The fear of Atheism

[Popeyesays]

A dedication to atheism is a belief structure, because it is taken on faith. It cannot be proved or disproved.

Regards,

Scott

 

[mr.guy]

A dedication to atheism is a belief structure, because it is taken on faith. It cannot be proved or disproved

I think that would be taking it a bit far, frankly.

That atheists can be disposed to certain extended philosophies is often unrelated to sympathy with simple atheistic notions.

 

[mr.guy]

I am an atheist. I do believe that there is no god.

Is unbelief now a belief for the rest of us as well?

I like many, don't believe in fairies.

Is my commonly held disbelief a faith equitible to that of a devout christians persuasion of an existence in god?

Or am i playing a game of semantics?

 

[Magic Man]

Is unbelief now a belief for the rest of us as well?

I like many, don't believe in fairies.

Is my commonly held disbelief a faith equitible to that of a devout christians persuasion of an existence in god?

Or am i playing a game of semantics?

Anything you take as fact is a belief.

 

[mr.guy]

Anything you take as fact is a belief.

And the rejection of facts?

 

[Magic Man]

And the rejection of facts?

Is promoting a different fact.

 

[ravenstrike]

I think that we are talking in circles.
that might be making people afraid of us..

 

[Magic Man]

I think that we are talking in circles.
that might be making people afraid of us..

Basically, when you break it down, there is no such thing as a fact. Everything ends up being a belief. We accept some things as facts because it makes life easier, but to do that we have to assume some things without adequate proof. You can say "I think, therefore I am", but you can't prove to me that you think. At a certain point you just have to take things for granted.

 

[Storm]

Basically, when you break it down, there is no such thing as a fact. Everything ends up being a belief. We accept some things as facts because it makes life easier, but to do that we have to assume some things without adequate proof. You can say "I think, therefore I am", but you can't prove to me that you think. At a certain point you just have to take things for granted.

I take it I convinced you, then?

 

[Magic Man]

I take it I convinced you, then?

I guess you could say that. I guess I decided to look at it differently. Maybe in a philosophical way, you can't technically prove to someone else that you think, but for everyday practical purposes, these things have to be given. :bow:

 

[logician]

Basically, when you break it down, there is no such thing as a fact. Everything ends up being a belief. We accept some things as facts because it makes life easier, but to do that we have to assume some things without adequate proof. You can say "I think, therefore I am", but you can't prove to me that you think. At a certain point you just have to take things for granted.

Then what was I doing the year I took geometry?

 

[sandandfoam]

Does geometry exist in itself or is it merely a projection of the human mind ?

 

[Magic Man]

Then what was I doing the year I took geometry?

You were studying what some people found to be true in most cases that we've experienced.

 

[ravenstrike]

i suppose your right....
but that sounds rather absurd...
i mean, reality is perception
and perception is fluid
thereby
reality is fluid.
things change.
but what does fact being belief have to do with the fear of atheism?
i'm just curious

 

[Magic Man]

i suppose your right....
but that sounds rather absurd...
i mean, reality is perception
and perception is fluid
thereby
reality is fluid.
things change.
but what does fact being belief have to do with the fear of atheism?
i'm just curious

Not a whole lot. That was more in response to the idea that atheism is fact and not a belief.

 

[Smoke]

A dedication to atheism is a belief structure, because it is taken on faith. It cannot be proved or disproved.

Why stop there? Why not describe every disbelief as a belief structure? After all, you're not just a Baha'i, you're also a Non-Christian, a Non-Jew, a Non-Atheist, a Non-Polytheist (encompassing a number of belief structures within itself, including Non-Asatruar, Non-Hellenic Reconstructionist, Non-Khemetic Traditionalist, etc., etc.), an Anunicornist, an Aleprechaunist, and probably a Non-Antidisestablishmentarianist, just for starters.

The fact is, atheism is not a belief structure. Atheists don't share any particular set of beliefs. If we did, it should be a simple matter for you to explain exactly what set of beliefs we all share. But you can't, because there is no set of beliefs we all share. Atheism is not belief, but disbelief. It's not taking anything on faith; it's declining to take something in particular (a belief in deity) on faith.

I honestly don't know whether it's rank dishonesty or an honest incapacity for knowing what they're talking about that makes some believers insist that atheism is a belief system taken on faith, but it's patently false. It is as if I were to insist that Christians, Muslims and Jews are all really atheists.

You don't believe in God.
Yes, we do.
No, you don't. You say you do, but you don't. I know.
​

I could hazard a guess about believers' motives for promoting such falsehood, but suffice it to say that it doesn't reflect very well on their religion.

 

[Storm]

For some - SOME - atheists, it is a belief that there is no God.

 

[Smoke]

For some - SOME - atheists, it is a belief that there is no God.

That's just a semantic game. I can just as easily say that Christianity is disbelief in Hinduism, but that's not what Christianity is; it only describes what Christianity is not.

You can find atheists who disbelieve in god very strongly, who talk about it a lot, who despise the excesses of religion, etc., but I would like very much for you to describe exactly what positive beliefs atheists share.

 

[Magic Man]

For some - SOME - atheists, it is a belief that there is no God.

I would actually say for all atheists. If you are an atheism, your idea is that there is no god. Can you prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt? No. Therefore it's a belief.

Yes, it is a belief that there are no leprechauns, and such. There is no one singular belief structure for atheists, but there is one belief we have in common.

 

[Storm]

That's just a semantic game. I can just as easily say that Christianity is disbelief in Hinduism, but that's not what Christianity is; it only describes what Christianity is not.

You can find atheists who disbelieve in god very strongly, who talk about it a lot, who despise the excesses of religion, etc., but I would like very much for you to describe exactly what positive beliefs atheists share.

You can also find atheists who actively believe that there is no God. They are in no way representative of atheism as a whole - as you point out, no one is - but they do exist.