Why Atheists Don’t Really Exist

[blü 2]

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But for Hutson and others who are perplexed at the dogged persistence of “magical thinking,” it gets worse. Hutson cites studies that show the persistent belief in God is not merely understood as some distant Deistic First Cause but, rather, of a God who cares, a God who judges and a God who might punish. Deep in our bones we are intrinsically theistic. He writes, “Even atheists seem to fear a higher power. A study published last year found that self-identified nonbelievers began to sweat when reading aloud sentences asking God to do terrible things (‘I dare God to make my parents drown’). Not only that, they stressed out just as much as believers did.”
Why Atheists Don’t Really Exist

It seems it is hard to escape the primal feeling that there is something out there we'd rather not **** off.

I'd have the same reluctance to say out loud, "May X, a person I love, be killed today in a car accident!"

So I'd be more interested in the report if a non-God test was run parallel to the God test, so we could compare results.

In other words, it seems to me that the problem is with the sentiment itself, regardless of the intended killer.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Christianity is the single greatest influence on western culture, so it's not easy for atheists having to live within a culture that is immersed in superstitions about invisible gods and such.

And it’s not always easy for a spiritually inclined person to live in a culture immersed in materialism and the love of money.

The answer i believe, is not that we demand other people should think like us, but rather that we learn to accept them as they are.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I qualified the word atheist with the word many. So clearly not all, not even most.

You may note that when I draw attention to the atheist attack squads who frequent this forum, I am always at pains to point out that it’s a small subset of the atheist population.

The more vociferous atheist crusaders do seem less numerous of late, perhaps that’s why some of the more moderate atheists claim not to even notice their existence.

Perhaps because those proselytizing for religious beliefs are fewer in numbers too. Action - Reaction.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Perhaps because those proselytizing for religious beliefs are fewer in numbers too. Action - Reaction.

Yeah, could be that

 

[exchemist]

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But for Hutson and others who are perplexed at the dogged persistence of “magical thinking,” it gets worse. Hutson cites studies that show the persistent belief in God is not merely understood as some distant Deistic First Cause but, rather, of a God who cares, a God who judges and a God who might punish. Deep in our bones we are intrinsically theistic. He writes, “Even atheists seem to fear a higher power. A study published last year found that self-identified nonbelievers began to sweat when reading aloud sentences asking God to do terrible things (‘I dare God to make my parents drown’). Not only that, they stressed out just as much as believers did.”
Why Atheists Don’t Really Exist

It seems it is hard to escape the primal feeling that there is something out there we'd rather not **** off.

I see that, appropriately enough, the author of this piece lectures at Assumption College.

The Atlantic article on which this is based is behind a paywall but I did find this, in Forbes, from 2012 referring to a book Hutson had written about all this: Superstitions And Magical Thinking: How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Sane

This makes the point that superstitions, and beliefs in some higher power or destiny, are ubiquitous in the human race.

It often amuses me to note that as conventional religious observance has declined, we have seen the rise of all sort of New Age crystals-and-stuff and, with the decline of religious prayer and meditation, a rise in "mindfulness", the latter now becoming virtually an industry. (We even had invited speakers at my son's school hawking this, at one stage.)

But I think the author of your piece stretches things a great deal too far by claiming there are therefore no atheists.

 

[ChristineM]

It seems it is hard to escape the primal feeling that there is something out there we'd rather not **** off.

I think otherwise
The chances of a universe creating god creature seem so remote to be none existent. A super advanced alien creature would have such difficulty finding us among the billions pf stars in billions of galaxies and effecting us in any way to be a very remote possibility to be not worth thinking about.

And im happy to say i am s full on atheist and i really exist

 

[RestlessSoul]

I think otherwise
The chances of a universe creating god creature seem so remote to be none existent. A super advanced alien creature would have such difficulty finding us among the billions pf stars in billions of galaxies and effecting us in any way to be a very remote possibility to be not worth thinking about.

And im happy to say i am s full on atheist and i really exist

Can you prove you exist?

 

[Heyo]

Can you prove you exist?

I like to discuss that question in person - when I have the possibility to drop a brick on your foot.

 

[blü 2]

Can you prove you exist?

If by 'prove' you mean, 'demonstrate on the balance of probabilities', I think so.

