I don't understand an athiest's thinking?

Question

I respect that they have their own opinions, and I'm not trying to put anyone down, but why would you not want their to be a god? How would life be worth living? You live life, and then die. In 10-15 years you will be almost completely forgotten. After you die, there will be nothing. How could you want to believe that? If an athiest is right in his opinions, he will die the same fate of those who believe in heaven. But if a person who believes in the after-life is right, he will live eternally in peace, while the athiest lives in some sort of torturous place for the rest of eternity. I am just curious to how anyone could want or risk that? If you answer respectably and honestly, it will be easier for me to respect your opinions and understand your thinking.

Sorry for my spelling error. I wasn't sure how it was spelled so I just followed the I before E rule. And the reason I am asking this is because I have an open mind. Some of you are claiming I am a brainwashed person while answering my question about atheism. Doesn't make sense.

Answer 1

Who said I WANT there not to be a God. What I WANT has no bearing on what's true.

...and by the way, you seem to have devolved in to the Pascal's wager argument by the last half of your details section.

Try this. If I'm right, you've wasted EVERY moment that you will ever have serving a lie. Whereas if you are right, I still have at least my time on earth to do what I think is right.

So I win.

Answer 2

It's ok if you don't understand us, you have to have a higher I.Q. I guess. Just kidding. Really, I actually think your question was respectful, but I'm an asshole, so you know...have to be smart *** and all. But seriously here we go:

1.Why would you not want their to be a god?

Who says I don't? I just don't think there is. I feel it is a waste of time to put your efforts into something, well, that really isn't there.

2.How would life be worth living?

My life sucked at the beginning and it gets better and better. There is a mechanism to the human brain for survival. Also, there are tons of things to experience. Food, others, warm baths, pets...I love animals.

3.In 10-15 years you will be almost completely forgotten?

So? Wow, you must have an ego to think you need to be remembered forever. Who cares, I'm dead! I won't know that I'm dead. Don't think of death as if you are alive, think of it as you are dead.

4.After I die, there will be nothing, How could I want to believe that?

Yeah, sucks, but we all die, and well as stated above, we are dead. So, like, we don't know we are dead. I really don't know why people don't get this.

5.If an athiest is right in his opinions, he will die the same fate of those who believe in heaven, but if a person who believes in the after-life if right, he will live eternally in peace, while the athiest lives in some sort of torturous place for the rest of eternity.

First, if I die and I'm right I would have lived my life for myself and not worshiping a lie, not expereincing some cool things. You will have well, died. Oh, and I will only live in a torturous place if you the Christian are also right. If the Hindus are, well then I'll just get to come back again. Better hope you know what you are doing?

6. I am just curious to how anyone could want to risk that?

We don't believe so, there is no risk for us. The risk is minimal. And yes, if I'm wrong, I'm going to hell I guess. But what if you're wrong and the Muslims are right. Well, so are you.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

It's not that I don't want to believe in a god. It's more like the gods that have been presented to me insult my intelligence. You seem to be focused on heaven, but, what about hell? No god, no religion, no hell. Just because believing in god makes you feel better does not mean you're going to some eternal paradise. Just because you are aware of your mortality and are uncomfortable does not mean that it is in any way more important than it really is. In ten or fifteen years after your death perhaps your life will be forgotten. So what? After you're dead, ten trillion years is just as long and short as ten seconds. Why would an Atheist live in a "torturous place for eternity?" Why would a theist live in eternal peace for eternity? Just for believing or not believing in something; I find that as close to impossible as anything I can imagine. You don't mention your religion, but, I'm assuming you're a Christian. You've been brainwashed from birth perhaps. You need to educate yourself. Study some of the material on this website: http://skepticsannotatedbible.com. Also, to get a really in depth view of how an Atheist thinks read a book called, "God Is Not Great" by Christopher Hitchens. You will be surprised at what a little knowledge will do for your life. Keep an open mind. Good luck.

Answer 4

You're right. You don't understand. It's not that atheists don't want there to be a god. Atheists don't believe there is a god. I'm not going to pretend to believe in something I don't. That would be living a lie. If I did "decide" to believe in god, which god should I believe in? Do I become a Christian? A Muslim? A Jew? A Wicca? Something else? Which religion should I follow? No matter which one I pick, the odds are that I will be wrong. How do you know that you are following the right religion? You could be, for example, a Christian, doing all of the things in life a Christian is supposed to do. You expect to see Jesus when you go to heaven only when you get there you are greeted by Mohammad who sends you to the basement because you didn't believe in him.

