Why are you an atheist?

[naomi24]

Keyplus asked me the question below on another thread, but I think it's interesting enough to warrant a thread of its own.

I am sure you and many others have accepted here that they changed their mind at some stage of life. Did that change of mind take place after they had a dream or got struck by lightining? Or did that happen because they yet again heard, saw or learnt something new that proved previous things wrong.

I changed my mind about religion because I investigated other possibilities, and learnt that my previous beliefs had been misguided and inaccurate. What about you?

[Annna]

Would it be terrible if that humanity that so often shines through people is God? What do you want God to be? Surely if I feel God in the world around me and that makes me feel happy thats ok? What I feel is bigger than me and that is what I call God.

[youngmafbog]

Religion is simply there to control the masses, nothing else. IT uses the age old do waht I say and you will be rewarded do otherwise and bad things will happen.

I guess when most religions began there were no aor little laws and virtually impossible to police so religion filled the gap with the basics.

The common man (or person for you PC lot) is thick as pig sh*te and needs something to believe in. The very idea that when you die thats it fills them with terror so they grasp at the idea of eternal life ( +/- virgins etc). This is strangley alos in some of our upper classes who one would think should know better, however I consider most of them inbred idiots so enough said. In days of yore I suspect they aligned themselves to the church for power.

There is no God you dont have a soul and when your gone you just rot and feed the earth - or polute it. Just have to live with that and enjoy it for what it is.

[Octavius]

So Hatless, our definitions are not poles apart then. Rejecting organised religion and their named �physical� god makes you an atheist, even if you believe in some invisible entity that determines our fate but does not meddle in our daily lives.

Christian atheists could come under that umbrella I suppose.

[naomi24]

Octavius, Everyone else seems to have understood the question, and my answer well enough. Who or what is this invisible entity who isn't a named God, but nevertheless determines our fate, then?

[Octavius]

Yes, �why are you an atheist� is a very simple question, with the answer, �I don�t believe in the existence of supernatural beings or deities� (etc).

Your reason however was a little ambiguous because it just referred to religion, presumably organised, presumably Christian. That�s all, no more to say, Hatless was clear enough.

[naomi24]

Jolly good.

[mibn2cweus]

"Would it be terrible if that humanity that so often shines through people is God? What do you want God to be? Surely if I feel God in the world around me and that makes me feel happy thats ok? What I feel is bigger than me and that is what I call God."

That is what I call hope and that hope is based on the distinctly human attribute of reason, the same reason that led us from despair in the past and if properly applied leads us to a vision of and the means to realise an even better day.

[weggiewabbit]

I was brought up as a Christian, but not in any sort of fanatical way - just in the way most families were in those days. I was about 10 years old when I became an atheist (1957). I think that was when I was old enough to think straight. I saw that all religions are a ridiculous concept, and ever since then I've always been amazed that people devote so much time and energy to them.

I agree with what jake_the_peg and Albert Einstein said above.

[brionon]

I don't call myself an Atheist. There are too many arguments about the meaning of the word. I prefer English words that we All understand. I'm a non-believer. Why ? Well I saw me Mum put the sixpence under me Pillow,see?

[chakka35]

If all children were protected from religious indoctrination and not introduced to the subject until they were old enough to think for themselves, thn I am sure that atheism would become the norm, the default position

Faced with mat ure minds religious propagandists would find it hard to make any impression at all.

[naomi24]

^^ I totally agree.

[keyplus90]

If all children were protected from religious indoctrination �������.

Chakka then how do you think religions started. Did someone told human about it billions of years ago or it just appeared in their mind from no where?

[keyplus90]

Did someone tell�����Oh my god save me from grammar teachers.

[jake-the-peg]

Religions started because certain tribesmen convinced the rest of the tribe that they could cure people, control weather and various otherthings by some special magical power and therefore deserved special status.

When you have no concept of rational thought it's easy to accept.

This is the indoctination.

Now the arguments are more sophisticated but still as fundamentally flawed and we still have people demanding special status because of their witch-doctory in Churches, Temples, mosques etc all over the world!

[Octavius]

Jake, they also started because certain tribesmen (shaman) convinced the rest of the tribe that they could see the spirits of the past and communicate with ghostly ancestors. Thats forgetting about tengriism, animism and totemism et al of course which required a belief in naturalistic spiritual elements.