Can atheists actually be open minded?

Question

I can see how agnostics are open minded, but aren't atheists just as closed minded as Christian Fundamentalists?

If someone is truly open minded, wouldn't they admit that there is a remote possibility that there could be a God? And if there is a remote possibility that there could be a God, then shouldn't they also be open minded to the fact that some believe in this more strongly then others?

I'm starting to think that ahteists only think someone is open minded if they deny that God(s) exist. Is this true?

If this is true...doesn't this go against the definition of being open minded? Which would then bring us back around to what I actually think, that atheists can not be open minded.

Hmmmm....

WDOUI: Yes I am...but I believe there is a God. Just because I admit to the possibility, doesn't change my faith. If there was 100% certainty that God existed, what would be the good of faith?

Acid Zebra: I have considered them, and yes the possibility is there. Even in my belief of the particular God I believe in...I have my own doubts/speculation that God is what I think he is. I have my doubts/speculation on the origins of the Bible or the current translation of it. Really, there isn't much that I won't consider.

Zero Cool: Sure, like I said there isn't really much for me that is not possible. My list of possibilities is long and strange. I would probably be classified crazy if I shared them...and my belief in God wouldn't even be the one that caused this classification. However, that doesn't matter to me...what I conceive as possibilities are just that...possibilities.

So then I guess my question is, if most of you on here admit to the possibility...then why the harsh responses in other questions? If there is a possibility, is there a need to call someone stupid/illogical/blind follower/etc. because they decide to put more value into the same possibility that you are admiting to?

Julian: I have no hatred towards atheists. I don't agree with the way some of them choose to behave on here. I don't agree with the way some Christians choose to behave on here either. That is all, I agree with the rest of your answer.

Answer 1

interesting question . . . to be truely open minded you have to acknowledge that you may be wrong. However, that does not change what you believe - a Christian believes in Christ, and atheist believes there is no god - they can both say what they believe, while acknowledging that they may be wrong, so it is not impossible for them to be opened minded.

an agnostic can be closed minded as well, if they refuse to accept that we may be able to comprehend god

Answer 2

Not that anything I or anyone else will say will sway your hatred of Atheists in the least, but I'll try just because I care.

I am open-minded to the existence of God. I don't believe there is one, and if there is I doubt very much we have a correct or even close idea of what he's like or what he wants. But the thing to remember here is belief. Not absolute fact, not knowledge.. belief, faith. I believe God does not exist. You believe he does. I accept your right to believe differently than me, and that is where I am openminded and you are not. I don't share your belief, but I don't want to deny you the right to have it or express it except when it borders on oppression and bullying. Most Christians I know accept that they can't know everything about God, and so admit there's a possibility that there is no God. But they choose to believe he exists, because that's what they feel to be true. That's openminded. Agnostics are not more or less openminded, just undecided.

Answer 3

I) There are 3 forms of Atheism.

1) Strong - there definitely is no deity
2) Weak - I have no belief in a deity (no definite existence claim made)
3) Incoherentist - I have heard no coherent characterization of a deity to be believed or disbelieved

2 and 3 are compatible with each other and Agnosticism.

II) The word God (Capital G) is a Christian creation. It originated in Bishop Ulfilas' (cir. 300s CE) Gothic translation of the Bible. If you used the term purposefully for this implication, I can show you deductive proof that the Christian deity does not exist. Some deity may exist, but we have no evidence. No evidence means it produces no measurable effect in space/time. Given our current scientific advancements, no measurable effect means (pragmatically) such a deity is irrelevant.

I personally fall within the scope of I/3 above, and consider myself an Agnostic/Atheist Irrelevantist.

Given I and II, continued postings along these lines means you are closed minded.

Answer 4

Absolutely.
Happen to be agnostic,but heres what I think.........
Pretty much have to be open minded to think through the proposition that there is or is'nt a god.
They made a conscious choice which works for them & if they keep it to themselves is OK.
Believers who keep their convictions to themselves are also OK.
Since this is a forum of sorts , open discussion on conflicting views is a good thing as long as there is some honesty, thought & a lot less venom spitting.
From some of the comments in this section, looks like
the "believers" are coming up short in the "open minded"department.
Too much ,"its in the bible. God said it , I believe it & that's final" for me to take.
There are rabid athiests out there as well but by and large their responses are more thoughtful & minimally, just say " I chose not to believe" & here is why.
No more closed minded than anyone else who has come to a
personal decision & I think more likely to just agree to disagree.
Also, I think the loudest ones on either side are probably the ones who have the most self doubt.
Managed to get through this without taking a giant crap on anyone.
So...... God (if there is a God) bless my soul (if i have a soul)
Amen

Answer 5

You misunderstand what an agnostic is. An agnostic believes firmly that the "God question" cannot be solved. They're just as "closed-minded" as you and I are. You either have a stance, or you don't. If you're undecided, then I guess you're open-minded, but you probably think everything you've heard so far is wrong. So you're.. just as closed-minded.
Atheism is open-minded to every idea that can be validated, it is just not open to the sky daddy theory. That's all. You guys who believe in God are all completely closed-minded to any idea not involving a God. Same thing.

Answer 6

Depends what type of atheist are you. Flawed people make up every type of group

If you listen to logic reasoning and freethinking, then if there were any proof of God or creationism, then you should at least consider it.

However, there is none. If you show me a single article from a peer-reviewed scientific journal, I would give your claim at least some thought.

Then after the claim is shown that something other than the known forces, you must show that this is indeed your Christian God, not the multiple other gods devised throughout history, not an alien race, or not physics forces beyond our understanding.

Answer 7

Well, of course there could be a remote possibility that there is a god - we just don't BELIEVE there is one. It's not that all of us "know" for certain.

Most atheists wouldn't mind somebody being strongly religious. This doesn't hurt anybody, and personally I couldn't care less about somebody's theistic beliefs.

The trouble is religion, what it stands for and what it's followers try to enforce. We don't mind theists, we mind religious fundamentalists trying to dictate our lifestyle because their religion (NOT their god, they haven't spoken to him) tells them to.

I am an atheist, and I think that is the logical choice. However, that doesn't mean I can't understand how somebody could be a theist. Some of my friends are theists, and of course I respect them, even admire some of them. And the key is that they do not say they're absolutely, without a doubt, right. They do not try to force their beliefs down my throat because they know that there is a chance that they are wrong. The same goes for me. I think religion is dangerous. Not all religious people are dangerous, but you can commit many crimes that are justified in the bible. You can not commit a crime that is justified by atheism. So, in that sense, I am weary of religion. Not of theists, or the fact that maybe, just maybe I am wrong.

Answer 8

Yes, searcher.

If someone is truly open minded, wouldn't they admit that there is a remote possibility that there could be a Flying Spaghetti Monster? And if there is a remote possibility that there could be a Flying Spaghetti Monster, then shouldn't they also be open minded to the fact that some believe in this more strongly then others?

I'm starting to think that some people only think someone is open minded if they deny that the Flying Spaghetti Monster exists. Is this true?

Answer 9

Oh there is a remote possibility; an extremely remote possibility. I don't think many deny that. But true, middle-ground agnosticism implies that the probable outcomes are 50/50, which is just not the case!

Most atheists are open minded, but not so much as our brains fall out.

Answer 10

I was Christian but since I was also open-minded, the arguments against there being a single creation deity were more logical than those supporting the idea...so, I guess you could say I'm close-minded to it now but obviously, I came to that conclusion based on being open-minded in the first place.