Thread: I Call Together Atheists!

hmmm... Count me in!

I guess I am an atheist, but I have theories and I keep my mind open.

I keep an open mind, and I think there are being out there that we might consider God (Aliens who terraformed earth allowing our current life to form), but thats just me.

No I have no religion not to barricade myself from other religions but to destroy the barrier religion creates. Atheism boast certainty of the uncertain, the same way religions do, I'm not a fan.

I do not believe in God. I think its time the human race moves past that silly stage. We have science to help us understand our world, along with psychology.

Yup. Atheist.

I'm pretty pessimistic. If no one does anything to help do away with religion, there's going to be 14th century hordes flooding into the Earth, except now they're armed with 21st century weapons (as Sam Harris says).

Ya...the world is getting to hell. :-/

SWEET. 100% SO FAR!!!!

KEEP IT UP (even though there is only one choice)

there may be a God, but he's not worth worshipping.
Not going to waste my time with something that has no proof at all. It was invented 2000 years ago, and has not changed much since, even though everything else in the world has.

Originally Posted by DoomedOne

Atheism boasts certainty of the uncertain, the same way religions do, I'm not a fan.[/b]

Very true...the narrowest definition of atheism dictates that you have to have faith that there is no god to be an a-theist.

However, my take on atheism is more the default position/logical reasoning one, which is a broader definition, but I feel basically that the idea of a god simply contradicts science as we know it. Occam's razor, if you will.

So yeah, atheist here.

Yep. Add me to the roster.

I want to clarify that atheism is not certainty that there is no God. It is belief that there is no God. We just don't think the idea of God makes enough sense to be believed. I don't believe in tupperware fairies either. That does not mean I assert with complete certainty that there are no tupperware fairies. I can't prove that they are not there. It just means that I see that concept as so unfounded and illogical that I don't believe it. It is also not a matter of faith. Lack of one faith is not proof of a contrary faith.

uh... i for one BELIEVE there is NO possibility of a god, at least the christian god. But i wont say its impossible.

Originally Posted by Hominus

uh... i for one BELIEVE there is NO possibility of a god, at least the christian god. But i wont say its impossible.
[/b]

If you believe there's no possibility, but you won't say it's impossible...

What you're basically satying is, I believe it's not possible, but I won't say it's not possible...

You just contradicted yourself... :s Unless I'm missing something?

Originally Posted by Universal

That does not mean I assert with complete certainty that there are no tupperware fairies. I can't prove that they are not there. It just means that I see that concept as so unfounded and illogical that I don't believe it. It is also not a matter of faith. Lack of one faith is not proof of a contrary faith.
[/b]

damn straight

and since we don't believe in god, it's the theists who have the burden of proof anyway (or the tupperware fairieists )

Originally Posted by Universal

I agree! And wanted to stress it. Some people really think that atheism is a belief. Religious people use it in arguments with atheists a bit too often, saying that atheism is also 'just a belief', which is silly, of course.
[/b]

atheism IS a belief

it's the opposite belief of theism

SOURCE.

yes, burdon of proof is on the advocate.

A religious person telling ME to prove that god DOESNT exist is like me saying "i believe unicorns exist, now YOU have to go prove that they dont"

-ridiculus

Originally Posted by Hominus

yes, burdon of proof is on the advocate.

A religious person telling ME to prove that god DOESNT exist is like me saying "i believe unicorns exist, now YOU have to go prove that they dont"

-ridiculus
[/b]

haha yeah

reCOCKulous even

Right, atheism as it's known as today is striking your loyalty next to logic and reason, and science, and I'm not christian, as I said previously I have no religion, my beliefs are constantly transforming reinvention of myself through exploration with an open mind. I think... however, that science, logic and reason are only tools, not beliefs. I think they help us discover the what and the how of this universe, and an atheist is someone who chooses to accept the truths these tools present.

See... I like to focus more on the why, and as a great man once said, in this post right here for the first time, there are only three opinions when it comes to why:

1. Humans can't understand it, or comprehend it

2. There is none

3. They're wrong

So, an atheist may describe my feelings of the what and the how, but as for why... or what is beyond the what that science has shown us... I am still at the drawing board.

