Atheists...

[OntheWindowStand]

Originally Posted by PursuitOfReality

Huh, how does it take more faith? This is impossible for all atheists, because not all atheist try to convert people. I know I don't care if you believe in a god or not. I do care if your "moral" codes leaks into my life by rule of law or other forced means. I'm against all moral codes btw! Hasty generalizations make you look very foolish. I didn't read your entire diatribe(not worth my time), so I probably missed other nonsense you spewed.

Now onto the OP, I feel like I became an atheist instinctively. I was unable to believe in the stories my mother taught me from the Bible and she had to tell me they were just moral stories. I did believe in that god, but I asked a lot of questions when I was young. I must of been agnostic Christian early on. I became an atheist at 12 because nothing worked and the Bible never made sense to me. Prayer never worked, god never talked to me, and I never had a spiritual experience as the religious describe the phenomena.

It takes more faith because you cant disprove or prove god exist, and if a atheist is wrong the consequences are very bad also hating moral codes is a code and further you hating moral codes leaking into your life proves you want to convert people because there will never be no leaking of moral codes until everyone has the same one.

[Didymos Thomas]

It takes faith to be a atheist and there is more to it then lack of belief of god.

It's difficult to generalize about atheists, because the term is used for different perspectives. For some atheists, there isn't anything more than a lack of belief in god.

People can place faith in anything, but no faith is required to be unconcerned with god-talk and god-devotion.

Followers of atheism often try to convert people like other religions it hates other religions like other religions do.

Personally, I've never seen an atheist stand on the corner reciting Darwin.

Philosophical speculation and criticizing other points of view is not tantamount to proselytizing. If convert means make a case for their perspective, we do this about non-religious issues as well as religious, so I see no reason to pick atheism out of the crowd any more than people who swear that BMWs are the best cars.

It holds many of the same characteristics of a religion "set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs." In the quotes is the definition of religion.

The definition of religion you quote doesn't seem to account for all religion. More importantly, an atheist need not be without religion - atheism only necessarily refers to god. Though, someone who does not believe in any sort of god and who also rejects religion is termed an atheist.

Atheism concerns the cause, nature and purpose of the universe.

Only in that god does not factor into an atheist's view of the cause, nature and purpose of the universe. Atheism does not entail any sort of belief about the cause, nature and purpose of the universe.

It also has a moral code.

Again, atheists do not have a standardized moral code. The only thing moral and universal to atheists is the lack of god in the consideration of morality (except, perhaps, when considering how to treat the god beliefs of others).

ones disbelief in any god has identical effect on someone that might believe in a number of other "gods". And that effect is that it changes there way of living, thinking and their view on life.

This has a great deal of truth in it. Belief in god is a big part of how believers see the world. But the only relation here is that atheists do not have the sort of world perspective that a theists might have.

It takes more faith because you cant disprove or prove god exist, and if a atheist is wrong the consequences are very bad also hating moral codes is a code and further you hating moral codes leaking into your life proves you want to convert people because there will never be no leaking of moral codes until everyone has the same one.

I can't prove or disprove that a purple flying spaghetti monster rules the universe and, with his infinite power, gives us no knowledge of him. However, it would be strange to say that I have faith in the non-existence of the purple flying spaghetti monster. And even if we did say something to this effect, the use of faith in such a context is radically different than the faith usually mentioned in religious contexts.

Atheists do not hate moral codes... well, not necessarily anyway. I suppose they could. But the fact of the matter is that most atheists are concerned with being decent people, concerned with being moral. God just doesn't enter into their moral lives. An atheist doesn't necessarily have anything against other moral points of view - how could they? Atheists do not have a particular moral view. More importantly, atheists do not necessarily have anything against god, or belief in god.

[Aedes]

Originally Posted by OntheWindowStand

It takes faith to be a atheist and there is more to it then lack of belief of god.

Ok, so what word would you choose for people who simply lack a belief in god? Are you saying that this is impossible? Are you saying that someone who is raised without any notion of god, but later in life learns about it and thinks it makes no sense, is somehow NOT an atheist?

[OntheWindowStand]

Originally Posted by Didymos Thomas

It's difficult to generalize about atheists, because the term is used for different perspectives. For some atheists, there isn't anything more than a lack of belief in god.

People can place faith in anything, but no faith is required to be unconcerned with god-talk and god-devotion.



Personally, I've never seen an atheist stand on the corner reciting Darwin.

Philosophical speculation and criticizing other points of view is not tantamount to proselytizing. If convert means make a case for their perspective, we do this about non-religious issues as well as religious, so I see no reason to pick atheism out of the crowd any more than people who swear that BMWs are the best cars.



The definition of religion you quote doesn't seem to account for all religion. More importantly, an atheist need not be without religion - atheism only necessarily refers to god. Though, someone who does not believe in any sort of god and who also rejects religion is termed an atheist.



Only in that god does not factor into an atheist's view of the cause, nature and purpose of the universe. Atheism does not entail any sort of belief about the cause, nature and purpose of the universe.



Again, atheists do not have a standardized moral code. The only thing moral and universal to atheists is the lack of god in the consideration of morality (except, perhaps, when considering how to treat the god beliefs of others).



This has a great deal of truth in it. Belief in god is a big part of how believers see the world. But the only relation here is that atheists do not have the sort of world perspective that a theists might have.



