Isn't atheism a form of faith?

Question

Atheists argue that there is no reason whatsoever to believe in the existence of a god - and I agree - bit isn't there also insufficient evidence to completely rule it out? Isn't there some element of faith in the belief that there is definitely no god?
And if so, might superfluous conclusions be something that atheists and religious people actually have in common?

Answer 1

Well, yeah, you can't prove a negative. Sure, some god could exist, and so could Santa Claus. You can't completely rule out, either, that this world is nothing more than a game of SimUniverse being played in a higher spatial dimension by three-headed giraffes named Fred.

It's just that the odds against it happening are so darned high that the probability is basically zero. In a practical sense, worrying about some Jehovah is just as impractical as worrying about three-headed giraffes named Fred.

Answer 2

There are many scientific theories that are widely accepted on the basis of solely being a theory - the most common one was that the earth was flat, or that atomic structure was very basic. If you felt otherwise, your scientific credentials were at jeopardy from within the fellow academic community. This still happens today, with the theory of Global Warming, the existence of black holes in the cosmos, etc.
In effect, the same could be applied to spiritual pragmatism. For thousands of years the word was Vishnu, and then the word was Buddha. For thousands of years the word was Judaism, and then the word was Christianity.
The common thread I'm trying to make here is, beliefs are fashionable, and are based on non-factual thought. Ultimately atheism is one of these faculties, despite it's ability to give people the impression that it follows a strict factual organon, yet how can it be? So to doubt is first to absolve from an organon, then to evolve into something new that is as yet, unclassified. Some might call this agnostic, which in itself, is self-contradiction as a classified belief-group.

Answer 3

Faith in what?
Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen! (Hebrews 11:1) You believe that you are breathing but cannot see the air that causes you to breath!

Faith is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God."
Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them because of your unbelief;
Luke 9:41 And Jesus answering said. "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? This means that there is God keeping us here on this planet and He is amongst us NOW! Atheist don't get it because it is a gift from the Holy Spirit (another part of God).
Atheism is in search of nothing! Faith is already found! Faith have a basis for its existence. Even Atheist exist because of the love of God.

I read this today....
Christian Wisdom
A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word "darkness" on the walls of his padded cell.
C S. Lewis

Answer 4

Faith is believing in something you can't understand or explain.
Atheism is keeping your head clear of fairy stories/legends and other impossibilities i.e. believing what can be explained rationally.
The word 'faith' means belief that is not based on proof
J.B. Priestley or
Bertrand Russell asked why atheists had to disprove Christianity, saying it was like trying to disprove a celestial teapot in orbit round the earth that was smaller than a telescope could see.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2074321.ece


http://www.skepticfiles.org/think/cookies.htm

Answer 5

This is easier than you might think. Atheism simply means not to believe in any god. It need not mean that an atheist has faith in the absence of a god.

Answer 6

The question of faith being absent lands on the Russel's teapot, (or Flying Spaghetti Monster, Invisible Pink Unicorn, leprechauns, Easter Bunny) argument. Does it require faith to believe that something does not exist? You can put trivial probabilities on all of the entities, so you can't prove they don't exist.

Answer 7

Yes, I believe you're correct.
The simplest definition of faith would be -'A belief that is not based on proof.' Technically no one can prove God does not exist you can only point out biblical discrepancies or disprove some of the bibles claims. To be resolve that there is no God could be considered a sort of faith since it can't be substantiated.(I think)

Answer 8

Is it faith to say that a giant green and purple unicorn that lives on Neptune created the universe?

Well, no.

In the absence of evidence or any reason to think there IS such a thing, faith would be believing in it, not disbelieving in it.

In the absence of evidence or reason to believe in god, it's not faith to not believe in god.

What you and I have in common is disbelief in the giant unicorn.

Answer 9

Intriguing question but that would rule out atheism and make that person an agnostic. I think some atheists can be as dogmatic as religious people but most just go about their lives and not even think about God. My husband is a very joyful person and an atheist. I really don't think it crosses his mind on a daily basis. Just my thoughts but interesting question!

Answer 10

No. It takes absolutely no faith. One cannot logically say: "I believe there is no evidence". There cannot be a "belief" in the lack of evidence. There either is no evidence, or there is. What you are referring to is guilt and fear that might occur in some agnostics, due to social pressures that exist from the abundance of Christers and their since-birth brainwashing techniques.