Current Events > Why ain't everyone atheist?

(+) Yeah! (+)

hockeybub89 posted...

But the evidence doesn't currently support a spiritual take. The creator could just as likely be a giant, sadistic dragon that rips you apart limb by limb for all of eternity, no matter how good you are. There are infinite possibilities if you want to go down the unprovable route.

It's not reasonable to believe in. Popular religions always get a pass when it comes to believing in the illogical while everyone else who does it is called wrong, crazy, or stupid.

It's not supposed to be reasonable. You either feel the presence of god and believe or you don't

---

ledbowman posted...

It's not supposed to be reasonable. You either feel the presence of god and believe or you don't

Which god?

Why are we allowed to act unreasonable if we feel the presence of the popular god in a given society?

---

DuranOfForcena posted...

@kinetika_ how the fuck do you figure

Both sides heavily believe in something that can't be proven. Also, self identified atheists usually push their views on others just as much. Example: TC implying anything other than atheism is dumb. If you're an atheist that isn't pushing your views, most people wouldn't even be aware of it. I've never had someone force me to talk about religion and my Mexican side is Jehovah Witnesses. Religious or atheism. The best of both sides are people who don't make topics like this or defend them. When was the last time you seen someone here unironically push religion? So, who's the more dominant cult here?

---

hockeybub89 posted...

Which god?

The right god, obviously. Not all those other not right ones everyone else believes, but the RIGHT one.

---

alimajor posted...

I've never met happy Atheist so why would I want to be one?

I'm very happy. There you go, now you've met one.

---

Lost_All_Senses posted...

Both sides heavily believe in something that can't be proven.

Do you apply this to everything that can't be proven to exist? It requires blind faith to not believe in Santa Claus and it's presumptuous to act as if Santa is not real?

---

hockeybub89 posted...

Which god?

Why are we allowed to act unreasonable if we feel the presence of the popular god in a given society?

I don't know. A beautiful, loving, life giving unknowable spirit that i feel when i look at the world. It's a free country, you can believe what you want

---

ledbowman posted...

It's not supposed to be reasonable. You either feel the presence of god and believe or you don't

Why can't it be reasonable? There are plenty of scientists/mathematicians/doctors/etc who are either agnostic or hold personal spiritual beliefs of some sort (even if they aren't tied to a specific religion). Simulation theory, for example, sounds awfully close to "God" if you think about the fact that some higher intelligence would've had to program the simulation. Look at quantum mechanics and the many-worlds interpretation. I'm not saying that these things are true, or that spiritual interpretations of these things are true. I'm just saying that it's pretty narrow minded to just dismiss them and call everyone else "unreasonable." Science answers the question of how, not the question of why. Science has nothing to say about anything unless it can be measured with human tools. Just because someone comes to a different conclusion than you doesn't mean they're unreasonable.

Lost_All_Senses posted...

Both sides heavily believe in something that can't be proven. Also, self identified atheists usually push their views on others just as much. Example: TC implying anything other than atheism is dumb. If you're an atheist that isn't pushing your views, most people wouldn't even be aware of it. I've never had someone force me to talk about religion and my Mexican side is Jehovah Witnesses. Religious or atheism. The best of both sides are people who don't make topics like this or defend them. When was the last time you seen someone here unironically push religion? So, who's the more dominant cult here?

Atheists tend to be pushy because we can't believe we have to live in a world full of people who believe ancient superstitions, and worse, we all have to "respect" these beliefs despite being obviously absurd.

Also, why do theists care so much about atheists? Won't you guys get the last laugh when you're basking in an eternal, orgasmic afterlife?

Many don't read the bible along with questioning things and just go by what they see through media in terms of God and that gives them the idea of hope. If you question them they tend to get pretty defensive.

If you're in a struggle in life and someone notions believe in Jesus or God and things will get better cause God won't judge you on your past it gives someone the feeling of being better.

---

-Kush- posted...

If you're in a struggle in life and someone notions believe in Jesus or God and things will get better cause God won't judge you on your past it gives someone the feeling of being better.

I love how when asking theists to defend believing in god they inevitably say something like "believing makes people happy and feel good." As if that has some bearing on the question of whether God is real.

If it turns a drunken abusive person into a nicer person I'm cool with it. To each their own. Some people need that to become better where as others like me don't.

---

Eh, I don't really disagree with anything you guys said. But it's weird that you guys can't seem to grasp the concept that a non religious person is defending religious people.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Both sides who push their views feel morally superior. Hence why when religion is brought up, people bring up all the worst example of religion and religious people. Because they choose to perceive the people who are easiest to feel superior to.

Hell, no matter how much I say I'm referring to those who just want to co-exist, you guys just try to drag it back to the immoral members. If you admit there are good people on both sides then no one is morally superior, yet you don't want to come to that conclusion.


