Has anything shaken your choice of atheism?

[9-10ths_Penguin]

My mother recently died from leukemia. During the time while she was in the hospital and during the days up to and including her wake. I had many relatives go on about praying and heaven and so forth. In the end the sad situation if anything, reinforced my stance. There was something deeply insulting about people around me then going on with fictions instead of honoring her life.

I think I went through something similar when my Dad died (of lymphoma, five years ago - I'm sorry about your Mom).

People would tell me that they'd be praying for him. I couldn't help but interpret that as "I'm not going to do anything to actually help, but I will do something to make myself feel a bit better."

I understand why Robert Ingersoll (I think it was Ingersoll) responded to "I'll pray for you" with "I forgive you".

 

[Sententia]

"I forgive you".

That an interesting Response. I wonder what people mean when they say they will pray for someone. Do the believe if they pray then god will personally intervene in everyday affairs because of their prayer or is it more a just something to say...

Do they even then pray at all?

If they do and they don't believe god will intervene then it could be interpreted as a "kind of" self therapy treatment.

But I forgive you... I think that may just be a forgiveness of ignorance but it might be more then that.

 

[laffy_taffy]

Has anyone ever presented an argument that forced you to question your choice of being an atheist?

In the four horsemen this was asked and it was presented that perhaps it is because of the way the west has respected faith and religion that you dont see what is happening on the other side of the pond. That is interesting if you support a milatant or more active atheist argument but has anything ever caused you pause in your beliefs?

I never "chose" to be an atheist. As far as "choosing" to not believe, I have not made that "choice." I was born without a belief in god (atheist) and have never been convinced to leave this state of unbelief (due to the lack of convincing evidence). If anything, my "choice" is to believe in god. Why would I not want a protective father figure to guide me, and to have eternal life? However, I cannot simply "will" myself to believe in something that I am not convinced is trueI Similarly, when I was a child, I never "chose" to believe in Santa, I was convinced to believe based on what my parents told me, seeing santa at the mall, getting presents, etc. However, when I got a little older and started asking questions about santa and saw evidence that he was not real like I had thought, then I no longer believed. I did not "choose" to not believe. If anything, I wanted to believe in Santa more than anything!

 

[laffy_taffy]

yep, and that someone was albert einstein. though with me his argument was presented in a somewhat round about manner which did not envolve a direct conversation with the great one. when talking about his agnosticism, he would often say that the human mind was incapable of knowing about gods, the afterlife and supernatural phenomena. when i called myself an atheist i use to ask myself, "how can anybody know about god either way?" einstein made sense to me in this as he does in many things. though some of those many things i'll just credit him with knowing far more than i do. anyway, i've referred to myself as an agnostic ever since. but i prefer the term humanist but hey, why confuse the issue further huh?

That's funny, because I am an agnostic as well, but make sure to identify as an atheist since the agnosticism label does not give anyone any real information about whether or not I have a belief in god despite not having knowledge of any. All agnostics either have a belief in god (theist/deist) or they lack a belief in god (atheist). I think for discussion purposes, atheism is a more informative label to use. People don't care whether or not you think god can be known. They want to know whether or not you believe in god.

 

[St Giordano Bruno]

The only thing that has shaken my belief in atheism is the redefining the definition of the word "God" as to shift from its traditional definition of a supernatural supreme being, but just as merely some unconscious principle like the personification of the laws of nature or physics. But as for returning back to that old supernatural being such as the Abrahamic God nothing has shaken my disbelief in that, but certainly earlier in my life my belief in such a God was shaken, particularly when Cyclone Tracey hit the city of Darwin on Christmas day 1974 and earlier when an earthquake hit Peru on May 31st 1970.

 

[Aletheia Athanatos]

I'm really curious how all the atheists in the world will come to believe some being as a deity unless he displays really awesome powers that defy the laws of physics at every turn. After that, what would god do that would make others believe him to be the real god, and why would we not just believe him to be a separate god rather than a real one?

Kind of going to the topic (I'm new here ) nothing has shaken my non-belief in deities, though I did grow up religious and had a nice crisis several years back that shook me awake.

Also, if he can make everyone believe (and will do so, for some future generation), then why is it argued that he can't do it now because doing so would trample free will?

Is the free will of that future generation not important?