Any Downside to Atheism?

[Alceste]

"Epicurus? Never heard of that one. It's just mystery to me."

Ever heard of Google?

I just don't understand why people don't use the greatest reference ever complied, which is laying right under their fingertips.

Especially mystifying because it was a link, and he quoted it.

 

[dancingsky]

I don't see any downside to atheism, it is a win, win situation if you believe this life is as good as it gets and there is no eternal punishment, so beloved by some Christians sects. Of course you miss out on heaven if there is such a place, but when you are dead you have no conscious thought so you won't know if you are missing anything.

 

[Revoltingest]

I don't see any downside to atheism, it is a win, win situation if you believe this life is as good as it gets and there is no eternal punishment, so beloved by some Christians sects. Of course you miss out on heaven if there is such a place, but when you are dead you have no conscious thought so you won't know if you are missing anything.

I have a theory....suppose there is a god, & it gives us no indication that it exists, preferring to watch with great interest in it's little creation.
Mother Theresa (call'r MT) dies, & meets the god at the Curly Gates (so named for the gaudy fleur-de-lis embellishment in fashion up there).
The god, in it's stentorian voice, says, "Down into the bowls of Hell I cast thee, for thout hath in sky fairies believed, without any rational basis!"
MT replies, "But you do exist, so I was right.". "Only by accident....only by sheer stupid luck.....& thou got all the details wrong!", replied the god.
Shaken, MT asked, "But what unforgivable sin did I commit to deserve such a fate?". "A big chess club size brain I gave thee, & fail to properly
use my sacred gift thou did. Away from me now, mortal!"

Btw, the god has no gender...& finds physical reproduction & sex icky & revolting....but fascinating....especially girl on girl.

Pascal had a limited imagination when he thought up his simplistic wager, eh?

 

[LuisDantas]

Gosh. I can't frubal you right now, Revoltingest. Now THIS is revolting.

People over-rate the afterlife and forget about the life that we know to exist. Belief can and does affect it.

 

[AxisMundi]

"Is there or is there not a god?"

Someone please explain to me why the answer to that question matters.

Is there any real demonstrable negative to not acknowledging god (hint: stories of hell and eternal damnation are not demonstrable)?

I can be kind, loving, selfless, and charitable all on my own. It is simply a matter of choosing to act out such characteristics. I can enjoy my membership in social organizations without having to imbibe any religious teachings.

What are the negative consequences to atheism? I just don't see a downside.

Newp, no downsides whatsoever.

 

[Alceste]

Newp, no downsides whatsoever.

And lots of up sides.

 

[AxisMundi]

And lots of up sides.

Sure, but they're is also upsides to theism as well.

 

[Alceste]

Sure, but they're is also upsides to theism as well.

Yep. There are quite a lot of up sides all around.

 

[The Wizard]

Gosh. I can't frubal you right now, Revoltingest. Now THIS is revolting.

People over-rate the afterlife and forget about the life that we know to exist. Belief can and does affect it.

me: No kidding. I can resonate with that view. I wonder if some of it stems back to when longivity was so brief?

 

[dust1n]

"- No warm fuzzy feeling associated with the thought of death."

Maybe not for you, but I find comfort in knowing that I won't have to put up with existing forever.

Yeah but a conclusion like that means you have to actually think about the fact that you won't live forever, which is painful if you haven't already come to the conclusion that living forever is a good thing since it relies on first thinking about not living forever.

I'm in the same boat with you bud. Non-existence sounds more peaceful than ten heavens.

 

[AxisMundi]

Yeah but a conclusion like that means you have to actually think about the fact that you won't live forever, which is painful if you haven't already come to the conclusion that living forever is a good thing since it relies on first thinking about not living forever.

I'm in the same boat with you bud. Non-existence sounds more peaceful than ten heavens.

A Christian buddy of mine is fond of saying...

"What's the first words to come out of an Atheists mouth when they get to Heaven?"
"Jesus Christ!"

 

[andys]

Downside to atheism? Other than the prejudice and stereotyping of the religious majority? I mean, one probably wouldn't want to tell one's bank or one's employer of this philosophy....I really do not know any atheists.

Maybe you do know some atheists, but they're hiding their "philosophy" from their bankers and employers!
Seriously, why would anyone be afraid to assert their atheism? I am very proud to be an atheist. It means I can reason; it means I can smell the stink of theism, and want nothing to do with it. What's embarrassing about that?

I will concede that if I lived in the US, where religion plays such a huge, undeserved role in society, it wouldn't be nearly so easy, as it is in Canada, to flaunt my atheism. Here, we are decidedly more rational and dispassionate with regard to the role a Christian god play in everyday life. It always amazes me how extensively God has infiltrated the fabric of American (US) life, particularly in the one area I would have thought He'd be banned -- politics.

The US Constitution so wisely stipulates a separation of Church from State, yet every time a US politician opens his mouth, some reference to God is inevitable. "In God We Trust" is stamped on their federal currency and it appears inside and/or outside their courtrooms. There would likely still be prayer in their public schools, if it weren't for the courage of Madeline O'Hair, my favourite atheist. So I imagine one disadvantage to being an (outspoken) atheist is that I'd probably be gunned down in ten minutes if I ventured south of the border! (No offense to the rational Americans living down there.)

I would think the only downside would be when such a philosophy leads to willful ignorance, just like everything else.

What?

First of all, atheism is not a philosophy. It does not assert or prescribe a single thing. My goodness. Conduct a Google search to apprise yourself of the facts.

Further, how could atheism -- the rejection of theism -- possibly lead to ignorance, willful or otherwise?
What a bazaar notion.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

What?

