Atheism

[doug yowell]

You are claiming to know things you simply can't know. At least atheists have the honesty to admit that we don't know.

Rich, do you ever have any doubts about your atheism?

[cardw]

Originally Posted By: cardw

You are claiming to know things you simply can't know. At least atheists have the honesty to admit that we don't know.

Rich, do you ever have any doubts about your atheism?

I don't now. What I know about the bible and how it was put together along with my knowledge of humanity there is no question in my mind that the god of the bible is a myth. The evidence is simply overwhelming in this regard.

That doesn't mean that I might not have doubts in the future about some god in general, but any doubt I would have would be based on evidence.

I am open to the idea of some sort of life consciousness, but I have no basis to have a dialog because I can't point to any direct experience. When I contemplate the mystery of what it means to be alive within a complex universe it humbles me and gives me a sense of awe.

This doesn't inform me that the god of the bible is doing this. In fact quite the opposite. The god of the bible is a capricious and malicious being.

I am not inspired to convert other people to this sense of awe or condemn those who don't have it or suggest that anyone is going to be punished or burned in a lake of fire or are arrogant or evil or less in any way to me.

It seems that Christianity inspires people to condemn everyone outside their group and present nonsensical arguments about their BELIEF. They expect everyone else to simply accept what they have as truth simply because they interpret the bible to make such claims.

They ignore that historically the church has been wrong about almost every social and scientific advancement because of the bible. They twist history and ignore the blatant cruelty of Christianity in its excessive use of force, not reason, to get its way. They celebrate ignorance and mock those of intelligence.

Why would I ever want to consider the type of god who would inspire such an insipid world view?

[phkrause]

As I pointed out earlier both sides of the issue have to have "faith" because there is just no tangible proof one way or the other.

Faith good for me. Bad for the atheist in all variations because such non-believers try and put their trust in the tangible only. Ultimately both sides have to deal with the intangible "first cause" and that intangible requires a person to have "faith.

Plain and simple. Yep it is about "believing".

[Raphael]

Christianity honestly admits not knowing where God came from, what He is made out of, how old He is, how He does His magic of bringing about & maintaining all existences and many other things. But Christian admits to know that a Creator Being exists.

Science is learning parts of nature that is far more complicated than the rudimentary ecology cycles of wind, rain & sun or the basic food chain that never falls out of balance or other life forms & element cycles. The DNA is among the latest discoveries that reveals bewildering numbers of coding and sequencing, not to mention the biology of the human (animal-fish-bird-insect-cell creatures too) eye that could not undergo developing phases else it simply won't function.

Human highest achievement may be the computer but this doesn't even come close to cave's man bone tools in comparison to nature's functioning sophistication.

And yet, all this mind-boggling things happened to all appear by itself.. no wonder the trillion & trillion of figures.. which by the way, still doesn't compute.

[Naomi]

We have choices.

It is okay to be an atheist and live life Your Way. Were I to make that choice I would certainly do everything possible to have all the Fun this world has to offer. When it's over, it's over!

However, to life in faith and do your best to be a good person, a good Christian has benefits. i can have fun with no hang-overs, no possible jail time, etc.

If in the end the atheist is correct and there is no God; I have still had a good life and lots of good times, and enjoyed the hope of something more ... a heavenly eternity.

Why argue about anything ... make your choice, respect the right of those who believe differently. However, be prepared to live with the consequences.

[phkrause]

We have choices.

It is okay to be an atheist and live life Your Way. Were I to make that choice I would certainly do everything possible to have all the Fun this world has to offer. When it's over, it's over!

However, to life in faith and do your best to be a good person, a good Christian has benefits. i can have fun with no hang-overs, no possible jail time, etc.

If in the end the atheist is correct and there is no God; I have still had a good life and lots of good times, and enjoyed the hope of something more ... a heavenly eternity.

Why argue about anything ... make your choice, respect the right of those who believe differently. However, be prepared to live with the consequences.

[cardw]

Christianity honestly admits not knowing where God came from, what He is made out of, how old He is, how He does His magic of bringing about & maintaining all existences and many other things. But Christian admits to know that a Creator Being exists.

That's not the point. Christians claim to have very specific knowledge about their god and tell others that if you don't believe this specific knowledge then you are going to burn in a lake of fire. And they have absolutely no evidence of this.

And yet they impose this view on others because they believe they are saving your life. And they condemn others for not believing that which they have absolutely no evidence for.

Like I already said, I'm open to the idea of god once someone actually has some evidence for this god. In the mean time I have no actual observation or evidence to speak from.

[cardw]

We have choices.

It is okay to be an atheist and live life Your Way. Were I to make that choice I would certainly do everything possible to have all the Fun this world has to offer. When it's over, it's over!

However, to life in faith and do your best to be a good person, a good Christian has benefits. i can have fun with no hang-overs, no possible jail time, etc.

[phkrause]

The reason I talk about it is because Christians are falsely empowered to tell everybody else what they should believe. You may not do that, but the vast majority of Christians impose their beliefs on others. As an atheist I am considered to be lower than a rapist in many Christian circles.

That's why atheists have chosen to speak up.

So for that you lump all Christians together? Christians that consider Atheist or anyone for that matter lower than a rapist are not worthy of there God.

[cardw]

Originally Posted By: cardw

The reason I talk about it is because Christians are falsely empowered to tell everybody else what they should believe. You may not do that, but the vast majority of Christians impose their beliefs on others. As an atheist I am considered to be lower than a rapist in many Christian circles.

That's why atheists have chosen to speak up.

So for that you lump all Christians together? Christians that consider Atheist or anyone for that matter lower than a rapist are not worthy of there God.

I think I qualified my statement by saying, "You may not do that." So clearly I'm not lumping every Christian together. But you don't have to go far to read some of the most foul and insulting language you can find coming from Christians.

When I read a thread like this where Atheists are misrepresented so blatantly it is my belief that if Atheists want to be understood we need to speak up. Being silent is to invite these misrepresentations and to encourage ignorance.