---

GodIsImaginary posted...

I love how when asking theists to defend believing in god they inevitably say something like "believing makes people happy and feel good." As if that has some bearing on the question of whether God is real.

Lol, you were dying to run to this account. So what's your endgame, no one uses religion to feel happier or content?

---

"Hell, no matter how much I say I'm referring to those who just want to co-exist, you guys just try to drag it back to the immoral members. If you admit there are good people on both sides then no one is morally superior, yet you don't want to come to that conclusion."

As my post said I'm cool with theists if it makes them a better person. I'm down to having a friendly debate with theists on the existence of God. My reasons by asking the right questions debunks the theory of a God. I stand by it was all made up years ago especially Christianity to bring in fear to control the masses and implement a form of order especially back then. Technically speaking I believe Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world and after that other religions show up. I've read the entire new testament about 3 years ago and bit of the old before stopping.

---

DuranOfForcena posted...

the difference is that religious fundies derive their moral superiority from an illegitimate source and think that people who are not religious are incapable of having a moral compass because they don't believe in that illegitimate source.

Lost_All_Senses posted...

Hell, no matter how much I say I'm referring to those who just want to co-exist, you guys just try to drag it back to the immoral members. If you admit there are good people on both sides then no one is morally superior, yet you don't want to come to that conclusion.

I'm done now. This conversation isn't entertaining cause it's not going anywhere anymore. Hence why I can answer a newer post with an old post.

---

Lost_All_Senses posted...

Lol, you were dying to run to this account. So what's your endgame, no one uses religion to feel happier or content?

If believing makes you happy, that's fine. But it's not an argument for God's existence, which was the point of this topic. Also, theists who argue this seem to assume that atheists can just "choose" to believe and be happy too.

Not to mention there are tons of Gods out there based on so many religions. Are we to now to assume there's just one? Which one? Or are we under the impression that someone created all this (space) and is letting us do whatever we want. What's the end result? A Heaven like place for nice people? Nobody is 100% nice. There is no need for a creator.

---

GodIsImaginary posted...

If believing makes you happy, that's fine. But it's not an argument for God's existence, which was the point of this topic. Also, theists who argue this seem to assume that atheists can just "choose" to believe and be happy too.

Holy shit, do you guys not know what co-exist means? No one is trying to convert you. This topic is literally about converting the opposite way, and Im just defending against that. You don't believe in god but you still seem to be good at making up imaginary forces coming at you lol

---

I think this post applies to so many of the posts made after it

Damn_Underscore posted...

Online atheists are mostly antitheists. There isn't really anything special about being an atheist. It's like being a theist. How many people are just theists? It's impossible to prove whether God exists or doesn't exist, so while there are arguments for both, being a theist or an atheist shouldn't really have much affect of someone's life.

But many online atheists spend much of their time bashing other religions. I'm sure a lot of atheists hate being associated with r/atheism, but they are the most vocal atheists (probably because they are really antitheists) and many atheists on CE act like users on r/atheism.

r/atheism users are generally very ignorant; for the most part they have not read the Bible (let alone any other religious book, but online atheists are mostly anti-Christian) and have no intention of reading it. When they quote the Bible it is almost always taken out of context - both historically and in relation to the surrounding verses.

I've seen plenty of ignorant Christians online (these are all from terrible internet blogs and not from legitimate sources, but still) who insult or try to discredit Islam while having no actual knowledge about Islam or having any intention to gain any actual knowledge. They quote the Quran or Hadith with no context, much like users on r/atheism do with the Bible, and after reading a few lines on these sites you can tell just from the tone that they are terrible sources.

I don't know how religious people can disrespect others for believing in a different religion. They can disagree about religious matters obviously, but in the end everything comes down to faith; it's no wonder that people believe in different things. And there isn't even a religion in which every believer believes the same thing. From what I've seen atheists (i.e. antitheists), even serious scholars of atheism, seem to lack this respect for religious belief.

---

If you can bust in a 10/10 big titted brunette with light freckles and not feel god there's something wrong with you

---

ledbowman posted...

I don't know. A beautiful, loving, life giving unknowable spirit that i feel when i look at the world. It's a free country, you can believe what you want

But which is the correct one? And is it truly healthy for someone who can't find meaning and happiness in real life to make up a fiction to get them through life?

---

I believe what I believe because I have read certain things and been inspired by certain things in ways that it's not easy to describe in words. Other people have as well.

Why is that so difficult to understand?

---

hockeybub89 posted...

But which is the correct one? And is it truly healthy for someone who can't find meaning and happiness in real life to make up a fiction to get them through life?

Have you found meaning? Are you happy?

---

Damn_Underscore posted...

I believe what I believe because I have read certain things and been inspired by certain things in ways that it's not easy to describe in words. Other people have as well.

Why is that so difficult to understand?

