Questions for atheists

1. I'm an Atheist because I've never seen any proof to suggest it would make sense to be anything else.

2. Really? When's the last time an Atheist knocked on your door to spread "the word"?

3.I just don't have it in me to suspend my belief to such a point as to believe in something so fanciful. I don't believe in Unicorns or the Loch Ness monster either.

4. I find it quite possible than a man named Jesus lived, I just don't accept he was the son of an omnipotent being.

5. No one will ever convince me that religion started off as anything more than something to control the masses and make the idea of death more bearable. I don't begrudge anyone their beliefs, I just don't understand them. For me, there's no more credibility in the bible than there is in Cinderella. It's just a fairy tale, albeit a very old one.


"The dwarf lives, until we find a cock merchant!" Best. Line. Ever.

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1. I am an atheist because there is no proof good enough provided by anyone that a god exists, let alone your specific one.

2. Religion sickens me. I see what it does on the grand scale (wars, genocide, murders) but also the small scale (people repressing who they really are, thinking they're not good enough for some god, being forced to marry, missing out on so many things because of stupid restrictions. Therefore I seek to oppose it.

3. You can believe in a creator god and evolution. I do not see why you would though. I can't say this without being offensive but you are pretty stupid if you deny evolution. There is a mountain of evidence for it, none against it. I could sooner believe the moon landings were faked than believe evolution is a lie. And again, like 99% of Christians you do not understand that theory in scientific theory is not a theory in every day terms. Buy a damn dictionary please. Also, your use of God to explain creation is literally the definition of the "God of the Gaps" fallacy. It's just a belief without any evidence.

4. Frankly I do not care if he existed or not. It makes literally no difference to me and my atheistic stance. It doesn't matter that many people wrote about him. Do you know how many people wrote about Ganesh, a god in Hinduism? Or Zeus? But you don't care. This fallacy is called special pleading. Your god is the exception because you want it to be. You don't apply the same standards to your god as the others.

5. I use those phrases and terms derogatorily because I do not respect your beliefs and I think if you boil it down magical sky daddy is a fitting term. God has super powers aka magic. Christians often pray looking upwards aka to the sky. God is always seen as male aka a father... our father who art in heaven, blah blah. Magical Sky Daddy.

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1. Being an atheist means I don't believe in God. Being a theist means you do believe in God. It's only fair to frame my atheism has being closed minded to the idea of a world ruled by God, if it's also fair to frame your theism as being closed minded to a world without one. So... is that fair?

2. Again, it would be fitting to ask that same question but switch atheist for Christians. The gay couples who were denied the right to marry in Kentucky these past few months on "Gods authority" according to Kim Davis, are a good illustration of why things we might not believe in but which other people do can still affect our lives, sometimes quite dramatically. Society is shared. So if your neighbors are going to vote Huckabee, and huckabee is going to put creationism in science text books in schools, and your children are going to be learning something you strongly disagree with, you would obviously have something to say. So it makes sense to say it to those neighbors beforehand. Don't you agree?

3. I don't believe in God because their is no theory of God I find convincing. That really is the be all end all of it for me. I don't think evolution nullifies the idea of a universal creator either, for the record, but it certainly does nothing for it.

4. I honestly think this is a question for historians. I'm not convinced by either side of the argument, but then I can't say I've put that much time and effort in to informing myself on the topic as fully as I might.

5. I've never said any of those things and have no interest in speaking for those who have.

What if a squirrel wants a sausage?

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1. Why are you an atheist? I am curious why you would close your mind to the possibility of something more then just us and that there is any existence after death.

Because I don't believe in god. Simple as that. I'm not closing my mind off to anything. When you don't believe in alien abductions or reptilian overlords you are not closing off your mind either. Whatever a discussion may start with, when pushed for evidence in the end the religious person will defend their views with the sentiment that you cannot disprove god. Which goes of course for ANYTHING you could possibly imagine. Proving a negative is impossible by default. Religious people can argue all they long if they want to, but unless they provide some actual evidence then god, ghost, voodoo, Atlantis, zombies and everything else are just equally unevidenced.

