessionism
of decorating a tree. (That's right, christmas trees are sinful Jeremiah 10:1-5)
No they're not. See: https://www.reddit.com/r/bad_religion/comments/3wntc2/no_the_bible_does_not_prohibit_christmas_trees/
So not only am I an atheist now, but an antitheist, someone who is actively offended by the very concept of god and glad that every religious text is incorrect in their initial assumption, namely the existence of a theistic deity (or deities)
How have you managed to confirm that? You've just said that it was reading the Bible that led you to finally leaving your faith and somehow you've not only extrapolated that to other forms of theism/religion but also concluded that it must be patently false? There are many forms of theism which aren't religious...
excluding the texts of Buddhism and Scientology of course, which are wrong for different reasons.
Like what? Have you read them too? (Buddhism isn't atheistic if that's what you're implying)
The assumption that theistic dieties exist is not only patently false but would be
As opposed to non-theistic deities?
completely undesirable if true. If christianity was true, I'd ally with Satan in order to dethrone god, as such a throne cannot exist alongside freedom and morality.
What does this mean?
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Tahira__
What's the point?
It increasing your faith and gives a purpose in life, the way you live your life and how you act in relation to others
It gives you a guidance in how you live your life etc.
It increasing your faith and gives a purpose in life, the way you live your life and how you act in relation to others
It gives you a guidance in how you live your life etc.
Why can't my purpose be set by myself? For example becoming a successful artist or any other goals I set myself. Or even just being happy?
And people have morals which guide them in their behaviour towards others. Otherwise what you're saying is we should act a certain way because a "god" says so. That is both foolish and mindless.
Let me ask you this. If god didn't say that killing is wrong, would you kill?
If he didn't say theft is wrong, would you steal?
Not doing something just because "god" says not to shows how little you can actually think for yourself.
(edited 8 years ago)
I don't think that you choose what to believe or disbelieve.
You are heavily influenced by family/environment when you are very young, then you read, explore, you are convinced by some arguments and you are not convinced by some other
you are inspired by some examples, some contacts, and not by other
but you cannot actually "choose" what to believe and what to disbelieve : it simply happens
best
You are heavily influenced by family/environment when you are very young, then you read, explore, you are convinced by some arguments and you are not convinced by some other
you are inspired by some examples, some contacts, and not by other
but you cannot actually "choose" what to believe and what to disbelieve : it simply happens
best
Original post by mariachi
I don't think that you choose what to believe or disbelieve.
You are heavily influenced by family/environment when you are very young, then you read, explore, you are convinced by some arguments and you are not convinced by some other
you are inspired by some examples, some contacts, and not by other
but you cannot actually "choose" what to believe and what to disbelieve : it simply happens
best
You are heavily influenced by family/environment when you are very young, then you read, explore, you are convinced by some arguments and you are not convinced by some other
you are inspired by some examples, some contacts, and not by other
but you cannot actually "choose" what to believe and what to disbelieve : it simply happens
best
I don't think that it's true to say that you can't choose to believe something. With regards to religion, in particular, I've noticed plenty of people indulging in wish-thinking in the face of contradictory evidence and argument.
Original post by mariachi
I don't think that you choose what to believe or disbelieve.
You are heavily influenced by family/environment when you are very young, then you read, explore, you are convinced by some arguments and you are not convinced by some other
you are inspired by some examples, some contacts, and not by other
but you cannot actually "choose" what to believe and what to disbelieve : it simply happens
best
You are heavily influenced by family/environment when you are very young, then you read, explore, you are convinced by some arguments and you are not convinced by some other
you are inspired by some examples, some contacts, and not by other
but you cannot actually "choose" what to believe and what to disbelieve : it simply happens
best
Original post by Hydeman
I don't think that it's true to say that you can't choose to believe something. With regards to religion, in particular, I've noticed plenty of people indulging in wish-thinking in the face of contradictory evidence and argument.
On this topic, I'd just like to say it's not that simple, you don't just choose what you want to believe. If you've been raised with a certain ideology and have been made to believe only what a certain book says is true, then it is not as simple as one day choosing to be an atheist. Most people stick to the religion/belief they were raised with. I agree with what Mariachi has to say.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Bad Faith
On this topic, I'd just like to say it's that simple, you don't just choose what you want to believe. If you've been raised with a certain ideology and have been made to believe only what a certain book says is true, then it is not as simple as one day choosing to be an atheist. Most people stick to the religion/belief they were raised with. I agree with what Mariachi has to say.
I'm not disputing that. Rather, I'm taking issue with what mariachi said about it being impossible to choose what you believe. That's not an argument against the influence of somebody's social environment in their formative years on their beliefs as an adult; it's just saying that wish-thinking is a real thing and is a frequent component of religious apologetics.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Tahira__
Then how were you created
This being, a human body, which is the most complex creation on this earth
Was created by no one? It just came to be?
