Why are you an Atheist?

[Nightkill the Emperor]

He means no one believed two religions at once.

That is also bullshit.

What he said, basically.

[Maurepas]

Well, I've never enjoyed church. Everytime I've went it was focused on getting you to put money in the collection plates(when I was in Sunday School, for example, they'd pit the boys vs the girls and whoever put in the most money got candy. Kind of a problem when you're only bringing like $1 and other kids are bringing $25-$30 and your team loses), or on the Preacher's kid being the center of attention. And Adult services always just put me to sleep.

Frankly I just found the people at the Church to be people I don't wish to associate with.

Further, Religion is pretty irrelevant to my life. I don't really feel the need for it, and I'm a big fan of looking at the world as logically as possible, and faith doesn't really fit in all that well with that mindset.

[Hittanryan]

I will father children that will come pre-installed with Christianity 95

95 you say? What would Christianity ME look like?

[Sociobiology]

why would researching other religions be necessary, he was born atheist so he is just returning to factory defaults. To molest the analogy further ask yourself why a god would build people with atheism pre-installed?

I will father children that will come pre-installed with Christianity 95

but it is still unstable and prone to crashing.

[Aesthetica]

It's always in the last place you look.

We didn't really get through 30 pages of this without Bluth, did we? How is that possible?

He was having a day off to visit his elderly grandmother?

[Dyakovo]

I think it's more to do with the misconception that agnostocism is a middle ground between atheism and theism, and the further misconception that you have to deny the existence of a god in order ot be an atheist.

I think it's funny that all atheists seem to be Christian atheists, as if there's only one god that you can't believe in and that there are no other gods that you can't believe in.

Hardly.

[Dyakovo]

I think it's funny that all atheists seem to be Christian atheists, as if there's only one god that you can't believe in and that there are no other gods that you can't believe in.

Since we were Christians before being atheists, we were atheistic towards the other religions already anyway.

Speak for yourself... Î wasn't christian before I was atheist.

[Streamland]

why would researching other religions be necessary, he was born atheist so he is just returning to factory defaults. To molest the analogy further ask yourself why a god would build people with atheism pre-installed?

*facepalm*
I said it's NOT necessary.

@Others: How exactly can you have two religions at the same time?

[Risottia]

I have noticed that over the past couple years, the influx of outspoken atheists on the forum has increased. While I can't say it was that dramatic, I can say that based on numerous religion polls throughout the site's history, about 40-50% of the site is god-less.

As good old Rolamec put it, this is what happened.

So, Atheists of NSG, why are you an atheist?

Basically, because I consider the very concept of deities something totally unrelated to reality, intrinsically contradictory, and ill-defined. Hence, postulating the existance of one or more deities is totally unnecessary, and entia non sunt multiplicanda prae necessitatem.

[Zebbstar]

To be honest

I just believe in a floating guy in the sky

Call me what you will

[Red zephie]

because if god exists

why did the titanic sink

[Divair]

To be honest

I just believe in a floating guy in the sky

Call me what you will

Posting in the wrong thread. That is what I'd call you.

[Greater Mackonia]

Because i went to a church primary school ...that made me dislike religion intensely

[Cameroi]

why does every retarded fanatic insist everyone who doesn't tell themselves the same lies as they tell themselves have to believe that nothing resembling a god can possibly exist?

no i am not an atheist, NOR a follower of any (currently) major (or dominant) religion, belief, faith, whatever you want to call it.

we do not live in a hierarchical universe, but nothing has to be known or even imagined in order to exist.

[The Fifth Dominion]

If you didn't notice, or failed to read, as so many Christians do their own scriptural writings, the question wasn't addressed to you, so kindly bugger off.

However, why do I not believe in God? Because there is no reason to. God is not required, he does not reside within us until you prove he does so. Does he actually affect us? If so, where and how? And if not, the honest skeptical question isn't "Why not believe in God?" but "Why believe in God?"

Ad hominem attacks in the first sentence? Gee, that's nice. And you cannot limit responses in NSG. You can ask, but without enforcement law means nothing.
So without irrefutable scientific evidence, by our current standards, you refuse to believe in something? Before microscopes, we did not know that microorganisms existed. So what you are saying is that until Janssen, cells were nonexistent?
I believe in God because that was the most logical conclusion. Even if we are simply a series of arbitrary quirks in an infinite and ever expanding universe, which is entirely possible, the idea that in said universe there is no higher order of being is simply laughable.
Now the other reason is based on faith. It is the reason I do not attempt to convince atheists to believe in God, aside from debating the particularly rude ones. Having studied the Word, all aspects, not just those found in the King James or New International but the Lost Books and the Jeffersonian Bible, I am quite certain that there is, or was, a higher power at work. Perhaps one of human creation.

