2006-09-09 09:09:15 · 25 answers · asked by lonly_planet1976 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I'm an atheist, I don't believe in fate... but I won't tell you it's absolutely wrong. Just because I don't believe in it doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't live your life thinking it's real. All I ask is that it be your personal belief, not required to be mine.
2006-09-09 09:11:32 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you believe in "fate" do you ask your self who is directing that fate? A Christian might see that as the hand of God guiding you. You might have noticed that most people, including atheist, seem to believe that there is some "higher power" guiding things. "It was meant to be", begs the question; "Who" means it to be? Could it be that you are really an agnostic? By that I mean that it is impossible to know for sure that there is a God. The problem with that line of thinking is that it will be to late by the time you answer the question for "sure". That being a really big risk has driven some folks who believed they were atheist to reconsider. They recognize that there is a higher power. But they are still afraid to acknowledge that the higher power has a name. The most common reason seems to be a fear that one must live their life in a manner prescribed by God if they accept that he exists. God himself recognized that problem and attempted to solve it a number of times. But he was dealing with humans who just don't seem to be real good at following instructions. Christians might tell you that God recognized that he was responsible, since he gave us all free will, so he came up with a better answer. He sent Jesus to pay the price for all of those times that you and I will fail to follow the instructions that he left (the Bible). He knows that all of those rules are just for your benefit. He made them so you might live a less complicated life. He also knew how hard it would be to accept that doing something that seems to be fun is really not the best thing.
So next time you think something is the result of "fate" just ask yourself, could that be God? It could be that he is calling you to accept his free gift (Jesus) because he knows you are having a difficult time with all of those rules.
2006-09-09 16:49:08 · answer #2 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fate is simply the belief that something guides the future or what will happen in the future. You can choose to believe in anything. I am a Christian, so I of course, believe that God guides our fate. As an atheist, I'm not sure what you believe guides your fate, but there certainly isn't anything wrong with believing in fate.
2006-09-09 16:20:56 · answer #3 · answered by TJMiler 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They are not completely contriditary. Fate means a predestined result from a set of actions/reactions. It does not require a deity.
Most people of faith do not believe in fate but of a system where the appropiate/fated reaction can be altered by a deity.
2006-09-09 16:14:22 · answer #4 · answered by mike g 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Onyx Dracona is correct -- the definition of atheist is one who has no belief in a god or gods. You can believe in anything else that happens to appeal to you.
But you probably should give this some more thought. "Fate," as the term is commonly used, means a pre-determined result -- which suggests a controlling intelligence, i.e., a deity.
If you believe in something different, then a different term would be more appropriate.
2006-09-09 16:16:26 · answer #5 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The word "fate" can describe so many different ideas that I can't possibly answer the question. Do you mean that there is some force in the world that makes certain coincidences occur? Or that the future is completely knowable and every decision that we will ever make is set in stone?
2006-09-09 16:13:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are not an atheist. Atheists reject supernaturalism as a whole. In order for you to have a "fate" some supernatural agency has to have written out your destiny in advance. You may not believe in anthropomorphic gods, but you engage in magical thinking.
2006-09-09 16:17:28 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
In truth, you're still saying you're superstitious, that there is something outside of observable reality directing the outcomes.
It's possible to consider oneself "lucky" in that the events, by happenstance, went your way (or unlucky if they didn't). However, that's just an acknowledgment that there are things beyond our control. To say you're lucky doesn't suggest that something is designing the outcomes.
To say you believe in fate suggests that no matter what you do, you're going to get the pre-arranged outcome, and that is superstitious and robs persons of their motivation to change elements of their lives.
2006-09-09 16:27:18 · answer #8 · answered by NHBaritone 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. You have a sense of being connected to others. Fate is just simply that-the realization that we are all connected and that things do usally happen for a reason.
2006-09-09 16:19:00 · answer #9 · answered by lilly 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not meaning to be offensive,and i am not an athiest, but it is beyond my comprehenton to believe in fate and be an athiest at the same time. i could not do this myself. i believe in "fate" in some limited ways. perhaps this is another way of saying predestined. i admit to being confused about this issue.
2006-09-09 16:25:10 · answer #10 · answered by houdini 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