Answer 5

A. It is spelt as atheist.

B. Why would you want to be having some false security with an imaginary creature? How could your life be worth living in delusion? After we die, it is indeed nothing (ok, I have other views, but that is inconsequential).

C. Just because you cannot believe the truth you die, you died, you choose to succumb to imaginative thoughts? That is rather pathetic, isn't it? So what proof do you have on this imaginative afterlife? Other then your imagination and a few thousand year old book with revised editions?

D. What if your god is not the right god and it is some other gods and they punish you like your god did? Your delusion is as good as another delusion, all have no grounds for beliefs.

Answer 6

You are expressing a variant of Pascal's Wager, which is a fallacy because it claims the existence of God is a 50/50 possibility instead of an invisible long-shot, and fails to take into account the down-side of believing in a religion: regimentation, inability to have any influence in the direction of your faith, crushing financial expenses and wasting time at self-brainwashing, being recruited for bloody wars against someone of a different religion, unrealistic expectations for human beings, and really, really, BAD repressed sexuality.

We have to see reality as they are. No doubt you'd like to believe that if you play the lottery long enough, you'll win enough money for a Porsche. You can admire that possibility much more than the reality, but it won't happen. If you have to look outside yourself for what your sense of purpose is, you will be vulnerable to hucksters who want to sell you a piece of blue sky. Why not define your OWN purpose so you don't accidentally end up sucking poison cyanide Kool-Aid in some religious jungle retreat?

Since we will die, we must fully accept the reality that we will become nothing. Any belief to the contrary was only sparked by bad mushroom-trips and hallucinating with a faulty, oxygen-starved brain during Near-Death Experiences, when we were cave-men.

As for not being remembered 10-15 years after we die, well some may last longer than that. The following is a Celebrity Atheist list that may surprise you, although there are different shades to their disbelief, not always intense:

http://www.celebatheists.com/?title=Main_Page

Answer 7

This is where I have a problem with people believing. Is it really so hard to believe that this is our life and that is all we have? To believe because you can't imagine this being "it" is simply daydreaming to me. Life is worth living because it is LIFE! (I'm not yelling, just emphatic)
I truly believe for many people that they believe solely because they are scared. Religion comforts them that there is more than what we know. I think there is more than what we know now, but I believe our lives are for learning. Learning the many things that shape our world, universe, and minds that we have no concept about now. If there is a deity out there, I am not concerned because I believe for fact that it is not one that is believed by the abrahamic followers. I could not ever believe in a vengeful god who punishes those who do not worship, praise, and glorify it. What a waste of the gift of life. If there is a deity I would have to believe that we were put here to figure things out for ourselves-and yes, that means learning about our universe; how it was made, how we came to be, how much we can accomplish. Real long term thinking for once in the history of humankind. I don't see religion aiding in that-in fact, I find that it hinders our growth as human beings. Therefore, yes, I partake in Pascal's wager to an extent. I will not worship any deity-I have to much to do and too much respect for whatever may be out there, but I will not be shocked if there is more to the afterlife than just being in the ground. Either way, it's a win win for me. If there is something, yay. If not, I won't know any better and that is fine too.
You will never get me to believe in anything that punishes for not worshipping. Worship is a human invention created by power hungry humans. I would have to think any deity that may exist is more evolved than that.

Answer 8

but if there is no God YOU wasted your life (which is real and is here right now) preparing for something that doesn't exist. you wasted all you have!

and what God do you worship? of the thousands of Gods, what if You chose the wrong one? by your reasoning we should worship ALL Gods just in case! (and is there enough time for that?)

and what could be better and more comforting than eternal dreamless sleep when you die? I don't want another life, I've had quite enough of myself in this life. I will live, experience and enjoy as much as I can and then gladly fall into the big sleep.

{{although I am making these arguments, I am not really an aethiest, I am a pantheist}}

Answer 9

"If an athiest is right in his opinions, he will die the same fate of those who believe in heaven. But if a person who believes in the after-life is right, he will live eternally in peace, while the athiest lives in some sort of torturous place for the rest of eternity."

Well, with logic like that, it is hard to argue, LOL!!!!!!!!!

