Why Atheism?

[RPGMasterTurk91]

Make it a CALM discussion/debate, NOT a chaotic argument.

If you are an Atheist or an Agnostic, why did you choose to be so, or what was the process that led to it?

If you have a religion, you can still contribute by posing questions or refuting the reasoning behind that which led to the atheism or agnosticism.

 

[Athronox]

Simply put, if I cannot perceive something in any possible way, it must not exist.

For example. I cannot see bacteria with my naked eye, but with a microscope. I've never seen a dinosaur, but I've seen its bones. Etc.

God, on the other hand, I have never seen, or perceived in any other way with any of the 5 senses. Therefore, he does not exist.

Secondly, scientifics aside, it is a well known fact that throughout the ages, religion has been used as a tool, whether it be for disciplining children, scamming ignorant peasants, what have you. Why should Christianity be any different? The only thing Christans have to give them any possible notion of a god is an old dusty book, which has been edited, added to, and rewritten hundreds of times by dozens of groups of people.

The point being, I can't see God, the evidence for God is slight at best, and with all of the inconsistencies in the bible, there really is absolutely no reason to believe in God. The only people who believe in God are those who are afraid of death, those who are brought up in a Christian household and effectively brainwashed, or those who just like thinking there's someone watching out for them, when there really isn't. I myself happen to be one of the lucky ones, who despite the effective brain washing, turned out to be a fully functional human being, without the hindrances of false prophets lurking in the back of my mind.

 

[Napalmbrain]

Nice thread.

Personally I'm an atheist because I've simply never seen any good evidence for the existence of a God. I know some theists like to ask "Why are you atheist and not agnostic, because you can't disprove the existence of God?", to which I would respond with the Russell's teapot argument: Suppose an astronomer came along saying that there was a teapot floating in space between orbits of Earth and Mars. You'd think he was mad! So you ask for some sort of evidence for this rather bold statement. He responds that he doesn't have any evidence, but you can't disrpove him either, since we don't have telescopes powerful enough to check. I'm pretty sure everyone here doesn't honestly believe there's a teapot floating around in space, so what makes the issue of God's existence any different?

 

[Shadow*91]

i see no reason to believe.

i was raised as a christan but as i got older i started seeing flaws in the so-called 'truths' i was told to believe. so i started looking stuff up, at first thinking i was just believing the wrong religion. but i was noticing flaws in every religion. they all claim they're perfect and true, yet they each contradict themselves in certain stories they preach. also the church really did nothing for me except make me get up way too early sunday mornings, donate money to the church just so they could make the church fancier, and worship someone i wasn't even sure existed. so i just one day quit. i stopped going with my parents and lived my life. over time i saw less and less that would make me even think there was/is a god. when i was still going to church, any random occurance was some mystical work of God. when i looked over the same thing from a different point of view, i saw nothing that would make me think it was more then just a coincidence. nowadays in fact, i'm just seeing stuff that makes me think there is no higher power.

so unless something big happens that(at the very least) strongly hints at a higher power, i refuse to even consider believing in something that as far as i can tell doesn't exist.

 

[Trooper]

Simply put, if I cannot perceive something in any possible way, it must not exist.

For example. I cannot see bacteria with my naked eye, but with a microscope. I've never seen a dinosaur, but I've seen its bones. Etc.

God, on the other hand, I have never seen, or perceived in any other way with any of the 5 senses. Therefore, he does not exist.

Secondly, scientifics aside, it is a well known fact that throughout the ages, religion has been used as a tool, whether it be for disciplining children, scamming ignorant peasants, what have you. Why should Christianity be any different? The only thing Christans have to give them any possible notion of a god is an old dusty book, which has been edited, added to, and rewritten hundreds of times by dozens of groups of people.

The point being, I can't see God, the evidence for God is slight at best, and with all of the inconsistencies in the bible, there really is absolutely no reason to believe in God. The only people who believe in God are those who are afraid of death, those who are brought up in a Christian household and effectively brainwashed, or those who just like thinking there's someone watching out for them, when there really isn't. I myself happen to be one of the lucky ones, who despite the effective brain washing, turned out to be a fully functional human being, without the hindrances of false prophets lurking in the back of my mind.

Couldn't have out it any better myself.

 

[Athronox]

Simply put, if I cannot perceive something in any possible way, it must not exist.