If you mean 'prove absolutely', where I'd have to demonstrate that I wasn't a dream in the brain of a superbeing, or an element in a hyper-Tron game,or &c &c, I don't think so.

 

[RestlessSoul]

I like to discuss that question in person - when I have the possibility to drop a brick on your foot.

You have to resort to violence to prove your existence?

 

[RestlessSoul]

If by 'prove' you mean, 'demonstrate on the balance of probabilities', I think so.

If you mean 'prove absolutely', where I'd have to demonstrate that I wasn't a dream in the brain of a superbeing, or an element in a hyper-Tron game,or &c &c, I don't think so.

Most people who question their own existence are happy enough with ‘cogito ergo sum’.

But can you prove you are awake, and not dreaming?

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I'm aware of atheists that are religious, like atheo pagans or some kinds of buddhists, but are you talking about spiritual atheists? I don't really consider spirituality the same thing as practicing a religion

Here:

What is Religion?

www.qcc.cuny.edu

"... Religion is the most comprehensive and intensive manner of valuing known to human beings. ..."

Notice what you did as for the bold in your answer. Well, the short version is that I consider it differently. Now if you want to play which one is most objective and rational we can do that.

 

[Revoltingest]

Maybe you should consider moving to the developed world.

Ain't no place perfect.
Warts & all, Ameristan is better than the others.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Ain't no place perfect.
Warts & all, Ameristan is better than the others.

Well, it is better for you as you. I get that.

 

[Revoltingest]

Well, it is better for you as you. I get that.

"Better for me" means simply better for all.
But I recognize that many people need
inferior countries for various reasons.

 

[Nakosis]

I think otherwise
The chances of a universe creating god creature seem so remote to be none existent. A super advanced alien creature would have such difficulty finding us among the billions pf stars in billions of galaxies and effecting us in any way to be a very remote possibility to be not worth thinking about.

And im happy to say i am s full on atheist and i really exist

You start out as an exception, and further distance yourself from the pack in you exceptionalism.

 

[Nakosis]

I see that, appropriately enough, the author of this piece lectures at Assumption College.

The Atlantic article on which this is based is behind a paywall but I did find this, in Forbes, from 2012 referring to a book Hutson had written about all this: Superstitions And Magical Thinking: How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Sane

This makes the point that superstitions, and beliefs in some higher power or destiny, are ubiquitous in the human race.

It often amuses me to note that as conventional religious observance has declined, we have seen the rise of all sort of New Age crystals-and-stuff and, with the decline of religious prayer and meditation, a rise in "mindfulness", the latter now becoming virtually an industry. (We even had invited speakers at my son's school hawking this, at one stage.)

But I think the author of your piece stretches things a great deal too far by claiming there are therefore no atheists.

Yes but you got to create a headline folks will click on.

 

[Nakosis]

I'd have the same reluctance to say out loud, "May X, a person I love, be killed today in a car accident!"

So I'd be more interested in the report if a non-God test was run parallel to the God test, so we could compare results.

In other words, it seems to me that the problem is with the sentiment itself, regardless of the intended killer.

Yes well it was more about magical thinking than whether you believe in God or not.
Maybe the thought is that atheists connect God to magical thinking yet engage in it themselves.

 

[blü 2]

Most people who question their own existence are happy enough with ‘cogito ergo sum’.

But can you prove you are awake, and not dreaming?

Prove to whom? As you and René said, cogito ergo sum will serve as an axiom since no more strict demonstration except one's personal sense of self is available.

I have three axioms, three assumptions, which are assumptions because they can't be shown to be correct without first assuming they're already correct ─ that a world exists external to me, that my senses are capable of informing me of that world, and that reason is a valid tool. And on that basis I've grown up, had adventures, married, raised three kids, have grandkids, have had my share of grief, my share of success and failure, have very little to complain about overall, and suspect that I'm following a script that evolution has placed, to a greater or lesser extent, in everyone's head, including mine.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

An elderly lady friend of mine said that when real trouble knocks on our door, everyone prays for help regardless of whether they claim to believe or not.

This certainly isn't true for me. When real trouble comes, *I* try to help.

When I hear people say stuff like this, or "there are no atheists in foxholes," I think it says more about them than about atheists. I hear what they're saying as "I'm so stuck in my own assumptions that I can't even relate to the viewpoints of people who don't share them"