For atheists: So is God not a thing, like a cookie, but some sort of abstract concept?

Question

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkMzAvzs40njVz19YoztMVrsy6IX?qid=20060731150709AA8Lp8H

Ann Tykreist, you seem pretty sure God is not real.

If your belief that God is not real is rational, then you should be able to give your rationale for your position, right? In others words, if you can show that God is not real, you have effectively constructed a proof that there is no God. Care to give it a try?

Answer 1

I'm not an atheist, but I felt compelled by your question to answer.

God is everything and god is nothing. God is the stars and the black space between them in the sky. God is the trees, the air, the dirt and all the matter in the universe, but on the other hand, god is not something that can be rolled into one nice neat little ball and explained.

You have to acknowledge that you know nothing, that none of us really know anything about god and the nature of god and why god created the universe. Because no one truely knows what god is or if god even exists. Even me, someone who does have faith in her ideas about god, has to admit that my ideas are only my own and do not belong to anyone else, nor do I have a right push my faith onto others because they are only ideas that I have, no concrete evidence.

No one will ever have concrete evidence of the truth about god. No one. Even atheists cannot prove that god does not exist, because as god is an idea and you can't take an idea away from someone.

Answer 2

Most people assume the question of the existence of God boils down to whether or not God has objective existence, like a cookie, or not. It rarely crosses anyone's mind that God may exist in a non-objective sense -- that is, in a sense that entirely transcends the objective world and therefore cannot be found using the laws of objectivity.

Generally, "believers" and "atheists" merely fall on two sides of the same underlying assumption: namely, that God is like a cookie. Either that cookie actually is somewhere objectively (the believer) or the cookie is merely "make pretend" (the atheist).

The atheist's position is fairly straightforward and clear, albeit perhaps a bit simple-minded: God is like Santa Claus. It is a make believe idea -- or as you put it, an abstract concept -- that exists only in the mind, but not outside of the mind. So, while Santa Claus may exist as concept, as object he does not exist . . . likewise, they would argue, with God.

Answer 3

I find it difficult to rationalize an existence or non-existence of god. I could care less if someone believes in god or not.
With that said I cannot rationalize non-believers baiting believers or vice-versa.
I could care less if there was or was not a god.
If people find comfort in their beliefs all the power to them.
If people use their beliefs to rationalize or justify bad behavior that is when it starts bothering me.
I imagine the "Son of Sam" is secure in his knowledge that the deaths he caused were ultimately his dogs fault.
With that said the people bombing trade centers can live guilt free as can the bombers of Iraqi or Lebanese children, because god is on their side.
As far as the godlessness, look at Stalin, he killed a fair few people and claimed to be an atheist.

I cannot prove or disprove the existence of god.
godlessness supports awful behavior as does god-fullness.
I am on the fence as far as religion or lack thereof goes.
I do not think there is such a thing as a rational way of thought or a way of living. We are what we are domestic animals that can wield hammers.

Answer 4

Well for the start, What the heck are you talking about?

"god" is not a being, as some people say, but the fabrics and demensions that hold this universe together. Others, like me, doesn't believe in a supreme being on some big throne or some holy big land looking upon people and commanding them just to please him, we believe in something like the Big Bang.

God is very opinionated, everyone thinks of God differently. Some don't think of him at all while some are like brainwashed narrow-minded followers.

Answer 5

God is a theory, just like the big bang. Why can't we just get along? Why must everyone always think that everyone needs to believe the same thing. How dull would life be if we all drove the same car, if we all lived in the same style house and all went to church on the same day, at the same time. Why not just live your life and stop fussing over how other people are living theirs?

Answer 6

You have to be a gnostic if you think that God is some sort of abstract concept. Atheists just believe that there isn't God or anything else above the explainable nature.

Answer 7

i don't think of it develop into initially conceived as a equipment of ability and administration -- even if I doubt it took very lengthy for persons to do not forget that it ought to correctly be that, too. i imagine the actual incontrovertible reality that virtually each and every custom has a faith/ myths that contain superior beings like gods, some tale of existence after lack of existence, some tale of how organic phenomena are somewhat the artwork of a God or gods. i don't think of there is something genuine there. i trust that is a fantasy it really is better risky than no longer.

Answer 8

I'm not an athiest, but I'll give it a shot.

The name "God" can be both. It represents a concept to me because the real one can't be known in his entirety. The person who "knows everythng about God" is an unfathomable know-it-all.

On the other hand, the same name refers to the real one - whatever he (the grand force) is. The answer to that doesn't matter to me, because IT KNOWS WHAT IT'S DOING, whatever it happens to be like.

Answer 9

You can prove statements false, yes.

Proving the nonexistence of something is more difficult.

I can prove that the statement that the cookie jar contains cookies is false. (By force, if I have to, by eating the cookies.)

I cannot prove (absolutely) that there are no cookies, because then someone could object that cookies are invisible, and then someone could object that cookies are intangible, and so on. If the definition of a cookie is fluid like that, you can't prove the negative of an existential property.

Answer 10

You're just bitter because you get taken to school every time you post another question.

I believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster, it's up to you to prove that he doesn't exist.

Get thee back to school and take a grade 8 debating class and a grade 10 logics class and then return thee to thy religion and spirituality answers page.

Until then, there is no point in debating one iota with you.