Conversion from Theism to Atheism

[Neutraligon]

Carl Sagan wasn't atheist.

lolwat

I am lol whating at both.

[Autem Galacticus Nexum]

Carl Sagan wasn't atheist.

lolwat

In reply to a question in 1996 about his religious beliefs, Sagan answered, "I'm agnostic."

lolwat

[Autem Galacticus Nexum]

lolwat

I am lol whating at both.

I am lolwating at your ignorance.

[Prussia-Steinbach]

Yes they were. Neither worshipped a god. Therefore, atheist.

Agnostic.

Try again.

Haha. Hahaha. It's fun when people don't know what they're talking about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic_atheism

"Agnostics" are atheists, if they don't worship a god.

[Steamtopia]

Yes they were. Neither worshipped a god. Therefore, atheist.

Agnostic.

Try again.

Agnosticism has nothing to do with belief.

[Prussia-Steinbach]

lolwat

In reply to a question in 1996 about his religious beliefs, Sagan answered, "I'm agnostic."

lolwat

So yeah, he was an atheist.

[Steamtopia]

lolwat

In reply to a question in 1996 about his religious beliefs, Sagan answered, "I'm agnostic."

lolwat

Agnosticism isn't a belief. Agnosticism is a knowledge claim.

[Neutraligon]

lolwat

In reply to a question in 1996 about his religious beliefs, Sagan answered, "I'm agnostic."

lolwat

That was a misunderstanding of the term atheist, and agnostic. Since he was not a theist, he was by definition an atheist. Agnosticism and atheism are not mutually exclusive.

[Autem Galacticus Nexum]

Agnostic.

Try again.

Agnosticism has nothing to do with belief.

That's funny.

Agnosticism is the view that the truth values of certain claims – especially metaphysical and religious claims such as whether or not God, the divine or the supernatural exist – are unknown and perhaps unknowable.

That has to do with belief.

Agnostic.

Try again.

Haha. Hahaha. It's fun when people don't know what they're talking about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic_atheism

"Agnostics" are atheists, if they don't worship a god.

Also pure agnosticism.

Try again.

[Steamtopia]

In reply to a question in 1996 about his religious beliefs, Sagan answered, "I'm agnostic."

lolwat

That was a misunderstanding of the term atheist, and agnostic. Since he was not a theist, he was by definition an atheist. Agnosticism and atheism are not mutually exclusive.

Neil deGrasse Tyson made the same mistake, iirc.

[Autem Galacticus Nexum]

In reply to a question in 1996 about his religious beliefs, Sagan answered, "I'm agnostic."

lolwat

That was a misunderstanding of the term atheist, and agnostic. Since he was not a theist, he was by definition an atheist. Agnosticism and atheism are not mutually exclusive.

Or inclusive.

[Steamtopia]

That's funny.

Agnosticism is the view that the truth values of certain claims – especially metaphysical and religious claims such as whether or not God, the divine or the supernatural exist – are unknown and perhaps unknowable.

That has to do with belief.

As I said, a knowledge claim. That has nothing to do with belief. You can be an agnostic theist, or an agnostic atheist.

[Neutraligon]

Agnosticism has nothing to do with belief.

That's funny.

Agnosticism is the view that the truth values of certain claims – especially metaphysical and religious claims such as whether or not God, the divine or the supernatural exist – are unknown and perhaps unknowable.

That has to do with belief.

Haha. Hahaha. It's fun when people don't know what they're talking about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic_atheism

"Agnostics" are atheists, if they don't worship a god.

Also pure agnosticism.

Try again.

Again if one cannot claim to be a theist, one is by definition an atheist. Since Sagan was not a theist, he was by definition an atheist. Again agnosticism, a claim on knowledge, and theism, a claim on belief are not mutually exclusive.

[Neutraligon]

That was a misunderstanding of the term atheist, and agnostic. Since he was not a theist, he was by definition an atheist. Agnosticism and atheism are not mutually exclusive.

Or inclusive.

Not sure what you mean by inclusive, for instance there can be an agnostic atheist, or an agnostic theist. His claim to agnosticism did not answer the question of his belief. For that you have to look into the rest of what he said.

[Autem Galacticus Nexum]

That's funny.

Agnosticism is the view that the truth values of certain claims – especially metaphysical and religious claims such as whether or not God, the divine or the supernatural exist – are unknown and perhaps unknowable.

That has to do with belief.

As I said, a knowledge claim. That has nothing to do with belief. You can be an agnostic theist, or an agnostic atheist.

Or apathetic agnosticism.

That's funny.

Agnosticism is the view that the truth values of certain claims – especially metaphysical and religious claims such as whether or not God, the divine or the supernatural exist – are unknown and perhaps unknowable.

That has to do with belief.



Also pure agnosticism.

Try again.

Again if one cannot claim to be a theist, one is by definition an atheist. Since Sagan was not a theist, he was by definition an atheist. Again agnosticism, a claim on knowledge, and theism, a claim on belief are not mutually exclusive.

Or inclusive.

[Steamtopia]

Or apathetic agnosticism.

You can be an apathetic agnostic atheist, yes. They're measurements of three different things. One is passion (or lack thereof), one is certainty, and the last is belief.

[Neutraligon]

As I said, a knowledge claim. That has nothing to do with belief. You can be an agnostic theist, or an agnostic atheist.

Or apathetic agnosticism.