First of all, atheism is not a philosophy. It does not assert or prescribe a single thing. My goodness. Conduct a Google search to apprise yourself of the facts.

It suggests a few things.

For instance, it suggests that anyone waiting for God to swoop down and do whatever it is he wants done is waiting in vain.

I find this to be pretty motivating, personally. However, I do have to combine this realization with humanism to channel it into motivation to help other people.

 

[andys]

It suggests a few things.
For instance, [atheism] suggests that anyone waiting for God to swoop down and do whatever it is he wants done is waiting in vain.

Atheism suggests nothing of the sort. Yet another person in need of an education as to what atheism is, (and is not). Allow me to assume the role the teacher:

"There is, unfortunately, some disagreement about the definition of atheism. It is interesting to note that most of that disagreement comes from theists — atheists themselves tend to agree on what atheism means. Christians in particular dispute the definition used by atheists and insist that atheism means something very different. The broader, and more common, understanding of atheism among atheists is quite simply "not believing in any gods." No claims or denials are made — an atheist is just a person who does not happen to be a theist. Sometimes this broader understanding is called "weak" or "implicit" atheism. Most good, complete dictionaries readily support this." What Is the Definition of Atheism? Dictionaries, Atheists, Freethinkers, and Others on Defining Atheism

There is, however, a certain minority of atheists, like me, who are sometimes referred to as "strong atheists". We go the extra step and aggressively challenge theism and belief in god(s). In the absence of any objective evidence (including even the possibility of objective evidence), we maintain that such the beliefs of theists are indefensible and irrational. The theists' "God does exist" is, for us, entirely groundless and can not, therefore, be judged to be true. Important point: Denying the truth of the assertion "God does exist" does not (logically) entail that the assertion in the negative form (-) "God does not exist" is true. For example, I may feel justified in asserting that the assertion "unicorns do exist" is unfounded and, therefore, is not known to be true. But that does not entitle me (logically) to conclude that the reciprocal negative assertion "unicorns do not exist" is true. Those horny buggers just might be good at hiding.

Therefore, even we strong atheists are (ought to be) careful to avoid making the positive assertion that God does not exist. As I said, atheism is not a philosophy or an "-ism". It does not make a single assertion. Atheism is only a rejection of theism -- a negation of theism.

We atheists simply want nothing to do with theism and its attending supernatural hocus pocus.

I hope this clarifies this matter for you.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The only downside to atheism is missing out on all those pancake suppers down at the church.

 

[nonbeliever_92]

The only downside to atheism is missing out on all those pancake suppers down at the church.

Strangely, on those days I suddenly become Born-again.

 

[Alceste]

The only downside to atheism is missing out on all those pancake suppers down at the church.

Au contraire. It opens up the Sikh and moonie free dinners in addition to the Christian ones. When I was a poor student in Vancouver I could get fed five nights out of seven by five different religions.

 

[Oneatatime]

Religion and its influence on society is the main downside of being an atheist. You are subject to mainly passive but sometime active discrimination, negative stereotyping and are expected to grant religious belief and those who hold those beliefs a level of respect that no political idealogy, politician, scientific theory or scientists could ever expect or even want to have.

 

[Corkscrew]

Atheism suggests nothing of the sort. Yet another person in need of an education as to what atheism is, (and is not). Allow me to assume the role the teacher:

"There is, unfortunately, some disagreement about the definition of atheism. It is interesting to note that most of that disagreement comes from theists — atheists themselves tend to agree on what atheism means. Christians in particular dispute the definition used by atheists and insist that atheism means something very different. The broader, and more common, understanding of atheism among atheists is quite simply "not believing in any gods." No claims or denials are made — an atheist is just a person who does not happen to be a theist. Sometimes this broader understanding is called "weak" or "implicit" atheism. Most good, complete dictionaries readily support this." What Is the Definition of Atheism? Dictionaries, Atheists, Freethinkers, and Others on Defining Atheism

There is, however, a certain minority of atheists, like me, who are sometimes referred to as "strong atheists". We go the extra step and aggressively challenge theism and belief in god(s). In the absence of any objective evidence (including even the possibility of objective evidence), we maintain that such the beliefs of theists are indefensible and irrational. The theists' "God does exist" is, for us, entirely groundless and can not, therefore, be judged to be true. Important point: Denying the truth of the assertion "God does exist" does not (logically) entail that the assertion in the negative form (-) "God does not exist" is true. For example, I may feel justified in asserting that the assertion "unicorns do exist" is unfounded and, therefore, is not known to be true. But that does not entitle me (logically) to conclude that the reciprocal negative assertion "unicorns do not exist" is true. Those horny buggers just might be good at hiding.

Therefore, even we strong atheists are (ought to be) careful to avoid making the positive assertion that God does not exist. As I said, atheism is not a philosophy or an "-ism". It does not make a single assertion. Atheism is only a rejection of theism -- a negation of theism.

We atheists simply want nothing to do with theism and its attending supernatural hocus pocus.

I hope this clarifies this matter for you.

As a “strong atheist”, do you rule out the possibility of an entity, perhaps beyond our comprehension, existing in the universe?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Atheism suggests nothing of the sort. Yet another person in need of an education as to what atheism is, (and is not). Allow me to assume the role the teacher:

I'd rather not.

If you're waiting for a bus, the question of whether your town has transit at all speaks to whether you're wasting your time.

If you're holding out hope for a god to do something, the question of whether any gods exists is relevant in a similar way.

Therefore, even we strong atheists are (ought to be) careful to avoid making the positive assertion that God does not exist. As I said, atheism is not a philosophy or an "-ism". It does not make a single assertion. Atheism is only a rejection of theism -- a negation of theism.

And where do you think the idea came from that God is going to come down and make everything better? Theism.