2. Why do some atheists put so much energy into something they don't believe in? By this I mean I know and have met some atheists that have their beliefs and don't care about my beliefs and are happy to do their thing and let me do my thing belief wise. Then there are atheists I have met that feel that it is their life mission to bash God and bash peoples belief in God and I just don't understand why you would put so much energy into something you don't believe in. I'm not talking about defending your beliefs as an atheist. I am talking about atheists that go out of there why to bash God or someone's belief in God. When no one is putting down their beliefs.

They don't really. The most extreme are always the ones that get the most attention. I have met very very little pushy atheists. Though when they do, the answer should be pretty simple. Christianity is all over the place in the USA. Mingling in politics and in private issues. Proclaiming to be an atheist is considered political suicide. Many atheists are ostracized. They trade positions as the least trusted group in America with f-ing Scientology. If Christianity is in their face all day long, tampering with education (creationism), obsessing over other people's sexual interests and whatnot, then yeah, they lash out.

3. I have herd a lot of atheists say that they don't believe in a universal creator or God because they believe in evolution. My question here is why can't you believe in a universal creator and evolution.

It's just the old god of the gaps all over again. People have been doing this for millennia: Can't explain rainbows -> god, can't explain certain climatological events -> god, can't explain every single statistically unusual event -> god. People have been inserting god in every gap of knowledge they can find and time and time again these gaps have been filled with knowledge. And now, when people are saying that god comes in to play for every little gap of knowledge we have in evolution, it is just the same silliness all over again.

Also, what on Earth would be the motivation of an omnipotent god to create the world in a way that defies what the Bible says about him. It's the old "you can't disprove it" thing again. Sure, it is theoretically possible, but why would anyone actually believe that other than the fact that he is pressured by his religious beliefs to find ways to insert god anywhere he can?

4. Why don't atheists believe that a man named Jesus lived? I understand why an atheist would not believe that Jesus was the son of God but I am curious to know why many of you say that Jesus is a myth or never lived.

I've never met an atheist who believed that. I know they are out there, but I don't think it is too many. From what I remember the current evidence suggests there was a guy named Jesus but he wasn't anything special. Christianity became big much later, when people starting collecting the scripture and throwing out anything they didn't like or that seemed too unbelievable.

5. Lastly I would like to address some terms I have heard atheists use that make no sense to me so please explain. 1. "They believe in a talking dead guy" God is a spiritual being who has never lived a physical life so therefore he has never died. And if they mean Jesus Yes, we do believe in a ‘guy’ that died. No, in the 3 days he was dead, his body did not produce any speech however after he rose from the dead, he spoke. So who is the talking dead guy that we believe in?

I don't think anybody means it that serious. According to biblical canon you are not talking to a dead guy. I don't think that is anything but people playing with words.

2. "Magical sky daddy" those of us who believe in a universal creator don't believe God has any magical powers or that God lives in the sky. We believe that the spiritual plane that God exists in is in a whole other dimension.

Pure semantics. Magic and the supernatural are already ill-defined terms that make little sense from a logical standpoint. Especially when they are treated as opposites to science. Call it whatever you like, it won't make a difference. If the way he interacts with the universe is detectable or measurable then you can employ science to explain him. If he is just a supernatural blob that can do anything he wants without any rules, you might as well call it magic. I mean, religious people are clearly not treating him as a real being from another "spiritual plane", but as a magical creature that can do anything it wants, just because.

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Because religion is bollocks most likely invented as a form of control and/or a trick of the mind to deal with our self awareness of our own mortality.

Q. Do fleas have a spirit?. A. Where does it end?.

Worrying that billions(?) of people worldwide can still be so convinced of this nonsense, it's no wonder we blow each other up and will probably destroy the planet or ourselves in the not too distant future, the religious nuts will blame the unholy though and be convinced of their own saviour lol!.

Have a nice day and praise the lord :)

** I reserve the right to claim my 36 virgins in paradise if I'm wrong.

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"1. Why are you an atheist? I am curious why you would close your mind to the possibility of something more then just us and that there is any existence after death. "

Because even if I wanted to try and believe in God (or the bible), I couldn't convince myself enough to actually really believe it is so.
I personally feel like it doesn't seem logical to me. It's not about my choice. I have not chosen to go against it consciously.
(Actually, I would even like to believe. It would be comforting. But I can not seem to get myself to believe in it.)

