Hi there, what do you think about atheists, atheism?

Answer 1

There are religious and non-religious views of life.

Religious views stress the connections between all things, and the underlying unity that each person can learn to join with.

Non-religious views stress the individuality of all things and the lack of any underlying unity (except, possibly, a unified set of natural laws that are indifferent to individual people).

Not all religions are theistic. Buddhism is a thorouly atheistic religion that is just as 'religious' as Judaism or islam or Christianity or Hinduism, which are theistic.

Some philosophers think that theism, god-talk, is just a way to give the underlying unity of the world a name, so that we can create a well-defined relationship with it. Christianity takes this one step furter, by making God into a person, so that our relationship can be personal.

Studies show that religious people are happier than non-religious ones. This suggests that the religious view of the world works better ... it is on friendlier terms with the world as it really is than the non-religious view.

(An analogy would be that the better viewpoint about personal health would be one actually that conduced to better health.)

This is so for both theistic and atheistic religious views, suggesting that the question of theism vs. atheism is much less important than the question of religion vs. a non-religious view of life.

So if you are born into a religious tradition, it makes sense to look for what is best in it and take it to heart. If you cannot, you may find a religious view that makes the most sense for you. If talk about God turns you off, you might investigate Buddhism, as many Americans have.

Answer 2

From what I have read your question attracts all sorts of interesting answers from such diverse people. Some give thought-provoking ideas while others fall into sweeping generalizations. Some of the greatest philosophers struggled with the notion of atheism. Indeed, atheism is sign that God's existence is not self-evident, for if it was then everyone would believe. I think people can become atheist often for the same reasons that others become religious orientated; they seek to answer some of the most fundamental questions of their existence. Not everyone can give reasons for believing as much as non-believing, and I think that often believers and atheists alike can be very stubborn in their presuppositions and opinions. As far as I see it, atheism is not about "free-thinking" or being intelligent and undeceived. To say so is merely intellectual pride, and unfortunately I feel that many atheists hold that it is their "mission" to discount any theory for God's existence as adamantly as possible. As I see it, many atheists have become children of the enlightenment, so to speak, and will negate anything that cannot be proved empirically. At the same time I feel others choose atheism because they would rather negate the idea of God and use atheism as justification for living a lifestyle they want to live. While that is still their choice, their reasons are flimsy and they live in a perpetual state of ideological tension. It is a grave injustice to those who are atheist because they simply have not found sufficient reasons which perhaps convince them that there is a God or gods. I know many atheists who I consider some of my closest friends and are amongst the most moral individuals I know; honest, sincere, trusting, etc, and they are not on a 'war-path" to disprove anyone in their beliefs. We have differences but also some common ground.

Answer 3

This is my opinion (seeing as I am an atheist). The point of religion is faith and hope in something that can not be proven. If someone is trying to prove God or that Jesus rose again or anything like that, it defeats the purpose. I think Atheism is more reasonable, and it is. Because one would say that since there is no proof in God, he must not exist. I can go for that. I don't have faith or hope or any of that. As a result I am miserable. However, I think of myself as more reasonable than someone who believes in god. This is really quite a broad topic and I could probably go on forever. Another reason I am an Atheist is because I think Christians are far too pushy. They don't accept the fact that I am going to be an atheist forever and that they just have to get over it. In the process, they damn me to eternal hell (as if they have the power) and tell me that I should repent and save myself... whoops. I guess that's a little too subjective. All of that. But that's what I think about Atheists and Atheism.

Answer 4

Well I myself am an atheist. I was raised by atheist parents and this is just what I have choosen. I still respect others decision to believe in a God because I realize that it brings them happiness and a sense of security and I would never be willing to take that away from them. I know that is a very powerful feeling when one believes they are connected with God and I respect that very much. Sometimes I even envy them because of it but there is always that voice in the back of my mind...

As for my view on atheism, I guess I see it more of a lifestyle then a religion. I don't think of Darwin as my God or anything, I simply choose not to believe in any higher being.

I am not saying people who are religious are wrong in any way; even though no one has proven God exists, no one has proven that He doesn't either. And until that happens I am not going to rebut any religious argument.

Answer 5

Everyone who has answered this question is an atheist in one way or another. Those of you who believe in a god are in fact atheist to every other god, gods, goddesses, and or entities that someone else believes in. I take it a step further and say that your all wrong and that there is no god. I'm not saying that I'm right I'm saying that using my own mind and my own ideas I have come to the conclusion that there is no god. If you're agnositc, in all honesty I think your just too scared to take a side. I'm an atheist I don't push it on people and I don't fight with people about religion which most atheist do. I will however defend myself till the day I die if I have to, to make sure that my position, my ideas, and my thoughts are known. Just because you believe in a god doesn't make you any better than anyone else, nor does it make you any dumber or worse off. You won't change my mind and I probably won't change yours so just let it go.

Answer 6

I think there are two main kinds of atheism.

