Why do people say it takes more faith to be an atheist (details)?

Question

Is this admitting that faith is not a valid method of attaining knowledge?

Phoenix: I agree, it sounds like they're saying, "The less faith, the better."

Answer 1

I think it's mostly because they think it sounds clever. However, it is obviously not a well thought out statement. My question is, faith in what?

It also cheapens or discounts their own faith, but whatever.

Answer 2

*** Why do people say it takes more faith to be an atheist (details)? Is this admitting that faith is not a valid method of attaining knowledge? ***

Such a statement admits to desperation, a futile attempt to support a conjecture that logic will not and can not validate.

To attain knowledge is to know. Faith surely is the antithesis of knowledge. Faith requires no proof. When the religious leaders say ," We believe because it is impossible", what are the followers to do.

Faith is a kin to dogma, which has the tendency to stifle knowledge.

Have a pleasant day.

Answer 3

We say it because it takes a tremendous amount of faith to believe that everything came about merely by natural chance and combination of the elements to create nature and mankind rather than a creator.

IF we define faith as something we believe in, like a philosophy or worldview that we cant prove, THEN I would argue that the Q of our faith determines what knowledge we are going to seek but it does indeed lead to knowledge.

Answer 4

Faith has nothing to do with attaining knowledge. It has only to do with trusting that the knowledge one already has attained is trustworthy.

For the case of atheism, one might say that the only faith-based trust is in the knowledge of what has not been validated as truth. Verifiable evidence for gods and the supernatural is sorely lacking. An atheist might be said to have faith, (i.e., that he trusts upon his own knowledge,) only in order to believe in his own conclusion.

[][][] r u randy? [][][]
.

Answer 5

One of the main reasons seems to be that they think evolution is so "astronomically" unlikely and that the conditions for life here on Earth are so ideal that there must be a design to it. Of course, this is borderline retardation. Statistically speaking, since there are trillions of planets, it is more likely than not that at least one of these planets had the proper conditions for life to spring forth. After all, if there was actually "intelligent design," only one planet, one star, and one satellite (the moon) would be necessary. The organization of the universe is in direct conflict with the idea of "intelligent design."

Answer 6

Many atheists have done extensive research about religions, while a lot of religious people haven't. Thus, their faith in no God is based on research and conclusions that they have come to, rather than what they were force-fed. This, in itself, is more likely to give them more faith because who should you believe more than anyone else? Yourself, of course.

Answer 7

How is faith related to attaining knowledge? Faith is like hoping. Gee whiz.

Answer 8

I think it means that someone who believes that there is no "Intelligent Designer" is obviously ignoring the vast amounts of miracles in this creation and by claiming it all came about by random chance, have a "faith" that sometimes seems contrary to their "logic" and "reason" but is still a belief that borders on the religious.

Answer 9

They think that it is so impossible for a certain series of events to take place that even in a seemingly infinite universe the odds are still too great to believe.

Answer 10

We have faith in our decision not to believe in a god, it is amazing how the faith of a christian is often decided by their fear of being sent to hell if they don not believe in god.