Confused about atheism? (attend, beliefs, faith, God)
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Originally Posted by quakerchick
Why do so many people confuse being non religious with being an atheist. There are many people who are not part of a religion; however, they do believe in god. I assume there would be a separate category for such people.
How does your belief in God affect how you live your life?
I submit, Bigc, that you are into the psychology of quakerc.
Ask her also for her rational grounds for being theist.
IMO it's the fact that most religious people tend to think in black and white; therefore, it's difficult for them to understand the Idea of not following something or playing for a team. This is also why you'll often here religious people claim that atheism is a religion too. They simply don't understand the concept of not belonging to something. There have been multiple studies that show believers are far more likely to purchase the same brands of products, order the same meals at restaurants or take the same rout home from work every day. These are tell tale signs of followers that don't think outside the box.
"This is also why you'll often here religious people claim that atheism is a religion too."
In the sense that atheists who talk and/or write about their being atheist exhibit the same passion as theists do with their being theist.
But I don't think that theists are saying that atheists also accept the existence of God, or gods, or goddesses, divinities, deities, invisible pink unicorns, etc.
So, a student researching on atheists and theists must examine the psychology of the passion of atheists in particular atheists who talk and/or write about their being atheist, so also examine theists.
When I speak to Christians and Atheist I feel as I am being pressured to pick a side.
I know deep in my heart I believe in God; but, I definitely have issues with religion.
I dont think it is fair that people believe you have to be one or the other.
It's not a matter of "having" to be one or the other.....you just are. For example, you don't have to "self-label" to be an atheist, just like you don't have to "self-label" to be bald. If you are without a belief in any god, then you are by definition, an atheist. Likewise, if you are without hair, then you are by definition, bald. It doesn't matter whether or not you choose to label yourself as such.
You either believe in a god, or you don't. Being an atheist does not say anything about a person's willingness and desire to believe in a god or whether or not they think that gods could be "possible." It just describes their current state of unbelief.
If you believed in god then you wouldn't believe the existence of god to be merely "possible", but an actuality. Believing in the possibility of god is not the same as believing god actually exists.
If someone asked the question "do you believe in god?", an atheist might respond with "no, not currently, but I don't discount the possibility that a god could exist. I just have not come across any evidence which has convinced me to believe in one."
If someone asked the question "do you believe in god?", a theist would respond with "yes".....period. It would not make sense to say "yes, but I believe that it is possible that a god could exist." A theist believes that a god does in fact exist, not just that gods are possible. A theist would be able to follow up the question with more information about the god that they believe in, etc. Someone who merely believes in the possibility that a god "could" exist, would not be able to do so because they do not in fact currently believe in any particular god.
Agnostics believe that it is impossible to "know" whether or not gods exist. However, this does not answer the question as to whether or not the agnostic has a belief in god. If an agnostic takes a leap of faith and decides to believe in god even though they admit they do not have knowledge of god, then they would be labeled a theist/deist. On the other hand, if the agnostic does not take this leap towards a belief in god, then they are by default "without a belief" in god, which makes them by definition an atheist. Most agnostics are atheists based on their lack of belief in god.
On the other side of the knowledge coin, there are gnostic or strong atheists who may believe/claim that there is no god, or god does not exist. This has a claim of knowledge (gnosis) tied to it, and is actually a claim made by very few atheists. On the other hand, a large percentage of theists are gnostic (not the same as "Gnostic") because they make knowledge claims, claiming that they do indeed have "knowledge" (evidence/personal experience) of god.
They're most likely deist. They just believe in their own made up god. It takes some people a very long time to come to terms with not knowing. Believing in their own made up god gives them the answers they want while not having to accept the savage ridiculousness of most theologies. It's still a completely irrational position but it bridges the gap to atheism. I was in that position for a hot minute. Glad I cleared that last hurdle.
The title of the thread is, "Confused about atheism?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by quakerchick
[ Post #1 ]
Why do so many people confuse being non religious with being an atheist. There are many people who are not part of a religion; however, they do believe in god. I assume there would be a separate category for such people.
"This is also why you'll often here religious people claim that atheism is a religion too."
In the sense that atheists who talk and/or write about their being atheist exhibit the same passion as theists do with their being theist.
But I don't think that theists are saying that atheists also accept the existence of God, or gods, or goddesses, divinities, deities, invisible pink unicorns, etc.
So, a student researching on atheists and theists must examine the psychology of the passion of atheists in particular atheists who talk and/or write about their being atheist, so also examine theists.
Ryrge
Meh, I find that most atheists simply don't believe in any of it, and it ends there. The thing they get passionate about is when stuff that they feel is absolute nonsense effects their lives somehow (politics).
I'm not an atheist, and I'm not a theist. I'm just a guy that thinks that none of this BS matters in this life or the next, as the same thing is going to happen to all of us regardless of how we've lived our lives. Anyone that bases their life on what could or couldn't happen after they die is an embarrassment to mankind. I know why we're alive, but I have know Idea what the point of life is, and nobody out there knows anything more than me. ......................that's free advice
So the answer is no. Then why do you ask atheists to do so?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryrge
Atheists, produce your rational grounds for being atheistic, then your psychological grounds.
And theists, do likewise.
Ryrge
Do you see a difference between asking someone to explain rationally why they ARE something versus why they are NOT something?
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