Also, everytime I have ever attempted to label myself something two weeks later I always come back to the old realiztion, "All I'm doing is barricading myself from other people in order to draw loyalty to smaller crowd of like-minded, but ultimately very arrogant people." Satanism, Paganism, atheism, agnosticism all end up the same way. I am now more alongside the beliefs of people like Thomas Paine, Oscar Wilde and Ferris Bueler.

Originally Posted by DoomedOne

Also, everytime I have ever attempted to label myself something two weeks later I always come back to the old realiztion, "All I'm doing is barricading myself from other people in order to draw loyalty to smaller crowd of like-minded, but ultimately very arrogant people." [/b]

I don't have my beliefs for the purpose of drawing any type of crowd. I just believe what makes sense. The same is true for every atheist I know, which there aren't many of, especially in the vicinity of where I live. Do you see where I live? If I wanted to draw a crowd, I would be a homophobic Baptist squirrel hunter who thinks wrestling is real. There is nothing inherently arrogant about believing what makes sense to you.

I am an athiest.

And allso anti-religion.

Sorry...

For those that are confused; Atheism is a belief.

Slice it or mask it anyway you want: Atheism is the belief that no god exists. It is not a just logical questioning of whether or not a god exists, given the lack of proof.

Finding yourself without a true belief in God, while giving in to the possibility that one could possibly exist, is agnosticism. [Edit: "..as I see Follower just stated."]

If you're going to claim a side, at least claim the right one.

correct, oneironaut.

Atheism is a belief and at most a faith, but definately not a religion.

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

For those that are confused; Atheism is a belief.[/b]

Actually not necessarily. Atheism is usually divided into two camps - weak atheism and strong atheism.

Weak atheism is not a belief. It is just the lack of a belief in god. "I dont believe in god". This frees us from having to have beliefs about the tooth fairy, leprechauns, faeries. It's a non issue.

Strong atheism is weak atheism with the belief that that god does not exist at all. "I believe that god does not exist".

So yes, the assertion "god does not exist" implies a belief. But you don't need to make that assertion to become an atheist.

Originally Posted by spoon

Actually not necessarily. Atheism is usually divided into two camps - weak atheism and strong atheism.

Weak atheism is not a belief. It is just the lack of a belief in god. "I dont believe in god". This frees us from having to have beliefs about the tooth fairy, leprechauns, faeries. It's a non issue.

Strong atheism is weak atheism with the belief that that god does not exist at all. "I believe that god does not exist".

So yes, the assertion "god does not exist" implies a belief. But you don't need to make that assertion to become an atheist.
[/b]

Originally posted by 'Google - Define: Atheist'

# related to or characterized by or given to atheism; "atheist leanings"
# someone who denies the existence of god
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

# Atheism is the state either of being without theistic beliefs, or of actively disbelieving in the existence of deities. In antiquity, Epicureanism incorporated aspects of atheism, but it disappeared from the philosophy of the Greek and Roman traditions as Christianity gained influence. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheist

# Atheist was a death metal band from Florida, founded under the name R.A.V.A.G.E. (which stands for Raging Atheists Voving A Gory End), whose music was highly technical and sometimes reminiscent of jazz. They combined brutal riffs with subtle latin music arrangements, much like in Cynic's cult album "Focus".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheist_(band)

# one who believes that there is no God. (atheism)
www.summit.org/resource/dictionary/

# A person whose worldview embraces Atheism [noun] [OW]. The natural condition of all humans at birth and prior to indoctrination in or self-invention of Theism. Atheists claim there is no proof for God[s]. "Strong" Atheists claim God does not exist. "Weak" Atheists do not deny the possibility of God[s], or that proof might eventually be discovered. Athiest and Athesit are Fundie synonyms of Atheist [SD]. The word Atheism [CE] derives from the Greek atheos, a = without, theos = God.
members.aol.com/porchnus/dict01.htm

