Atheism Explained

Originally posted by Annee

Originally posted by daskakik

Originally posted by ImmortalThought
Atheism is the FAITH in nothing. How sad when you can't even have enough faith to believe in yourself.

Couldn't be more wrong. Atheism is the lack of belief in god/gods. Doesn't mean you can't believe in magic, faries, ghosts, other dimensions, dragons....

Right! Beyond lack of belief in a deity - - - Atheists are individual and can believe anything they want - - or nothing.

Atheism itself is not a belief.

IMO - - to disbelieve god - - you'd first have to acknowledge god. I don't. Its more like a nothingness. Like a complete void. There is nothing to acknowledge - - to disbelieve.

Therefore it is lack of belief -- not disbelief. Fine line for sure. But makes complete sense to me.

Its not an opposition. Because there is nothing to oppose.

edit on 6-10-2011 by Annee because: (no reason given)

Atheism is the belief that there is no deity. It is still a belief system, a religion, a dogma, a category or what-have-you. If it wasn't a belief system, then how can it have so many followers? Science isn't a deity, yet people follow it like one.

reply to post by NewAgeMan


I think you are trying to make what you "groked" fit into your christian beliefs.

The reason that I wouldn't use the term god (specially if referring to the god depicted in the bible) for a universal consciousness is that it isn't the same. Looking at it in another way, why not call the universal consciousness Zeus, Odin or any of the countless other names for the gods around the world?

Now let's say that Christ found the truth. How can you be sure that that truth is the message in the bible? If he found the truth outside of the Abrahamic faith, as many believe, then why not look there for the truth instead of trying to decipher the bits and pieces that the fathers of the church decided to include and probably altered to fit their needs?

Originally posted by Annee

Originally posted by FreezingVoid
However I will disagree with people here who say, you have to believe in something before you can denounce its possibility...

Does harry potter exist in the real world? No? Does you saying he does no exist first depend on your belief that he does exist in the real world?

The book Harry Potter exists in physical form - - - it is listed as fiction - - - we know who wrote it.

No one is claiming Harry Potter exists as real. That is not a good analogy.

Okay I will concede that point.

What about Atlas? Most people I am sure will say he does not exist.
And to say no one believes in him is incorrect. Even in modern days, there are people who still believe in him.

To say Atlas does not exist, does not first depend on the belief that Atlas does exist.

Besides I personally feel the bible should be classified as fiction.
Nothing about it compels me to believe it as true, at least not under a literal interpretation.
That is not to say it is a bad book. It would be a beautiful piece of literature if people did not claim it to real and true. The tower of babel for instance is a beautiful piece of allegory.

reply to post by NiNjABackflip


Sure you could say it is a belief but it isn't a belief system because it has no organization. Also the OP is wrong because they are trying to say that it is a belief in nothing. It is very specific that it is a disbelief that deities exist but it does not mean that atheists don't believe in anything else.

Originally posted by FreezingVoid

That is not to say it is a bad book. It would be a beautiful piece of literature if people did not claim it to real and true. The tower of babel for instance is a beautiful piece of allegory.

Released as a historical novel of fiction.

I think the critics would rip it apart for its contradictions alone.

reply to post by FreezingVoid


"Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name."

"God" is known by many names, both here on earth and I'm pretty sure in heavenly realms as well, and by God in this case, I am referring to the Absolute Godhead.

reply to post by daskakik


I understand what you're saying, atheism doesn't have a church or a place to meet for weekly prayers, this is apparent.

So why would one label himself an atheist if he can believe in anything he wants? Is it just a need to categorize oneself or is it because he believes what other atheists believe. It's a dogma or a belief system for people to follow. As soon as you label yourself, you follow that system of beliefs, or you do not fall under that label.

reply to post by NiNjABackflip

People carry many labels and are not bothered by them because they are true. One chooses to label oneself as an atheist because it is true. Because that word as it is defined explains that persons situation. It doesn't mean that you have to fit into any "system" that may be associated with that word.

reply to post by NiNjABackflip


Because it makes it easier to explain to other people what you are.

Yes it's labeling/categorizing but it's basically the same reason why people might describe themselves as gay/straight/bi/asexual.

Granted at times using such labels gets a bit confusing, especially when not everyone agrees with what that label means.

reply to post by daskakik


Then what do all atheists have in common? Just a need to label themselves?

