Atheism is just silly.

Originally posted by satron

Originally posted by enlaavionsobreelmar
Atheism isn't really stupid, it's the way humans are born. Humans aren't born with a belief in any god, they have it implanted in their brain as a child.

Atheism is the belief that God doesn't exist.

NO - its not. Atheism is a non-belief.

A non-belief is not a belief. Lack of belief is not a belief.

Atheism means lack of belief in a deity/god.

Originally posted by Annee

Originally posted by satron

Originally posted by enlaavionsobreelmar
Atheism isn't really stupid, it's the way humans are born. Humans aren't born with a belief in any god, they have it implanted in their brain as a child.

Atheism is the belief that God doesn't exist.

NO - its not. Atheism is a non-belief.

A non-belief is not a belief. Lack of belief is not a belief.

Atheism means lack of belief in a deity/god.

Semantics.

Originally posted by graphuto
Semantics.

NO - its not. Semantics would mean Atheism is a belief. It is NOT.

And I get so frinken sick of people trying to tell other people who don't have a clue what something really is.

Lack of belief - - - is not a belief.

reply to post by Annee


Since 80% or more people in the world DO believe in a diety of some sort, and most of us in civilized countries HAVE been exposed to those ideas,

YES- You actively take a stance to believe that dieties do not exist. It's a doctrine or belief set that is formed in your mind. It is one of your beliefs, one of the things that you hold in your mind that make you, you. Just because atheists have tried to redefine the word (because they're uncomfortable) using semantics in the past 10 years doesn't make it any less true.

reply to post by knightsofcydonia


Too bad that professor didn't ask me those questions, because i have the answers. The christian fellow in your story obviously doesn't read his bible or he'd have his answer. Furthermore he must be living in sin to not be able to hear the Holy Spirit tell him what to say.

Originally posted by lonewolf19792000
Too bad that professor didn't ask me those questions, because i have the answers. The christian fellow in your story obviously doesn't read his bible or he'd have his answer. Furthermore he must be living in sin to not be able to hear the Holy Spirit tell him what to say.

Can you hear the holy spirit telling you what to say? If so, I have some questions....

reply to post by graphuto


Ah, good old argumentum ad populum.

Fail.

Silly deists and their popularity contests for god. Do you really think super-sky-man thinks like a 12 year old? I mean, in most religious texts it does act like one, but really? Most in uncivilized countries have been exposed too so what was the point in saying that? Was it perhaps to insinuate that an atheist isn't civilized? I'm trying, but I can't think of any uncivilized peoples that were atheists... in fact every one I can think of are deists... I guess that settles it then. Deists are uncivilized! Right? That's how that works, right?

Poof -

The word 'belief' stems from the Middle English word 'beleven' which had the same meaning. The earlier, parent word was the Old English 'geleafain' meaning trust in God, religious faith, acceptance of any recieved theology. Belief was synonymous with The Apostle's Creed. (from Thomas Carlyle; "That war of the Puritans...the war of Belief against Unbelief")

Lookie lookie, you're wrong. But I'm not surprised.

Atheism isn't a belief, no matter how much you play the semantics game. The fact that I'm atheist doesn't make me who I am. It is sad, but true, that deists think being a christian or whatever they are dictates who they are, but it just isn't true of an atheist. If we're sons or daughters or parents or ice skaters or taxi drivers or whatever we are... that's what we are. We don't need to identify ourselves with imaginary beings to feel better and I for one don't appreciate your insecurities being unjustly projected on my obvious awesomeness.

"Actively tak(ing) a stance" as you say, has nothing to do with belief. I'm an atheist and I don't believe there is no god, I know there is no god. How? There's no proof. No one has ever brought forward any proof. Ever. That's not a belief. I know there isn't. It's not a matter of belief, and that is the single most fundamental thing a deist never ever grasps. They're so thoroughly indoctrinated into a form of thought they can't get out. Since they struggle with understanding the nature of their deity (since it isn't real), then everyone must struggle with that facet of life as well. I'll tell you as simply as possible so my words aren't misunderstood. We don't struggle with the notion. There's no god. There's no institutionalized values or belief structure to dictate the way we live, no supernatural system to explain the universe, no worship of a deity. Not a belief. The end.

Atheists have faith though. Faith that when we flip a light switch the light will come on. Not because super-sky-man says so, but because we have harnessed electricity. Faith that the sun will rise in the morning because we understand the rotation of our planet as it orbits our star. Faith that a deist will get bent out of shape when we flat out say their god is a lie... because it happens every single time.

