Why do so many of you atheists justify your beliefs by...?

Question

trying to find someone smarter than you who has the same beliefs as you do. It's quite apparent that you guys are not that confident in your beliefs if you have to find someone smarter than you to tell you your right. How about you guys try thinking up with your own reasons for believing the way you do rather than mindlessly following some guy with a PhD. Quit quoting people like Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan and start thinking for yourselves.

Answer 1

I don't like to quote people, but the concept of quoting another often stems from convenience and respect for the speaker. To many, a quote from someone well-known is more influential than a quote from someone random. However, this does not necessarily imply that the person who is quoting isn't thinking for himself. I have seen some good statements that agree with my beliefs, worded in a better way than I could manage at times. And if you quote them, standard procedure is that you give their name as well, not taking credit for what is said. Of course, even the idea of plagiarism seems silly to me, this concept of owning ideas and words. But that's straying from the topic.

There are so many people to be quoted out there that it is unlikely for you to be unable to find someone who said something that agrees with your beliefs. Furthermore, these well-known individuals often represent vast agreements among their respective "sects."

So, in short... quoting is not justification, as you realize. But both many atheists, agnostics, and theists do it. Don't pick out one particular group, just bring up the problem of justification through another's words. Again, however, keep in mind that quoting another is not always an attempt at justification, but simply a matter of eloquence, convenience, or exhaustion with always writing something different of your own to answer the questions that are always arising.

Answer 2

I have never quoted either of those people. In fact, I've never quoted anyone to "justify" my beliefs. I simply tell people why I believe there is no god, and that belief is based solely on my own observations, critical thinking, and experiences. I wonder, though, why aren't you asking this question about Christians and Muslims, many of whom quote the Bible or Qu'ran as their justification? People can believe whatever they want to believe using whatever source they wish as justification. Who are you to say otherwise?

Answer 3

What a tool.

I gave up "god" when I was ten. I didn't even know who Stephen Hawking or Carl Sagan were. The stupidity of your delusion was apparent even to my child's mind. The fact that there are very intelligent adults who've solidified my beliefs with their expert knowledge only makes me that much more certain and happy of the rational choice I made.

Enjoy being a deluded idiot.

Answer 4

The difficulty may lay in the tribal need held so dearly to our core survival instinct, belief or non belief being somewhat irrelevant to the need to validate a position by consensus of whatever fellowship one resides in or validation from an authority figure that is respected like an intelligent representative of the group or in the case of deists a reference to ancient tradition text. Else wise the circumstance one may find ones self in could end up like my own in which I really don't care, one way or the other; I merely exist moment to moment in a state of flux regarding my tangible self and any potential spiritual entity residing inside of me as "in the moment", then each moment drifting away into the ether never to be again. It's a kind of scary way to live and most folk don't want to live in that grey area of not caring, one way or the other. Take care.

Answer 5

My ability to think for myself justifies my beliefs. It's not like I need to be told to be good by an archaic 2000 yr old text that contradicts itself on every turn.

I suppose if I needed anything other than my own common sense to tell me that doing bad things to people is wrong....then I'd be giving up my own ability to reason and logic.

Answer 6

Christian people use the einstien quote"that there is too much in the universe that is unexplanable, for there not to be a god: or something like that, thing so much i wanted to kill myself... right now im not aeithiest im against organized religoun but i believe in a god in some kind of form i guess i just have not found what... and i kinda hate how religoun is pushed on poeple today and i think poele shouldnt care what organized religoun says because you should believe in what you believe

oh and why dont catholics or what ever use all the books that have been written

and i dont believe athiests should act like catholics or christians are complete idiots...

Answer 7

Im not an atheist, but if you think about it, who else will they quote?
Christians have the Bible Muslims the Koran etc
So really, why cant they?
If there is someone out there who believes in the same thing you do, but have intelligently worded something that you agree with, why not use it to help advocate your beliefs?
It is no crime...why do you sound so angry?

Answer 8

I met Carl Sagan when I worked at NASA. He struck me as being very intelligent however I don't base my beliefs on the statements of others. I use my own ability to reason. I have met several people in the past who were fairly famous in their fields who knew less than I did.

Answer 9

At least the people WE quote are real, live human beings.

So, why do many of your fellow christians insist on copying-and-pasting entire chapters of the King James bible whenever YOU need to answer a question? You guys can't put two original thoughts together?

Answer 10

Actually, one thing I've noticed about atheist is most of us come to the same conclusion independently. I'm continually surprised by comments made by other atheists that mirror my own thinking.