Atheists, what do you believe in?

a reply to: TheErlenmeyerFlask

I'm glad you're finding the thread interesting

As has been mentioned before, though, the only thing that connects one atheist to another is a lack of belief in any deity's/higher beings/gods. Some certainly do state outright that "there is no God" and they would be a hard/positive atheist. But most simply lack a belief in gods without any anti-position held; making them soft/negative atheists.

Think of it this way. There are some theists out there that directly claim "yes! There is a god!" Some even go so far as to describe that God. These would be hard theists. Where as a soft theist wouldn't be ascribed to a religion (which all tend to make direct claims about a truly existing God), but they may say "I'm not religious or anything, but I feel like a higher being likely exists"

So there really isn't any ideology behind atheism; actually, it's not really an "ism" at all, it's just a lack of theism.

Nor are there any beliefs within atheism. As you can see from the responses, everyone has a different answer to the question in the OP, and that is due to there not being a belief system or ideology within atheism.

originally posted by: luthier

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: TheErlenmeyerFlask
"to be atheist is to know there is no god, and to know there is no god, one must be omnipotent, and therefore a god - in essence, atheism is a philosophical impossibility."

That is incorrect.

A "true" atheist would not say there is no god. A "true" atheist is also agnostic - - Agnostic Atheist. The real meaning of Agnostic is: God can not be proven or disproven.

For an atheist to state "there is no God" - - would require proof. Which is not possible.

The correct term is: Lack of belief in a God.

Personal belief(s) beyond "Lack of belief in a God" - - - would be that individuals Atheist Philosophy.

There is only one thing that connects atheists. That is Lack of belief in a God.

Again this is not true.

Every branch of academic philosophy differenciates hard and soft atheism. (Positive/negative)

en.m.wikipedia.org...



Atheists themselves do as well.


Go back to Diagoras.

YOU are the one who is wrong.

What I posted is exact fact.

And as I stated - BEYOND LACK OF BELIEF IN GOD - - - each atheist can have their own philosophy.

If you can't prove there is no God - - you can't state there is no God. That's how it works.

You can only have Lack of Belief in a God.

Are there atheists who do state "there is no God" - - yes, there are. They need to educate themselves better.

Wikipedia is your source for what an atheist is?

You might want to actually research a real atheist.

WHAT IS ATHEISM?

No one asks this question enough.

The reason no one asks this question a lot is because most people have preconceived ideas and notions about what an Atheist is and is not. Where these preconceived ideas come from varies, but they tend to evolve from theistic influences or other sources.

Atheism is usually defined incorrectly as a belief system. Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods. Older dictionaries define atheism as "a belief that there is no God." Some dictionaries even go so far as to define Atheism as "wickedness," "sinfulness," and other derogatory adjectives. Clearly, theistic influence taints dictionaries. People cannot trust these dictionaries to define atheism. The fact that dictionaries define Atheism as "there is no God" betrays the (mono)theistic influence. Without the (mono)theistic influence, the definition would at least read "there are no gods."

Why should atheists allow theists to define who atheists are? Do other minorities allow the majority to define their character, views, and opinions? No, they do not. So why does everyone expect atheists to lie down and accept the definition placed upon them by the world’s theists? Atheists will define themselves.

Atheism is not a belief system nor is it a religion. While there are some religions that are atheistic (certain sects of Buddhism, for example), that does not mean that atheism is a religion. Two commonly used retorts to the nonsense that atheism is a religion are: 1) If atheism is a religion, then bald is a hair color, and 2) If atheism is a religion, then health is a disease. A new one introduced in 2012 by Bill Maher is, "If atheism is a religion, then abstinence is a sexual position."

The only common thread that ties all atheists together is a lack of belief in gods and supernatural beings. Some of the best debates we have ever had have been with fellow atheists. This is because atheists do not have a common belief system, sacred scripture or atheist Pope. This means atheists often disagree on many issues and ideas. Atheists come in a variety of shapes, colors, beliefs, convictions, and backgrounds. We are as unique as our fingerprints. www.atheists.org...

a reply to: Annee

Its not them. Its you.

A definition does not always explain an actual working situation.

