For Atheists.....What's your reason for not believing in God?

Question

I've never heard anyone's reason before......so I'm just curious to know.

Answer 1

Back when I didn't believe, I'd say because I was brain washed in public schools. The dinosuar thing.
But after thinking about it. No fossil could survive 100,000,000 years. Who are you trying to kid.
Then what really turned me was finding out all the prophecies in the bible that were fulfiled just as God's phophets said. Believing in God just became the logical choice for me.

Answer 2

Which god are we talking about, you didn't say. Since the beginning of time there have been thousands and maybe tens of thousands of gods. You should be more specific. I have always asked myself "What is a god without man"? Well, if you consider that the area of the universe, in our galaxy, our solar system, the Sun has existed for approximately 4 1/2 billion years with approximately another 4 1/2 billion years left. Our sun is approximately half way through its life cycle. Considering man as we recognize him (generic him) has been around for ten thousand years or so, and approximately a few million years if you want to consider all the the various iterations, then my question is a 2 part:1. What did the god do for the other 3.9 plus billion years and 2. what will the god do when the useful life of the sun is over. Add to that the question of What use is a god without mankind and you can begin to see why I have trouble believing. I will leave you with these thoughts. With the thousands of gods recorded in history, why has none ever been seen? Last, if the god is perfect, why does he/she need to be constantly adored when this at best is a character flaw and at worst, behavior that would have the average person committed to an institution for life. None of it makes sense.

Answer 3

Evidence and scientific theory aside, I don't see a need for a god. What need is there? Why does there have to be a ruler of the universe, why can't we all just be equal?

And then that "higher power" stuff really irked me, what's that even supposed to mean? God's better than me? Well whoopidity freakin doo!

But it's for the same reason you don't believe in Santa Claus, there's no reason to, it's simply improbable and even more so unnecessary.

And you should understand that this doesn't necessarily mean there is no meaning to life. I'm open minded enough to accept that I don't know why I'm here or what my purpose is. I'm open to the idea of an afterlife, very much so actually. It's just that it's blatantly obvious to me that if there is a god, he has nothing to do with earthly affairs, and if he doesn't have anything to do with earthly affairs than what was he doing for us in the first place? Oh yea, the whole creating existence thing. but why is that even important? Who cares who made it, we shouldn't be focusing on where we came from, but where we're going.

Answer 4

I was raised catholic, catholic schools, church, my mom sang in the chior, the preist was a family friend, etc.

About three and a half years ago my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer (even though she hadn't had a cigarette in 17 years). Over the next five months, we watched her endure what no human should, a slow, painful, degradating death. She was a woman that did nothing but good and served her god.

After that, I started to question. I read and reread the bible, researched religions, tried to find answers. My research brought me more questions than answers. The main answers I kept receiving were "god works in mysterious ways", "she was needed elsewhere", "everything happens for a reason", and my favorite was "just have faith". There were no answers, so I looked into logic instead. If there was a god, would he have made her suffer like that? If she was needed elsewhere, why was it not quicker and painless? Then I got to the religion as a whole; why should we follow a book (that we are supposed to look to as fact) that was written 400 years after the actual events? Have you ever heard the same story twice? let alone past down by word of mouth? Then I learned how jesus became known as the son of god, he never claimed to be. The catholic church decided he must have been.

I realized that religions were created in a time where people need to believe in something. The world was full of brutal barbarians that had nothing to look forward to. What better way to civilized people and give them hope than religion. They showed them that there was heaven, a blissfull place that they will go to after this life, but only if they are good. They killed two birds with one stone.

During this time of questioning, I got sick. I was in the hospital for weeks with a still unknown illness (the CDC couldn't match it to anything in their database). The doctors said if I would have been under 10 or over 50 I probably would have died.

That's when I finally admitted to myself what I had already deduced. God was made up. Now, I live my life much like before, but with differences. I now live for me and my family, not for god. I live everyday to the fullest because it could be my last (and it almost was). I don't act out of fear of punishment (hell) or hope of reward (heaven). I live for life. I live for love.

So now when I post on here, I do not try to insult religious people and imply that they are stupid, they are not. But they are gulible. They follow like I did, because they were told to. I advise people to question. But, if they question and realize that they need god (and many do), go ahead and believe in whatever you want. Just don't try to push it on me.

Answer 5

Lack of evidence, far fetched claims with no proof, very good natural explanations for most of the things we previously didn't understand and attributed to Gods. Researching the history of Christianity and the cultural context it has evolved and changed in was the starting point. Reading Biblical scholarship by Robert Price and Earl Doherty amongst others. Examining apologetics with same criteria that I would apply to other claims and beliefs and realizing there was strong confirmation bias. The total lack of logic. Psychological studies showing many people are able to convince themselves to believe things that they wish to believe even when the facts show otherwise. Studies on revelation and mystic experience that show the message is strongly biased by what the person is culturally preconditioned to expect. Native American for instance used mystic revelations but never saw Jesus but rather the spiritual things they were conditioned to experience. Evangelicals believe they get messages from God or Jesus. Muslims from Allah. They both claim the message is my way is the truth. Obviously God isn't the author of all these contradictory messages unless he is quite the prankster. You can go with its the devil if you can believe in such far out things but no one ever feels they are deluded by the devil its always the one in the other belief system. I do find things of value in the religious writings of most of the world's religions but I also see so clearly the hand of man not Gods in their writings. No God I would believe or worship would be against human equality, for violence to solve problems, or punish people for not worshiping it.

Answer 6

Most atheists don't believe in God because there is no evidence to suggest that God exists, and most reasoning leads to the conclusion that there is a very low order of probability of God's existence.

Many atheists are very well-read in matters of theology, history and comparative religion. Many have also explored anthropology and mythology as well.

There are those, admittedly, who claim to be atheists and are rather closer to being believers than they'd care to admit. These people are usually adolescents who are doing a bit of "identity searching," which often includes a rejection of their parents beliefs. One can usually identify these by their pugnacious stance and aggressive assaults on theism.

Answer 7

Whew! Never heard reasons before? #5,128. Atheists do not believe in God or Gods because there is no evidence of any kind whatsoever to prove he does or does not exist.

Answer 8

Basically: even if there is proof of a higher power, there is no way to prove that particular higher power is the Christian God.

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."
-Stephen Henry Roberts

Answer 9

I Don't hold a belief in God because the believers haven't yet provided me with a logical reason why I should believe in God.

Answer 10

If "God", "the Holy Spirit", and "jesus", are all the same person then why, on the night of Jesus betrayal, did jesus walk into a garden pray to god, who would be himself. It does not make sense, pardon my grammer. That's why I don't. The reason I know this stuff is that not long ago I was a Christian.

Answer 11

Please use the search function for this question. I need a drink.

No evidence, organized religion is ridiculous, religions are manmade and men are idiots and power mad...atheism is much more sensical than a sky fairy who creates women out of ribs who has to talk to a snake possessed by a demon and then by eating an apple all mankind is totally f'd. How in the world is that not the oldest fairytale? And not even a good one!