We atheists are holding out a hand to our fellow mankind, waiting for them to reach out of their own hole and join the rational and those who use their brains for something more than struggling to find a way, any way, to justify their belief in imaginary creatures.

We'll be waiting.

Originally posted by Annee

Originally posted by satron

Originally posted by enlaavionsobreelmar
Atheism isn't really stupid, it's the way humans are born. Humans aren't born with a belief in any god, they have it implanted in their brain as a child.

Atheism is the belief that God doesn't exist.

NO - its not. Atheism is a non-belief.

A non-belief is not a belief. Lack of belief is not a belief.

Atheism means lack of belief in a deity/god.

This is another funny thing atheists will say. "Atheism is the lack of belief"

Now, if you were a new-born baby, I'd say you are correct.But come on, you don't have the mind of a child anymore. You've been exposed to the idea, and you can say whether or not you believe in God, or anything else that can't be proven to exist. Your mind is no longer in a blank state. If you were raised in someone's closet and they never mentioned anything about God, and you didn't hear about it anywhere else, you would definitely have a lack of belief.

I'm guessing that doesn't describe your circumstances.

reply to post by satron


This is ridiculous.

Deist: "Do you believe or do you not believe?"
Atheist: "I do not believe."

An atheist doesn't believe. They. Don't. Believe. What's difficult here? Why do you insist on playing games?

"Must find... chink... in armor... Must... justify... my insanity..."

An atheist doesn't believe. An atheist is without belief. An atheist has a lack of a belief. An atheist is a non-believer. How many other ways can it be said? It still means the same thing. AN ATHEIST DOES NOT BELIEVE.

There's no god. That doesn't require any sort of belief, mutant-make-your-own-definition-because-sky-man-said-to or any other sort. It's a fact. It's the truth. It only requires you to know it. If it was a religion and you had to take some ones word for it (like in a "holy" book, for example) then that would require you to believe what you are told. I'm not a toddler being told there's a tooth fairy. I believed that. Shame on me. I grew up and discovered the truth that there is no tooth fairy. It's a fact. It's the truth. Not believe, but know there's no damned tooth fairy. It's not a belief in the fact that there's no tooth fairy. There is simply no tooth fairy! Once knowledge enters the equation belief is removed.

What about English is incomprehensible here?!?

Originally posted by LuckyLucian
Atheists have faith though. Faith that when we flip a light switch the light will come on. Not because super-sky-man says so, but because we have harnessed electricity. Faith that the sun will rise in the morning because we understand the rotation of our planet as it orbits our star. Faith that a deist will get bent out of shape when we flat out say their god is a lie... because it happens every single time.

I wouldn't call that having faith. I would call that having knowledge...knowledge gained from experience and replication. Faith is having belief in something for no good reason. So, with the light switch example, faith would be like me flipping the light switch and believing a hamburger will appear in my hand.

Originally posted by LuckyLucian
reply to post by satron

 

This is ridiculous.

Deist: "Do you believe or do you not believe in God?"
Atheist: "I do not believe in God."

If you don't believe in God, you believe in God's nonexistence, because you don't have any evidence to prove yourself.

An atheist doesn't believe. They. Don't. Believe. What's difficult here? Why do you insist on playing games?

Why can't you accept the fact that atheism IS a belief? That pretty much goes against what's in the dictionary, although there isn't really a consensus of what it means, but I find the definition of atheism simply as:

the belief that God doesn't exist

I don't find it to be possible for someone to a completely neutral position in belief regarding something that can't be proven. You can belief that is exists, or you believe that it doesn't exist. Your belief can be stronger or weaker, depending on how sure you are in your belief.

"Must find... chink... in armor... Must... justify... my insanity..."

I'm not merely trying to knock you down, which I'm sure you must feel like, but that is your belief

I feel my explanation has a lot more to offer than typical things atheists and theists bicker about. Sure, there are funny things each group believes in, and we can all be improved. But saying that people have a lack in belief over something they've been exposed to strike me as illogical, like the notion has no gravity on you, the same as it does on someone that just climbed out of the tree and hadn't even began to grasp the notion of the possibility of God existing.

An atheist doesn't believe. An atheist is without belief. An atheist has a lack of a belief. An atheist is a non-believer. How many other ways can it be said? It still means the same thing. AN ATHEIST DOES NOT BELIEVE.

We've got a repeater.

