Why are you an atheist (see details)?

Question

Outside of how some theists act immoral (as everyone be them Baptists, Methodist, Budist, Muslim, agnostic or atheist acts immoral and mean) why do you believe there to be no God? What I am looking for is an logical reason not emotional. IM or e-mail me if you want to explain your reason more.

Answer 1

I am an Atheist because I lack belief in gods. Atheism is simply "without" ( a) "god belief" ( theism ). I believe the way I do because I have not been brainwashed to believe otherwise. Belief is not a choice. Since I have never been presented with credible evidence or reasons to believe in gods, I have no choice but to be an atheist.

Further I have a very hard time understanding how a complex entity such as this alleged god can "just exist". Of course theists never ask themselves that question. Theists simply take the entire question of "Why do we see a complex reality?" Assume an even more complex creator and then pretend not to hear when atheists ask how does that greater complexity arise. They haven't solved the complexity issue, they have just made it worse.

Instead I believe that reality when taken as a whole must be simple and necessary and that the reason it seems complex is because we see so little of it. This is what is called a selection effect. Part of the reason theists remain theists is because being innumerate they do not understand selection effects.

Answer 2

Here's my reasoning for not believing in God.

First, you have to define the term "God." The problem with most theists is that this term is a moving target.

In addition, because there is no evidence either for or against the existence of God, you cannot use deductive logic (a+b=c; therefore c-b=a). You can only reach a conclusion by inductive reasoning using the balance of evidence (90% of A is also B; C is B, so the chances are 90% that C is also A).

I will assert (and others may shoot this down) that the only RELEVANT definition of God states that he intervenes to circumvent natural laws.

If God circumvents natural laws, then it is impossible to understand natural laws. All scientific findings would have to include the stipulation, "it is also possible that these results are an act of God, a miracle, thereby making our research meaningless."

However, since we have been able to expand our knowledge of natural laws (evidenced by every appliance in your kitchen), the scientific method works in this discovery. And the likely conclusion is that God, at least the intervening kind, does not exist.

Additionally, if God is defined as all loving, all powerful, and all knowing, then it is impossible to explain suffering. Either God is not all loving (he acts sadistically), not all powerful (he cannot prevent suffering), or not all knowing (he created suffering by mistake because he didn't know the consequences of his actions).

If God is less than these and/or does not intervene in our existence, then he is either non-existent or irrelevant. The classic argument is that I cannot prove that a china teapot is orbiting the sun directly across from the earth's orbit. But while I cannot prove this is not true, the evidence against it is compelling.

The evidence against God is equally compelling, and while it is not possible to prove beyond any doubt, it makes more sense to live your life as if there were not God.

It is more compelling to me that humans have invented God to reflect the thoughts of the ruling powers in a particular time. Because humans are always looking for reasons, when none are found, it was the natural inclination to declare the cause to be "God" (or gods). As the faith grew, miracles and laws have been ascribed to this Divinity, and an orthodoxy grows up around it.

Now it seems unhelpful to believe in such superstition. The only matters that aid in our ongoing well being are work, location, health, sustenance, and pure, blind luck.

So that's why I don't believe God exists. And you know what? It's okay if other people do believe God exists.

Answer 3

From a historical stand point, there are many reasons to not believe in a higher power. Through every rise to power each religion as overshadowed and pushed the last into myth. It is only time for the present day religions to go the way of Zeus and Thor. The question should not be if. There is too much in the world that is coincidental. There is something going on, but I am not sure if it is indeed Allah, Jehovah, Buddha, and so on and so forth. The question is, how are you going to find peace with yourself. What ever makes since to wheels in your head. Just do not expect me to feel the same as the person next to me at the table. Search for your own truths and knowledge. I consider my self Agnostic more so than Atheist.

Answer 4

Theology starts from a position of certitude. We know what God is like and what he desires. From that, we deduce how the universe works and our place in it. In essence, everything is based on unqualified assumptions.

When experiment and observation change our understanding of the workings of the universe, that part of theology must retreat. We have learned that the Earth is spherical, that we are not the center of the solar system, of the galaxy or anything else in the universe. These discoveries were based on concrete evidence (and fought by theologians as they appeared).

Theology manages to regroup and defend its shrinking territory as new discoveries disprove old assumptions. Natural disasters are not the wrath of God but weather and geology. Diseases are caused not by curses but microbes. The soul does not animate the body but electricity does (and no one has been able to detect an organ or gland that connects the body to the "soul"). Whenever a natural explanation arises to explain a mysterious phenomenon, the supernatural explanation dissolves.