I can't prove or disprove that a purple flying spaghetti monster rules the universe and, with his infinite power, gives us no knowledge of him. However, it would be strange to say that I have faith in the non-existence of the purple flying spaghetti monster. And even if we did say something to this effect, the use of faith in such a context is radically different than the faith usually mentioned in religious contexts.

Atheists do not hate moral codes... well, not necessarily anyway. I suppose they could. But the fact of the matter is that most atheists are concerned with being decent people, concerned with being moral. God just doesn't enter into their moral lives. An atheist doesn't necessarily have anything against other moral points of view - how could they? Atheists do not have a particular moral view. More importantly, atheists do not necessarily have anything against god, or belief in god.

You are failing to the point of my posts and that is that a disbelief in god means certain things have to be true this would account for me saying there is a code ect... It effects someones life very similar to that of a religion

[Didymos Thomas]

You are failing to the point of my posts and that is that a disbelief in god means certain things have to be true this would account for me saying there is a code ect... It effects someones life very similar to that of a religion

But there isn't a code among atheists. Atheism isn't even necessarily disbelief in god; most broadly, an atheist is someone who does not believe in god. Maybe someone has never heard of god.

Do those of us who do not believe in the great purple flying spaghetti monster have a code? How could we have a code when most of us are probably not even aware of the single proposition that ties us together?

The influence of atheism on a persons life isn't similar to the influence of god, it's the lack of a certain kind of influence of god. The influence of atheism is that the influence of god on a person's life is not present in the same way the influence of god is present in a believer's life - whatever that influence might amount to.

Lacking belief in god doesn't necessarily entail anything more than just that. Someone might even lack belief in god and be religious. Monotheists were often labeled atheists by pagans. The word has many uses, and so it is difficult to generalize about atheists.

[OntheWindowStand]

Originally Posted by Didymos Thomas

But there isn't a code among atheists. Atheism isn't even necessarily disbelief in god; most broadly, an atheist is someone who does not believe in god. Maybe someone has never heard of god.

Do those of us who do not believe in the great purple flying spaghetti monster have a code? How could we have a code when most of us are probably not even aware of the single proposition that ties us together?

The influence of atheism on a persons life isn't similar to the influence of god, it's the lack of a certain kind of influence of god. The influence of atheism is that the influence of god on a person's life is not present in the same way the influence of god is present in a believer's life - whatever that influence might amount to.

Lacking belief in god doesn't necessarily entail anything more than just that. Someone might even lack belief in god and be religious. Monotheists were often labeled atheists by pagans. The word has many uses, and so it is difficult to generalize about atheists.

Ill be more specific then someone who outright denies the possibility of a god

[Holiday20310401]

Who cares if you label atheism as a religion or not, I'm still an atheist. Its not like I even want to be religious here. Atheism does not mean that you have to consider your dis-regarding of God. There are no customs needed, no idol, in a society, it seems rather liberating. Then again that is rather subjective. I suppose there are some people who enjoy going to church or following traditions and customs that specifically yield to God.
Christmas is ok because the reason we celebrate it in our family is not for God but for affection, something that does not require a symbol to know comes from good rather than bad.


I think that God having a supreme moral sense would want it that way anyways. God (fundamentally) would rather people have the option to be free of religion or choose atheism.

I view atheism as getting away from " it all ". Religion, meaningless customs that only hold moral pretence, the reliance of an omniscience,

Maybe there are people out there who would rather just live life feeling or knowing that they can rationalize for themselves without the construsion of God.

[Didymos Thomas]

Its not like I even want to be religious here. Atheism does not mean that you have to consider your dis-regarding of God. There are no customs needed, no idol, in a society, it seems rather liberating. Then again that is rather subjective.

Subjectivity is important in personal decisions - like god and religion.

Of course, religious doesn't necessarily mean having belief in God.

Recalling a George Carlin joke, you can be religious and not have any customs, no idol - you don't even have to have any scripture, or chants, or anything official at all.

Christmas is ok because the reason we celebrate it in our family is not for God but for affection, something that does not require a symbol to know comes from good rather than bad.

I know some people corrupt religion to disastrous results, but isn't religion supposed to be all about what you describe here? Loving kindness?

[midas77]

Originally Posted by Holiday20310401

I view atheism as getting away from " it all ". Religion, meaningless customs that only hold moral pretence, the reliance of an omniscience,

what you have there is an anti-social sentiment. Having profess that is GOD IS DEAD, does not necessarily means the break down of moral codes that has been established for several years. Nihilism is a better term to describe your convictions.

In my observation, practising atheists seldom parade their atheism in the streets. Atheist are still in the minority and one practising this conviction is circumspect because of this.

i bet that between an atheist and a theist, the atheist has given more thought to his conviction than his counterpart about this. Many believers does not even know what they believe in, while ask an atheist what his belief about the issue and he will give a clear cut explanation.

[Aedes]

Originally Posted by OntheWindowStand

Ill be more specific then someone who outright denies the possibility of a god

Ok, but now you're talking about a small subgroup of people who would label themselves atheists. And this group is heterogeneous unto itself, so even in this case it's hard to generalize. But you certainly can't call atheism tantamount to a religion since the word atheism refers to a whole lot more than this.