The Internets Teach How to become an Atheist

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Dr. Zaus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2008
11,764
347
126
Most of us have read the Bible and/or were once Believers in God.

I respect you Sandorski; No one can really know factually what the answer is, but if you've got life experiences that lead you to affirmative disbelief then I think that's the right thing for you to argue for. All I ask is for similar respect; and when you feel you can't respect that I ask you tell me why, so I can try to explain myself.

Which you've always given.


Moonbeam: I'm not in the right place to engage what you've laid down; so don't think I'm ignoring you.
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,787
6,771
126
I respect you Sandorski; No one can really know factually what the answer is, but if you've got life experiences that lead you to affirmative disbelief then I think that's the right thing for you to argue for. All I ask is for similar respect; and when you feel you can't respect that I ask you tell me why, so I can try to explain myself.

Which you've always given. QUOTE]

I like to think that atheists have such faith in God that they know down deep, instinctively, and with certainty that no God could exist as most believers claim Him to be and conclude therefore that since no God like that could exist that He therefore doesn't exist. It's the same with the tooth fairy. You know that the tooth fairy doesn't exist when you realize that it was surely Mom or Dad who put the money under the pillow. Nobody, however, says to themselves this money isn't real.

God is love. Those who believe in God believe that love exists. Those who don't believe in God can't believe that love is belief. God is love, God is God and love is love. Take your pick.
 

mattpegher

Platinum Member
Jun 18, 2006
2,203
0
71
As stated before, most of the arguments that refute the existence of the Judeo-Christian god are available on the internet for those who are open to a logical discussion of the metaphysical concepts. And most hinge on the internal inconsistency of an omnipotent, omniscient/omnipresent and omnibenevilent supreme being existing in a word with evil (anything that causes suffering to a sentient being). Most of these arguments occurred between believers, ie Thomas Aquinas and (I forget who).

Even the early teleological arguments can be found, but seem awfully frail from a logical position. Although the opposite can also be said via the Argumentum ad Ignoratum, that lack of proof does not prove nonexistence.

Some early hindu thought that rejects a creator god and is therefore atheistic, but suggests the existence of the self persisting beyond the physical, ie soul, chakra etc. ,is where the logical discussion really breaks down. Because logical discussions regarding the impossibility of a phenomenon are requisite upon the ability to define the phenomenon. Through the massive amount of text that describes the God of each religious sect. and the intentional attempts within each sect to define there God, the deities of these definitions can be proven illogical. However, if there exists some extracorporal phenomenon that manifests itself though sentient being it remains undefined and thus cannot be logically proven to be impossible.
 

piasabird

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
17,168
60
91
I read the Bible from the first word to the last word. I also study the Bible a lot. For instance, if someone quotes the Bible and says because of verse X Blah Blah, Then I go look it up. I never take anyone's word on things like that. You really have to read it all to understand what kind of context something was written in. I know I often go off the deep end and say we need to Kill all those people or those darn (Expletives).

Some times I want to just go nuts. I have learned to accept that not all people think like me whatever that is. However, since I quit watching Network TV and Cable TV the world is a lot better place. Then I go to Church on Sunday and they straighten me out again. It has a calming effect to read and reread things over and over again. Even if I think I already know the material.

The object of life is not to hate everyone, even if the press and the Media and the Democrats and the Republicans are hell bent on destroying our society. I sometimes wonder why I ever Voted.

We could really use term limits. It seems after people go to serve in DC, they just become idiots. Even the Supreme court is made of idiots.
 

LightRider

Senior member
May 10, 2001
372
1
81
rgvzgm.blogspot.com
I read the Bible from the first word to the last word. I also study the Bible a lot. For instance, if someone quotes the Bible and says because of verse X Blah Blah, Then I go look it up. I never take anyone's word on things like that. You really have to read it all to understand what kind of context something was written in. I know I often go off the deep end and say we need to Kill all those people or those darn (Expletives).

Some times I want to just go nuts. I have learned to accept that not all people think like me whatever that is. However, since I quit watching Network TV and Cable TV the world is a lot better place. Then I go to Church on Sunday and they straighten me out again. It has a calming effect to read and reread things over and over again. Even if I think I already know the material.

The object of life is not to hate everyone, even if the press and the Media and the Democrats and the Republicans are hell bent on destroying our society. I sometimes wonder why I ever Voted.

We could really use term limits. It seems after people go to serve in DC, they just become idiots. Even the Supreme court is made of idiots.

Slightly offtopic, but it sounds like what you're struggling with is the fact that we are all victims of culture and trapped inside of a system that produces worse and worse results over time. Please check the links in my sig to learn more about how we might escape such a system.
 

preslove

Lifer
Sep 10, 2003
16,754
64
91
But only Religion has an internally-consistent method of dealing with the illogical

No religion is internally consistent, and certainly not christianity. Jesus is crucified on different days in different gospels, for christ's sake.