Do atheists have faith too?

Question

Faith has various uses; its central meaning is similar to "belief", "trust" or "confidence."

Okay, by defintion, Atheists have faith there is no GOD, not proof. They have trust there is no GOD, not proof. They are confident there is no God, not proof.

So, how is their arguments any more justified or truthful than a Christian who has faith, trust and confidence there is a God? Neither side has proof, but both have faith, so why do we all get our panties in a bunch?

Atheists have faith of a diffrent kind. Proof negates faith, noone has anything but personal poof. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, cant we all act like adults instead of squabbling, hateful, name calling children?

Laurie B, nice argument. But if I tell you the great pumpkin is coming, and you are sure he's not, but cant PROVE he is not, you have trust, faith, confidence that he is not, but no proof the great pumpkin isnt coming. The only way to prove it, is to disprove it. I cant prove God to you, unless I disprove the possibility he is not real. You cant prove God is not real to me, unless you disprove the possibility he is real.

Atheism, Christianity, or whatever religion, is all based on faith that there is a possibility youve got it right.

Of course, I readily admit, its a possibility Im wrong.

Answer 1

I am an atheist by definition, by which I mean that I don't worship, god, allah, buddha etc. What I do have faith in (and also proof of) is the natural world. I don't worship it, but I have a deep respect for the plants and animals around me. I love trees and the earth I walk on. I love the feel of soft grass on my bare feet and the feeling of warm sand between my toes. I wish that people of all religions and beliefs could just accwept the fact that there are other forms of religion out there and not everyone is going to agree with yours. We would all be so much happier if they did. Also, I am not a hippy in case you were wondering.

Answer 2

I definitely agree that peopole get their panties in a bunch too much. However, the two faiths that you mentioned have very different implications. For an atheist, you've got no higher authority to answer to than yourself, so you decided right, wrong, etc. But if you faith is that there is a God, then you have to decided whether or not to live your life in light of that faith, including what people accept as communication from God (like the Bible, and Jesus). So depending on whether or not your faith is that there is a God totally affects the way you life, think, and the core values that you hold. Unfortunately, people from both groups end up hating and namecalling, regardless of whether those things are consistent with their faith!

Answer 3

we don't have faith that there is no god.

think of it this way. if you run up to me and tell me that there is a great pumpkin and he is coming, this may be your religion. however, if i think you are a silly person who believes in fairy tales, my non-belief in the great pumpkin is not a religion. surely you can see this.

if you ran up to me and said 'this eggplant is god' could you really tell me that my belief that the eggplant is not god is a religion?

Please explain the difference.

No, it is a logical fallacy to try to make someone prove a negative. It's nonsense. Prove that you are not a butterfly dreaming of a yahoo answer question.

It is the person making the statement - there is a god, you are a butterfly - that must prove this statement. The person walking by does not have a belief system simply because he doesn't what agree with what someone else is saying about reality. I absolutely do not have prove to God is not real. Because I'm not making a statement about it. You are. Left to me, it wouldn't come up.

If you saw there is a purple dinosaur on an empty street, you have to prove it's there. i do not have to prove it's NOT there. and, again, my observation and assesment that there is no dino there does not mean i now have a no dino religion (like you do?)

I have read many interesting books about how 'religous texts' have been assembled and have a pretty good idea about what we're dealing with here.

The problem with this very question is that it is part of an agenda of people who wish to destroy religious liberty in this country. To some very strange people, freedom of religion has always been 'freedom to choose your own sect of protestanism.' Sorry, that's not what the founders meant and it is utterly unacceptable. Therefore, attempts to brand atheism a religion are part of dangerous tactics that threaten the freedom and safety of americans - therefore, people pushing this crap and its manipulation of people who believe in fairy tales tend to agitate those who value liberty.

Hey, read the Red Tent. Awesome. Check out Genesis 34, read about Jacob, father of Joseph. It's the central story in the Red Tent. Really brings those times to life.


Poor Mery, so uninformed - people who believe in evolution, which includes pope john paul and millions of other christians, know that evolution does not and has never said that people evolved from monkeys. you are being poorly served by the people who tell you this lie.

