Atheism is a choice Right? Don't you CHOOSE to be an Atheist?

Question

How come some people ignorantly argue that people are born atheist.
Which is it?
I wonder why those guys can't agree on this simple principle.
If a every person is "born" atheist, then it takes no brains to be one, right? ......maybe that's it.

print,
why be a liar. Not even any of your dictionaries will say "we are born atheist".
You rely on them when it's convenient, why not NOW.

soulfool,
good for you.

eld , YOu're an atheist when you CHOOSE NOT to believe in a god. A baby can't do that.

kate,
"Babies can't fathom even the concept of God"

Babies can't fathom even the concept of NOT God.

hayden, I undertand.

crystal, FINALLY. An honest one!

Kayla, I feel ya.

beleje, A baby is NOT responsible for his "choices". He has not the ability to choose.
If there is a "reward" for ones choice that he makes, how could we hold a baby responsible?

exxton, If you don't have a concept of whether there is or there is not a god; you are neither theist or atheist.

grit
In a like manner: between the time you're born and the time you start thinking for yourself, there's plenty of time for you to be fed all that "godless" crap. Right?

skepp,

It takes intentional stupidity to argue so insipidly.

I simply don't happen to believe in God. Your unwillingness or inability to accept or understand that is your failing, not mine.

Eg: you are stupid

Kesley, Babies are not theists (they CAN'T believe in God, until it is taught to them)
Babies are not atheists (they CAN'T "not believe" in God, until it is taught not to)

kalt, See thankgodimanatheist. He's a TOP Contributor.

Choose, See thankgodimanatheist. He's a TOP Contributor.

taurus, See thankgodimanatheist. He's a TOP Contributor.

thankgodimanatheist, This precisely my point. I respect everyones choice. But I think we should be honest with this. Thanks.

print, Lying again.
"Why would you look in a dictionary for a statement like, "we are born atheist???"

I bet you would if you could find it.

I mean. Why LIE.
you say " choose to not believe in the tooth fairy, choose to not believe in the tooth fairy"
Then you should say: " choose to not believe in a god, choose to not believe in a god"

If it's the same thing! Stop lyin' Your logic doesn't hold AIR.

print,
"Do you believe in Chiganrunmagunsas (god)? No? Oh, then you are clearly an atheist, because he is god. I believe in him, and if you don't, that is your choice, so you are an atheist."

YOU'RE RIGHT! It DOE'S sound IDIOTIC. It's EXACTLY what you're saying. :o)
You're REALLY confused.

You don't believe in Chiganrunmagunsas (god); you're an atheist. pffft. That's funny lol.

Answer 1

I'm an Atheist, but I gotta agree with you. A baby simply doesn't know one way or another. When one says one is Atheist, pretty much one has reached that conclusion somehow. If the logic some Atheists are using were true, we are all born not believing in math, science, etc. simply because we haven't encountered it yet. The default point would be that when we are born we are all ignorant. It's a quite ridiculous train of thought to think otherwise.

Answer 2

Atheism - absence of belief in a god or gods.

Question: Do babies have that belief or not?

Not. So they are atheists. Or, more technically, atheist-agnostics.

If one became a theist then atheist again it would be because they're thinking rationally and by default of figuring out the truth they slink back into atheism.

I agree with everything Printninja said - leaving a religion is a choice.

Personally, I didn't leave a religion because I was never part of one. I've never been a theist and can't make myself one unless I see evidence. Pure and simple.

*Edit*

JayDee, you're confused - you see atheism as 100% denying God - that's atheist-gnosticism and is not something a baby can do. But simply NOT believing (theism is taught remember) is atheism-agnosticism - which is what all babies and animals are.

"A baby is NOT responsible for his "choices". He has not the ability to choose."

Right. That's what I said. To be gnostic (theist or atheist) a baby cannot do.

"you are neither theist or atheist."

EVERYONE is either theist (or the watered down version of theism: deist) or atheist. There is no middle road. Agnosticism and gnosticism are NOT separate terms.

Answer 3

People ARE born atheist. You are born lacking a belief in God, therefore you are born atheist. Babies can't fathom even the concept of God, so they cannot possibly believe in it.

