My question to you is: why are you an atheist? Tell me as if to convince me to switch to your side. I don't want to read because you have a personal vendetta with X-person or X-person is not "cool," you know... reasons that are irrelevant to the existence/ non existence of a higher power. I'm looking for reasons and examples of how my life would be better. Give me modern day examples of people who were religious, and because of their beliefs, were alcoholics, beat their kids, and abused their wife. Then share with us the happy ending of how their life is so much better after they discovered their was no god. Oh, and for the sake of argument, lets leave out Islam and Nation of Islam, because let's face it, few know much about that beliefs system.
And before you answer this question, please think before typing.
So reiterate, why be an Atheist?
“Poor Al Gore. Global warming completely debunked via the very Internet you invented. Oh, oh, the irony!” -Jon Stewart
why be atheist? why be religious? why be gay? why be black?...i dont exactly think there's an argument for someone being an atheist. maybe people are that way, simply because they dont believe in a higher power. can you just decide one day to believe in something?
* * BIG FOR SALE POST * *
^^ exactly. I simply dont believe in a higher power. Just like i do not believe in santa clause/greek gods/boogie man.
the was i see it, if you believe in god, ask yourself this: why do u not believe in the roman/greek gods?
whatever your answer is, is the same answer i can give as to why i dont believe in god
see, its actually quite simple!
Not really something convincing, but my take on things:
No one can walk in anyone else's shoes, and EVERYONE has different experience and perpective that not only fomrs the foundaion of their beliefs, but also sets the "rules" of the universe around them. From the rules of the univers and the set of beliefs and perspectives come religion in it's purest form--personal beliefs.
Knowing that, I personally cannot say any one's religion is wrong-efen if it is something i really wonder why people believe in it (I.E., for me, ny monotheism). But to me, that's their business unless they try to say that their belief is the onely one that's right and all other beliefs ae wrong. So, to be, no belief, atheism, by it's nature, is a belief.
I don't like to look it as bargaining with the afterlife like most do when they try to quantize the boons and busts of whatever chosen religion (like some of those with some belief system try to do when delaing with atheism, like the whole, "Why do you want to believe that there's nothing after you die--i'd never want to believe that I just end up as a pile of ashes or worm's food..."). Instead, i look at it as the per'son's cognitive ability sees nothing beyond. However, who's to say they're right or wrong? For all we know, those that see something beyond could be delusional. Or, t could be said that they don't have the right cognative ability to see something beyond. However, that also folds the "what is beyond?" into the argument, since if there is something beyond, there's no guarentee that Christinaity is right...or wrong.
As such, trying to see this from an overall perspective, atheism is as much of a crapshoot as any other religion, organized or not.
Choose your poison.
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The only thing every single person from every single walk of life on earth can truly say
they have in common is that their country is run by a bunch of fargin iceholes.
i have always been of a mind that SOMEthing has created us. our world is too majestic and intrinsic for it to all be mere coincidence. now what you want to call that higher power doesn't matter to me. be it God or the Flying Spaghetti Monster it doesnt matter....but i think belief in SOMEthing higher than yourself is detrimental to actually LIVING your life. it adds the element of purpose, even if its small or if you havent figured out your purpose yet, you know that it exists.
not quite what you wanted, but thats why i dont get atheists. i had a long time friend who was an atheist and we used to go back and forth on this all the time. deny God all you want.....but how can you not even believe in the possibility of SOMEthing else higher than us?
(tabs) wrote:but i think belief in SOMEthing higher than yourself is detrimental to actually LIVING your life. it adds the element of purpose, even if its small or if you havent figured out your purpose yet, you know that it exists.
I don't think you meant detrimental.
Secondly, my purpose in life is to do what I like, want, and need. I want to make money. I want to have nice things and get married to my girlfriend and have children. That's what makes me happy, that's the purpose of my life.
The purpose of life? Easy.
What makes you happy?
Why be an Atheist?
because this is America and we can believe anything we want! Anything. I do believe there's a monkey in my closet! J/K
From the bottom of my heart, I do believe we were created. I mean, we HAD to be
I guess I will find out after I die or not.
The biggest question that I want to ask is:
Don't atheists fear death? Isn't it a bleak outlook to know that all of your knowledge, loves, cares, relationships that you have now will be wiped clean once you die? It just goes back.... You never have any hope of seeing your loved ones again. You have nothing to look forward to after death. It's all rather depressing if ask me!