Poor all the rest of us, to have fellow citizens like Mery, who think our govt is based on christianity, when our founders said over and over that it wasn't. they were in love with the classical greeks. highly influenced by them. jefferson did not believe jesus was divine. john adams believe religion was for the little people only. more importantly, our constitution says there will be no religious test for holding office nor any establishment of religion. further, most of our founders ratified a treaty in 1797, treaty of tripoli, that specifically stated that america is in no way a christian nation. where in our constitution does it say to keep holy the sabbath, to honor your parents, to not envy, to have no gods before god??????? nowhere. our country is not based on the 10 commandments.

the ten commandments are part of a continually evolving human conversation about ethics. to people like Mery, they're nothing but graven images.

Answer 4

Atheists are ignorant. It isn't that no one has told them there isn't a God because in the Bible it says that everyone will hear about God's word. They choose to ignore it and sin. There is evidence to support there is a God and it is staring you right in the face every second because the Lord made everything, but they choose it ignore it to worship the earth or sexual desires, etc. The Bible says the heavens declare the glory of God. All I can do is pray for them and God do the rest. I suggest to anyone try praying to the Lord for one month and if nothing happens well you tried. But if something happens well I would say it will be the best thing that ever happened.

Answer 5

Yes. It takes more faith to believe that there is no God, that there was this explosion in the middle of space that created earth, and that we evolved from monkeys than it does to believe in God.

The whole separation of Church and state thing, it was meant to say that the government can't regulate what religion people are, like saying, "everyone must be methodist" not to abolish all ties of church with anything. Our whole government, laws and everything revolve around the ten Commandments.

Atheists need to get one thing right...two things.
There is a Heaven and there is a Hell. Everyone who believes in Jesus that he is God's son and he died on the cross for us will go to Heaven. Everyone else will go to Hell. So that's where they're choosing to go. That's where their faith leads. They have so much faith but in the end it'll get them nothing but an eternity in Hell. Rather sad when you think about it.

Jesus Loves You!!!

Answer 6

Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true (Heb.ll:l; Alma 32;21), and must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation. To have faith is to have confidence in something or someone. The Lord has revealed himself and his perfect character, possessing in their fulness all the attributes of love, knowledge, justice, mercy, unchangeableness, power, and every other needful thing, so as to enable the mind of man to place confidence in him without reservation. Faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith. Miracles do not produce faith but strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ; in other words, faith comes by righteousness, although miracles often confirm one's faith.

Faith is a principle of action and of power, and by it one can command the elements and/or heal the sick, or influence any number of circumstances when occasion warrants. Even more important, by faith one obtains a remission of sins and eventually can stand in the presence of God.

All true faith must be based upon true knowledge or it cannot produce the desired results. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel and is more than belief, since true faith always moves its possessor to some kind of physical and mental action; it carries an assurance of the fulfillment of the things hoped for. A lack of faith leads one to despair, which comes because of iniquity.

Although faith is a gift, it must be cultured and sought after until it grows from a tiny seed to a great tree. The effects of true faith in Jesus Christ include(l) an actual knowledge that the course of life on is pursing is acceptable to the Lord;(2) a reception of the blessings of the Lord that are available to man in this life; and (3) an assurance of personal salvation in the world to come. These things involve individual and personal temony, guidance, revelation, and spiritual knowledge. Where there is true faith there are miracles, visions, dreams, healings, and all the gifts of God that he gives to his saints. Jesus pointed out some obstacles to faith in John 5:44 and some12;39-42.

Answer 7

Sweetie, I know I'm gonna start a fuss but from practical experience. All the atheists I knew when I was in the military ceased to be atheists; as soon as the bullets started flying and the rockets started exploding, and they suddenly found themselves in a bloody foxhole.

Answer 8

Of course atheists have faith! They have faith they'll be able to persuade Christians to their way of thinking. Fugtile as it may be, they keep plugging along anyway...

Keep trying Jim and I'll have my rebuttals ready as my free time allows... I'm firm in my faith!

By the way, God still loves you!

Answer 9

It is a lack of faith

faith: Aceptance of ideals, beliefs, etc., which are not necessarily demonstrable through experimentation or reason.

I am rejecting an ideal.

Answer 10

In my opinion, there's no deity or deities, no devil, no special place above or below, no ghosts, no reincarnation, no reward or punishment. You die and that's it. Religion has no meaning for me or any bearing on my day-to-day existence. But I do respect other people's beliefs and feelings.