I have provided you plenty of evidence. The only person who needs education is you. The same way there are many forms of sexuality there are many belief and non belief systems.

Atheism has been described this way for well over 40 years in academics which is where definitions come from and where they are discussed.

Guess what Hard atheism has a spot in the dictionary as well. Look it up in the same dictionary you look uo atheism.

atheism.about.com...

rationalwiki.org...

atheism.about.com...

www.update.uu.se...

www.merriam-webster.com...

Definition of atheism
1
archaic : ungodliness, wickedness
2
a : a disbelief in the existence of deity
b : the doctrine that there is no deity

a reply to: Ghost147

I didn't answer your question seriously earlier, but there is one thing that I *wonder* about, as an atheist: Dreams.

I don't feel like science is able to explain why we spend so much of our lives dreaming. Is it significant that we have experiences, in our dreams, without physically experiencing what we dream about? Could dreams be preparing us for something to come after we are no longer alive and able to have physical experiences?

As an atheist, I don't believe science has answered why we haven't evolved away from dreaming. In fact, science shows we evolved into dreaming creatures.

So, I leave certain questions open about a possible *ahem* afterlife, because I don't feel like science has given a sufficient explanation for the process of dreaming.

I hope this sort of answers your question!

originally posted by: luthier
a reply to: Annee

Its not them. Its you.

QUESTION: Are you atheist?

originally posted by: luthier

Guess what Hard atheism has a spot in the dictionary as well. Look it up in the same dictionary you look uo atheism.

If you are quoting the dictionary, then you did not read the article I posted from American Atheists.

a reply to: Cobaltic1978

Im with you on that. Every day that goes by i seem to feel more exhausted and wouldnt mind going to dreamland for good on most days.

originally posted by: Misterlondon
I believe I can fly..

Me too. Which is why I have, at one time or another, owned a Cessna 182, Beech 95, Dehavilland DHC-1, Bellanca 8KCAB. Pitts Special S1T, Extra 300/200, and Sukhoi 29, and a clipped-wing Taylorcraft BC12D experimental.

a reply to: luthier

From one of your provided links:

The general definition of strong atheism is sometimes treated as the definition of atheism itself, without qualifications applied. This is incorrect.

The general definition of atheism is simply the absence of belief in gods and this definition applies to all atheists.

Only those atheists who take the extra step of denying some or all gods fit under the definition of strong atheism. There is some overlap between strong atheism and positive atheism, explicit atheism, and critical atheism. Also Known As: positive atheism, explicit atheism, hard atheism, critical atheism

I kinda have a soft spot for reincarnation. Doesn't mean that there is a god, but; some of the stories seem genuine. The stories really can't be tested scientifically because the phenomenon is alleged before scientific inquiry starts. If you subject children to 24 surveillance before any talk that resembles reincarnation and constantly test all responses; then the phenomenon could be tested scientifically. Otherwise, you cannot know if an unknown event has helped shape the story. Still there are too many unique events and responses for me to fully brush reincarnation off.

a reply to: luthier

I don't think annee is saying that no atheist claims, absolutely, that there is no God.

It's just not a trait that can describe all of atheism.

Yes, there are hard atheistic positions, but the only thing connecting every atheist to every other atheist is a lack of belief. How far they take it is subjective to the individual

originally posted by: RoScoLaz5
i believe that aliens and ghosts may represent different aspects or manifestations/interpretations of the same phenomena.

Same here.

I'm probably an agnostic because I try to keep an open mind to all possibilities, but don't believe in most/all religions.


Hunt for the Skinwalker (excellent read) Jacques Vallee's books, and others have a theory that makes the most sense to me. UFO's, Cryptids, paranormal activity etc etc could all be connected/same thing, and are likely interdimensional. NIDS investigated the Skinwalker Ranch, and whatever intelligence was behind all the odd activity toyed with the investigators. There were portals opening up in the air with odd creatures/UFO's coming out, voices from nowhere, a grab bag of paranormal. They felt ALL the different events were connected and intelligently controlled. The sheer oddness of what happened there is what Vallee talks about in his UFO research, stuff that isn't consistant and makes no sense at all in some cases

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: Ghost147

I DO NOT believe in any God (of any kind) in the religious sense. Religion is man made.