There is a philosophical understanding shared between atheists, a belief system.

reply to post by NiNjABackflip


What they have in common is what the definition of the word is: a lack of belief in deities. All humans have a need to label ourselves. We feel the need to label everything but the label is just a tag placed on something to identify it and not the actual thing.

reply to post by schuyler


That's atheism in the same way that a coconut is a supernova in the Andromeda galaxy. That occured last week.



Atheism is simply the state of not believing in any of the many thousands of deities that others worship. And being happy to say "we don't know" .

(Agnosticism is the state of not being sure whether any of the many thousands of deities that other worship exist or not)

reply to post by daskakik


So it's safe to say there is a shared belief between atheists that there is no deity. A shared philosophical belief between a group of people is a belief system. 'Lack of belief in a deity' is the same as 'believing that there is no deity.' It's still a belief no matter how you word it.

Originally posted by NewAgeMan
reply to post by FreezingVoid

 

"Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name."

"God" is known by many names, both here on earth and I'm pretty sure in heavenly realms as well, and by God in this case, I am referring to the Absolute Godhead.

And wouldn't earthbound atheists be royally peeved if they were to discover that highly evolved beings the cosmos over, give daily praise and worship to the God (as higher power) of their own unique understanding?!

It's hard to fathom that they are all atheists, and have no beliefs or comprehension with respect to their own origin and destination along with that of the cosmos they inhabit.

For some it might involve say, the moral and ethical implications of quantum gravity, but at the apex it would still be God as the Absolute, by any other name.

...who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name."

reply to post by NiNjABackflip

Your trying to hard.

It is safe to say that the word fits the condition of certain people so they opt to use it. They don't need to share anything other than that. There may be a system but just because you use the word doesn't make you part of that system.

You use the label ninja in your user name and have a ninja in your avatar. Are you really an assassin. Now you may be a ninja because you study the martial art but ninjas were assassins. So the fact that you chose to label yourself with that word mean you murder people for money?

Originally posted by NewAgeMan
And wouldn't earthbound atheists be royally peeved if they were to discover that highly evolved beings the cosmos over, give daily praise and worship to the God (as higher power) of their own unique understanding?!

Nope.

And there you go assuming and presuming all over the place.

reply to post by daskakik

Fair enough. I'll concede that that was an assumption and presumption "all over the place"..

reply to post by daskakik

Originally posted by daskakik
reply to post by NiNjABackflip

 

Your trying to hard.

It is safe to say that the word fits the condition of certain people so they opt to use it. They don't need to share anything other than that. There may be a system but just because you use the word doesn't make you part of that system.

You use the label ninja in your user name and have a ninja in your avatar. Are you really an assassin. Now you may be a ninja because you study the martial art but ninjas were assassins. So the fact that you chose to label yourself with that word mean you murder people for money?

edit on 7-10-2011 by daskakik because: (no reason given)

reply to post by daskakik


Actually, I'm hardly trying.

A nickname and avatar does not make me a ninja. Of course I'm not an assassin. I chose my name randomly, I chose my avatar to fit that name. I don't label myself a ninja, because a name is not a category. That's like saying everyone named Michael is an archangel. Besides, my name and avatar are completely irrelevant.

So there is no philosophical agreement between atheists, only a need to label oneself so others can easily fit one into a category? I think we'll have to agree to disagree because that is an awful reason to label oneself anything.

Originally posted by NiNjABackflip
A nickname and avatar does not make me a ninja. Of course I'm not an assassin.

You're kidding! You mean you're NOT a real Ninja?! Damn! How dissapointing!

Originally posted by NiNjABackflip
So there is no philosophical agreement between atheists, only a need to label oneself so others can easily fit one into a category? I think we'll have to agree to disagree because that is an awful reason to label oneself anything.

Maybe not trying to hard but your trying to make it seem more complex than what it is. Your username and avatar are just examples of labeles and how they don't define the person but by them I can identify that your into ninjas. Where i would be wrong is to come on here and paint you with whatever wide brush I have at hand because of your interest in ninjas.

Others are the ones sliping atheists into a catagory. This thread and your position being perfect examples. This doesn't not change the fact that atheist is what you call a person who doesn't believe in god.

Even if you don't label yourself when you tell some "I don't believe in god" they may ask "So, your an atheist?". What are you going to answer them?

"Yes" would not be a wrong answer because it is the truth but it doesn't mean you have to share anything with anyone else who also fits the description.