Im with you bro. Now let us destroy these heathens! /joke And besides (to the atheists) there is always Pascal's Wager. Look it up.

[New England and The Maritimes]

I never once believed the literalism espoused by the protestants and fundamentalist catholics I grew up with. It never crossed my mind that a church was anything but a pretty building, or that the bible was anything but a poorly written collection of semi-related short stories and letters. I am an atheist because nothing I have seen of any religion has come even close to convincing me of any truth in its assertions.

[Streamland]

there is always Pascal's Wager. Look it up.

There's also the Extended Pascal's Wager. If you are interested I can send you a telegram about it. All you have to do is ask.

[New England and The Maritimes]

Ad hominem attacks in the first sentence? Gee, that's nice. And you cannot limit responses in NSG. You can ask, but without enforcement law means nothing.
So without irrefutable scientific evidence, by our current standards, you refuse to believe in something? Before microscopes, we did not know that microorganisms existed. So what you are saying is that until Janssen, cells were nonexistent?
I believe in God because that was the most logical conclusion. Even if we are simply a series of arbitrary quirks in an infinite and ever expanding universe, which is entirely possible, the idea that in said universe there is no higher order of being is simply laughable.
Now the other reason is based on faith. It is the reason I do not attempt to convince atheists to believe in God, aside from debating the particularly rude ones. Having studied the Word, all aspects, not just those found in the King James or New International but the Lost Books and the Jeffersonian Bible, I am quite certain that there is, or was, a higher power at work. Perhaps one of human creation.

Im with you bro. Now let us destroy these heathens! /joke And besides (to the atheists) there is always Pascal's Wager. Look it up.

Pascal's wager is morally incompatible with any genuine inner goodness. To do an act for a reward is not the same as doing an act with a purer motivation. The idea that bring a good person means not begrudging someone a meal out of fear of divine retribution is laughable.

[Aesthetica]

Im with you bro. Now let us destroy these heathens! /joke And besides (to the atheists) there is always Pascal's Wager. Look it up.

Don't have to look it up, as Pascal's Wager is a retarded piece of pseudo logic...

It would only be valid if 1) there was only one religion with one god, and 2) the probability of said religion being factual was a 50/50 chance.

However since there are more than one religions in the world (Total number of cults, creeds etc., is somewhere around 30,000) then on an even probability spread, the chance that YOUR cult is right falls to 1/30,000, leaving a 29,999/1 chance you're wrong.

Abandon YOUR religion now, it's the most sensible choice, Pascal's wager, right?

[Leepaidamba]

Im with you bro. Now let us destroy these heathens! /joke And besides (to the atheists) there is always Pascal's Wager. Look it up.

Don't have to look it up, as Pascal's Wager is a retarded piece of pseudo logic...

It would only be valid if 1) there was only one religion with one god, and 2) the probability of said religion being factual was a 50/50 chance.

However since there are more than one religions in the world (Total number of cults, creeds etc., is somewhere around 30,000) then on an even probability spread, the chance that YOUR cult is right falls to 1/30,000, leaving a 29,999/1 chance you're wrong.

Abandon YOUR religion now, it's the most sensible choice, Pascal's wager, right?

Actually, there are already over 30 000 denominations of Christianity, at least as quarter of which claim that only through accepting their doctrines one can get into heaven.

[Bottle]

So without irrefutable scientific evidence, by our current standards, you refuse to believe in something? Before microscopes, we did not know that microorganisms existed. So what you are saying is that until Janssen, cells were nonexistent?

Do you really think that if you don't believe in something, it doesn't exist? Do you really think belief works that way?

I'm sure there are lots of things that exist which we don't know about. But that doesn't mean I'm going to assume the existence of things for which we have no evidence, on the off chance that one of them turns out to be something that actually exists. Instead, I'm going to be humble enough to accept that there is much I don't know, and therefore I shouldn't go around assuming that I'm going to have answers to everything...I'm sure not going to assume that I know there is an all-powerful omniscient creator-being whose feelings and opinions were shared with a bunch of Bronze Age nomads because the nomads wrote a book about it.

I believe in God because that was the most logical conclusion. Even if we are simply a series of arbitrary quirks in an infinite and ever expanding universe, which is entirely possible, the idea that in said universe there is no higher order of being is simply laughable.

Order does not require intelligence or intent.

Your logic is not like our Earth logic.