Further in life, identifying as an atheist becomes more of a choice because of all the information and opinions out there that we are flooded with, but the lack of belief itself is less of a choice. Whether it's intrinsic or not is yet to be known, so no one is really sure. However, we all ARE born atheists. That is very true.

Answer 4

Babies are atheists (no belief in God, until it is taught to them). Animals are atheists, and always will be. People all over the world are atheists--including not only intelligent scientists, but also average Joes', plain Janes', indignant teens, and complete morons.

But, for some people, it is more of a choice. For others, it is more of a "My mind can't possibly conceive the idea of there being a God. The very idea sounds completely silly and illogical to me." type thing. Depends on who you're talking to, really.

Answer 5

Atheism isn't a choice, my parents raised me a christian, before I could talk, I didn't believe in god, when I went to a christian school, I couldn't believe in god, to this day I still don't believe in god. Deep down inside I was always an atheist, just because my parents tried teaching me god was real, didn't make me choose to not believe it.

In the same vein, I can say you "choose" to not believe in santa, or the tooth fairy.

Answer 6

Atheism is the natural state before one is indoctrinated with religion. Therefore, the abandonment of religion is the choice, and what remains is atheism.

Atheism is a state of being... it literally means without theism. That's all there is to it. It is the people who assign a MORAL JUDGMENT to atheism that put it into the category of choice.

A person without morals (amoral) can be seen as "choosing" his or her nature since the rest of society is moral, but a person locked in an isolation chamber can be moral or amoral and it will make absolutely no difference because there is nothing in the room to be moral towards.

To atheists, there is no god. There is nothing to be THEISTIC towards, therefore it is not a choice. But the act of abandoning religion IS a definite choice.

EDIT:
How am I lying?

Why would you look in a dictionary for a statement like, "we are born atheist???"

It's ostensible common sense that we are born atheists, just as we are born amoral. People are blank slates at birth, and they believe what they are taught. If a belief in god were innate or instinctual, it is reasonable to assume that everyone would agree on what god is. Of course, they don't. The proof of my statement is plain as day. Look at the world. People tend to follow the religion that is shared by those closest to them, just as they speak the language that is spoken by those closest to them. Is this concept too difficult for you to grasp?

If there were PROOF that gods exist, then atheism would be a choice. But, there is no proof, so atheism is simply not buying into one of the many delusions we are exposed to growing up. Are atoothfairyism, or asantaclausim, also choices because one no longer accepts those childish beliefs?

I choose to not believe in the tooth fairy because it would be absurd to believe. Adults know the tooth fairy does not exist. It is make believe. So are gods. Since I know this, there is no god belief. Voila - atheist.

EDIT:
I don't need a dictionary to know what is self-evident.

It is interesting to note, however, that YOUR delusion has precluded any objectivity on your part, which thoroughly explains your asinine efforts to debate this nonsense.

Your god is not a choice for me unless I BELIEVE your god exists. Your entire argument proceeds from the false assumption that god exists, and we all choose to reject god.

This invention, character, figure, whatever-you-want-to-call-it DOES NOT EXIST. How do you reject something that doesn't exist?

Try this exercise. Do you believe in Chiganrunmagunsas? No? Oh, then you are clearly an atheist, because he is god. I believe in him, and if you don't, that is your choice, so you are an atheist.

Sounds idiotic, right... just like your entire question at this point.

Answer 7

It's both.

We're all born atheists. That should be obvious to you; belief in god is something you learn, so until you learn it, you're an atheist.

But it's also true that it's a choice; it becomes a choice after you learn about the possibility of religious belief.

Answer 8

Belief in a god is something that must be learned. Everyone is born not believing in a god... that comes later when parents or friends infect your mind with the wretched idea.

Answer 9

It takes intentional stupidity to argue so insipidly.

I simply don't happen to believe in your god. Your unwillingness or inability to accept or understand that is your failing, not mine.

Eg: you are stupid.

Answer 10

Of course you are born atheist; atheism is a lack of a belief in any gods, and you are born without any belief.
No, sorry: An atheist is one who lacks belief in gods. It doesn't matter why.

You can choose what to believe... unless you're too intelligent to believe in fairy tales.

Did you choose whether to believe in spider-man?