Again if one cannot claim to be a theist, one is by definition an atheist. Since Sagan was not a theist, he was by definition an atheist. Again agnosticism, a claim on knowledge, and theism, a claim on belief are not mutually exclusive.

Or inclusive.

Since most apathetics cannot claim to believe in a god, they are atheist.

[Rostogovia]

Congrats to this guy for giving up his imaginary friend. Don't want to appear bigoted here, but religion is holding us back as a civilization.

Yes, let us forget Islam's Golden Age, the technological progress of the Hindu rajas, the innumerable friars and bishops progressing science (let us not forget Mendel)...

You're just straight up wrong, bro.

That progress was made by people independent of religion, they just happened to be religious. Religion has prevented many more scientific advancements than it has made, and has caused much more strife and bloodshed than good. And to the dude who implied I was intolerant, I'm not making a statement about the value or intellect of religious people, I'm just expressing my own opinions and beliefs

[Confederate Ramenia]

Yes, let us forget Islam's Golden Age, the technological progress of the Hindu rajas, the innumerable friars and bishops progressing science (let us not forget Mendel)...

You're just straight up wrong, bro.

That progress was made by people independent of religion, they just happened to be religious. Religion has prevented many more scientific advancements than it has made, and has caused much more strife and bloodshed than good. And to the dude who implied I was intolerant, I'm not making a statement about the value or intellect of religious people, I'm just expressing my own opinions and beliefs

Independent of religion? Working in a religious monastery is independent of religion? Having your work sponsored by churches is independent of religion? How do you measure the scientific advancement that religion prevented, and how do you measure and compare the bloodshed and good?

[Russels Orbiting Teapot]

That's funny.

Agnosticism is the view that the truth values of certain claims – especially metaphysical and religious claims such as whether or not God, the divine or the supernatural exist – are unknown and perhaps unknowable.

That has to do with belief.

Do you know that invisible unicorns do not exist? Absolutely?

Are you, in fact, agnostic about invisible unicorns, admitting that you cannot know for sure?

Do you believe that invisible unicorns exist?

[Republic of Jesus Christ]

I appear to be going through a period of heavy religious doubt, since I partook in a thread about criminal systems. For some reason, I ended up contradicting myself, eventually reasoning that nothing exists, and then I just sort of lost it from there.

Point being, I perceive this as a conversion- or a transition- from theism to atheism. For some reason I don't really believe that there is a god anymore. Anyway, is this merely a "phase", in which I will find theism again, or is atheism more of a permanent position? I am fairly new to the concept of atheism, so forgive me for any ignorance or naivety. I am just really confused.

I know the feeling man. I am a Christian but I have had periods were I have heavily doubted my faith. The best news is God was always there for me and reinvigorated my faith. The Bible says if you seek God with all your heart and soul you will find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). It also says the Holy Spirit is your counselor forever (John 14:16), meaning you can ask Him for comfort and stength at anytime. I would recommend you take some time and go to God in prayer and ask Him to supplement your faith and reveal Himself to God. Remember, Peter and Thomas doubted and Jesus was righ there for them and He will be there for you too!

[Prussia-Steinbach]

That's funny.

Agnosticism is the view that the truth values of certain claims – especially metaphysical and religious claims such as whether or not God, the divine or the supernatural exist – are unknown and perhaps unknowable.

That has to do with belief.

Do you know that invisible unicorns do not exist? Absolutely?

Are you, in fact, agnostic about invisible unicorns, admitting that you cannot know for sure?

Do you believe that invisible unicorns exist?

Hey, we can't even prove you exist.

[Rostogovia]

That progress was made by people independent of religion, they just happened to be religious. Religion has prevented many more scientific advancements than it has made, and has caused much more strife and bloodshed than good. And to the dude who implied I was intolerant, I'm not making a statement about the value or intellect of religious people, I'm just expressing my own opinions and beliefs

Independent of religion? Working in a religious monastery is independent of religion? Having your work sponsored by churches is independent of religion? How do you measure the scientific advancement that religion prevented, and how do you measure and compare the bloodshed and good?

Abortion, LGBT rights, stem cells, evolution, ect. Religion is holding back the scientific advancement of our species. Also, while religion has brought about some small scale good (Charities, humanitarian work, offering solace in times of strife, ect.), the amount of woe it's caused throughout history is indisputably larger.

[Meissleria]

It is only natural for people to go through periods of doubt. I am Christian, and there have been times when I have questioned the rationality of believing in a deity or have had other doubts pertaining to the faith. When faced with such a dilemma, it is essential to take time to fully consider both sides of the situation and not jump to conclusions. With regards to your parents opinion on the situation, it is you choice, not theirs. I hope you find this helpful and my God help you during this difficult time.

[Cannabis Islands]

I guess I will ask the strong atheists on this thread a question. What makes Deism theistic or even a forum of Christianity? Let say Jesus did not exist, but can one take the Jesus of the Jefferson Bible and say "Hey, even though this guy is fictional, I really like this guy's opinion on..." We do this with other fictional charters, why not expand this to Jesus? Anyway, I don't view Jesus as a divine or even as a prophet, but I do view him as a positive figure that does inspire my socialism. Hell, comic book superheros inspire my socialism. Those with power helping those that don't have power for free or without the profit motive.

So, I'm personally a deist, but I have no interest in converting the religious or the strong atheists. None.