Atheist I want your thoughts please!:)?

Question

I am christian first off. no one will change me in my beliefs as i do not try to change other ppl in what they believe. I am interested in all types of religions and there are certin points of certin religions that i do agree on.......However, i'm lost as to how atheist feel.....i've noticed on here thats its like a war between the God believers and the non believers. I'm not here to bash on someone for what they believe....what i want to know is how can u live a life thinking that once ur dead thats it.....ur dead.......how can u not look at the beautiful things life has to offer and still not think there is some sort of greater power out there? what makes u a non believer? again im not judging or bashing on anyone, im just curious! thanks for responding!!!!:)

Answer 1

First, THANKS for not trying to change our beliefs, and also for ASKING instead of ASSUMING. :-)

I didn't exist before I was born, and that didn't and doesn't bother me. Why would it bother me to not exist after I die? I'll be dead - I won't be able to be bothered. The LAST thing I'd want is eternal life.

Beautiful things prove that the THINGS exist, NOT how they got here. Do you think ugly things WEREN'T put here by God? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you didn't think things were beautiful, they wouldn't be. Oil spots on the driveway can be considered beautiful, but they weren't designed and placed there by anybody.

Humans have invented and worshiped THOUSANDS of gods throughout history. There is no evidence that any of them exist. Atheists simply believe in ONE LESS god than Christians do. When you figure out why YOU disbelieve in the other thousands of gods, you will understand why I disbelieve in the Biblical God.

In addition, I would NEVER be a Christian, even if the Biblical God did exist, because I do not consider drowning, sickening, and slaughtering millions; arranging the brutal execution of your own kid; and repeatedly commanding followers to hurt and kill other people to be 'moral', 'good' or 'loving'. I wouldn't praise a limited human for doing those things, so I certainly couldn't condone them from a God with limitless power. I would rather go to Hell than spend even a moment with such a heinous being.

To each his own.

Answer 2

"what i want to know is how can u live a life thinking that once ur dead thats it.....ur dead......."

It's really rather easy. Enjoy this life to the fullest. Don't live in fear of a supernatural, tempramental sky fairy. Honor your own life, and those around you. The Golden Rule was not made up by Christians, you know, and morality and ethics weren't invented by them.

"how can u not look at the beautiful things life has to offer and still not think there is some sort of greater power out there?"

This is a argument from incredulity. There are beautiful things and there are ugly things. Some are mind-blowingly awesome, and some are downright nightmarish. The mere existence of either is not indicitave of the existence of a supernatural creator. So far, all natrual phenomena have natural explanations. I have yet to encounter any genuine "supernatural" events.

"what makes u a non believer?"

How about a total lack of evidence of a creator of any kind or temprament? How about the truckloads of absurdities one must accept as true as a requirement? How about illogical dogmas, histories of cruelty and conquest, and whole packs of outright inaccuracies about the world and the people in it?

It makes me wonder how anyone can possibly be a believer.

Answer 3

"how can u live a life thinking that once ur dead thats it.....ur dead......."

It makes what I do in life so much more important. It's the only chance I get to truly experience the world. It makes me value life.

"how can u not look at the beautiful things life has to offer and still not think there is some sort of greater power out there?"

I don't think that because something is beautiful, I have to seek out the creator of it and thank them. For instance, I can enjoy a Monet simply for it's beauty. I can enjoy a sunset without thinking of the science behind it. I enjoy beauty for aesthetic value. To me, there isn't a correlation. Beauty for beauty's sake. Now, sometimes, if I want to be educated on it, then I will seek out answers on how that beauty was created. For me, science makes so much more logical sense.

"what makes u a non believer?"

I'm a very logical person. I need something provable. I need to be able to use my human ability to reason to find answers. Crediting everything to god takes renders the beauty of the human mind's abilities useless.

To avoid sounding like you are bashing, try not to sound like atheist and nonbelievers views are the most incredulous things you've ever heard. By saying, "how can you think . . . " you automatically come across as incredulous. There are better ways to phrase it.

Regardless of that, thank you for your questions and for your genuine curiosity.

(by the way, I'm actually agnostic.)

Answer 4

Death is death. Happens to every living creature. Death as the end of existence, if not a pleasant thought, is the most logical. Wishing something were true does not make it true (afterlife, for example). Life is not meant to be fair, and I do not expect to go on living after I die. I expect to die. I cope by enjoying the life that I do have and relishing every single minute of it, for however long it may last. :)

I think the world is amazing! Our planet, the vast mysteries of the universe. A gentle breeze, a fierce wind, a brilliant sunset, the laughter of a child.. these are all incredible things to be cherished. I do not need to understand how it all came to be in order to appreciate it. The truth is, none of us has all the answers.

I have always been an atheist. I went to church when I was younger, and I asked a lot of questions, questions that were sometimes frowned upon. Nothing I ever saw, heard, or felt convinced me that any of what I was being told was true. I think that god is a myth, not just the Christian god but all gods, put on this earth by men to control people into living lives that were not always pleasant, lives that were finite, by manipulating people's fear of death and the unknown.

I am 34 and have never had any doubts, nor do I worry about "what ifs".

Answer 5

In reference to "what i want to know is how can u live a life thinking that once ur dead thats it.....ur dead.......":

- First off, I don't think it would be a good idea to believe something due to its advantages and disadvantages, so while eventually not being is a bit of a disadvantage, that isn't a reason not to think it, as what is advantageous to the individual has no bearing on truth.

