Do you agree that if God didn't exist atheists would not exist because they have nothing not to believe?

Question

Christians, please do not see this as a forum for the usual cutting and pasting of scriptural drivel. It is a philosophical question aimed at stirring lively, intelligent debate.

Answer 1

No.

The existence of believers or disbelievers is not predicated on the existence or a being or the validity of a philosophy.

Consider standing on a corner snapping ones fingers to keep the elephants away. If there are no elephants the practice may be either considered to be authentic, true and effective, or nonsense. As long as there are not elephants objectively evident, the same opinions are plausible/rational.

Now consider praying to a Spaghetti Monster . . . what you don't agree that the Spaghetti Monster exists? Does your own disbelieve predicate its existence, because it must exist for it to be disbelieved?

It works both ways.

Me, I'm more concerned about the elephants and lions and zebras, etc., in Northern California. They aren't all in zoos.

Answer 2

I disagree

Athiest will exist even if god doesn't exist

The reason for that is because there will always be believers. A lot of people will still believe that there is a supreme being that has power over humans for two reasons

One because a lot of people will feel more comfortable knowing that there is someone above them that controls everything and will protect and take care of them. Even if some official human figure takes care of these tasks they will want someone who is perfect that is more supreme over the one who is visible to them.

Two, there are some unanswered questions in this world that science didn't answer "yet". Like "how the universe existed" or what makes humans superior over other species".. When some questions stay unanswered some poeple will think and believe that there is a supreme being behind it. Unless all questions are answered people will still believe there is someone or something behind what is a mystery to them.

A lot of people tend to disagree or object other people. So if there is someone who believe. There will be someone who will disbelieve.

Answer 3

It the same whether god exists or not. Atheists will exist as long as there are believers. It is the difference with believers that makes one an atheist. If there were no believers everyone would be practicaly an atheist so there would not be much need for the name.

Answer 4

If you take the word "atheist" to mean one who doesn't believe in a theistic God (i.e. A higher being with a personality), then there won't be the term "atheist".
Everyone would be an atheist if we evaluate from our current point of view.

So the answer is no, the term "atheist" does not exist.... but yes "atheists" (as in people who doesn't believe in a theistic God" would exist.

Answer 5

We're all born atheists...belief in gods is something that gets instilled (or pounded) into us a few years later, when we're kids.

Furthermore, for many atheists such as myself, atheism is a lack of belief in _anything_ supernatural, of which gods are just one example.

Now if something doesn't exist, then not believing in it doesn't make the atheist (or his disbelief) not exist. We atheists have been saying all along that gods are just concepts, ideas in our brains that don't actually exist in real life. I'm also an atheist when it comes to unicorns, square circles, and honest politicians (although I'm willing to believe in unicorns if you could show me one). The fact that none of these exist has no bearing on my status as an unbeliever in them.

Perhaps a better way to phrase your question would be to ask if atheists would exist if the _concept_ of gods didn't exist. In which case, I would still say that they do, because as stated above, many atheists also lack belief in other baseless and unprovable phenomena. Gods are usually the focus of atheists, but atheism itself is a whole philosophy/mindset rooted in rational thought, skepticism, and empiricism.

Answer 6

Everyone always picks on the Christians, calling them fanatics, morally judgmental, etc, but they actually have something that they believe in, a subject, a focus. It is true then, that the atheists focus is, not believing what Christians believe...so you are right on, they would have no reason to exist. Good call.

Answer 7

I am probably closer to being an atheist that being religious and I have plenty to believe in. And I exist. (Thank God I'm an atheist - laugh)

Because I prefere to believe in the science of our existance God does not come into the equation.

Answer 8

So the atheists have been talking about theists' God so far. They don't have to prove theists' God's inexistence but only to prove the fault in the prove of theists' God's existence. If there is no God, then the term theist and atheist would be not exist. So, i agree. The term and definition of "God" itself comes from theists point of view.

Answer 9

am an atheist because I don't believe in deities and the word atheist describes this state of disbelief. I don't believe in deities because no argument or evidence presented to me in support of their existence has been convincing.

1. Biology adequately describes life and emotions without appealing to mystical invisible dieties

2. Astronomy adequately describes the formation of stars/planets/universe/etc without appealing to mystical invisible dieties

3. Geology adequately describes the evolution of the Earth, land formations, etc without appealing to mystical invisible dieties

4. Psychology describes the human psyche better than appealing to mystical invisible dieties

5. Appealing to mystical invisible dieties is an appeal to ignorance

6. There's no physical evidence for the existence of mystical invisible dieties

7. A myriad of mystical invisible dieties have been posited by emphatically superstitious societies and have been proven to be products of overly active imaginations (today's religion is tomorrow's myth) and ignorance.

8. Believing in mystical invisible dieties seems to become quite absurd when those who posit the mystical invisible dieties begin explaining why and how they exist in the face of contradictory physical evidence.

9. As scientific knowledge increases, the role of the mystical invisible dieties oddly gets pushed further and further back.

10. Mystical invisible dieties are mystical invisible dieties (ie can never be found by empirical methods)

whether god exists or not, the above still holds true....of course there's no proof of his existence, so the point is moot.

Answer 10

~~~ Yes I agree. Christains wouldn't exist either. Dinosaurs would.~~~