Is atheism negative thinking?

[gnomon]

Atheists are a product of their own mind.

They will adore it for a while and then treat it like yesterday's toy. Its not that they've made up their mind about God, they are merely waiting for more data to arrive so they can make a decision. They are open, rather than closed. They are not hemmed in by one religious system or another either.

They are actually a plowed field awaiting seed. The waiting is the part you see.



x

You don't even know what the word means.

 

[opensoul7]

Is atheism negative thinking?

I believe it is a way of thinking , not negative thinking.
I am sure that for alot of us who believe in God it could be misconstrued as negative thinking becuase it goes against out way of thinking ,our beliefs. That does not make it so , it is a difference of opinion or belief nothing more.

 

[purplehaze]

I've heard that many people say religious people are sometimes more likely to survive an operation or illness because they are more optimistic, and atheists don't as much because they are pessimistic. I don't think that is true because if you are truly prepared for death :thud: and no afterlife, reincarnation, nirvana, or any other supernatural consiousness, that means religion is more of a wishful thinking thing. Maybe atheists are realists and theists are idealists. Tell me your thoughts!

What does religion have to do with being positive about surviving an operation or illness? As an atheist I've gotten over a few illnesses in my life and a god had nothing to do with it. What does a belief in an afterlife have to do with any of this either? if anything, the hear and now is the afterlife. Before birth and living in the womb was the before life. In all reality, atheists are more positive about life and see it as extremely precious because this is the only life humans will ever experience. That's why we live it to it's fullest. If anything, belief in life after death is what cheapens life here and now. Not to mention some of the fundamentalist extremeism it tends to cause. I think the world would be a lot more at peace without religion. Not only that but the twin towers in NYC might still be standing along with the thousands who were brutally murdered by those religious men of faith on that day.

 

[erasmo]

...In all reality, atheists are more positive about life and see it as extremely precious because this is the only life humans will ever experience.

This is how I think most Athiests see life, though not all. Personally I have a more neutral look on life. I try to ignore the greater extremes and even some of the lesser points but I am not cold and heartless I just don't let my emotions run my life.

As for the comment that Athiests are merely "looking" for the answers or the truth...

I have been told this alot by people I know that I am just looking for the "Light" or that I am lost and that I will convert once I find it...To me this is like saying that thiests are lost and once they realize they are wrong they will become Athiests. Most Athiests and for the most part thiests have made up their mind on what is true for them and they are not looking but if we stumble upon a new "truth" for ourselves than there is no reason to avoid it.

 

[Bronze]

Firstly, your attitude doesnt mean much when your unconcious, i dont think it would decide your survival anyway.

but really, pessimism is wonderful! if your pessimistic, you can only be either correct, or very happy that you were wrong.

Optimists are more predisposed to dissapointment.

but really, i would rather just be realistic, and save the pessimism for when i cant think of a realistic answer.

 

[MSizer]

I hate when people say "but if you reduce things like love to chemical and electrical happenings in your brain, it takes so much away". I've come up with a way of answering that nonsense which annoys a lot of people. I say "if your perception of love is so fragile a bit of understanding threatens to damage it, maybe you need to think about your perception of love". They always hate hearing that. I believe it's true though.

 

[AntEmpire]

"no afterlife, reincarnation, nirvana, or any other supernatural consiousness,"

Atheism means no belief in god, that doesn't necessarily rule out an afterlife/reincarnation/nirvana. And if the atheist's view of a cosmic consciousness is not defined as a deity he/she can believe in one and still be an atheist.

I am an atheist who believes in a thing called OM, OM is everything, it is endless and beyond this universe alone, beyond time and connected to everything. You and I are OM. But I don't believe OM is a being, I don't believe OM is conscious. Magical, yes, but no more that you and I because we are also OM. But I am still an atheist, one who will fully return to being a part of OM when I die.

 

[Dirty Penguin]

Is atheism negative thinking?

We are all born Atheist if you think about it.

 

[SLAMH]

In all reality, atheists are more positive about life and see it as extremely precious because this is the only life humans will ever experience. That's why we live it to it's fullest. If anything, belief in life after death is what cheapens life here and now. Not to mention some of the fundamentalist extremeism it tends to cause. I think the world would be a lot more at peace without religion. .

Well, please talk about your reality, and don't enforce your reality unto others. I'm not saying that theists are more positive, but at the same time you can't say that because atheists don't believe in hereafter then they are more positive. So, how when it comes to encountering difficulties and obstacles, who is more able to survive. I think believers are more able to survive and more able to face obstacles in life and eradicate them. Yet, I'm not saying that is a reality, but it is just a mere opinion.

For believers, the concept of surviving is always changing and not constant. You may lose everything and still look at yourself as you made a victory. Surviving is more to adapt to the new situation than to really end the suffering physically and visibly. It is more like a spiritual state, not means to wait for supernatural power but it is more to know that losing everything here is not a big deal because there is still another life for them to enjoy. Also, doesn't mean to sit, wait and do nothing about it, but to create balance between being realistic about the present situation and being optimistic about the outcome of what you do in order to change it.

 

[SLAMH]

We are all born Atheist if you think about it.

How, and why ??

 

[YmirGF]

How, and why ??

Be truthful now, did you know anything about god before you learned to talk? Do you even remember the time before you could speak?

 

[St Giordano Bruno]

afterlife, reincarnation, nirvana, or any other supernatural consiousness, that means religion is more of a wishful thinking thing. Maybe atheists are realists and theists are idealists. Tell me your thoughts!

It usually only rules out supernatural consciousness or some other conscious existence that is not life as we know it; not necessarily reincarnation. That is optional.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

Consciousness Synonyms, Consciousness Antonyms | Thesaurus.com

27 results for: consciousness

1-10 of 27 results Next »
View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web
Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus - Cite This SourceMain Entry: consciousnessPart of Speech: nounDefinition: knowledgeSynonyms: alertness, apprehension, awareness, care, carefulness, cognizance, concern, heed, heedfulness, mindfulness, realization, recognition, regard, sensibilityAntonyms: ignorance, oblivion, unconsciousnessSource: Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2007 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

woah, consciousness and awareness are synonyms, I didn'y know that

yes quite, it DOES feel goood to be right!:yes:


oh and..

WordNet - Cite This Source
nirvana
noun1. (Hinduism and Buddhism) the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation; characterized by the extinction of desire and suffering and individual consciousness 2. any place of complete bliss and delight and peace [syn: Eden]


WordNet® 2.1, © 2005 Princeton University

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source
nirvana [(neer-[SIZE=+0]vah[/SIZE]-nuh, nur-[SIZE=+0]vah[/SIZE]-nuh)]


In Buddhism, the highest state of consciousness, in which the soul is freed from all desires and attachments.Chapter:] World Literature, Philosophy, and Religion


The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Nirvana | Define Nirvana at Dictionary.com

Oh! Oh! drive by! you got capped!

I can take on the theists with one hand tied behind my back, and the atheists with one foot lame. -Some other agnostic on RF

Make sure you are correct before correcting me.

That last statement you made is interesting. Just because Buddhism and Hinduism share common terms, doesn't mean they believe them the same way. Just quoting from a dictionary, which is obviously wrong, doesn't mean you know what the terms actually mean to each particular belief system. The Buddha took terms like Nirvana, Karma, Samsara, Reincarnation, and the like, from Hindu terminology, and completely redefined them.

 

[SLAMH]

Be truthful now, did you know anything about god before you learned to talk? Do you even remember the time before you could speak?

And did atheists deny the existence of God before they learned to talk ?

And also don't forget agnosticism which is in between. Also someone may argue that all human are born agnostics ? !!.

 

[YmirGF]

And did atheists deny the existence of God before they learned to talk ?

And also don't forget agnosticism which is in between. Also someone may argue that all human are born agnostics ? !!.

I disagree on both counts due to the simple fact that both involve reason and reason is not something that is well formed in the very young. Not knowing or being unaware if far more likely - hence being atheist is more accurate, but even that is not correct. In essence, people are projecting their sense of reason onto the very young and that is not reasonable.

Oh, and for the record, I am one of those who does remember the time before I could speak. I can tell you that those memory snapshots are very dreamlike and devoid of symbols. As best as I can describe, in my child's view the concept of god itself would be utterly alien concept. In light of this, projecting our views onto the very young is, in my opinion, a relatively meaningless gesture.

 

[SLAMH]

I disagree on both counts due to the simple fact that both involve reason and reason is not something that is well formed in the very young. Not knowing or being unaware if far more likely - hence being atheist is more accurate, but even that is not correct. In essence, people are projecting their sense of reason onto the very young and that is not reasonable.

Oh, and for the record, I am one of those who does remember the time before I could speak. I can tell you that those memory snapshots are very dreamlike and devoid of symbols. As best as I can describe, in my child's view the concept of god itself would be utterly alien concept. In light of this, projecting our views onto the very young is, in my opinion, a relatively meaningless gesture.

This really makes sense. Well said.

 

[St Giordano Bruno]

And did atheists deny the existence of God before they learned to talk ?

And also don't forget agnosticism which is in between. Also someone may argue that all human are born agnostics ? !!.

Yes I was born agnostic and from my earliest memory I also had a sense that my life never had a beginning as though I had always existed forever in the past. I was subjectively eternal in other words. It was not until the age of four I acquire a concept of age. God did not enter my vocabulary until the age of 5.

 

[Revoltingest]

I'd say atheism is neutral thinking.

 

[ellenjanuary]

I'd say atheism is neutral thinking.

I do not consider you qualified to speak for atheism. Not only are you a believer; but your god is money, the worst possible god.

 

[Revoltingest]

I do not consider you qualified to speak for atheism. Not only are you a believer; but your god is money, the worst possible god.

Money most certainly is not a god.....it is the bread of life, it is beauty, it is mankind's
greatest achievement.....but it is most definitely a god. (That's cuz it's real.)