How Many Athiest if any Have "Moments of Doubt"

[Father Heathen]

So your stuck in the middle huh?...Does that suck?..Or do you just seek out answers?

Love

Dallas

Well, I think what he is saying is that atheists believe the existence of a god is improbable, but not impossible. So in other words there could be one, but we don't believe there is. For example there could be a million dollars stuffed in my mailbox, but given how unlikely that is, I'm not expecting it.

 

[DallasApple]

I have moments when I desperately wish there was a benevolent god, moments when the idea of oblivion scares the living **** out of me, but it never makes me believe, as comforting as that would be.

Dont worry..sometimes its not so comforting. :no:

Love

Dallas

 

[DallasApple]

Well, I think what he is saying is that atheists believe the existence of a god is improbable, but not impossible. So in other words there could be one, but we don't believe there is. For example there could be a million dollars stuffed in my mailbox, but given how unlikely that is, I'm not expecting it.

I see well one of the guys here says he never doubts..Like he's 100% possitive there is no God and Im assuming after life..Gay Athiest...So I guess it depends on the person like all other beliefs..

Love

Dallas

 

[texan1]

Your blessed then..

Sometimes Im tortured and confused and afraid.

And Im the opposite of you..It seems these times of "what ifs' or "doubt" are increasing in frequency and in lenght..I feel like the worst Christian in the world..Sometimes I feel like I dont even know what I believe anymore..The one consistant is I love Jesus..The rest goes around and around in my head swirling and tumbling...WAHHH!!

Love

Dallas

I wouldn't say you were a bad Christian. Even the most devout followers have doubt at times. And you certainly have nothing to lose by believing in the peaceful teachings of Jesus Christ.

 

[texan1]

Thanks ya'll...

I figured most have doubt..But i was just curious what that felt like for an athiest.Oddly the way its been described by some of ya'll especially Hexaqua is almost identical to how I feel..It just further enhances my belief how very similar but at the same time unique all people are..No matter what we believe or dont believe.Its a comforting feeling.We are all just people trying to figure things out.

Blessings

Dallas

Ain't it the truth!

 

[DallasApple]

Ain't it the truth!

Yes mam...:yes:

Love

Dallas

P.S when is your little one due?

 

[texan1]

He is due July 5th. I'm so excited! And my sister is due in August. And my sister in-law is due in September.(Those copy-catters!) My parents are a little overwhelmed! They are going to have grandbabies all over the place!

 

[Fluffy]

So your stuck in the middle huh?...Does that suck?..Or do you just seek out answers?

I'm more of a seeking out answers kind of guy. The only reason why it sucks is the term "atheist" because although, it seems to me, that the majority of people who call themselves atheist are in this "middle place", everyone else believes atheism to mean the certain assertion that there is no god. When I explain the way I feel, people say to me "Well you aren't really an atheist then, you are agnostic" as if they knew my beliefs better than me. At times like those, I do feel quite frustrated because I couldn't imagine walking up to, say, an LDS or Universalist and saying "Well you aren't really a Christian then are you?"

Because I am interested in this kind of thing, the journey is just as enjoyable to me as the destination regardless of what that destination may be.

 

[Father Heathen]

I'm more of a seeking out answers kind of guy. The only reason why it sucks is the term "atheist" because although, it seems to me, that the majority of people who call themselves atheist are in this "middle place", everyone else believes atheism to mean the certain assertion that there is no god. When I explain the way I feel, people say to me "Well you aren't really an atheist then, you are agnostic" as if they knew my beliefs better than me. At times like those, I do feel quite frustrated because I couldn't imagine walking up to, say, an LDS or Universalist and saying "Well you aren't really a Christian then are you?"

Because I am interested in this kind of thing, the journey is just as enjoyable to me as the destination regardless of what that destination may be.

The problem is some people don't understand that you can be certain about something without rejecting the possibility that the opposite might be true. That doesn't make you undecided; i.e. agnostic.

 

[Fluffy]

The problem is some people don't understand that you can be certain about something without rejecting the possibility that the opposite might be true. That doesn't make you undecided; i.e. agnostic.

Hmmm to be honest with you, I'm not really sure how you can be certain about something without rejecting the possibility that the opposite might be true. Perhaps we have a different understanding of the word "certain"?

I feel that if a person says "I am certain about X" then they are saying that have 100% confidence that X is true and this can, surely, only be justified if they also think that X has a 100% chance of being true. If X only has a 99% chance of being true then they should only have 99% confidence in X and then how can they be said to be certain?