There is still wiggle room for theology, mostly in the areas of oncology (cosmogenesis, biogenesis) and moral philosophy (human conception, sexuality), but nothing suggests that these couldn't disappear too some day. Once EVERYTHING had a natural explanation, what would God's purpose be?

Faith can be a beautiful thing, stretching us to do things beyond our fears for self-preservation, but does it have a basis in anything that isn't an assumption? Popularity is not proof. Neither is a good "feeling". Could we not do obviously good things without attributing them to an invisible deity who can't be demonstrated outside the atmosphere of faith?

Belief in God is anti-logical. It's like reasoning from the conclusion to the premise. The premise must be demonstrable before one can reason to the conclusion. Simply pointing to some mystery that hasn't yet been solved is not an argument for God. Too many mysteries have already been solved to take it for granted.

Answer 5

I believe there is no god for the same reason that you (probably) don't believe in any of the ancient Greek mythologies or Roman mythologies or Nordic, Celtic, Sumarian, etc etc mythologies. There is no evidence of any of it being true. If there was any scientific proof, it would be a different story. But there is zero, just a lot of fanatical zealots and hypocrits (like the Christians who bomb abortion centers) who want to shove this belief system down the throats of anybody who doesn't agree with thier beliefs. It's outrageously offensive.

Answer 6

Try reading
Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
Freethinkers by Susan Jaoby
Atheism: The Case Against God by George H Smith

Answer 7

Logical reason: Because I am a rationalist and believe, as Carl Sagan said, that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. There is no objective evidence for the existence of a God. The reasoning for God is a tautology. Does God exist? Yes. How do you know that God exists? Because the Bible says so. How do you know the Bible is true? Because it's the word of God. Circular reasoning...

Answer 8

There are an abundant reasons not to believe, far to many for me to post without hours of reflection.

Here is one:

I have had no experience to show me that a God exists.

Here is another:
If God is all powerful, and all knowing; and we were created from God, free will is impossible.

And another:
Why would a God display animal like instincts and behaviors.

Almost done:
Why is it that society is almost the direct cause for ones beliefs. If a God truly had existed, and wished for us to worship it then why do we not have a natural instinct to know which God to worship, and how to worship it.

Last one:
There is absolutely no evidence that there is a God. It is all based on 100% blind faith. I refuse to knowingly surrender my entire existence on earth to blind faith.

Answer 9

For knowledge to exist, three facts must be accepted as true:

- Math & Logic are valid
- Direct observations or aided observations supported by Math & Logic are valid
- Supernatural existence, if real, does not involve itself in the natural realm (otherwise, any 'fact' could be changed by the interference -- say by the God of Gravity changing his mind on how strong it will be tomorrow).

Free will can thus be shown to be false:

- The mind is a consequence of the physical nature of the brain (Nonsupernatural causation axiom).
- Quantum physics contains a truly random component (Mathematical axiom)
- All observations can be expressed mathematically (Mathematical axiom).
- All principles causal to observations can be expressed mathematically (Mathematical Axiom).
- All mathematical expressions can be evaluated (Mathematical Axiom).
- An evaluation need not be deterministic, it can be stochaistic, that is, describing 'probabilities'. (Statistical mathematics).
- Since quantum physics can affect the human brain, and thus mind, the human state is mathematically stochaistic (consequential)
- If the quantum randomness is rescoped to be viewed as an input, the human brain ceases to be stoichasitic and is deterministic. (statement of rescope)
- A deterministically computable system is incapable of escaping its previous states, and produces outputs based on a computable result of the previous state and current inputs.(Turing-Church Thesis)
- Determinism counters free will. (By definition)
- Free will is not possible. (consequential)
- If a deity exists, free will is a natural consequence. (axiomic, potentially debatable. However, a deity that creates intelligence without free will cannot hold its creation responsible)
- Free will does not exist, therefore, deity does not exist. (modus tollens).

The idea of a god existing is disproven logically.

If you can find any weakness or flaw in it, feel free to email me, I'd welcome the opportunity to discuss or narrow it down or strengthen it against any errors you might see in it.

Answer 10

To all Athiest, I really hope you read a book caled "Scientific Approach to Christianity".

It's a wonderful book written by a former Athiest, Scientist. He almost dies of cancer, but is somehow healed.

I'm not trying to force anything on you, but it's an incredible book, which gives very detailed scientific evidence, I would highly suggest reading it!