Can an atheist believe in God?

[Jagella]

Deep inside you feel connected to God but believe it's a lie. To an atheist, you need to shrug off the connection to God as it's part of your emotional attachment of upbringing. To me and maybe some other believers, you got to stop listening to irrational doubt and realize who you are connected to by which you can't even cease remembering and recalling. Take a leap of faith and slay the irrational doubt stemming from the murky uncleanness of your soul.

My theism isn't strong enough to dominate my thoughts at least under normal circumstances. Besides, I prefer living without God. I like the freedom.

 

[Magic Man]

Oh, you have to keep moving the goal post to make it look like your contentions are reasonable.

Nope. No goalposts moved by me. People believe in God because of religion. Nowhere in there does it imply that all religions promote belief in a theistic god. Try again.

Which one of these are most true: the atheist tells the theist what a god is or the theist tells the atheist what a god is?

The theist tells the atheist what a god is. And then the atheist tells the theist it doesn't exist.

[Sigh] Kim Jong-un.

*Sigh* Still not a god. Keep trying, though.

All gods are only theistic in the very broadest sense but when I give you the only definition of gods that has ever existed in any language you say it's too broad? There's the logic of atheism.

The only definition? You mean other than the main definition that's been used for thousands of years? You're the only person I've ever heard of who uses "venerable" as a 100% direct synonym for "God".

I'm going to trip you up on your own ideology. What about lords? Are there any lords?

That doesn't trip me up on anything. Of course there are lords. Lords are not gods.

I've given you multiple examples of gods, I've shown you lists of them that haven't created anything.

You've given me examples of humans, not gods.

HEY! I'm a superior idiot.



No problem. I enjoy them myself.



Oh, well, then. You obviously know what you're talking about. Tell me, what should I make of Exodus 4:16 [To Moses] He will speak for you to the people, and he will be your spokesman, and you will serve as God to him. and Psalm 82:6 [Of the judges] I (God) have said, ‘You are gods, All of you are sons of the Most High.

You should make of it the same thing you make of the rest of the Bible. A collection of writings by various people over the course of multiple centuries that was curated by a small group of people centuries after they were written and then translated into many different language many different times, so that what we have now barely resembles what was originally written and has nothing to say on how various English words should be used.

 

[I Am Hugh]

Nope. No goalposts moved by me. People believe in God because of religion.

That doesn't mean anything, and it isn't logical. If there were no religions there would be no God? Which came first, God or religion?

The theist tells the atheist what a god is. And then the atheist tells the theist it doesn't exist.

It. It doesn't exist. Science can't say it doesn't exist, so how can you? You can be no surer that God doesn't exist than I can be that he does.

*Sigh* Still not a god. Keep trying, though.

The only definition? You mean other than the main definition that's been used for thousands of years? You're the only person I've ever heard of who uses "venerable" as a 100% direct synonym for "God".

Except for Wikipedia and Oxford Dictionary, the first I linked to on the word God and the second I quoted the definition of.

That doesn't trip me up on anything. Of course there are lords. Lords are not gods.

Well, then, there you go! Don't think Jehovah God doesn't exist, think Sovereign Lord Jehovah does. Duh.

You've given me examples of humans, not gods.

Humans are gods, I gave you lots of examples.

You should make of it the same thing you make of the rest of the Bible. A collection of writings by various people over the course of multiple centuries that was curated by a small group of people centuries after they were written and then translated into many different language many different times, so that what we have now barely resembles what was originally written and has nothing to say on how various English words should be used.

Same ol' atheist propaganda. Still not anywhere remotely near the truth. Demonstrably not true, but what would be the point?

 

[InChrist]

Most people I've discussed God with, especially Christians in online forums, assume that I'm an atheist even though I no longer label myself that way. I ask a lot of questions about theism and religion and expect honest, sensible answers, but I don't tell them I'm an atheist. I also have what I think are convincing arguments that Gods are human creations and that miracles don't happen.

So what's going on with me? As odd as it might sound, in a way it seems that yes, I do believe in God. I was a Christian into my early twenties having been Roman Catholic and then evangelical. I don't think I ever completely shook all that indoctrination. Although belief in God is obviously irrational and delusional, there is a part of my psyche that includes some theism. Evidently human cognition can be inconsistent holding contradictory views. What we reason and what we feel can be quite different.

So yes, I think an atheist can believe in God. To smooth over that paradox, let's say that an atheist reasons that no Gods exist, but belief is another matter. So let me say that I'm a "rational atheist" in that I doubt God based on reason rather than lack of belief. Or to dispense with theistic labels completely, let's say I'm a "truth seeker" who has found that belief in God is to believe a lie.

I think the idea that an atheist can believe in God is an oxymoron. To believe something is to consider it to be true and real.

 

[Magic Man]

That doesn't mean anything, and it isn't logical. If there were no religions there would be no God? Which came first, God or religion?

It means a lot and is perfectly logical. People believe in God because of religion.

It. It doesn't exist. Science can't say it doesn't exist, so how can you? You can be no surer that God doesn't exist than I can be that he does.

Science can say it doesn't exist, and so can I. Whether or not you are sure your god exists is irrelevant. It doesnt.

Except for Wikipedia and Oxford Dictionary, the first I linked to on the word God and the second I quoted the definition of.

I don't know what this is supposed to mean. the fact remains I'm using the main definition that's been used for many centuries. You're using one that only you use.

Well, then, there you go! Don't think Jehovah God doesn't exist, think Sovereign Lord Jehovah does. Duh.

Changing the term you use for something doesn't change whether that something exists. If you call a unicorn a person, unicorns still wouldn't exist.

Humans are gods, I gave you lots of examples.

Humans are not gods. Your examples were wrong.

Same ol' atheist propaganda. Still not anywhere remotely near the truth. Demonstrably not true, but what would be the point?

I mean, I guess when you don't have an actual argument all you can do is say "nuh uh!" and call stuff you don't like propaganda. But if that's all you're going to do, it would be better not to waste our time.

 

[Jagella]

I think the idea that an atheist can believe in God is an oxymoron. To believe something is to consider it to be true and real.

That's a category error. The term oxymoron refers to terms not people. Terms can be self contradictory but not people. It's common for people to have contradictory thoughts and feelings. That's why an atheist can have some belief in a God.

 

[McBell]

That's a category error.

Nope.

The term oxymoron refers to terms not people.

the poster in question did not refer to a person as an oxymoron.
They referred to the IDEA of Theistic Atheist as an oxymoron.

Terms can be self contradictory but not people.

Irrelevant since so no one said that a person is an oxymoron.

It's common for people to have contradictory thoughts and feelings.

Agreed.

That's why an atheist can have some belief in a God.

Nope.
If there is a belief in god they can not, by the very definition of the word atheist, be an atheist.

And it matters not how long you have your fingers in your ears jumping up and down screaming "theistic atheist".