It's not hard to understand, it's just not persuasive to anyone else.

Damn_Underscore posted...

I don't know how religious people can disrespect others for believing in a different religion. They can disagree about religious matters obviously, but in the end everything comes down to faith; it's no wonder that people believe in different things. And there isn't even a religion in which every believer believes the same thing. From what I've seen atheists (i.e. antitheists), even serious scholars of atheism, seem to lack this respect for religious belief.

It's kind of interesting actually, apparently a lot of ancient faiths didn't specifically deny the existence of other gods. Christianity (and I believe Judaism as well) did, and basically told everyone else that all of their gods were fake and that's part of why it was so heavily persecuted.

And Islam in particular says specifically that Christianity is a lie lol

ConfessPlease posted...

Well at least why would you read the Bible?

reading the Bible is a good way to kill your faith in Christianity

GodIsImaginary posted...

It's not hard to understand, it's just not persuasive to anyone else.

If you refuse to be convinced or to even entertain religion in any way that is your own prerogative.


---

It's called taking action and luck playing a huge role. Being at the right place at the right time.

---

Because its hard for people to imagine everything just came into existence one day without some supernatural deity who transcends the laws of this world to bring it into existence

---

Damn_Underscore posted...

If you refuse to be convinced or to even entertain religion in any way that is your own prerogative.

Because if someone tells me they believe in God because they met God in a dream or they feel God inside them when they pray, your personal experience might be persuasive to you, but it's not at all persuasive to me or anyone else who didn't have your experience.

Galbias posted...

And Islam in particular says specifically that Christianity is a lie lol

Islam says that God is one, not a part of three, and that Jesus is not the Son of God or divine; rather that he is a prophet. That is very different from saying "Christianity is a lie." And in any case, Islam specifically refers to Christians and Jews as "People of the Book"

You misread what I said because there is a difference between disagreeing on matters of faith and bashing another religion.

No matter who created the universe or how it was created, it was created the way it was. So while religious people may disagree on the who and how, they are attributing the same thing to a different creator or creators. A debate exclusive to religious people is the "why", because atheists inherently believe that the universe exists and was created for no reason in particular. And in that matter is where you will have debates between progressives and conservatives within a religion, which is not really any different than political debates. The "why" debate requires that one be well-versed in a particular religion and in (religious) history because religious texts can be interpreted in different ways and people can see things differently. If you aren't well-versed, someone who believes in the literal interpretation will have the advantage. In this debate, some people are civil, others aren't. It would be great if people were civil because no one actually knows the answer to this question. It is a matter of personal view. But the literal interpretation is pretty objective.

Going back to the who and how argument, truly no one has any idea what the answer to this is. Any belief as to who created the universe and how is an assumption based on faith. This is why any honest debate about the origin of the universe will be civil. When religious people bash other religions, especially without being well-versed in those religions, they look like idiots. When antitheists bash other religions, especially without being well-versed in those religions (which is very common on the internet), they similarly look like idiots. And antitheists spend way more time than any religious person bashing other religions. Which is no surprise, because it is in their name.


---

Lost_All_Senses posted...

Have you found meaning? Are you happy?

Yup

---

Haven't ever "felt" god or spirituality or anything like that. All the religious stories I've heard (although they're obviously metaphors) sound like witchcraft.

I don't need religion to tell me what's right or wrong. I know what's right or wrong. Besides, any religion that accepts priests touching little boys and refusing humans basic rights (gay marriage) is a fucking joke, imo.

In saying that, I do sometimes wish I were religious. It would be nice to have something to hold onto when all seems lost in the world, believe that there's an after life, and there's reason for all the shit things in life. But I just can't buy into that. I'm too logical for that (not a shot at religious people, I just can't put my faith in something without proof).

---

hockeybub89 posted...

Yup

Dope. Glad you found it using your own path.

---

8-bit_Biceps posted...

Most atheists are agnostic atheists. You're just ignorant about what an atheist is. Agnostic atheism is the most rational position. It is to say you're not sure enough to claim to know about any gods or the existence of a supernatural realm, but to also say that you don't believe in any of it (because there's no evidence). This is the most rational and wisest position. Most agnostics are atheists.

I'm ignorant? Lol ok, I bet you I've thought about this, and argued it, for much longer than the majority here. I remember when this 'agnostic atheism' crap came out a decade ago, too. Biggest cop out ever. I respect athiests less than I do the bigot, brainwashed Christian because most are athiests out of spite... and ignorance. ;-)

---

kinetika_ posted...

I'm ignorant? Lol ok, I bet you I've thought about this, and argued it, for much longer than the majority here. I remember when this 'agnostic atheism' crap came out a decade ago, too. Biggest cop out ever. I respect athiests less than I do the bigot, brainwashed Christian because most are athiests out of spite... and ignorance. ;-)

Only proving more how ignorant you really are.

---