I've had too many Paranormal (for lack of better word) experiences to not believe more is going on then what I can "see-feel-touch".

I do believe everything is energy - energy consciousness. Not all of it physically manifested.

If there's a "god force" - - it's the "source outlet" we're all plugged into.

"All connected, all ripples in the same pond"

Hi Annee, nice to see that we see something along the same lines.

I believe in a GOD but not in a religious way and i have believed for a long time now that GOD must be an energy force.
If it is the source outlet, where did that start from?

I believe in the spirit world but not heaven or even hell, hell is just a fear factor for religious reasons. I also do not believe in evil spirits, once we cross over, we become pure energy which is full of love again, no hatred or evil exists there! (i hope i am right).

Yes we are all connected on a spiritual level, in this life and the spirit world.

I have also had a lot of paranormal experiences that i cannot deny so there is something after death

Well if I take my Christian hat off
Alien abductions, way to many people have suffered and face ptsd from these reports, so aliens by default must exist
Ghosts, yep, I have seen way to much evidence, seen tv shows and read books as well as official documents recording strange happenings
Sasquatch animals, again, just way to many people have told storys, to many people for me have sited and recorded these things

Loch Ness monster, again so much documentation going back so long

Though now my Christian beliefs have explained much of that and in my opinion confirms my faith

Now, that doesn't mean I am the enemy, just have a different opinion, you will just have to accept that

It's a good and timely thread, I have enjoyed much of it

If you don't believe in God, then I wish you luck

I am not sure about luck, I know a guy who couldn't stop winning at a card table, then onto a roulette wheel, some 70 thousand dollars in one nigh, just couldn't lose
Don't know about that, lucks interesting

I find that in practice atheism can mean a lot of different things. At one extreme, it involves outright faith in the completely unfalsifiable notion that there is no God. This is strictly a faith based position. So yes, it is absolutely possible for atheism to involve faith, and enough atheists fit this definition that it merits consideration, regardless of what the Atheistic Society for Atheistic Atheists has to say about it. I don't know too many atheists who join such groups, and they certainly don't own the definition.


At the other extreme, there is what I think of as agnostic atheism -- as in, "I don't know if there's a god or not, but either way I don't believe in one." I fit more into this category.

There are also people who truly don't care if there is a God. I'm not sure what you'd call them.

originally posted by: Greggers
......
There are also people who truly don't care if there is a God. I'm not sure what you'd call them.

Terry.

originally posted by: TerryDon79

originally posted by: Greggers
......
There are also people who truly don't care if there is a God. I'm not sure what you'd call them.

Terry.

On some days I fit that definition as well.

a reply to: Greggers

I done all my "caring about it" between the ages of 13 and 16. Terminal illnesses in the family, me going into deep depression, pondering the meanings of everything, attempted suicides. The conclusion I came to is, I can't prove it either way.

What's the point of worrying/caring about it, if it's not going to impact my life and the way I live it?

originally posted by: TerryDon79
a reply to: Greggers

I done all my "caring about it" between the ages of 13 and 16. Terminal illnesses in the family, me going into deep depression, pondering the meanings of everything, attempted suicides. The conclusion I came to is, I can't prove it either way.

What's the point of worrying/caring about it, if it's not going to impact my life and he way I live it?

That philosophy makes perfect sense to me.

If you ask a person with this philosophy whether they believe in God, more often than not you'll get a resouding, "Meh."

That doesn't meet the qualifaction of agnosticism or atheism. It's more like "Your question sucks-ism."

a reply to: Greggers

Kind of, yeah. But I still hold onto my "I'll find out when I die" or "when there's actual evidence".

I've been pondering "god" and "religion" lately. Probably the last 2, maybe 3 months. (By "god" and "religion" I mean afterlife and everything to do with it) I just can't bring myself to accept a yes or a no. It's not black and white.

I'm basically at the stage I have been for years. If there is a "god" and some form of afterlife, cool. If not, oh well. It's not like it's gonna change what I have for dinner, say to my wife, watch on tv or anything else lol.