I did not post this in the debate section, because I am not going to argue with you. I did not post any questions in the poll, because your reasons could not be summed up so easily.

If you are reading this and are an Atheist, I would like to know the #1 reason you made that decision. It is a very natural thing to acknowledge God, so it must have been something tremendous to make you turn against that instinct.

If it is possible, may I know that #1 reason? Again, I don't have any desire to argue with you here.

Don't have any instinct of which you speak.

"When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F Roberts.

All in all I think it's incorrect to say that belief in God is the "default" state and that an event causes one to turn away from the "default."

^ are you saying by default you don't believe in God or is there more to your explanation? Can you explain further why you don't believe in God?

I see what you mean. But I have to agree with the other guy, why don't you believe in God yourself?

I'm saying, I am a "blank slate" essentially and that the Christian religion (or any for that matter) makes no practical sense to me. No offense of course.

None taken. I've heard worse.

I find it's the Christians themselves that normally dont make sence. The Bible its self is pretty cool imo.

Thanks for that one.

I have to agree, when some %60-%70 of America claims to be Christian, you have to scratch your head.

Are you kidding, or do you really think this makes logical sense? To be honest, I don't see how a dismissal of Zeus is equivocal to a dismissal of the monotheistic concept of God.

It's just a quote. I don't feel the need to debate here, or, if I'm honest, why I'd need to justify not believing in something that just makes zero sense to me.

Wasn't a decision, I never followed the concept.

I think it was one of those things where I went through the motions and all, but once I actually stopped and thought about it my conclusion was something like "lol people actually believe this stuff?" It's not that I converted to atheism, I don't think I was ever anything else.

Fundamentally, 'atheism' is a culturaly, social and intellectual movement, a species of the Protestant Reformation and Enlightenment, and the God which atheists generally disbelieve in is a 200 or 300 year old baby god.

Josh

I have known Christians who believe that you are either Christian or atheist. No middle ground (meaning no other religious faith counts, and should be regarding as atheist).
When you capitalise "God", I assume you are referring to the Christ God.

Are you aiming this question at people who do not believe in Christianity, or who do not believe in any god/higher power?

I'm not an Atheist, but something about that statement of yours has irked me.

I can just as easily say it's very natural thing not to acknowledge ANY god (not just yours) and that there's no need for something "tremendous" to make anyone not believe in any god. I don't see how it's an "instinct" to believe in any god.

I'll leave it at that (as this isn't the debate section ) Carry on folks! ^^

I capitalized it out of reference to the Christian God, yes. But I do not consider belief in other religions or gods to be Atheism.




When I was typing that out, I was really trying to get across the point that I didn't want to over-simplify your Atheist views. I thought it would be obnoxious of me to come out and say "Give me your world view, in 50 letters or less."

Because the concept of a omnipresent, omniscience, omnipotent God is absurd, and there is not a shred of evidence suggesting that there is a divine sky fairy "up" there. I will not bother getting into a debate and listing the endless list of reasons as to why I reject faith regarding the unknowable, and frankly, the absurd.

I'm not an Atheist.
Nor does the rest of your statement have anything to do with the one in the OP (You didn't address it). But again, not the debate section, so it's all good.

I'm an atheist because I've never had any reason to believe in any supernatural power. I find some parts of the idea of having faith quite comforting but overall Christianity just seems illogical, and frankly, slightly repulsive. No offence, that's just my gut reaction. I've never been convinced by any argument for the existence of God and there is no argument that cannot be refuted. Maybe it's wrong to equate nonbelief in a monotheistic God with eg. Zeus, because of the very different arguments that can be put forward for their existences, but it's the same sort of stance. I don't disbelieve in God becuase I disbelieve in Zeus, but I have the same kind of attitude towards them as a concept that I don't believe in. I don't have faith as an atheist. Atheism isn't something you can have faith in because there's literally nothing to put your trust in. I just don't have a reason to believe. I think the universe works perfectly fine without a God, and though, as I've said, I find some aspects of the concept quite comforting, I don't need that saftey net in my life.

Why aren't you an atheist?

Personally I'm an atheist because I find the depiction of a Godhead --as described in the doctrines of our world religions-- to be absurd. I am an atheist because I see no evidence and I see no reason to have "faith" in the unknowable. Of course my reasons are ultimately far more complex than that, but the above is the gist of why I am not a theist.

wat

I don't believe the concept of god to be logical. Much like how I don't believe in the fairies at the bottom of a garden that make plants grow, I do not believe in the invisible man in the sky.

He's talking about The Enlightenment of the early 1700 - 1800's. It was a time when both Protestantism and Atheism flourished in the New England colonies. Following the Enlightenment was the Great Awakening and then in the 1800's the Second Great Awakening.

(yes I'm taking US history this semester, test tomorrow..)

Good luck!

I'm an athiest because I found I lead a more moral and productive life. When looking at the bible I found it to be self contradictory every where, and having very basic forms of morality were as other religious texts are far more inspirational. I do despise religions such as Islam for its slave mentality and do think it needs to be wiped off the face of the earth, but each individual has his/her own wants and thus I respect its followers more than the religion or the god itself, as religion I guess provides an excuse to be good.

As a free man now I feel so liberated that I know I dont need a god of some sort to help me feel loved because I know that there is only me in the world and I have the responsibility to make the most of it and not cling to the fact that there is something out there that wants complete obedience, in order for me to achieve a reward. Definetly happy to be an atheist. I already helped a few individuals change their ways to doing good in the eyes of themselves, by looking as to why they believe in god(s), and what they think good is. BTW think about this for a sec

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing?
Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing?
Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing?
Then why call him God?”
-Epicurus