Atheists believe that there isn't a God. Don't you think it's a bit funny when an atheist becomes a theist? They went from having a lack of belief in God, to a non-lack of belief in God, and actually believing in God. And what if they decide "Nah, I'll go back". And so, they went from believing in God, to a lack of belief in God(as you say)

Doesn't that strike you as just kind of weird? I think it's a lot more succinct to say they went from disbelief to belief and back.

There's no god.

Now this is gnosticism, not atheism. Stating that there is, in fact, no God.

That doesn't require any sort of belief, mutant-make-your-own-definition-because-sky-man-said-to or any other sort. It's a fact. It's the truth. It only requires you to know it. If it was a religion and you had to take some ones word for it (like in a "holy" book, for example) then that would require you to believe what you are told. I'm not a toddler being told there's a tooth fairy. I believed that. Shame on me. I grew up and discovered the truth that there is no tooth fairy. It's a fact. It's the truth. Not believe, but know there's no damned tooth fairy. It's not a belief in the fact that there's no tooth fairy. There is simply no tooth fairy! Once knowledge enters the equation belief is removed.

You're so knowledgeable on God's existence, I'm sure you have some proof to back up that claim, am i rite!?

Atheism is not a belief, Its natural. A belief was made from not having a belief, therefore atheism was there first and is the default.

Only thing Atheist share is that there is no god, but they don't share the same ideas or principles. An Atheist could be pro-abortion or pro-choice, Some can be spiritual some are not, they don't follow a set of rules that is made by another.

Originally posted by luciddream
Atheism is not a belief, Its natural. A belief was made from not having a belief, therefore atheism was there first and is the default.

It's also natural to fling your poo and to have some member of your group pick bugs out of your hair.

reply to post by Hydroman


How about a grilled cheese sammich? Will that switch give me a grilled cheese sammich, 'cuz I could go for one right now.

Originally posted by satron

Originally posted by luciddream
Atheism is not a belief, Its natural. A belief was made from not having a belief, therefore atheism was there first and is the default.

It's also natural to fling your poo and to have some member of your group pick bugs out of your hair.

Haha, as long as you agree Atheism was there first, i don't care about poo or lice, if its the truth, its the truth.

We change/evolve to adapt to better things, but that doesn't mean we should completely change our natural feelings toward something!

Originally posted by luciddream

Originally posted by satron

Originally posted by luciddream
Atheism is not a belief, Its natural. A belief was made from not having a belief, therefore atheism was there first and is the default.

It's also natural to fling your poo and to have some member of your group pick bugs out of your hair.

Haha, as long as you agree Atheism was there first, i don't care about poo or lice, if its the truth, its the truth.

We change/evolve to adapt to better things, but that doesn't mean we should completely change our natural feelings toward something!

It's also been shown that newborns can't separate themselves from their surrounding environment, in their mind.

Originally posted by luciddream
Atheism is not a belief, Its natural. A belief was made from not having a belief, therefore atheism was there first and is the default.

Only thing Atheist share is that there is no god, but they don't share the same ideas or principles. An Atheist could be pro-abortion or pro-choice, Some can be spiritual some are not, they don't follow a set of rules that is made by another.

That's right. Atheism means Lack of Belief in a deity/god. That is all it means.

Atheist Philosophy - - - is the individual thinking/belief - - - beyond the definition of Atheism.

Lack of Belief is not a Belief.

There is no shared group doctrine.

Originally posted by Annee

Originally posted by luciddream
Atheism is not a belief, Its natural. A belief was made from not having a belief, therefore atheism was there first and is the default.

Only thing Atheist share is that there is no god, but they don't share the same ideas or principles. An Atheist could be pro-abortion or pro-choice, Some can be spiritual some are not, they don't follow a set of rules that is made by another.

That's right. Atheism means Lack of Belief in a deity/god. That is all it means.

Atheist Philosophy - - - is the individual thinking/belief - - - beyond the definition of Atheism.

Lack of Belief is not a Belief.

There is no shared group doctrine.

Can you admit that lack of belief of a newborn isn't the same of the supposed lack of belief in a grown-up? Do are you saying that atheists have the mind of a child?

I really don't hope you believe that.

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?"

Now if we were talking about a person and not God there, that person would be considered a total waste of space, pretty useless in fact.

Certainly not someone worth worshiping.

Is Christianity the only religion in the world that needs to force itself onto others? Not a very good advertisment for the cause is it.

CX.