This being, a human body, which is the most complex creation on this earth
Was created by no one? It just came to be?
Thats just an argument from ignorance, i.e. I don't know who created life so it must be god. But that then begs the question who created god ad infinitum?
Original post by Tahira__
Just want people serious answers I am just curious
Why do atheists not believe in God? What do they then believe in?
Why do atheists not believe in God? What do they then believe in?
I guess we 'believe in' what has evidence to support it.
There is absolutely zero valid evidence suggesting there is a god. However, scientific theory points us toward evolution, the big bang, plausible ideas about what came before the big bang...
On these things I always want to come out with aggressive things like: cause I use my (probably limited number) of brain cells, and actually think for myself.
No evidence to suggest that there is any sort of deity that holds up to solid reasoning, and psychologically wanting there to be an afterlife and a god to defer to just makes sense as a cognitive construct rather than something which actually would likely or even could exist.
Pretty clear evidence of a lack of a soul and so on, which is a pretty big component of most religions and the whole afterlife idea.
No evidence to suggest that there is any sort of deity that holds up to solid reasoning, and psychologically wanting there to be an afterlife and a god to defer to just makes sense as a cognitive construct rather than something which actually would likely or even could exist.
Pretty clear evidence of a lack of a soul and so on, which is a pretty big component of most religions and the whole afterlife idea.
Thank you for a long, but outstanding postyes : the Bible God is a totalitarian . As he says it, people shall have no other Gods, because Jhwh "is a jealous God"
In fact, all monotheistic religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism in particular) strike me as being far more totalitarian than polytheistic religions: polytheism can easily accommodate supplementary deities, reflecting acceptation of regional cults, natural forces, exotic imports. In short, polytheism is usually far more democratic, nature-friendly, and tolerant of diversity than monotheism, and reflects a much more open, inclusive, lively society
again, I entirely agree.
The classical human/God relationship is highly unbalanced. In this tyrannical world order, we are oppressed, tortured, deprived of our dignity and status. Any human worth his salt should rebel.
True, God and his minions (led by that execrable goody-goody, archangel Michael) have won the first two rounds of war in Heaven (Angelic Wars I and II) but this is not a good reason for giving up.
With the help of the Lord of Darkness, of the one-eyed Dajjal, of the Antechrist, and an army of sympathetic jinns and fallen angels (Asmodel, Zauriel etc), we will establish a wide coalition, overthrow the tiranny of this sadistic "God", and establish a truly democratic, egalitarian, multicultural religion in afterlife
religious proletariat, arise ! we have nothing to lose but our chains
All the best
Original post by BefuddledPenguin
what I found was that not only does the book (Bible) come across as less realistic than Harry Potter, but that god, as a concept, is fundamentally totalitarian.
In fact, all monotheistic religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism in particular) strike me as being far more totalitarian than polytheistic religions: polytheism can easily accommodate supplementary deities, reflecting acceptation of regional cults, natural forces, exotic imports. In short, polytheism is usually far more democratic, nature-friendly, and tolerant of diversity than monotheism, and reflects a much more open, inclusive, lively society
Original post by BefuddledPenguin
The assumption that theistic dieties exist is not only patently false but would be completely undesirable if true. If christianity was true, I'd ally with Satan in order to dethrone god, as such a throne cannot exist alongside freedom and morality.
The classical human/God relationship is highly unbalanced. In this tyrannical world order, we are oppressed, tortured, deprived of our dignity and status. Any human worth his salt should rebel.
True, God and his minions (led by that execrable goody-goody, archangel Michael) have won the first two rounds of war in Heaven (Angelic Wars I and II) but this is not a good reason for giving up.
With the help of the Lord of Darkness, of the one-eyed Dajjal, of the Antechrist, and an army of sympathetic jinns and fallen angels (Asmodel, Zauriel etc), we will establish a wide coalition, overthrow the tiranny of this sadistic "God", and establish a truly democratic, egalitarian, multicultural religion in afterlife
religious proletariat, arise ! we have nothing to lose but our chains
All the best
(edited 8 years ago)
This'll be interesting.
I presume you've heard of evolution?
This isn't an atheist vs theist point btw - even the religious should 'believe' evolution.
What do you believe is the purpose of life?
PS. I'm an atheist btw.
Original post by Tahira__
Then how were you created
This being, a human body, which is the most complex creation on this earth
Was created by no one? It just came to be?
This being, a human body, which is the most complex creation on this earth
Was created by no one? It just came to be?
I presume you've heard of evolution?
This isn't an atheist vs theist point btw - even the religious should 'believe' evolution.
Original post by Tahira__
What would you believe is the purpose of life?
What do you believe is the purpose of life?
PS. I'm an atheist btw.
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