A question for the ex-Christian atheists

[Cavebear]

*shrug*  Much like any of the rest of us here who used to be believers, it made sense at the time.  Eventually, I did come to understand, and that's why I'm not a theist of either the mono- or poly- type anymore.

Maybe that's why I'm not understanding.  I never was.  I'm serious, I don't even understand "conversion".  I've never not been what I am now.

[Flee thinker]

I wonder how you can go from knowing god to a denier of said's existence.

Isn't that like claiming you didn't drink milk while you have a white rim of it on your upper lip?

Never mind, I guess.

[Unbeliever]

I was on fire for God - until reason put out the flames.

[SGOS]

I was never on fire, but I believed in God because my parents told me he was real.  And they knew God was real because their parents told them.  Then it dawned on me that it didn't prove anything.

[Baruch]

I was on fire for God - until reason put out the flames.

Oh don't be a wet squib ;-)

Cavebear, to be converted you have to eat Uncle Ben's rice ;-)  But then you will become Japanese, Chinese or something.  Eat bamboo if you want to be a Kung Fu Panda.

[Unbeliever]

Oh don't be a wet squib ;-)

[Baruch]

Very pre-Israeli Jewish.  Move to Tel Aviv and find your inner chutzpah.

[trdsf]

I wonder how you can go from knowing god to a denier of said's existence.

Isn't that like claiming you didn't drink milk while you have a white rim of it on your upper lip?

Never mind, I guess.

Ah, but I didn't 'know'.  I only thought I knew -- that's the inherent danger in belief and faith.  And really, I had better (personal and anecdotal) evidence for the existence of the pagan gods than for the christian one -- there, I at least had a conversion experience rather than just grew up being told it.

Also, I don't 'deny' the existence of a deity.  Denial implies there is something provisionally demonstrated to gainsay.  On the grounds of the total and complete lack of evidence, I have no cause to accept the hypothesis in the first place.  Until such can be demonstrated, I am under no responsibility to either provisionally accept the hypothesis nor to disprove an idea that has no concrete and repeatable observations to support it.  Show me something to support the claim, and I'll be happy to re-examine it.

Until then, I have much more justification to call believers 'reality deniers' than there is to call me a 'god denier'.

[Flee thinker]

Ah, but I didn't 'know'.  I only thought I knew -- that's the inherent danger in belief and faith.  And really, I had better (personal and anecdotal) evidence for the existence of the pagan gods than for the christian one -- there, I at least had a conversion experience rather than just grew up being told it.

Also, I don't 'deny' the existence of a deity.  Denial implies there is something provisionally demonstrated to gainsay.  On the grounds of the total and complete lack of evidence, I have no cause to accept the hypothesis in the first place.  Until such can be demonstrated, I am under no responsibility to either provisionally accept the hypothesis nor to disprove an idea that has no concrete and repeatable observations to support it.  Show me something to support the claim, and I'll be happy to re-examine it.

Until then, I have much more justification to call believers 'reality deniers' than there is to call me a 'god denier'.

So are you one of those fake ex-christian atheists?

[aitm]

I wonder how you can go from knowing god to a denier of said's existence.

I finally read the babble. Kinda sorted out the trash pretty quick.

[trdsf]

So are you one of those fake ex-christian atheists?

You're going to have to define your terms.  What are you projecting on to me, since it's pretty clear you didn't read what I wrote?

[Munch]

You're going to have to define your terms.  What are you projecting on to me, since it's pretty clear you didn't read what I wrote?

I believe its the implication you were never a Christian to start with, suggesting you have no past understanding of the meaning of Christianity and so have no basis to criticize it.

I've never been islamic, but it doesn't take being born into an Islamic culture to know it's practices and beliefs are awful too.

[Baruch]

Ah, but I didn't 'know'.  I only thought I knew -- that's the inherent danger in belief and faith.  And really, I had better (personal and anecdotal) evidence for the existence of the pagan gods than for the christian one -- there, I at least had a conversion experience rather than just grew up being told it.

Also, I don't 'deny' the existence of a deity.  Denial implies there is something provisionally demonstrated to gainsay.  On the grounds of the total and complete lack of evidence, I have no cause to accept the hypothesis in the first place.  Until such can be demonstrated, I am under no responsibility to either provisionally accept the hypothesis nor to disprove an idea that has no concrete and repeatable observations to support it.  Show me something to support the claim, and I'll be happy to re-examine it.

Until then, I have much more justification to call believers 'reality deniers' than there is to call me a 'god denier'.

Well said.  Believers not only rationalize their own beliefs, they rationalize away the unbeliefs of others.

[Blackleaf]

I wonder how you can go from knowing god to a denier of said's existence.

Isn't that like claiming you didn't drink milk while you have a white rim of it on your upper lip?

Never mind, I guess.

It'd be more similar to someone drinking water their whole life and telling themselves it's milk, then coming to the realization that they have no milk. Except, unlike god, we can actually observe the existence and nature of milk.

[Cavebear]

Once, in childhood, you thought there was a Wonderful Person.  His name was Santa Claus.  He gave you things.  You LOVED Santa Claus.

Then one day you suddenly didn't believe in Santa Claus.  Your mind matured to the point where it didn't make sense any more.  You asked some friends about it.  Some agreed, some didn't.  But YOU knew.

God is Santa Claus for adults.  Some never make the connection.  Some do.  I sometimes thinks there are 3 stages in life.  Childhood, Adulthood, and Atheist.  Some never get to then 3rd stage.