Now the other reason is based on faith. It is the reason I do not attempt to convince atheists to believe in God, aside from debating the particularly rude ones. Having studied the Word, all aspects, not just those found in the King James or New International but the Lost Books and the Jeffersonian Bible, I am quite certain that there is, or was, a higher power at work. Perhaps one of human creation.

And that's fine...for you. But really, your reason for refraining from trying to convince atheists is a bit flawed. You should refrain because you've got nothing that would convince anybody else. You have nothing BUT your feelings, your opinions, and your faith. Which means that you have yet to provide anybody with any reason to give a shit.

I'm sure you FEEL like there's a God. I'm sure you THINK that, based on your readings of those Bronze Age nomads. I'm sure you KNOW IN YOUR HEART or whatever else. But none of those things constitute evidence of any kind. Your opinions and feelings about those things carry exactly the same weight as my cousin's opinions and feelings about Big Foot.

Kindly stop whimpering about how mean it is for people to not be more courteous while you insult their intelligence with your insubstantial non-arguments. Have the humility to recognize that you know nothing more than anybody else, and you're demanding that people show special respect for your GUESSES.

[Red zephie]

So without irrefutable scientific evidence, by our current standards, you refuse to believe in something? Before microscopes, we did not know that microorganisms existed. So what you are saying is that until Janssen, cells were nonexistent?

Do you really think that if you don't believe in something, it doesn't exist? Do you really think belief works that way?

I'm sure there are lots of things that exist which we don't know about. But that doesn't mean I'm going to assume the existence of things for which we have no evidence, on the off chance that one of them turns out to be something that actually exists. Instead, I'm going to be humble enough to accept that there is much I don't know, and therefore I shouldn't go around assuming that I'm going to have answers to everything...I'm sure not going to assume that I know there is an all-powerful omniscient creator-being whose feelings and opinions were shared with a bunch of Bronze Age nomads because the nomads wrote a book about it.

I believe in God because that was the most logical conclusion. Even if we are simply a series of arbitrary quirks in an infinite and ever expanding universe, which is entirely possible, the idea that in said universe there is no higher order of being is simply laughable.

Order does not require intelligence or intent.

Your logic is not like our Earth logic.

Now the other reason is based on faith. It is the reason I do not attempt to convince atheists to believe in God, aside from debating the particularly rude ones. Having studied the Word, all aspects, not just those found in the King James or New International but the Lost Books and the Jeffersonian Bible, I am quite certain that there is, or was, a higher power at work. Perhaps one of human creation.

And that's fine...for you. But really, your reason for refraining from trying to convince atheists is a bit flawed. You should refrain because you've got nothing that would convince anybody else. You have nothing BUT your feelings, your opinions, and your faith. Which means that you have yet to provide anybody with any reason to give a shit.

I'm sure you FEEL like there's a God. I'm sure you THINK that, based on your readings of those Bronze Age nomads. I'm sure you KNOW IN YOUR HEART or whatever else. But none of those things constitute evidence of any kind. Your opinions and feelings about those things carry exactly the same weight as my cousin's opinions and feelings about Big Foot.

Kindly stop whimpering about how mean it is for people to not be more courteous while you insult their intelligence with your insubstantial non-arguments. Have the humility to recognize that you know nothing more than anybody else, and you're demanding that people show special respect for your GUESSES.

your use of CAPITAL LETTERS for emphasis is really EFFECTIVE

no really if i was not already atheist i would de convert all over again

are you single

[Ashmoria]

Well, I've never enjoyed church. Everytime I've went it was focused on getting you to put money in the collection plates(when I was in Sunday School, for example, they'd pit the boys vs the girls and whoever put in the most money got candy. Kind of a problem when you're only bringing like $1 and other kids are bringing $25-$30 and your team loses), or on the Preacher's kid being the center of attention. And Adult services always just put me to sleep.

Frankly I just found the people at the Church to be people I don't wish to associate with.

Further, Religion is pretty irrelevant to my life. I don't really feel the need for it, and I'm a big fan of looking at the world as logically as possible, and faith doesn't really fit in all that well with that mindset.

you went to a church where kids put $25 into the collection plate?

[Ashmoria]

because if god exists

why did the titanic sink

Oh they built the ship Titanic, and when they had it done
well they thought they had a ship that the waters could not run
But the Lord's almighty hand said the ship would never stand
It was sad when the great ship went down

[New Genoa]

I'm an atheist because in my heart, I really don't feel that a god or gods could really exist. It just doesn't make much sense to me.

I don't care if you believe in god or gods. I actually am interested in what reasons people use to justify their faith, and how they overcome hurdles to said faith. But I just haven't found any compelling reason to believe, nor do I believe I ever will.