Is any one else on these boards an atheist?

[InsaneApache]

Just being a bit naughty....or am I?

If you have the atheist in you, why? What brought you to that conclusion?

For myself, I shall reveal why, if the thread is positive.

[Lorenzo_H]

oh wow this looks familiar...

[Aenlic]

I became an atheist after beginning to doubt my Methodist upbringing. As a teenager, I asked my pastor one day about something which had been bothering me. Prompted by some news stories at the time, I asked why God allows children, especially innocent babies to be tortured and murdered. His response was that God was calling the child to Heaven. I pointed out that such wasn't my question. If this just and loving God, and most importantly all-powerful and all-knowing God, wanted to call an innocent baby to Heaven, then why allow that innocent baby to be tortured, sexually abused and murdered first? He had no answer; so I went looking for one.

I had already read the Bible cover to cover several times. I did so again. There was no answer. I am unable to believe that a so-called loving and just God would do such a thing, for any reason. That called into question all my other beliefs. I began to discover all of the various inconsistencies in those beliefs. I ceased to be a Christian in any sense. I searched elsewhere, but other religions were also full of blatant inconsistencies. All of them. By high school I was rather well-informed on various religions and belief-systems. I began to take an interest in the history of religion, how early humans developed their myths. At just the right point, I discovered Joseph Campbell. And that was the end of my belief in the mystical. I was cured of a need for ancient archetypes.

[Lorenzo_H]

I became an atheist after beginning to doubt my Methodist upbringing. As a teenager, I asked my pastor one day about something which had been bothering me. Prompted by some news stories at the time, I asked why God allows children, especially innocent babies to be tortured and murdered. His response was that God was calling the child to Heaven. I pointed out that such wasn't my question. If this just and loving God, and most importantly all-powerful and all-knowing God, wanted to call an innocent baby to Heaven, then why allow that innocent baby to be tortured, sexually abused and murdered first? He had no answer; so I went looking for one.

I had already read the Bible cover to cover several times. I did so again. There was no answer. I am unable to believe that a so-called loving and just God would do such a thing, for any reason. That called into question all my other beliefs. I began to discover all of the various inconsistencies in those beliefs. I ceased to be a Christian in any sense. I searched elsewhere, but other religions were also full of blatant inconsistencies. All of them. By high school I was rather well-informed on various religions and belief-systems. I began to take an interest in the history of religion, how early humans developed their myths. At just the right point, I discovered Joseph Campbell. And that was the end of my belief in the mystical. I was cured of a need for ancient archetypes.

How can you know what is the difference between good and bad, right and wrong without some preliminary knowledge given to you by something.

To put it into perspective, how can you know a line is crooked unless you have seen a straight line before? How can you know when something is wrong, if you don't know what is right?

[Sasaki Kojiro]

How can you know what is the difference between good and bad, right and wrong without some preliminary knowledge given to you by something.

To put it into perspective, how can you know a line is crooked unless you have seen a straight line before? How can you know when something is wrong, if you don't know what is right?

Crooked: having or marked by bends or angles

Ta-da!

[Lorenzo_H]

Yeah, but who first found that out? Nice post though...very creative.

[ZombieFriedNuts]

All hail the sensible people and as my dad says religion just an excuse for war

[Big_John]

i was basically raised with no concept of god forced upon me by my parents, though they are both theists. i never really thought about the concept until i was probably 10 or so. when i did think about it, i approached it simply as an evidentiary concern. since i saw no evidence of "god", and still don't, i see no reason to believe in it.

[CrossLOPER]

how can you know a line is crooked

Pay attention in calculus?

[Lorenzo_H]

Pay attention in calculus?

Yeah! But If your calculus teacher had never seen a straight line he wouldn't have known!

[Banquo's Ghost]

How can you know what is the difference between good and bad, right and wrong without some preliminary knowledge given to you by something.

To put it into perspective, how can you know a line is crooked unless you have seen a straight line before? How can you know when something is wrong, if you don't know what is right?

