can you believe in god and not believe in God at the same time?

[SalixIncendium]

I was just wondering if it's possible to be a theist and an atheist simultaneously at the same exact time.

I wouldn't say one can be both, but one can be neither.

Transtheism - Wikipedia

 

[SalixIncendium]

I greatly enjoyed this book a few years ago, it resonates with me.

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Atheist-Who-Believes-God/dp/149595501X

Interesting title. Can you give us a synopsis?

 

[Samantha Rinne]

I was just wondering if it's possible to be a theist and an atheist simultaneously at the same exact time.

It's usually called agnosticism.

Of course, there are other options.

Maltheism is the notion that God exists but we won't believe in him, because he's evil. Anti-theism is a similar belief set.

There's pantheism. God exists, but it does no good to worship him because he's the universe. And there's panentheism, the notion that God is kinda personally inside everything.

There's deism, the idea that God made the universe then kinda took a nap or something, rather than being directly involved in things.

Buddhism and Taoism are in special categories for religion, as Buddhism is ostensibly atheist but believes in a soet of complex spiritual growth system, and Taoism believes in a sort of theory of complimentary opposites so theism and atheism are kinda both compatible with Taoism.

 

[ChristineM]

I was just wondering if it's possible to be a theist and an atheist simultaneously at the same exact time.

My thought here is agnostic, not atheist.

An atheist is a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods. Disbelief and belief don't have a lot of leeway for overlap.

An agnostic is someone who thinks there may or may not be gods because there is no evidence either way.

 

[chinu]

We might like to understand what makes a particular believer though.

And further what's wrong, if theist like to understand the PURPOSE behind atheist's curiosity ?

The owner of the house holds the right to ask PURPOSE, before letting stranger to enter his home.

 

[syo]

I was just wondering if it's possible to be a theist and an atheist simultaneously at the same exact time.

It depends. How one views God?

 

[Mock Turtle]

And further what's wrong, if theist like to understand the PURPOSE behind atheist's curiosity ?

The owner of the house holds the right to ask PURPOSE, before letting stranger to enter his home.

You don't think it rather obvious why many might be interested - given that there isn't the 'one religion' or the 'one god', and many of such have impacts all around the world? The religious here should be grateful perhaps to have people who are willing to question properly rather than the incestuous goings on that occurs on many forums.

 

[chinu]

You don't think it rather obvious why many might be interested - given that there isn't the 'one religion' or the 'one god', and many of such have impacts all around the world? The religious here should be grateful perhaps to have people who are willing to question properly rather than the incestuous goings on that occurs on many forums.

Asking for the PURPOSE doesn't mean that one is NOT welcomed.

One is welcomed in a country. But, yes he/she need to write down the PURPOSE before entering that country. its a normal practice.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Asking for the PURPOSE doesn't mean that one is NOT welcomed.

One is welcomed in a country. But, yes he/she need to write down the PURPOSE before entering that country. its a normal practice.

But I'm not entering a country. I don't have to give a reason for joining any forum. Called freedom of speech I believe. I've given my reasons elsewhere - mainly to understand what makes some believe in certain things and others, apparently having similar but different beliefs, to believe differently, and even why so many of us don't believe such. Apart from the forum being a lot of other things, and a lot better than many for being such.

 

[Left Coast]

Interesting title. Can you give us a synopsis?

Frank Schaeffer is a former Evangelical fundamentalist who converted to Eastern Orthodoxy and eventually became an atheist. He still prays (particularly the Jesus Prayer) and attends an Orthodox parish, but describes how he is basically of two conflicting minds on the subject.

 

[loverofhumanity]

I was just wondering if it's possible to be a theist and an atheist simultaneously at the same exact time.

Not really. For instance, light exists and darkness does not for what we perceive as darkness has no real substance but is the absence of light. It’s like trying to believe in ‘nothingness’ which is an impossibility, because nothingness is not in existence to be believed.

 

[HonestJoe]

I was just wondering if it's possible to be a theist and an atheist simultaneously at the same exact time.

Of course not, they're literally direct opposites. Lots of people will play all sorts of syntactic games to try to spin the words to mean something different (usually to attack or condemn other people) but once you start that the words become meaningless and pointless.

If you want to say what you believe, just say what you believe.

 

[stvdv]

I was just wondering if it's possible to be a theist and an atheist simultaneously at the same exact time.

can you believe in god and not believe in God at the same time?

I believe in God, I do not believe in god
So, I guess some believe the other way around

 

[Valjean]

can you believe in god and not believe in God at the same time?

I believe in God, I do not believe in god
So, I guess some believe the other way around

If, as Vedanta holds, there are multiple, layered realities, one may contain a god, and another not. I may dream of a god or a unicorn, for example, but on waking to the next reality, I'll find they're gone.

 

[tayla]

I was just wondering if it's possible to be a theist and an atheist simultaneously at the same exact time.

Probably so depending on your definition of the words "belief", "atheist", and "theist".