1.) Belief there is no God - the 'religious' atheist.
2.) Belief that its not important if it can't be proven - the empirical atheist.

The first has an active opposed opinion to a theologian. The later has no opinion at all.

Either way, its non of my business - at the end of the day, my view is just as valid as anyone else's. I may agree or I may not, but if I disagree, I'd rather agree to disagree and leave it at that. Same goes for all sorts of issues - politics for example comes to mind.

Answer 7

All the atheists I know seem to believe in atheism and the proof for it far more than other religious people I know in their religions.

I also read somewhere that some atheists don't like being referred to by what they don't believe in.. so what do they want to be called? I feel another question coming on...

Answer 8

I have looked at many religions and have ended up as a kind of Christian Buddhist Hybrid.

Follow the true teachings of any religion, not the psycho- killer type that some zealots put out, (y'all know who you are ) and you will lead a good life, laced with kindness to your fellow man.

Atheists can and do lead equally good lives, but i find it hard to understand how they reconcile the consciousness being extinguished at death, what would be the point to anything? Very humble, but it sort of lowers the unique value of the human status

As for the need for proof, we wouldn't be able to understand the proof if it were given, how could we ,who could understand a thing like the creator of all things?? .

Everything else that we "know" is based on faith anyway, we accept the existence of black holes without seeing one on the say so of mathematics ,(which is a man made convention), but demand ."prove to me that you are God" . Intellectual conceit of the highest order.

Might be some interesting conversations cometh the hour :-)

Answer 9

I'm an atheist and I like atheism. I try to give justification for my ideas and like to research arguments around them, I am in fact about to take a degree including Philosophy at University. I don;t know many average relgious people who question and research their ideas anywhere near as much, even my atheist friends who aren't studying philosophy like to be able to justify their arguements as fully as possible and not just take an answer because one book or their priest said so. (That's not to say at all that there aren't relgious people who question their beliefs and some even study it. I also have relgious friends who like to discuss and justify their beliefs)

Btw, Not quite sure what Iain meant, a little arrogant I feel.

Answer 10

To answer some of these misconceptions:

1) Atheists don't believe in nothing, just not god(s). The "point" of life is to live well in this real world. If you defer reality to worlds beyond the human, then you make this world meaningless. The atheist believes in what is real.

2) While some atheists are full of zeal, some have justified views, while others do not. If the argument IS from no evidence to non-existence, then the conclusion is only probable.

And we should find such a conclusion Highly Likely given our inability to perceive a god anywhere with our telescopes, microscopes, or natural laws.

3) But strictly the agnostic is the only defensible position!
No-- the agnostic claims we cannot know a god exists, and ends their treatment in skepticism, without committing to any ontology on the matter.

I offer this semantic externalist view: if we cannot know a god, because such a being is beyond our sensation, beyond even a possible faculty we have for adducing its being, then the word "god" is meaningless. It does not refer to anything that we can or have ever experienced, except delusively.

And I doubt many would have such hubris to claim that they experience a god, while counting out the possibility that your warm-fuzzy feeling isn't an illusion.

4) Not only is the word 'god' meaningless, but we can take a stand on the existence of such imaginary objects: we cannot ever perceive or know a god, therefore-- if such a thing exists beyond our ability to perceive, then we have no right to refer to THAT, whatever that is, as like our kind of "existence".

It is enough to witness that gods do not exist here, with our experience, our instruments of science, our physics, to conclude that a god does not exist, as far as "exist" has any value.

5) Lastly, atheism is the original position. We do not come into the world with any belief on the matter of gods existing. While I've defended a strong version which claims non-existence, atheism is perfectly justifiable from the start in the broader sense: we do not believe gods exist. That is, lack of belief is not the same as belief in non-existence.

An agnostic believes in the possibility of gods, which is the SAME as the theist: for we cannot know a god exists even if such a thing were to appear before us and give a proper demonstration. The religious are agnostic, they admit that we humans are feeble to know a god. And so they believe, with the agnostic, that they may believe-- in lieu of being able to believe in something inconceiveable (with all its transcendental and contradictory qualities) they have faith that in a world beyond our own it is possible to know god, it is possible god exists; although no such possibility reigns over this Real world.

I don't think THIS position is at all defensible, intellectually, as it were. And it is no coincidence that theology today concerns itself with apologetics, to attempt to make what is irrational rational.

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Whoever defended religion on the grounds of its health-giving properties has made a strange argument, and I commend him though I cannot find myself believing in something contrary to fact for my own well-being. Though I find such a capacity terrifying and enviable, to believe in illusions to, at least, promote the self.

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frontofallwisdom,

Faith is not an issue for science. We are concerned with facts, evidence, how likely or useful one interpretation of the data is over another; whether we believe it or not doesn't change the fact. Certainly we do end up believing certain theories over others, with good reason, but we are also resigned to their shortcomings and possible falsity.

You don't need faith when you have reasons.

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Ergo Sum: "Some give thought-provoking ideas while others fall into sweeping generalizations"

--heh.