This thread is ridiculous.
Ron Carvalho wrote:(tabs) wrote:but i think belief in SOMEthing higher than yourself is detrimental to actually LIVING your life. it adds the element of purpose, even if its small or if you havent figured out your purpose yet, you know that it exists.
I don't think you meant detrimental.
yeah, i meant instrumental. mornings > me
SPITfire wrote:The biggest question that I want to ask is:
Don't atheists fear death? Isn't it a bleak outlook to know that all of your knowledge, loves, cares, relationships that you have now will be wiped clean once you die? It just goes back.... You never have any hope of seeing your loved ones again. You have nothing to look forward to after death. It's all rather depressing if ask me!
yeah but one could argue that why are you living to look forward to death? i mean, isnt life about now? not after we die?
i am just saying, i am not looking forward to death, as there is no guarantee to knowing whats on the otherside, i can hope and believe that there is, but that doesnt necessarily make it so
there is no way of knowing until you die what there is after you die, you can believe in something and hope for something, but there is NO way of knowing until it happens
SPITfire wrote:The biggest question that I want to ask is:
Don't atheists fear death? Isn't it a bleak outlook to know that all of your knowledge, loves, cares, relationships that you have now will be wiped clean once you die? It just goes back.... You never have any hope of seeing your loved ones again. You have nothing to look forward to after death. It's all rather depressing if ask me!
This kind of makes a point I was going to bring up... I personally believe religion was created to give people hope, to give people something to believe in, something to comfort their fears, etc...
I personally do not believe in god, I believe in the science of how things were created, and evolution to its fullest. I do not believe in an afterlife but I do not fear death. I fear more-so how I would come to die, but not death itself. I try to live my life to the fullest and enjoy it while I have it, other than that, I accept what comes naturally.
If you believe in god, or multiple gods, or no gods, more power to you all for following your own beliefs as to whatever makes you happier as you go through life.
^^she speaks the truth..the story of god was just that a story to control the masses. How many wars were caused by religeon?
exactly... let me highlight one key point..
Philly D wrote:the story of god was just that a story to control the masses. How many wars were caused by religeon?
uhmmm one comment!
I do believe we were created but I'm not afraid to die.
Now, if you pull a real gun 9mm to my head and is loaded with real bullets, Heck yeah! I will be afraid!!
I will be afraid of the loaded gun pointed to my head. oh boy, that's gotta be painful ouch!!
but I would not run from death because after we die, we don't feel anything. That's Gods way.
We can't go against Gods way or Mother Nature
Most people are atheists. They keep it a secret from themselves, but deep down they don't really believe in God. Whenever I go to a funeral there's always at least one supposedly religious person crying their eyes out wailing: "I'll never see him/her again!!!!!"
So much for taking comfort in belief in the afterlife.
In any case, I don't care if I die and there's nothing. I won't know. It won't matter. I profer to focus on the here and the now. Not to mention that there's nothing I can do. Everything I am will be dust one day. In a thousand years everything I've owned or created or written or thought won't even be someone's memory. Every last bit of me will have stopped existing forever.
Meh... *shrugs* Whatcha gonna do? Even the Pyramids are gonna be gone one day.
So to answer your question. Most people are atheists, especially the ones that profess deep faith.
SPITfire wrote:The biggest question that I want to ask is:
Don't atheists fear death? Isn't it a bleak outlook to know that all of your knowledge, loves, cares, relationships that you have now will be wiped clean once you die? It just goes back....
I could die tomorrow and regret nothing. The human existence is but a mere blink of an eye in the overall lifespan of the universe.
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You never have any hope of seeing your loved ones again.
Hypothetical situation: You are Catholic and your wife Muslim and will not convert. You go to your "heaven", she goes to your "hell" for violation of the first commandment.....
Now that's bleak.
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I personally do not believe in god, I believe in the science of how things were created, and evolution to its fullest. I do not believe in an afterlife but I do not fear death. I fear more-so how I would come to die, but not death itself. I try to live my life to the fullest and enjoy it while I have it, other than that, I accept what comes naturally.
I'm a scientists myself but it doesn't take away from my desire for there to be some sort of "afterlife". I would hate to go through my Earthly life with the knowledge that all of the stuff I learned and all of the memories I gathered over my lifespan will just "poof" like dust in the wind once my life ends. I would much rather live for eternity with my soul and my mind in a Heaven. I also hate to think that I will never see my dead loved ones.