It is told that the great Angelo, in decorating a church, painted some angels wearing sandals. A cardinal looking at the picture said to the artist: "Whoever saw angels with sandals?" Angelo answered with another question: "Whoever saw an angel barefooted?"
-- Robert Green Ingersoll

The clergy know that I know that they know that they do not know.
-- Robert Green Ingersoll

Labor is the only prayer that Nature answers.
-- Robert Green Ingersoll

The agnostic does not simply say, "l do not know." He goes another step, and he says, with great emphasis, that you do not know. He insists that you are trading on the ignorance of others, and on the fear of others. He is not satisfied with saying that you do not know, -- he demonstrates that you do not know, and he drives you from the field of fact -- he drives you from the realm of reason -- he drives you from the light, into the darkness of conjecture -- into the world of dreams and shadows, and he compels you to say, at last, that your faith has no foundation in fact.
-- Robert Green Ingersoll

Answer 10

1) I want to be a millionare too, but wanting something to be true doesn't make it true.

2) I'm sorry your life is not worth living without a god. You might want to look for meaning elsewhere - in your family, friends, and work.

3) Nope - but that's because I'm contributing to the wealth of human knowledge. 200 years from now, my papers will still be here.

4) Again, not wanting to believe something will happen doesn't mean it won't.

5) Yep. You might want to look up Pascal's wager and why it's wrong.

6) Really, it sounds like you think you can live in a fantasy world. Good luck with that.

Answer 11

Speaking personally here as an atheist:
"but why would you not want their to be a god?"
It has nothing to do with not WANTING one. But realizing I don't need one. In any case, there is NO evidence of God. And even if there were, I wouldn't care.

"How would life be worth living?"
Q. If you don't believe in God, then what is the point of living?

Why does living need to have a "point" at all? Do the "lilies of the field" need to have a point to live?

If you must have a "point", then decide on your own meaning of life. Can you think of anything more imporant to decide? We believe that it's much better do determine our own purpose, than to have some church do it for you based on their agenda!

Q. Doesn't being an Atheist "cheapen" life?

A. Actually religion cheapens life. Being an Atheist makes life more precious. Since there is no after-life, you must come to terms with the fact that this is the ONLY life you'll get. If an atheist throws himself in front of a bus in order to save a child, that action is much more meaningful than if a Christian did the same thing. The Christian thinks they'll just go to heaven and live there!

Look at the 9/11/2001 massacre in New York and Washington D.C. Those religious (Muslim) people thought that their actions would hasten and ensure their entry into eternal bliss, but what they actually did was throw away the only life they had in an act of "faith". - www.digitalfreethought.com

"After you die, there will be nothing."
Unless I had children to carry my 'immortality' - my genes. And/or I left an impact on the world (i.e., left it better (or worse) than when I was born).

"How could you want to believe that?"
Because the evidence points towards it being true for reincarnation and after life both have ZERO evidence to go on. Also, it's comforting (and NON-selfish) to not have an afterlife for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever.

"But if a person who believes in the after-life is right, he will live eternally in peace, while the athiest lives in some sort of torturous place for the rest of eternity."
This is called Pascal's Wager. In your phrasing, it is PARTICULARLY in favor of theism being right and Hell existing and atheists (note correct spelling of word!!) going to Hell.

“The great French mathematician Blaise Pascal reckoned that [...] you'd better believe in God, because if you are right you stand to gain eternal bliss and if you are wrong it won't make any difference anyway. On the other hand, if you don't believe in God and you turn out to be wrong you get eternal damnation, whereas if you are right it makes no difference. On the face of it the decision is a no-brainer. Believe in God.

There is something distinctly odd about the argument, however. Believing is not something you can decide to do as a matter of policy. [...] I can decide to go to church and I can decide to recite the Nicene Creed, and I can decide to swear on a stack of bibles that I believe every word inside them. But none of that can make me actually believe it if I don't. Pascal's wager could only ever be an argument for feigning belief in God. And the God that you claim to believe in had better not be of the omniscient kind or he'd see through the deception.” - Richard Dawkins, "The God Delusion"

Is a good book pointless because it has an endin? Your fairy-tale idea of living forever (i.e., having an after life) goes like this in a never-ending book: "And they lived happily ever... ever... ever... ever... ever...".... there is never an "after" to complete it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MToOECmwMB0

^ This video shows how an after-life, in this case Heaven, is actually extremely boring. You'd never get to rest. You can never end it (i.e., die). You're stuck forever like that and you can't do a thing about it and you're CONSCIOUS in knowing that. Whereas in death, you don't and literally cannot care. That's the beauty of death. It's a way of life.