Is it fair to say that everyone was born an atheist and had to learn religion?

Question

But they had to learn the term atheism and conform also to that idea? Hmm.

Maybe every one was born a mystic and throughout their childhood they were completely amazed at everything and desired to understand everything until someone told them to conform into thinking a certain way.
You could argue that also about learning the term mystic I suppose, but to be constantly involved into a focus or idea you cannot argue, that's what kids do and that is for the most part what being a mystic is about from what I have read.
Quite possibly, atheism is a form of mysticism.
There are most when I need to be atheist at times for a current problem, but I cannot hold it, for my next focus will cause again the amazement of beauty.
Maybe we should give ourselves more credit?

Your thoughts?

Substitute the word "most" for "times"..that was weird

That sentence came out all jacked up.

Answer 1

A broad definition of atheism is lack of belief in God. This really covers a whole swath of positions ranging from those who affirmatively preach the impossibility of God, to those who are agnostic in nature, who claim one cannot know one way or another that God exists. Some would seperate agnosticism into a sperperate category, but they still lack belief in God, so etymologically speaking, they are still atheist.

The answer to the question depends on how you think people come into the world. Rationalist are those who believe in a priori knowledge, or knowledge that one has outside of sense experience, so the knowledge is innate, or from intuition. Some rationalist would say that all people are born with innate knowledge of God, so in that case, atheism would have to be learned. The opposing is empiriciism-- that one is born with a blank slate, and all that is learned through experience. In this case, people would be born without knowledge of God, so in essence would be agnostic, so by definition atheists. Theism in this case would have to be learned.

I personally opt for rationalism, and say that people have a concept of God when they are born. To me, this better explains notions like justice, love, and hate. Such notions raise the question, where do such things come from. These things have some instrinsic value outside the chemical processes that make them up in the brain. If murder was just a chemical process, then I could shoot everyone and thier mother, and nobody would think twice about it. Intuition tells us that murder is wrong. What makes something right and wrong isn't empirically (scientifically) observable per se, so it requires something outside of empirical observation to know about these things. Natural processes are enough to explain these, so they demand something supernatural like God.

Answer 2

It is a well known phenomena that humans are 'hard-wired' with a spiritual need. Born "atheist"? I suppose that would fit as well as any other until a child reaches the age of reason, where he/she can start the search for a way to fill that spiritual need, The Bible does not support the idea of infant baptism, instead it admonishes baptism only when a person has made an inform decision. More credit? For what exactly? We are sentient beings, and for those with a spiritual longing, they will find the 'Truth' for them, even if it means atheism, for that is a belief, 'system' and a set of personal conduct as well. It reminds me of an old proverb: "He who stands for nothing will fall for anything". Faith is not 'mysticism' faith is the ability to believe in spite of lack of 'hard' evidence'
If one does undertake a serious examination of the Bible, it is clear that humans were created to follow Jesus' example in how to interact with 'God' at His pleasure, and live by His rules, not our own. Many have, with good reason, to abandon the belief system of their parents, to find their own path to enlightenment, but the 'follow your heart' philosophy has a major flaw as stated in Jeremiah 17:9 "the heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?
I sincerely hope you will find the way of peace......G

Answer 3

Atheism is "there are no facts to support there is a god" So i dont know how that would apply.

but mysticsm when we are young yes! most definatly why is it when your one or two (if your parents didnt brain wash you) you talk to people who arent there. Why is it when your 7 and 8 your always looking up asking why things happen....Why do you say GOD why cant i just do this......its a natural reaction to speak to the "above" when you need questions answered even as a child.

Children are amazing. Adults are piles of poop. We question everything and over think instead of just feeling, which is what kids do!

However i still cant agree with this "Quite possibly, atheism is a form of mysticism."

Mysticism would support the idea that SOMETHING was out there.........perhaps you may be thinking of the agnostic term

Which would imply SOMETHING is out there but we dont know what and we dont call it any one thing"

Nice question though

Answer 4

All people were born unbelievers, not atheists. Atheism implies the conviction that there is no god. And a baby cannot have that kind of convictions.

Besides, not everybody has had to learn religion. I haven't. I am as much of an unbeliever as the day I was born.

Answer 5

Everyone is born innocent and godless and is labeled a sinner by the faiths their parents belong to. It is abusive and senseless. They are later indoctrinated in the claws of guilt and arbitrary authority.
I wish I had been spared the catholic education, the communion and baptism and all the c.r.a.p that I´ve had to broom out of my head through autodidactic reading. Fortunately, I´m a freethinker now and my views hold so few contradictions that I live a happier and more balanced life.

Answer 6

I don't quite understand why you seem to say that atheists can't enjoy beauty. Maybe I'm just not understanding your last sentence, but you seem to say that you can't be an atheist because you see beautiful things. I am completely capable of seeing and appreciating beautiful and wonderful things; I just see no need to attribute them to a supernatural creator. As for whether or not belief has to be learned....yes, I think so. What children learn in their earliest years will affect them for the rest of their lives.

Answer 7

we are born curious, that's the general rule for humans but also for chimps, elephants, the young are curious to learn their world.
Primitive societies are always religious, the institute of the Shaman is a s old as our species, only societies with more knowledge doubt the existence of deities.
when we are young we learn from the things we observe and are told, when we grow we usually stop changing our views and are less interested in learning.
If as young people we are instructed by religious parents and teachers we usually end up religious, we stop questioning and accept.
if we learn, as young people to question everything and not accept what we are told, we probably become atheists.

Answer 8

I wouldn't call it being born anything. We're just born. As we grow up, those around us teach us such things as religion and mysticism. Atheism is simply the realization that there is no evidence for the existance of any god or gods. As far as beauty goes, why can't you simply apreciate beauty without having to connect it to some mystical or religious notions?

Answer 9

I was born in the woods and raised by wolves until last year. I didn't learn much at all out there, except how to gnaw through a squirrel. Later I realized that gnawing through a squirrel is an act of agnosticism.

Answer 10

Quite the opposite of your question is the truth:

“The fact that man, everywhere at all times, from the beginning to the present day, has felt the impulse to call upon something he believed to be higher and more powerful than himself, shows that religion is innate and should be scientifically recognized. . . . we should stand in awe, amazement and reverence to see the universality of man’s search for, and belief in, a supreme being.”
(Man Does Not Stand Alone, by A. Cressy Morrison)