Why don't atheist believe in God?

Question

Albert Einstein believed. Stephen Hawking believes (not at first, but now he found God). These are some of the smartest people in the world. They study lots of things about the universe that would make some people disbelieve in God. Yet, some how they still believe. If they have so many opprotunities to NOT believe in God, and they still do, why don't you?

Answer 1

For the same reason they don't believe in fairies - no evidence.

Answer 2

While I can't speak for everyone, as people are atheist for different reasons, I can tell you why I don't believe in a god of any type. I'll try to keep it brief.

1) Evidence. When we look at nature we see no evidence of supernatural beings of any kind. Everything that we do observe seems to have a natural and logical explanation. Therefore, there is no need for me to invoke god to explain it.

2) Suffering. There is entirely too much pain in the world. If god, as creator of the whole system, is all powerful and desires only good, then why all the pain? While I will admit that a fair share of bad has to occur for us to appreciate the good, it still seems that too much suffering is taking place. Would it have made it any less tragic if 10 less people had died as a result of Hurricane Katrina? 100 less?

3) The Bible. It is said that it is the inerrant word of God. However, parts of it have been shown to be wrong historically. Science has also shown us that parts of it are innaccurate. There are also several passages that seem to be contradictory. When I think about all of this the Bible seems more like the work of men than an all-knowing being.

4) Geography. If one religion made more sense than all of the others and had more evidence, don't you think that its acceptance would be evenly spread across the planet? This turns out to not be the case. Which religion one adopts is usually determined by what part of the world he/she was born in, and what religion one's parents subscribe to.

Just so you know, I harbor no ill will to religious people of any kind. Some of my best friends are Christians. Also, though some people seem to think otherwise, atheists are normal people. We don't eat babies or shout obscenities at religious folk, and I'm willing to bet that you will never be bothered by an atheist knocking at your door to give you a pamphlet.

One final thing. I'll agree that it did seem like Einstein believed in a higher power (I don't know enough about Hawking to speak for him), however, it seems most likely that Einstein's idea of God would not fit in with any of the major religions. If anything he was a deist. I hope this answered your question.

Answer 3

Albert Einstein was far more open-minded than your average modern Christian, first of all. Secondly, Stephen Hawking has not, as you so incorrectly put it, "found God." He has merely admitted that if the universe is not infinite, then at some point, something had to come from nothing, which, in defying the laws of physics, suggests a supernatural force. He does NOT continue to assume that (a) that force had a consciousness and intentions (b) that force named itself God (c) that force, on a whim, created us, providing itself as a perfect excuse for our existence, (d) wrote a book about it, and (e) is still around. Because that, my friend, is too much assuming, whether for an atheist, or for Stephen Hawking.

Answer 4

Get your facts straight, Stephen Hawking does not believe in god... Einstein believed more as a deist, in a prime mover.

Atheists don't believe in god because if they did they would cease to be atheist... that's kind of the definition of the word a=none theos=god.

If you mean why do people still remain atheists then i will answer because there still is absolutely no evidence for the existence of a god or gods. Science discovers more and more about how the world works every day and it bases its conclusions on evidential material.

Answer 5

Jesus said that the world will know people as Christians by their love for one another (John 13:35 or so), and that the world will be saved through that brotherly love and unity (somewhere in John 17).

Just because these brilliant scientists believe in God, does not mean that every atheist will see scientific proof that it's true. According to the Bible itself, it says that people will change their beliefs only in response to the people around them, to the relationships and caring... not in response to science or hard proof. Many people feel there is plenty of proof that God is real, but even Jesus said that wasn't good enough to change people's minds. That's why there are still atheists, even though Einstein and Hawking decided to believe that God is real.

Answer 6

I really like the description of your question. Thank God for your deep faith.

Even I sometimes tend to think that some people have done things to make others disbelieve in God. But those efforts have finally become a source to prove that God exists.

So the thing is, people believe in God, but they do not want to accept it. It sounds crazy but it is the true situation.

Even atheist are the same. They are somewhat guilty by sitting on the fence.

However we cannot force anyone to believe in God. They will exactly realise it one day, at least at the time they die.

Answer 7

Benjamin Franklin was a very smart, charismatic man, and despite posing as a priest or whatever it was for some publications, he did NOT believe. Abraham Lincoln was smart, not to mention a very GOOD human being and he did not believe. Many of the great minds that contributed to the great library of Alexandria (which religious advocates -not just for Islam- burned to the ground, because intellectuals & logic and religion don't mix) were also atheist. More great people of history than you realize were atheist. And Albert Einstein was more of an agnostic. He didn't attend any church (or the jewish equivalent).

Answer 8

Are you lying intentionally about Einstein and Hawking, or are you just parroting something from one of those 'Liars For Jesus' (LFJ) web sites, without checking it for yourself.

Einstein frequently used the word 'God'... but only to simplify his speech, and avoid lengthy and complicated explanations; e.g., "God does not play dice with the universe." Many people misinterpreted that kind of speech to mean that he believed in God. He set them straight on that issue, in no uncertain terms:

"It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world (universe) so far as our science can reveal it."   ~ Albert Einstein

Stephen Hawking, on several occasions, has affirmed that he means 'god' in essentially the same sense that Einstein did.

Answer 9

Einstein repudiated those who misconstrued his words to suggest that he believed in a god. Earlier this year Hawking said, "It is better not to use the word 'god' to describe what I believe because most people use the word to mean a being with whom one can have a personal relationship."

As I have said in several places, belief in God is simply irrelevant. As Einstein said, "God does not play dice." There's nothing that cannot be discovered about the order of the universe, and the insertion of any action of God into that universe means that he disrupts that order.

You had better define your terms, because unless you mean a deistic God that has "left the building," the sources you're citing are not backing your assertion in the least.

Answer 10

Neither Einstein nor Hawking believe in YOUR god (reminder to self, doublecheck the Hawking claim).

But hey, these guys are/were just human, with the same emotional frailties as the rest of us. Just because you're brilliant, doesn't imply you've spent a lot of time studying philosophy and theology.

Answer 11

Einstein seems to have been mistaken about his famous quote, "God does not play dice with the universe" when confronted with emerging quantum theory that posits chance as the engine that drives the universe, as opposed to logical predictability. As for Stephen Hawking, I do not begrudge his willing suspension of disbelief for the sake of some comfort in his sad physical condition, as he is dieing on account of his unasked-for "Gift from God."