# A person for whom the idea of god is senseless. Not to be confused with a person who hates (and neccessarily believes in the existence of) god.
www.angelfire.com/pa/ebrownle2/gloss.html

# One who has formed an active belief that there are no gods. This term differs from agnosticism which asserts no knowledge of gods and therefore concludes there are no reasons to believe in them or not to believe in them. Atheism is just as active a religious system as is Islam, Christianity or Hinduism. The difference is that the atheist belief system falls on the opposite pole of the spectrum from those religions in that it is a negative rather than a positive belief.
designdynamics.org/dictionary.html

# The Devil's Dictionaries $9.95 By Ambrose Bierce classic The Devil's Dictionary with 500+ definitions from its best modern successor, Chaz Bufe's American Heretic's Dictionary (newly revised and.
04planet.info/the-devils-dictionaries-the-best-of-the-devils-dictionary-and-the-american.564555.html

# is one who does not believe that there is a god.
www.d.umn.edu/~revans/Handouts/rel_terms.htm

Originally posted by 'Google - Define: Agnostic'

# A word first used by Professor Huxley, to indicate one who believes nothing which cannot be demonstrated by the senses.
www.theosociety.org/pasadena/key/key-glos.htm

# An Agnostic [1] [noun] [OW] embraces a worldview in which the existence of deity is unknown or unknowable. Derives from the Greek agnostos, a = without, gnostos = known or knowledge. "Agnostic[ism] [CE] was coined by Professor TH Huxley in 1869 to describe the mental attitude of one who regarded as futile all attempts to know the reality corresponding to our ultimate scientific, philosophic, and religious ideas."
members.aol.com/porchnus/dict01.htm

# one who believes that the evidence for and against the existence of God is inconclusive. (agnosticism)
www.summit.org/resource/dictionary/

# Agnostic: one who questions religious or spiritual beliefs, and who may choose not to claim any system of knowledge.
iamuniversity.org/glossary/cv_glossarylist.php

# One who holds the theory that God is unknown or unknowable
www.innvista.com/culture/religion/diction.htm

# Someone who claims that they do not know or are unable to know whether God exists.
www.abdn.ac.uk/philosophy/guide/glossary.shtml

# Agnosticism asserts no knowledge of gods and therefore concludes there are no reasons to believe in them or not to believe in them. An agnostic follows this credo and differs from the atheist who has developed an active belief that there are no gods. When it comes to the question of existence of deities, an agnostic will respond: I just don't know.
designdynamics.org/dictionary.html

# someone who is doubtful or noncommittal about something
# of or pertaining to an agnostic or agnosticism
# uncertain of all claims to knowledge
# a person who claims that they cannot have true knowledge about the existence of God (but does not deny that God might exist)
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

# Agnosticism is the philosophical view that the truth values of certain claims, particularly theological claims regarding the existence of God, gods or deities, are either unknown or inherently unknowable. The term and the related agnostic were coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1869 and are also used to describe those who are unconvinced or noncommittal about the existence of deities as well as other matters of religion. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic

To me, "weak atheism" is just another way of saying "agnostic" that serves to simply give more credibility to the term "Atheist."
But, take your pick. Just don't get them confused.

Good way to set up the poll, since "yes" is the only logical answer.

I find it useless (and boring) to argue with people who believe in the supernatural. If someone believes in something for which there is no proof, that is called faith, which means belief without evidence or evidence to the contrary. An irrational belief can't be changed with reason. Although I am an atheist, there are of course things, if they were to occur, would make me a believer (like, if God appeared or actually did something.) That is how the "belief" of the atheist differs from the belief of the theist; with proof, I can and would change my mind. If you ask somebody if there is anything that could possibly happen that would make them a non-believer, and they say no, then that is faith and not reason further discussion is pointless.

I am amazed by how many people today believe in the particular version of deity that is common here and now. Anybody see the USA Today poll a couple days ago about how people see god (big jack-off, kindly grandfather, cold uncaring ectoplasm, etc.) and their views on politics? There were like only 5 or 7% atheists! Pitiful.