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why are you an atheist?

Started by randomvim, September 11, 2016, 03:14:56 AM

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SoldierofFortune

Quote from: Mike Cl on September 27, 2018, 11:13:41 PM
I quite agree soldier--why hate a fiction??  I prefer to call myself a non-believer and not an atheist.  When I use that label too many theists think I am simply angry at their god.  How can I be angry or hate something that does not exist?

Actually there mustn't be a label like "atheist"...
Why we define ourselves as "counter-something"...?
People are born not believing something. They later get adjectives...
If the people who are not engineers say themselves " non- engineer" etc... This Would be funny...


Hydra009

Quote from: SoldierofFortune on September 27, 2018, 11:39:42 PM
Actually there mustn't be a label like "atheist"...
Lots of things are defined that way, typically when the thing they're different from is pretty common.  It's not necessarily a bad thing.

QuoteWhy we define ourselves as "counter-something"...?
You're thinking anti-.  The a- in atheist is just a negation along the lines of not/without.

Draconic Aiur

Quote from: SoldierofFortune on September 27, 2018, 06:22:23 PM
a- adds negative meaning to the root word.
so, etimologically thinking, i too think of atheizm as being with out theizm.

why i hate a deity that does not exist?

negatif ateists dont comment on whether a god exists. they assert that they simply dont know whethet it exists or not. but pozitif ateists claim there cant be and is not a deity absolutly.

Oh "negative" atheist know their is no god and we look at religious people like their insane and stupid.

Hydra009

Quote from: Draconic Aiur on September 28, 2018, 01:43:57 PM
Oh "negative" atheist know their is no god and we look at religious people like their insane and stupid.
Insane is such a strong word.  I perceive it more as culturally-ingrained/indoctrinated beliefs that fly in the face of reality, which incidentally, covers a lot of politics as well as religion.

I don't consider these people to be deranged or retarded or anything.  Just taught a bunch of stuff that isn't very rational and doesn't make much sense at an extremely young age and (barring some sort of paradigm shift) more or less just coasts from there.

Unbeliever

Many people think with their emotions rather than their reason. They simply believe what they've been told because they trust those who told it to them. It's often very difficult to discover that those you trust can't always be trusted, so many people will resist the truth of it. It can be an emotional trauma, which some people just can't cope with, so they bury any doubts they may have, assuming that the problem is their own fault. And when eternal damnation is involved, doubt can be a very scary thing.
God Not Found
"There is a sucker born-again every minute." - C. Spellman

Cavebear

Quote from: SoldierofFortune on September 27, 2018, 06:22:23 PM
a- adds negative meaning to the root word.
so, etimologically thinking, i too think of atheizm as being with out theizm.

why i hate a deity that does not exist?

negatif ateists dont comment on whether a god exists. they assert that they simply dont know whethet it exists or not. but pozitif ateists claim there cant be and is not a deity absolutly.

If you knew me better, I would be insulted.  But you don't so I am not.

A large part of my life has been explaining what "atheist" means.  I ALWAYS explain it as "the greek A", meaning "not" and "theist" meaning "a structured belief in a deity".  I've been doing that here and there for about 55 years now.  So please disabuse yourself of any false notions about what I know about atheism.

But, as I said, you seemily don't know me and I can be a bit tolerant of that.

Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

SoldierofFortune

Quote from: Cavebear on October 01, 2018, 10:07:47 AM
If you knew me better, I would be insulted.  But you don't so I am not.

A large part of my life has been explaining what "atheist" means.  I ALWAYS explain it as "the greek A", meaning "not" and "theist" meaning "a structured belief in a deity".  I've been doing that here and there for about 55 years now.  So please disabuse yourself of any false notions about what I know about atheism.

Please do not be insulted by me or i will feel myself very sad ; )


Cavebear

Quote from: SoldierofFortune on October 09, 2018, 03:33:18 PM
Quote from: Cavebear on October 01, 2018, 10:07:47 AM
If you knew me better, I would be insulted.  But you don't so I am not.

A large part of my life has been explaining what "atheist" means.  I ALWAYS explain it as "the greek A", meaning "not" and "theist" meaning "a structured belief in a deity".  I've been doing that here and there for about 55 years now.  So please disabuse yourself of any false notions about what I know about atheism.

Please do not be insulted by me or i will feel myself very sad ; )

I think you missed replying...
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Blackleaf

Quote from: SoldierofFortune on September 27, 2018, 06:22:23 PM
a- adds negative meaning to the root word.
so, etimologically thinking, i too think of atheizm as being with out theizm.

why i hate a deity that does not exist?

negatif ateists dont comment on whether a god exists. they assert that they simply dont know whethet it exists or not. but pozitif ateists claim there cant be and is not a deity absolutly.