I also feel like I would be closing my mind more, with settling on any religious "one answer to everything".
I haven't closed out the possibility that there is more than we know to all of this...
Actually, I think religions are a fairly naive attempt of trying to think we know something..
(no offense meant, I just personally view humanrace as kinda naive and arrogant when it comes to these things.. Seems arrogant to think we even can know it all. Naive to think we already do.)

Edit: So I suppose I'm an "agnostic atheist" then? I hate labeling myself ;P

"2. Why do some atheists put so much energy into something they don't believe in?"

I think it's because especially Christianity is involved in so many aspects of all of our lives. Even all atheists have had to deal with it.. Whether it's a holiday based on religion, marriage, traditions, religious converters on festivals and even going door to door to pass fliers or even a religious service in school, they've had their share of it, without ever being asked about it. Luckily in this day and age people are allowed to speak up freely..
Some extremist atheists take it quite very far though. I don't exactly agree with that either, but I personally do not think it surpasses religious extremists in any way.

"3. I have herd a lot of atheists say that they don't believe in a universal creator or God because they believe in evolution.
My question here is why can't you believe in a universal creator and evolution."

I've toyed around with the idea aswell. I don't really believe in any of my theories or ponderings - they're all a bunch of "what if's" and that only proves my mind is very open, even if I am an atheist and not believing in any one thing completely.
I've actually thought that there to be an evolution of things, it seems a bit too "smart" to be ... random. Or, well, not random, but to be just evolution. If there is a creator, or more like force that creation is from, I feel it might be some sort of sub-conscious spread through all. Something that ensures the cycle of life on earth, the cycles of universe, elements and laws of physics, species evolution etc. all form a rule and "reason". A sub-conscious "planner" in every cell, that is aware of the whole big picture. I suppose some might characterize it as "God"..
But I digress... Either way, just one of the things that crosses my mind every now and then. There is alot of freedom for thinking in not being tied to one answer.

"4.Why don't atheists believe that a man named Jesus lived?"
Can't say that he didn't.. Can't say that he did. Don't know what else to say about that one.

"5. Lastly I would like to address some terms I have heard atheists use that make no sense to me so please explain. "
"They believe in a talking dead guy" God is a spiritual being who has never lived a physical life so therefore he has never died. And if they mean Jesus Yes, we do believe in a ‘guy’ that died. No, in the 3 days he was dead, his body did not produce any speech however after he rose from the dead, he spoke."

I guess that would be the rising from the dead after being dead for several days part, but I personally have not said that.
As for that, sky daddy or whatever other lines like that; they're just lines made up to ridicule and ... I would not give them any value or worth in a discussion either :P
To me they're on the same level as religious people saying "atheists can't have morals" or don't know right from wrong without religion, or that our lives have no meaning in anything - that nothing to us has any value, we hold nothing sacred etc.... Both sides have plenty of arguments for the sake of just arguing.
And in that, bith sides are in the wrong :/

I hope these answers were respectful enough. I only described my view - none of this is meant to offend yours.

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why am i an atheist ?.....simple.....A/ i`m not an idiot....B/i believe that things occur naturally not by magic.

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1. Why are you an atheist? I am curious why you would close your mind to the possibility of something more then just us and that there is any existence after death.

No proof of God, no actual evidence God's doing anything (at least good) in the world, and tons of prayers that never amounted to anything. I was unhappier when I believed than when I quit believing. And just because I'm atheist, doesn't mean I don't believe there might be SOMETHING out there beyond us, I just don't believe that if there is it's something that's been explained by any religion.

2. Why do some atheists put so much energy into something they don't believe in? By this I mean I know and have met some atheists that have their beliefs and don't care about my beliefs and are happy to do their thing and let me do my thing belief wise. Then there are atheists I have met that feel that it is their life mission to bash God and bash peoples belief in God and I just don't understand why you would put so much energy into something you don't believe in. I'm not talking about defending your beliefs as an atheist. I am talking about atheists that go out of there why to bash God or someone's belief in God. When no one is putting down their beliefs.

