Do athiests understand that it takes as much faith to believe in nothing as it does to believe in something?

Question

Don't get me wrong, I'm by no means a bible beater, but I am a Christian, and its always bothered me that athiests will spend all day telling christians that what they believe is wrong while in the mean time, they have no substantial evidence to back up their views....at least nothing that is any better than what Christians base their views on. I can already hear all of the smart *** 14 year olds getting ready to answer this but if anyone has a real answer let me know...I'm here for discussion not for arguments.

I should have been more clear...what I'm asking is...doesn't it take as much faith to believe in creation as it does to believe in the big bang, or evolution or anything else...I'm not being critical of athiests or anyone else because I can see how they would doubt what I believe the same way I doubt what they believe. Like I said, I'm not here to convert anyone or change anyone's views, but I am strong enough in my faith to be comfortable asking questions.

as far as I'm concerned, whether you are a christian or a non-beliver, its easy to see those who have the weakest faith in their belief because they are the ones fighting hardest to justify it.

Oh, and btw...not all christians are mindless opinionated biggots, and not all athiests are "evil pagans"....I hate to say it but the christians need to realize that more than anyone else....good god what have i started.

Answer 1

It doesn't take faith to be an atheist. It takes absolutely no faith at all. Its a logical decision. We don't sit around all day wondering or hoping we made the right choice.

As far as evidence: You're the one that believes in a unseen being. BURDEN of PROOF is on you. If I say vampires are real, it's not up to you to prove that they don't exists, it's up to me to prove they do.

Answer 2

First, I too am a Chrisian and I have struggled with the same issues that you have. You should be commended for your faith, and for asking questions.

However, your comment is not technically true. Faith, strictly defined, is belief in something for which there is insufficient evidence. The belief in nothing cannot be defined as "faith," because it is technically not a belief.

However, you are right to challenge the arguments that are made that what you believe is wrong. If someone who believes in nothing tells you that you are wrong, then they don't really believe in nothing do they? Just as evidence is required to prove a positive statement (they car is in the garage), it is also necessary to prove a negative statement (the car is not in the garage). The lack of evidence, both ways, requires faith.

At the end of the day, someone who truly believes in nothing cannot formulate a hypothesis about anything. Of course, this is the philosophical position of Descartes who famously said "I think therefore I am" and limited the realm of possible knowledge to self-existence and nothing else.

Answer 3

That doesn't make any sense. When you are born it doesn't take any faith in anything to not know there isn't a god, the concept is entirely unknown to you. The concept of atheist is not the denial, or refusal of a deity. What would you consider substantial evidence? The fact that the planet is over 6000 years old? The fact that evolution is and has been happening?

Answer 4

Atheists do not "believe in nothing." Atheists, quite simply, do not believe in a deity. Believing in nothing, and not believing in a particular something, are *not* the same.

Faith is belief that neither requires nor rests on logical proof or material evidence. Not believing in something for which there is no concrete evidence does not take faith -- it could be said that the point is, actually, that atheists *do* demand logical proof and/or material evidence.

Answer 5

There are good and bad reasons to believe in something. Exemple of a bad reason: Tradition. When someone told you that something was true and you just accepted it.
A good reason would be: evidence. When you accept God as the answer for everything then you can stop asking. Who created us?: God. Who created the universe? God. This is an answer that answer everything but doesn't explain anything.

Answer 6

1) Believing in nothing is not the same as holding no belief, which is what most of us do. Believing in nothing would take faith as there is no evidence that there is nothing.
2) It doesn't take faith to realize a self-contradictory thing cannot exist though. The biblical god is self-contradictory. I know it is impossible. There's no faith involved.

...and I'm not 14. I'm 35.

Answer 7

Actually, I do have proof.

The existence of a deity which holds us accountable has as a necessary consequence the existence of free will. Free will is a literal impossibility in the universe in which we find ourselves, and indeed any that follow the Einstein equations (which covers all mathematically possible universes), as a consequence of the Church-Turing Thesis.

Since the necessary consequence is missing, the cause is of necessity absent.

The only possible deity would be the one Deists believe in -- and since it advantages nothing to believe in the deist point of view as opposed to atheism, what's the point? If a thing has no future effect, it doesn't exist. The deist point of view negates itself.

Atheism is the only logical conclusion. Help yourself to deism though, if it helps any.

But Christianity and all other theistic philosophies are simply and provably wrong.

Answer 8

By your argument, I guess you think it takes a great deal of faith to say that Santa Claus does not exist.

If that is your take on things, then I'm afraid you are quite insane, and there is little I can do to help you.

But I do hope this rationalization helps you understand atheism better in the future.

Answer 9

It doesn't take faith to Not believe in something. Otherwise you'd have to say I have faith that unicorns don't exist.... which is silly really (not trying to argue... making a point). If I find no evidence of unicorns, then it doesn't take faith to say "unicorns don't exist". If someone else says "Prove it" all I have to do is point around and say "Do you see one?" Faith is believing in something you can't prove. Atheists are not making a statement that something Does exist... they are saying there is no substantial evidence to say it does. This doesn't take faith.

There's my 14 yr old smartass answer. =)

Answer 10

Yes, it is just as much a matter of faith to choose atheism over any religion. Most intelligent atheists realize this. But the idea atheists are opposed to is not "faith," it is the idea of a creator.

Edit: I notice most people are saying that it doesn't require faith to believe in nothing. I agree, but atheists don't believe in "nothing" - they believe that there is no God. They have faith in the notion that God does not exist, just as religious people have faith that He does.