Edit: I suppose one could simply believe that X has a chance of being true that is less than 100% but still have 100% confidence is X. I just don't understand why a person would feel this way. Fair play to them if that is how they feel, though.

 

[Booko]

I think its so fascinating when an athiest aquires spirtual belief..Its seems its much more frequent for it to be the other way around..I dont know that to be a fact it just seems that way ...

I dunno, DA. I've known more theists who became atheist than the other way around. Could just be an accident of who we happen to have run into.

It could be that said theists were more "raised in a religion" than were really theists because they chose it for themselves.

 

[DallasApple]

He is due July 5th. I'm so excited! And my sister is due in August. And my sister in-law is due in September.(Those copy-catters!) My parents are a little overwhelmed! They are going to have grandbabies all over the place!

TRIPLETS!!! Are ya'll close? That will be cool if they can grow up together..Awesome!

Love

Dallas

 

[DallasApple]

I dunno, DA. I've known more theists who became atheist than the other way around. Could just be an accident of who we happen to have run into.

It could be that said theists were more "raised in a religion" than were really theists because they chose it for themselves.

So you have noticed that too? More believers going athiest..Than the other way around?...Maybe we shouldnt force things on our children..One way or the other.

Love

Dallas

 

[Father Heathen]

Hmmm to be honest with you, I'm not really sure how you can be certain about something without rejecting the possibility that the opposite might be true. Perhaps we have a different understanding of the word "certain"?

I feel that if a person says "I am certain about X" then they are saying that have 100% confidence that X is true and this can, surely, only be justified if they also think that X has a 100% chance of being true. If X only has a 99% chance of being true then they should only have 99% confidence in X and then how can they be said to be certain?

Edit: I suppose one could simply believe that X has a chance of being true that is less than 100% but still have 100% confidence is X. I just don't understand why a person would feel this way. Fair play to them if that is how they feel, though.

Let's say I had a pile of phone books from around the world. I could grab one at random, then blindly pick a number out of it. It's possible that I might pick yours, but the probability is so remote that you could be certain I wouldn't, right?

 

[whereismynotecard]

I don't have moments of doubt about what I believe in, but all the time I have moments when I doubt myself. I think, "Am I doing the right thing with my life? Do I really want to be a teacher? Maybe I should just go to Australia, and just see what happens......"

 

[Dirty Penguin]

Im just curious..I have moments of doubt..They are usually brief..But sometimes for days..Then I always go back to being convinced and 100% positive there is a God.

Do Athiest do this in reverse?..Wonder if they are wrong?..And if so does it frighten you?..Because it frightens me when I feel unsure..

Blessings

Dallas

Not me...

 

[Fluffy]

Let's say I had a pile of phone books from around the world. I could grab one at random, then blindly pick a number out of it. It's possible that I might pick yours, but the probability is so remote that you could be certain I wouldn't, right?

No I couldn't be certain because "the probability is so remote" means "there is a slim probability" whilst "certain" means "there is no probability". I agree that in general conversation I would use the word "certain" to mean something a bit more lax than absolute certainty but I feel that describing my beliefs as "certain" is inaccurate, not sufficiently rigorous and often confusing to people who aren't atheists when I am explaining to them what atheism is.

 

[whereismynotecard]

No I couldn't be certain because "the probability is so remote" means "there is a slim probability" whilst "certain" means "there is no probability". I agree that in general conversation I would use the word "certain" to mean something a bit more lax than absolute certainty but I feel that describing my beliefs as "certain" is inaccurate, not sufficiently rigorous and often confusing to people who aren't atheists when I am explaining to them what atheism is.

Yeah... it wouldn't technically be certainty... It would be more like, "I'm pretty fricken sure that I won't choose your phone number, but not absolutely 100% positive... Very most likely not, but not definately..."

 

[Father Heathen]

No I couldn't be certain because "the probability is so remote" means "there is a slim probability" whilst "certain" means "there is no probability". I agree that in general conversation I would use the word "certain" to mean something a bit more lax than absolute certainty but I feel that describing my beliefs as "certain" is inaccurate, not sufficiently rigorous and often confusing to people who aren't atheists when I am explaining to them what atheism is.

My point was you can have a belief based on probabilities rather than possibilities.

 

[Fluffy]

My point was you can have a belief based on probabilities rather than possibilities.

Yes I fully agree with you there. However if we understand certainty to mean "I have no doubt in X" and yet X is recognised to be actually only 99.9% likely then I do not understand why a person would not have 0.01% doubt in that belief.