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How old were you when you stopped being atheist?
- Thread starter cablescavenger
- Start date
cablescavenger
Well-Known Member
:biglaugh:
Draka
Wonder Woman
You would still have to know what is being talked about to have a stance on it. If you don't know what the subject even is then you are ignorant of it and are ignostic, not atheist.
Someone, like a baby or small child, who has no idea what "god" or "deity" even means cannot truly say whether they believe or don't believe. It is only after the idea or concept is explained to them that they can have a stance of belief or disbelief. If you've never put a term or word to a concept in your mind, if you've never even had such a concept creep through your mind, then how would you be able to say it is believable or not until you have heard about it? You may well find, that upon hearing it explained, that it was indeed something you felt or had awareness of and find that you do believe in it.
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mycorrhiza
Well-Known Member
I was 20 when I "converted" to pantheism, which most people would still call atheistic, though. At least I stopped labeling myself as an atheist then.
If we're going to debate in what religion you are born (as on the first page), aren't we all born pantheists, as we do not develop a sense of individuality until later? We're all born believing that we are one, hehe. Excuse my maybe quite faulty understanding of infant cognitive development
If we're going to debate in what religion you are born (as on the first page), aren't we all born pantheists, as we do not develop a sense of individuality until later? We're all born believing that we are one, hehe. Excuse my maybe quite faulty understanding of infant cognitive development
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Why would you be either a theist or an atheist if you don't know the concept of God. In reality, we couldn't be atheist, theist or agnostic if we can't accept, reject, or not be able to make a decision about whether God exists. Atheist is someone who doesn't believe in God- how can you not know you don't believe in God if you've never heard of him. When we are born, we don't anyone exists at first.
But this kind of discussion belongs in Philosophy, I would think.
Kathryn
It was on fire when I laid down on it.
That's the best you got?
Do you have any idea what infants know about their own origins and the beginning of their life? Can you give any sources to back up your knowledge?
If not, it's pure conjecture on your part.
I went through a period of atheism from my early teens to my mid-twenties.
There wasn't any specific thing that brought me back to theism; I just never could shake the idea that there was something more out there. And, in coming back, I re-evaluated what I did believe and ended up moving into a whole new religion and worldview.
There wasn't any specific thing that brought me back to theism; I just never could shake the idea that there was something more out there. And, in coming back, I re-evaluated what I did believe and ended up moving into a whole new religion and worldview.
Erebus
Well-Known Member
Without getting into the baby argument, I became pretty disillusioned with religion in my teens and spent maybe 2-3 years not only as an atheist but a staunch anti-theist. I settled down towards my late teens and gradually became a theist again. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly when I became a theist as I dabbled with pantheism, autotheism and magic.
cablescavenger
Well-Known Member
Draka
I have said it is not a stance, you do not have to know what God is to be called an atheist. It is a label given to you by others if you are ignorant of God, and a label you give yourself if you reject a belief in God.
You do not have to make a decision on a God or even know what God is to be an atheist.
Quite simple really.
cablescavenger
Well-Known Member
Draka
Wonder Woman
And it's quite simple that you are wrong. If you are ignorant of a deity then you are ignostic, you don't even know what the concept of deity refers to even know if you believe or not. And certainly anyone else wouldn't be able to know if you believe or not if you don't even know what they are talking about. Do you know, does anyone know, if you could be considered a cat person if you didn't know what a cat was? You'd have to know what a cat is before you could like or dislike one. Same thing. As I've said, atheism is not the default position when it comes to belief, ignorance is. Only when one is old enough to understand the concept could one be a theist, an atheist, or even agnostic. Until then...you're just ignorant of the deity concept altogether.
Me Myself
Back to my username
Well, what is a God?
What about a being that never dies and is omnipotent?
Cause "mom" was that (least till the boy learned what dead is)
So I doubt a baby was ever 100% godless.
cablescavenger
Well-Known Member
Me Myself
Back to my username
People aren't Gods. That's the final straw, and you are clutching at it.
What is your point supposed to be?
"people are gods" is a existing way of thought. If you think people are gods you are not an atheist.
So yeah, you could say that in that way a baby is not an atheist.
People aren't Gods. That's the final straw, and you are clutching at it.
You don't think a person is a God, but why couldn't a baby? (And, historically, many people have been considered gods, like the Egyptian pharaohs and Jesus.)
Also, I think you may have missed my reply to your response. It's post 50 if you are interested.
What do newborns think about? I don't remember what I thought about when I was a newborn. My first memory I was nearly 2 years old.
For the record, I find this smilie :biglaugh: used when you disagree with people as incredibly rude (I am not talking to one person, several have used it for that purpose). But that is just my opinion.
I agree.
loverOfTruth
Well-Known Member
Actually, I am also interested to know this - given how close Atheists are to Muslims. I know you must be thinking that I am out of my mind. But no kidding. You know what's part of the Islamic testification of Faith ? "There is no god but GOD". So atheists already believe in the first half of the statement ;-).
Same for the agnostics because they already believe there's some sort of God or higher purpose beyond this life and self. So I would like to know from such people, what is it that prevent you from searching for the Truth (is it just the myriad of options or what) once you get over the pride in yourself. If you are serious about this discussion, feel free to PM me cause I don't want to derail the thread to a different topic.
cablescavenger
Well-Known Member
I agree :sorry1: