A question for atheists who don't believe in God

[Magic Man]

Nonsense. What of the agnostic atheist who "doesn't know" or knows they can't know? or the irreligious atheist, who's just in it out of hate for religion? or the person who feels they understand what "god" is and knows exactly what it is they are not believing in? They too are atheists.

Maybe to you. I wouldn't consider most of them atheists. If the irreligious "atheist" actually doesn't believe in God, then I 'd call him/her and atheist. If he/she does, but hates that God, they would be more along the lines of a maltheist. If they believe, but hate religion, then they would be an "unorganized" theist, to me. The last one is most atheists. I know what a theistic God is, and I don't believe such a thing exists. If I didn't know what "God" was, I couldn't anwer your question. So, we come back to atheists being people who don't believe in God, for whatever reason.

 

[Willamena]

Maybe to you. I wouldn't consider most of them atheists. If the irreligious "atheist" actually doesn't believe in God, then I 'd call him/her and atheist. If he/she does, but hates that God, they would be more along the lines of a maltheist. If they believe, but hate religion, then they would be an "unorganized" theist, to me. The last one is most atheists. I know what a theistic God is, and I don't believe such a thing exists. If I didn't know what "God" was, I couldn't anwer your question. So, we come back to atheists being people who don't believe in God, for whatever reason.

Misotheism is not the same as irreligion, but the maltheist then would be on topic because they would have some idea of what it is they hate. This thead is for such atheists, who specifically don't believe in God. I'd like to know what it is they profess no belief in, and have got some good responses so far.

 

[Magic Man]

Misotheism is not the same as irreligion, but the maltheist then would be on topic because they would have some idea of what it is they hate. This thead is for such atheists, who specifically don't believe in God. I'd like to know what it is they profess no belief in, and have got some good responses so far.

I understand. It's just redundant to say atheists who don't believe in God. That is what "atheist" means, after all.

 

[Willamena]

I understand. It's just redundant to say atheists who don't believe in God. That is what "atheist" means, after all.

No worries. The atheists who don't not believe in God will who they are.

 

[UnTheist]

Exactly what is it you are not believing in? What is "God"?

I don't know what It's like to believe, so I don't know what I'm not believing in

 

[Willamena]

I don't know what It's like to believe, so I don't know what I'm not believing in

Oh; that's so sad...

 

[UnTheist]

Oh; that's so sad...

Why so sad?

 

[Willamena]

Why so sad?

Well, you don't know what it's like to believe in anything. Presumably not even yourself.

 

[BucephalusBB]

Exactly what is it you are not believing in? What is "God"?

Everything that is beyond our realm of possible calculation.

 

[Alceste]

Well, you don't know what it's like to believe in anything. Presumably not even yourself.

You can probably assume UnTheist meant "... in God". It makes perfect sense to me. To many atheists, if not most, there is no difference between not believing in God and not believing in Athena. I've never believed in any supernatural deities either. I even tried! I never believed in a god, but at one time I tried to believe in a goddess, but I couldn't do that either.

 

[UnTheist]

Yeah, I meant in God.

 

[Willamena]

Yeah, I meant in God.

My apologies.

 

[Panda]

If there atheists that do believe in God? Surely by its nature no atheists can believe in God?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Exactly what is it you are not believing in? What is "God"?

I've got some general ideas about what characteristics are necessary for a thing to be a "god", but for me, it works like this: I know what I believe; when I consider those beliefs, I realize that there is nothing in my beliefs that I could call a belief in God.

Whether this means I don't believe in what you consider "God", I don't know. That depends on how you define the word "god". For example, if you consider God to be "love"... well, I do believe in love, but I don't consider it to be God.

 

[Aupmanyav]

What is the something that is "like God"? Put another way, what is "God" that something can be "like him"?

Willemena, I do not think you have asked a good question. God is one who will be interested in our signing up with him (or his son or his messenger), will raise the people's souls (as if there is something called soul, the living principle in a human, animals and vegetation were to be excluded, even some humans were to be excluded at one time) from dead, has keys to a place called heaven which he will not give to those who would not sign up and send such people to a place called hell where they will have to suffer till eternity. One has to accept this God and no other. One cannot swear in the name of this God (There are various other rules about this God which I have not taken the trouble to list). This God may always be testing humans by creating problems for them, sending fire, quakes, pestilence, tsunamis, wars; and even children are not exempted from these tests. It is a very loving God. I suppose you get some idea of what I understand by God.

 

[Majikthise]

Exactly what is it you are not believing in? What is "God"?

God is an idea created by human minds that lacked the knowledge to embrace scientific inquiry, or that figured out a surefire way to get others to do what you want them to and make it look like you are doing them a favor.

 

[ethakapl]

Exactly what is it you are not believing in? What is "God"?

How should we know?? Being an atheist means 'not believing in god' not 'believing in no god'. It's not that I woke up one day and thought "he doesn't exist," I just never came to the conclusion that he did. Get the difference? I'm tired of people arguing against atheism when they don't even know what it means.

 

[Yerda]

How should we know?? Being an atheist means 'not believing in god' not 'believing in no god'. It's not that I woke up one day and thought "he doesn't exist," I just never came to the conclusion that he did. Get the difference? I'm tired of people arguing against atheism when they don't even know what it means.

Did you come to the conclusion that there is not evidence enough warranting belief?

I'm curious because, while you may not be guilty of this, there is often an element of vagueness when atheists talk of their atheism. I've known theists to complain about the brand of atheist that can maintain at one minute that atheism is not a belief - as in a rubber duck might be an atheist (or more commonly a newborn is a default atheist) yet the next second assert that theism is irrational. How would they know this without reaching conclusions about God?

 

[yearningknight]

A god is define by a superior being that is being worshiped by humans and there is a belief in how one god or many gods and goddessses created this world and humans and everything in it. God was created to give mankind hope, a purpose, and comfort from something that is bigger and better than us something we can't prove to be true nor can we truly comprehend him either. So mankind created religion for the reasons I have said earlier and also to control the people of whatever country or land was being ruled. Just look at Hilter, and many other leaders of this world who used religion to obtain what he wanted.

 

[LuisDantas]

Did you come to the conclusion that there is not evidence enough warranting belief?

I'm curious because, while you may not be guilty of this, there is often an element of vagueness when atheists talk of their atheism. I've known theists to complain about the brand of atheist that can maintain at one minute that atheism is not a belief - as in a rubber duck might be an atheist (or more commonly a newborn is a default atheist) yet the next second assert that theism is irrational. How would they know this without reaching conclusions about God?

Most of the time it is a statement about the God of Abraham (or perhaps Brahma from the Sanatana Dharma), which are supposed to be so absolutely powerful and perfect that one can legitimally claim that such a being can not exist in the real world.

It is still legitimate to believe in such deities. But it can not be justified by reason alone, therefore it is irrational to do so.

Most other deities - Japanese Kami, Celtic and Pagan deities, even Buddhist deities and most Hinduist Avatars - offer no such problems, however, because they are finite in scope and therefore less easy to disprove by reason alone.