Don't all people just instinctively believe that God exists?

Question

There's an old saying that no one is an atheist in a foxhole.

Atheists please tell me why all of you try so hard to convince yourselves that God does not exist.

Children intuitively believe in God. All people naturally do. It takes work for an atheist to convince himself otherwise.

An atheist response?

Answer 1

Well finally a person with a brain.....exactly dude, we need to know the personality FLAW that makes people so ignorant.

Answer 2

NO

"Children intuitively believe in God"

What the hell? I was told EVERY DAY there was a god. Made to pray 4 or 5 times a day. Threatened that I would burn in HELL if I was not a good Christian. I DID NOT DO THAT ON MY OWN.

I also KNEW there was a Santa Claus at one time. intuitively!

I had to be convinced there was a god. I didn't pop out and just know about god. We found remote tribes all over the world that didn't "know" about your god.

I'm an Atheist but I don't plan on getting in a foxhole. If I ever find myself in one I don't plan on breaking down and becoming so desperate that I need to hope for a god.

Answer 3

Children do not instinctively believe in God. I never did. Yes I went to church and Sunday School; mostly the teachers were happy when I was gone because most times they couldn't answer my questions except for saying "Because God wants it that way" and I never accepted that. It is not like I sat there and tried to convince myself. I have never prayed - not even as a child my parents would leave the room and I'd just climb in bed.

I think children are blank slates. What is written on the slates depends on a lot of factors but nothing is intuitive.

Answer 4

Atheist here.

Your argument is true to a point but flawed. If you look at cultures that are totally isolated you will see they all worship something, usually the elements because they feel the need to appease the elements because they don't understand what they are or how they operate. This is how all religion began. It wasn't inherit in a child, it was developed because of ignorance of nature.

Through the millenniums each culture has it's own god or gods. The judeo-christain-islamic monotheistic god is just another version. Though you may not worship him to appease him for good weather, you do it for the reward of eternal life.

The reason why gods appeared is easy, how would it have happened any other way?

Update - Here you go
http://www.atheistfoxholes.org/

Answer 5

An Atheist's response:

I dont try hard at all to convince myself.

The world itself convinces me daily that there is no god/s. Science has proven in several aspects that god can't exist, and I would choose that over placing my hard earned time and energy to worshipping a book's fabled character.

There are Atheists in the military as well, therefore they are/could be in a fox hole.

Children are molded into little mirrors of parents until the age of 3 when they can think for themselves.

You cant honestly tell me that you have seen a child born that automaticly believes in god when it barely knows what sex it is.

Answer 6

actually, being an atheist is just the path of most thought. Ive thought about it, and there is no way that i can see that god can exist. you believe in the bible because the bible says it is true and your parents said it was true. if thats all the proof you need, I feel very sorry for you. I dont believe people instinctively think god exists, its just that the majority of the country is christian, so children just go along with what their parents believe. I also think youre using circular logic in your question and I'd like to see where you get your information from. feel free to email me, [e-mail], I really want to know!

Answer 7

1) That old saying is completely without basis. There are atheists everywhere, including the military.

2) Children do not "intuitively" believe in god. All babies are born without belief in anything.

3) It's not that hard to be an atheist. A couple of reads through the Bible, a few hours of thought, and three fingers of single-malt whiskey did it for me. I recommend it to anybody.

Answer 8

I am not an atheist by the way, but let's say a child is lost and raised by ...say...wolves. That child would not be any less human but he would not instinctively believe in anything like a god. You believe what is taught to you, whether it is taught to you accidentally or on purpose.

Answer 9

The only reason that children "naturally" believe is because their parents present them with this idea that some great man in the sky is watching down on them, protecting them. So children readily accept this because their parents told them this and because they like protection and a feeling of security. God is just a security blanket that some children just never outgrow.

Answer 10

I come from a fairly religious background, My mom is a sunday school teacher. Me? Nah, I saw what the church was doing to people like my mom........I didn't wanna live my life like hers. So to answer your question NO I don't believe that God exists because if he did there wouldn't be half the suffering in the world like there is today...........

Right on, Mike M !!!!!!!!!!!!!


secular - I slept through most of mine and flunked the finals. Was a statement I needed to make. :D In one ear and out the other.... nothing stayed put inside!

Answer 11

Based on Paleolithic history, it is safe to say that people inherantly lean toward belief in the supernatural. However, nobody is born believing in specific religious concepts, such as the story of Noah or the trinity.