I hesitate a moment before engaging you again, but I trust this will be relevant to the thread, and the issue of atheists having no basis for a moral compass.

Diablo*, you are a Christian and take the Bible as your moral guide, I believe?

Even if I accept some of your premises (for the sake of argument) such as the age of the earth and humanity (just over 4000 years of history, as I understand your position) throughout most of that time, the bulk of humanity had no access to the lessons of the Bible.

Yet there is good historical evidence that they developed moral codes. In your terms, they knew what a straight line looked like. How so?

If you argue that your god somehow gave them this information before they saw the bible, then you are accepting that there are divinely inspired texts and influences beyond that tome. If the bible is the only source of moral inspiration, how did these cultures develop moral codes before they were evangelised? If it is possible to develop a moral code from a belief system other than that of the Christian bible, why is the atheist belief system uniquely unable to do it?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

*I note the humour about your religion in your recent signature, so perhaps you do see the delicious joy in being able to address you in these debates by your abbreviated user-name.

[Lorenzo_H]

I hesitate a moment before engaging you again, but I trust this will be relevant to the thread, and the issue of atheists having no basis for a moral compass.

Diablo*, you are a Christian and take the Bible as your moral guide, I believe?

Even if I accept some of your premises (for the sake of argument) such as the age of the earth and humanity (just over 4000 years of history, as I understand your position) throughout most of that time, the bulk of humanity had no access to the lessons of the Bible.

Yet there is good historical evidence that they developed moral codes. In your terms, they knew what a straight line looked like. How so?

If you argue that your god somehow gave them this information before they saw the bible, then you are accepting that there are divinely inspired texts and influences beyond that tome. If the bible is the only source of moral inspiration, how did these cultures develop moral codes before they were evangelised? If it is possible to develop a moral code from a belief system other than that of the Christian bible, why is the atheist belief system uniquely unable to do it?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

*I note the humour about your religion in your recent signature, so perhaps you do see the delicious joy in being able to address you in these debates by your abbreviated user-name.

If you'll pardon my asking, but I didn't understand one bit of this post, escpecially regarding my username and signature.

[Proletariat]

I became an atheist after beginning to doubt my Methodist upbringing. As a teenager, I asked my pastor one day about something which had been bothering me. Prompted by some news stories at the time, I asked why God allows children, especially innocent babies to be tortured and murdered. His response was that God was calling the child to Heaven. I pointed out that such wasn't my question. If this just and loving God, and most importantly all-powerful and all-knowing God, wanted to call an innocent baby to Heaven, then why allow that innocent baby to be tortured, sexually abused and murdered first? He had no answer; so I went looking for one.

If you admit God is all knowing, how can you disbelieve in him because you don't understand the way his world works? I'm an atheist and can see a problem with that logic.

[Ironside]

If you admit God is all knowing, how can you disbelieve in him because you don't understand the way his world works? I'm an atheist and can see a problem with that logic.

It's more connected to that if God is all-knowing and all-powerful, how exactly can you put him in a category that makes him "good", by the standards he have placed down himself?


diablodelmar, do you consider animals to have a concience or is that a speciffic human abillity?

More of the agnostic direction myself. While it might exist beings we would consider divine, I would not worship them. And my life functions very well without needing to bother myself with the question.

The idea of afterlife is fascinating, although there's one idea that have bothered me for a while in Christian theology. Do you have to live forever, even in heaven? Because if you remain too human, this is starting to become worrysome. I cannot comprehend living a 1.000.000.000 years and it's still nothing compared to the eternity. Because in that case, I would chose the void that comes with death, even the one that makes you nothing compared to the whole universe.

[Aenlic]

If you admit God is all knowing, how can you disbelieve in him because you don't understand the way his world works? I'm an atheist and can see a problem with that logic.

What? I was talking from the viewpoint of when I was still a believer. Really now Proletariat, it wasn't that difficult a read, was it?