You seem to be conflating two different definitions of the word "negative." The A in atheism is "negative" in the sense that it is absent. It is not "negative" in the sense that it is in aggressive opposition. If you do not believe in any gods, you are an atheist. If you choose to label yourself an agnostic as opposed to an anti-theist, that's fine, but it's still a form of atheism. I personally do not like the word agnostic because it makes one sound uncertain, like a fence sitter, while I'm secure in my unbelief. I don't need to say "I don't know," because there is not evidence for the existence of gods. That's the theist's responsibility. And until theists prove their claims, I will take what should be the logical default position of, "There are no gods."
"Oh, wearisome condition of humanity,
Born under one law, to another bound;
Vainly begot, and yet forbidden vanity,
Created sick, commanded to be sound."
--Fulke Greville--

Cavebear

Quote from: Blackleaf on October 11, 2018, 03:00:47 PM
You seem to be conflating two different definitions of the word "negative." The A in atheism is "negative" in the sense that it is absent. It is not "negative" in the sense that it is in aggressive opposition. If you do not believe in any gods, you are an atheist. If you choose to label yourself an agnostic as opposed to an anti-theist, that's fine, but it's still a form of atheism. I personally do not like the word agnostic because it makes one sound uncertain, like a fence sitter, while I'm secure in my unbelief. I don't need to say "I don't know," because there is not evidence for the existence of gods. That's the theist's responsibility. And until theists prove their claims, I will take what should be the logical default position of, "There are no gods."

I agree about "a theism".  I also agree about agnostic suggesting "fence-sitting".  I do not do that either.  As with you, if there is no evidence of the claim of a deity, I consider it a null argument.
Atheist born, atheist bred.  And when I die, atheist dead!

Minimalist

I am an atheist because there is no evidence that any of the gods ever invented by the human imagination existed.  When pressed for such evidence all that the vast majority of believers can do is point to their particular book of holy horseshit and say "there!"  That is not remotely good enough.

However, religion does exist to the general detriment of humanity and needs to be opposed when its proponents start burning unbelievers at the stake or other such demonstrations of the "love" of their silly-assed god.

The Christian church, in its attitude toward science, shows the mind of a more or less enlightened man of the Thirteenth Century. It no longer believes that the earth is flat, but it is still convinced that prayer can cure after medicine fails.

-- H. L. Mencken

Gawdzilla Sama

After sixty years of observation I believe that most people are not religious except then social situations require them to pretend they are. Yes, there is a spectrum of belief, but the give-a-fuck core is large.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

Baruch

Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on December 13, 2018, 08:28:56 AM
After sixty years of observation I believe that most people are not religious except then social situations require them to pretend they are. Yes, there is a spectrum of belief, but the give-a-fuck core is large.

Well .. American religion is described as a mile wide and an inch deep, but that is just because it is America.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Unbeliever

Quote from: Minimalist on December 12, 2018, 09:57:38 PM
However, religion does exist to the general detriment of humanity and needs to be opposed when its proponents start burning unbelievers at the stake or other such demonstrations of the "love" of their silly-assed god.

Hell, they don't just burn unbelievers, they burn or torture anyone who believes differently than they do, or whomever they mistake for such:




Quote from: Clemente Diaz AguilarMy captors stole  everything from me...Those who captured me, in front of me, divided up my money, and later they led me into the hands of the torturers. In the long hours of torture, they asked me constantly about other pastors...of some churches in the capital; They asked me also about my views on liberation theology and about the liberation of the people of Israel. The torturers, tired of doing so much damage to me, rested for awhile; then, I recognized some of them: two are members of a singing duo from these churches [Verbo and Mission Elim]; I begged [them] to recognize me because I recognized them; then they asked me questions about my capture, my complete name, my address, my church and my activities. When they realized I was not the person they were looking for, they begged my forgiveness, saying,"Brother, we are also Christians.


Religion is bad, there's nothing at all good about any of it. I'm glad to know at least a few people who recognize that fact.
God Not Found
"There is a sucker born-again every minute." - C. Spellman

Baruch

Quote from: Draconic Aiur on September 28, 2018, 01:43:57 PM
Oh "negative" atheist know their is no god and we look at religious people like their insane and stupid.

Everybody, who is a crappy monkey, wants to virtue signal.  I would be happy to burn anyone who deserves it.  The problem is finding an impartial jury.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.