- As many have said, there is quite a bit of value one can find in the lack of an afterlife. One is no longer trying to pass a test to get into some "better" place, no, pne is living it the only time they get, it makes life a bit more pure, and enjoyable, I may experience a bit of suffering, but it is real suffering, I only get so much of it, and then no more, so the fact that I am alive and feeling in of itself gives me a bit of joy. Likewise, when I screw up or do something wrong, I don't waste time on guilt.

- I don't think I could really mind not being.... Namely because I would have to be to care... It's really not a bad situation, it has much in common with some of the bible's descriptions of heaven really. You are where those before you are (nowhere), and never have to experience pain (something that I would find horrible if I actually were). It's not too bad of a gig really.

- In my opinion, not being would be far preferable to joining some exclusive club to be forever blissful at everyone else in existance's expense (if Gandhi is going to hell, I couldn't imagine wanting to go to heaven.).



On "how can u not look at the beautiful things life has to offer and still not think there is some sort of greater power out there?":

-There was a time when I would've (partially) agreed with this idea, but beauty is a tricky thing, as, well, even if we were surrounded by the ugliest things we can imagine, if our species had emerged surrounded by them, and they brought us food, they would be beautiful. How could we not find a lot of what we encounter in this world, which is in our advantage to keep around beautiful?... If we weren't so easily killed by Malaria we would probably find swamps beautiful as well...

- The beauty in the world seems as if it is beautiful enough to stand on its own and just be, without needing something more beautiful to make it be, doesn't it?...



On "what makes u a non believer? ":

-Non-belief is the base state, babies don't believe in God, but somehow people need a reason to stay that way... this seems odd to me.

-It seems evident to me how most of organized religion developed. We have a case study in the case of Scientology readily available, albeit a rather extreme example, people with good intentions can start things which get out of control and self-propegate rather easily if they end up (un)lucky. Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism seem to be unique in that to an extent it is admitted that it came from philosophers who were essentially just thinking.

-Likewise, I see no reasons to believe any in any sort of religion, it isn't that I have reasons, such as a lack of any reason at all to believe anything different, and quite a few reasons not to believe some specific beliefs.

Answer 6

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Why are you pretending to be lost? Non-believers express their take, on this very board, thousands of times each day. Unless you just walked in the door, I'm sure you've read the opinions of non-believers. If you're not new, why the disingenuous game?

<<..i've noticed on here thats its like a war between the God believers and the non believers.>>

No war here. Can't be a war when only one side is attempting to protect territory.

M

Answer 7

Hey, thanks first off for stating how you're not trying to change the beliefs of others, thats nice to hear.....

To me, its a difficult concept, the idea of an afterlife is a man made concept to deal with the death process, and its very hard, especially when raised religous like myself, to think that there is no God or afterlife.

I read alot of books about atheism, watched documentaries, did everything I could to be educated about it. On the note about the beauty of the world, I especially like the following quote by Dr. Richard Dawkins:

"There is no well-demonstrated reason to believe in God, and I think the idea of a divine creator belittles the elegant reality of the universe"

You ask how I can look around at all the world's intricacy and beauty and wonder how this could occur without a greater power. I ask how you can look at the marvels of the world, the number of species, the amazing landscapes and sights, and believe it was all created in 6 days by a man in the sky.

To me, it is insulting the to all the life on earth, that has been here since the earth formed 3.4 billion years ago, to think it was a simple concocsion, or to think that this wonderfull life is not enough, there needs to be an afterlife.

An understanding of history and politics are what make me against organized religon (think of all the atrositices in histrory caused by religon, the Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, 9/11) and logic and a scientific background make me a "non-beliver"

Hope that helps, and your welcome for responding

Answer 8

If I live my life depending on the eventual, "somewhere out there" promise, I'm not really living my life. If I live here, now, then I save myself each day, many times a day. It is a higher standard of personal responsibility for self and planet. This is all I got, no where to run, no where to hide. Screw it up yer dead. No where else to go. I can't sin all week and believe that a few candles and some pennies in the box wipe away my deeds. I know this is incomprehensible to you, I just do what works for me in my heart of hearts.

Answer 9

Nobody can prove any gods, much less a specific god, exist; many people will tell you their god exists but no others, but will never be able to prove it, even if they think so. Some will threaten you with eternal pain or promise eternal joy to get you to believe in their god; these are all stories, created for people who were scared long before we understood the universe. Now we have no more reason for these superstitions.

How terrible the bible in particular is:
http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/
http://www.evilbible.com/

What's the origin of the Jesus stories?
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcpa5.htm
http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen048.html
http://www.geocities.com/paulntobin/jesus.html

How silly and horrible religion in general is:
http://godisimaginary.com/
http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/

The alternative:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/
http://www.infidels.org/
http://www.positiveatheism.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Universalism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_humanism

Just wanting eternal life doesn't mean it exists.

We understand the scientific explanations, so don't need to make up physical ones.

How can you worship a god that murders babies, drowns kittens, condones slavery, and tortures people whose opinions he does not like?

Read Letter To A Christian Nation and understand the horrific damage caused by religion.

Answer 10

I look at the beautiful things life has to offer, I don't see the need fill it up with gods (I'm probably some version of Occam's razor). I'm an atheist, but I don't deny the possiblity that gods exist (I just don't believe it). And if they do exist, I see no reason to believe any particular religion's version of a deity.