[Proletariat]

In a thread on atheism, you're annoyed that your only stated conflict with Christianity (not counting the rest, since you just blanketed them) was commented upon by me, and has nothing to do with the topic. I apologize for this. Please forgive me for going so far off the deep end.

[Xiahou]

I became an atheist after beginning to doubt my Methodist upbringing. As a teenager, I asked my pastor one day about something which had been bothering me. Prompted by some news stories at the time, I asked why God allows children, especially innocent babies to be tortured and murdered. His response was that God was calling the child to Heaven. I pointed out that such wasn't my question. If this just and loving God, and most importantly all-powerful and all-knowing God, wanted to call an innocent baby to Heaven, then why allow that innocent baby to be tortured, sexually abused and murdered first? He had no answer; so I went looking for one.

God doesn't abuse and sexually assault babies- people do. It's called free will- people are free to do horrible things to themselves and each other. It's too bad that your pastor couldnt articulate that.

[doc_bean]

Although I'd call myself an agnostic, you can pretty much count me as an atheist.

[Don Corleone]

I've toyed with the idea that God doesn't exist. I could truly believe that He does if I hadn't considered the very real possiblity that He does not. I'm just not wired that way though, I'm afraid. 1) I find anecdotal evidence (well, to me) everywhere and 2) even if I could force myself to set all that aside, life rapidly becomes meaningless to me in such a context. As humans, we strive to have purpose. It is fundamental to our nature. Now, I couldn't use this for an argument for a Christian God, because there's plenty of alternate theories on how this hard-wiring for purpose got into our brains. But it certainly points away from 'nothing at all', at least it does to me.

[Lemur]

I've posted previously about the mystery and grandeur of the universe, and how that consistently leads me back to theism. But all I've ever gotten for my pains is smart-aleck kids with sassmouth telling me I'm a ninny, so I'm not going to bother this time.

It's called "faith" because it cannot be proved. You either have it or you don't, and I rather suspect it's genetic in nature. People who have faith, much like people who have a sense of humor, are more apt to survive tragedies and disasters. It's probably an evolutionary advantage to have faith in something bigger.

There, now I've offended everybody. The Christian fundies will hate my evolution-based argument for faith, and the atheists will resent my assertion that they're less survivable. Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls! Merry Christmas, you old savings and loan!

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Born and raised.

And Lemur I don't remember calling you a ninny :/ though I did comment on your mystery of the universe thing.

[Dutch_guy]

I consider myself an atheist, yes.

[lancelot]

Im an atheist to the core...I have had many debates with people of the religious persuation...ironically enough, I have yet to 'convert' one to my way of thinking

I often argue my perspective from the following points-

1) Why is Christianity for example a religion, yet many other things are considered wacky cults...only difference I can see is that Christianity has 2000 years of driftwood attached to it...yet this somehow makes it legitimate?

2) Similarly, do people believe in superman or 'the force'? If people went around saying superman was their god, they would be branded as borderline insane...there is as much proof of a god existing as there is superman, so again- why is one legitimate and the other not?

3) Belief in miracles. What is up with that? A large proportion of a human brain is 'unused' and uncharted, yet unexplained things are often atributed to divine intervention...is it not more likely people are unconciously tapping into a part of their 'unused' brain...ala xmen/mutant evolution?

4) Isnt it all a little convenient? Forgiveness for sins, an afterlife that just happens to be paradise, seeing all your relatives again...c'mon people...life isnt that perfect.

I could go on but I'll leave it at that for starters.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Is any one else on these boards an atheist?

[CBR]

If you have the atheist in you, why? What brought you to that conclusion?

Never believed in gods and so far havent had any divine revelations

There are lots of religions out there and some, if not most of them, claim to be the only true one. They cannot all be right, but all the evidence they seem to have is some kind of personal close connection to their god. I just need slightly more than "But I can feel his presence!" or whatever the claim is.


CBR