So, yes you say that you are conformtable with death, but if you had 24 hours to live, wouldn't you worry about the fate of yourself after death. In the final moments between life and death, it's crazy to think what someone's mind goes through. If there's a Heaven, something very different happens. If nothing happens after death, there's just brain function dwindling down to nothing. Who knows how this is visualized inside the dead person's head.
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if you had 24 hours to live, wouldn't you worry about the fate of yourself after death
No, since that would imply that I would believe in an afterlife, which would, IMO, go against the definition of being atheistic.
SPITfire wrote:I'm a scientists myself but it doesn't take away from my desire for there to be some sort of "afterlife". I would hate to go through my Earthly life with the knowledge that all of the stuff I learned and all of the memories I gathered over my lifespan will just "poof" like dust in the wind once my life ends. I would much rather live for eternity with my soul and my mind in a Heaven. I also hate to think that I will never see my dead loved ones.
So, yes you say that you are conformtable with death, but if you had 24 hours to live, wouldn't you worry about the fate of yourself after death. In the final moments between life and death, it's crazy to think what someone's mind goes through. If there's a Heaven, something very different happens. If nothing happens after death, there's just brain function dwindling down to nothing. Who knows how this is visualized inside the dead person's head.
If I had 24 hours to live, my thoughts would not be what was going to happen after that 24 hours, but what to do in that 24 hours. I would spend time with my loved ones and do the things that I enjoy the most. I'm not saying that it wouldn't be emotional at all - But theres, I guess 3 broad ways to look at:
I could believe in god/afterlife and hope it takes over when I die (which for one having my soul/mind "alive" for
eternity doesn't all appeal me, at some point, I want it to be put to rest...) Secondly, I could dwell on the fact that I'm going to die.. Or thirdly, the way I look at it, death is a fact of live, everything on this planet dies at some point, which is why I intend to live my life the way I would when I can look back and be satisfied that I did what I could, that I enjoyed my time being here. I have no need/want to look at it in a depressing manner.
Kind of like the saying "the glass is half full"....
My opinion is this: Someone chooses to be an atheist for 1 of 3 main reasons. (although there are doubtless many more)
1. God let me down (grandma died, Dad left mom, sister killed herself), so I'm not going to believe in Him anymore.
2. If there is a God, then my actions in life have consequences, and that means I'm not the boss of me.
3. It's very trendy and fashionable to be an atheist....and all the cool kids are doing it.
Hey, you may not like what I said, but I read most posts that could be summarized "because I am". At least I gave some reasons.
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“Poor Al Gore. Global warming completely debunked via the very Internet you invented. Oh, oh, the irony!” -Jon Stewart
ScottaWhite wrote:My opinion is this: Someone chooses to be an atheist for 1 of 3 main reasons. (although there are doubtless many more)
1. God let me down (grandma died, Dad left mom, sister killed herself), so I'm not going to believe in Him anymore.
2. If there is a God, then my actions in life have consequences, and that means I'm not the boss of me.
3. It's very trendy and fashionable to be an atheist....and all the cool kids are doing it.
Hey, you may not like what I said, but I read most posts that could be summarized "because I am". At least I gave some reasons.
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having conseqences for your own actions would mean that you are the boss of yourself. you yourself would live by the consequences of your actions.
religion for me just seems a bit to convenient and easy. its easy for allot of people to think, oh this wold sucks but when you die there is this magical utopia where everything is great. and as long as you beleive in god then you will go to heaven. hitler was very religious. and i dont think i'd want a heaven where hitler was hanging out.
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ScottaWhite wrote:My opinion is this: Someone chooses to be an atheist for 1 of 3 main reasons. (although there are doubtless many more)
1. God let me down (grandma died, Dad left mom, sister killed herself), so I'm not going to believe in Him anymore.
2. If there is a God, then my actions in life have consequences, and that means I'm not the boss of me.
3. It's very trendy and fashionable to be an atheist....and all the cool kids are doing it.
Hey, you may not like what I said, but I read most posts that could be summarized "because I am". At least I gave some reasons.
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I have to say that although some may no longer believe in god/religion for those reasons... those points you made tho seem to imply the person started out religious... Where atleast myself, have never believed in god or religion.