For example. I cannot see bacteria with my naked eye, but with a microscope. I've never seen a dinosaur, but I've seen its bones. Etc.

God, on the other hand, I have never seen, or perceived in any other way with any of the 5 senses. Therefore, he does not exist.

Secondly, scientifics aside, it is a well known fact that throughout the ages, religion has been used as a tool, whether it be for disciplining children, scamming ignorant peasants, what have you. Why should Christianity be any different? The only thing Christans have to give them any possible notion of a god is an old dusty book, which has been edited, added to, and rewritten hundreds of times by dozens of groups of people.

The point being, I can't see God, the evidence for God is slight at best, and with all of the inconsistencies in the bible, there really is absolutely no reason to believe in God. The only people who believe in God are those who are afraid of death, those who are brought up in a Christian household and effectively brainwashed, or those who just like thinking there's someone watching out for them, when there really isn't. I myself happen to be one of the lucky ones, who despite the effective brain washing, turned out to be a fully functional human being, without the hindrances of false prophets lurking in the back of my mind.

Couldn't have out it any better myself.

*Tips hat*

 

[DBloke]

Sod you Atheists
LEMMY IS GOD!!

On a sane note
How many atheists still celebrate Christmas even though they dont belive in a god?

 

[Athronox]

Sod you Atheists
LEMMY IS GOD!!

On a sane note
How many atheists still celebrate Christmas even though they dont belive in a god?

Aye.

Who doesn't love tastey food, snow, and free gifts? Just because I'm an Athiest doesn't mean I'm an idiot. I'd prefer to have a new Xbox and some spending money than to "make a statement", so 'F all of the super-conformists- I want my goodies.

 

[Napalmbrain]

Sod you Atheists
LEMMY IS GOD!!

On a sane note
How many atheists still celebrate Christmas even though they dont belive in a god?

Eh, pretty much everyone celebrates Christmas, including non-Christians, so you might as well make the most of it. Most people forget the religious aspect anyway, at least in this country.

 

[DBloke]

Eh, pretty much everyone celebrates Christmas, including non-Christians, so you might as well make the most of it. Most people forget the religious aspect anyway, at least in this country.

I just forget all of it
Apart from the xmas films and the specials

 

[skar]

Sod you Atheists
LEMMY IS GOD!!

On a sane note
How many atheists still celebrate Christmas even though they dont belive in a god?

I must be the only atheist who doesn't celebrate anything like that lol, I don't see the point, I can do that anytime of the year if I want to, I don't need a set time date to have a fancy meal, and I'd prefer to work for my "gifts".

Everyone has forgotten the meaning of Christmas anyway, so I suppose that's why some so called atheists celebrate it still.

But it's really celebrating the birth of something I've never believed in, so how can I celebrate?

Note that I've said "I", I don't care what other people who claim to be atheist do.

 

[RPGMasterTurk91]

Thanks for all the responses so far.

So what then, is the purpose of life for atheists? If there is no belief in the afterlife, it would be to live the life to the fullest then, right? You're going to be no less than worms eventually and that's the end of it, right?

 

[navarre]

Thanks for all the responses so far.

So what then, is the purpose of life for atheists? If there is no belief in the afterlife, it would be to live the life to the fullest then, right? You're going to be no less than worms eventually and that's the end of it, right?

I've always wondered that too. Hope is one of the best emotions. Atheists think theists are only religious because they are afraid of Hell. That's certainly true, from the most vivid descriptions of it, I was shitting myself. I have also over the past few years become more religious, and my family less so. I'm the only one in my family who goes to church on Sundays, I love it.

 

[Napalmbrain]

Thanks for all the responses so far.

So what then, is the purpose of life for atheists? If there is no belief in the afterlife, it would be to live the life to the fullest then, right? You're going to be no less than worms eventually and that's the end of it, right?

Well, atheism doesn't necessarily exclude an afterlife or reincarnation (in fact, many Buddhists don't believe in God, but do believe in reincarnation), but yeah, you're basically right. May as well make the most of this life if it's the only one we're going to get.

Atheists think theists are only religious because they are afraid of Hell.

Not all of us think that.

 

[RPGMasterTurk91]

What was the process in which you guys became atheist? I mean most atheists have gone through some process in their lives that have led them to believe that there is "no God", such as a family trauma, thought about all the "evil" in this world with a "Good God", etc.