As a response to atheists being constantly under attack from Christians and other religions. The problem is that while most atheists would be content with 'live and let live', many Christians don't feel the same way. They feel their beliefs are right, and that their rights trump the rights of everyone else. Take Kim Davis as an example... refuses to follow the law and issue marriage licenses to gays because it's against her belief. Religious people in most cases feel their beliefs should be what laws are based on, and how societies are run. Success means atheists are at best shunned, at worst persecuted and killed. There is a reason the US founding fathers intended to keep religion and government separate, so different religions and non religious could be equal. But religions are not content with that, which requires atheists to be on the defensive to defend our rights, and some go to great extremes to do so. I personally am live and let live, except for occasional internet debates, as long as I'm allowed to live with my beliefs or lack of without having religious beliefs shoved down my throat.

3. I have herd a lot of atheists say that they don't believe in a universal creator or God because they believe in evolution. My question here is why can't you believe in a universal creator and evolution. I believe in both.

Not many religions teach or accept both. So many religions believe the Earth is only a few thousand years old, and try bending others to their view despite evidence to the contrary, usually using anything from false or poor understandings of science, to outright lies. The question is as applicable to the religious as the non religious. But my atheism has nothing to do with evolution... I don't know how we got here, I just don't believe it was due to any gods of any religion.

4. Why don't atheists believe that a man named Jesus lived? I understand why an atheist would not believe that Jesus was the son of God but I am curious to know why many of you say that Jesus is a myth or never lived.

Some do, others don't. However, while the Bible has a lot to say about Jesus, very few to no accounts from secular historians of the era mention any of the events that the Bible claimed happen, including the crucifiction (at least that haven't been proven to almost certainly be forgeries). You have historians that chronicled the lives, crimes, and deaths of many criminals from the area and era, but Jesus, as noisy as he was supposed to be in the area... not a word that wasn't forged and added later. A guy named Jesus may have existed in the area, but did not do even a fraction of the outspoken things he is said to have done.

What I am getting at is that the bible was all written as separate books before is was all put together as one book so why would four different people. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John write four separate books about their lives with Jesus if he never lived.

Three of those books were clearly mostly copied from the same source and each other, while the fourth took a lot from the other three. Even then, the differences that are in the texts are glaring and contradictory, and can not be from 4 different people that all personally were around for and witnessed the events they were writing about. Even observer biases cannot account for the widely different descriptions of a few of the events that are reported in wildly different fashions. And they were written several decades after Jesus is claimed to have died. If Jesus was worshiped by these people and told to spread his word, why did it take 30 to 40 years or more for them to write their accounts of what happened? And the same can be said about any religion... we know Greek and Roman gods never existed, so why were stories written about them and how were so many convinced to worship them?

Why is it that people have no problem believing that historical figures like Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, King George III, lived but when it comes to Jesus, suddenly a different standard is offered. Even though the historical evidence for Plato and Aristotle is in written form and people have no problem with that when it comes to the same standard for Jesus, many people won’t accept it. Why the double standard?

The proof about other historical figures comes from the times they were around, including works written by them directly in some cases (and there is actually some debate about a few of the Greek philosophers existences, such as Socrates, since most of their stories are second hand accounts, but there is enough evidence that most people believe they existed). Whereas like I said, we can not actually determine the primary source of the Gospels except that they all clearly came from the same sources (3 are largely copied/pasted from the same text), were not first or close second hand accounts of what the writers of those books claimed, and were written decades after Christ was claimed to have been crucified/resurrected/taken to heaven.

2. "Magical sky daddy" those of us who believe in a universal creator don't believe God has any magical powers or that God lives in the sky. We believe that the spiritual plane that God exists in is in a whole other dimension.

Define magical powers. I think creating everything from nothing would be classified by most as magical. Omnipotence/omnipresence would classify as magical. The ability to control animals, flood the world, give his servents (Angels and some humans) abilities to destroy cities and towns with fire, earthquakes, etc, and the ability to control water (Moses)... that's the tip of things God did. If that's not magical, what is?

Someone ever tries to kill you... you try to kill em right back.

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