Why Do You Suppose Athiests Are So Interested In Religion

[michel]

Atheist are closer to god than the people who actually believe in god, cause to believe in god, you have to not believe in him first

Hey, Karl, like other members, I'd love to hear why you believe that ; please do tell us!!

 

[Original Freak]

I didn't read all 5 pages of reply's so I don't know if this has been stated. We live in a prodimently Christian society (here in Canada as well) and the Religious tend to have a goal of Changing that society to meet their beliefs no matter how or what the consiquences. In turn the best way to argue, dispute and fight the battles that matter you need to have an interest in that subject as well as an understanding of it. This also explains why it's said most Atheist know more about the Bible than most Christians.

 

[tkdrocks]

I think non-theists (such as myself) are interested in religion because many of us were raised in it and have an innate interest in human nature. In some ways it is like being interested in a car crash or train wreck.

However, I might not be a good example, I am enthralled with MXC on Spike TV. I like to watch people break their skulls, but I do not want to be a participant.

 

[Tawn]

I think non-theists (such as myself) are interested in religion because many of us were raised in it and have an innate interest in human nature. In some ways it is like being interested in a car crash or train wreck. .

Hehe.. I have to agree. I find it astounding that people can belive in a God. I constantly find it both amazing and scary. In fact I suppose I find it rather fascinating.. and in a way perhaps by challenging these beliefs I might gain some insight as to what they are about. Perhaps they are right.. who knows?

Similarly Im interested in Derren Brown (a psychological illusionist) who is able to control people through their suggestibility. He can make them experience pain, discomfort, paralyse them and even make them see him (Derren) as invisible..

I guess I just find human weakness fascinating..

 

[Yerda]

...Im interested in Derren Brown...

Romantically?

I watched his 'Séance' on T.V. It was interesting to see those people convince themselves (with his help) they were contacting the dead.

 

[Tawn]

Romantically?

Well the beard is quite...
NO! What on earth am I thinking!!! :bonk:
:sarcastic

I watched his 'Séance' on T.V. It was interesting to see those people convince themselves (with his help) they were contacting the dead.

The most interesting thing about the seance was the beginning where he put one of them behind the screen.. theyd throw an object over the screen and have no recollection of even doing so. Then they were shown the video recording of them doing it..

 

[michel]

I have a feeling that atheist like to know - out of sheer nosiness - how the Theists think. Human nature is curious - that is perhaps one of our greater assets; it is what creates the will to discover, to invent, to explore.

There is an opposite to this - I am interested in what atheists think; having met and conversed with atheists, I have been surprised by how paralell our moralities and ethics have been. The 'Religious' bit that I have as a theist is an addendum that the atheist seems to be happy to do without, and, if that satisfies him or her, Good luck ! I say.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Theists are often incensed when Pixies and Unicorns crop up in debates. Whether or not the analogy is appropriate is a different topic, but imagine yourself actually confronting, not some atypical nut case, but a whole culture that earnestly believes in such things. Would not some of you find it astonishing, if not disturbing? Knowing full well that theists can be good or bad, wise or willful, smart or dumb, it is nevertheless difficult for some of us not to view theism as a primitive legacy and mass delusion, often benign, occassionally malignant, but always worthy of concern.

 

[michel]

[QUOTE=Deut. 32.8]Theists are often incensed when Pixies and Unicorns crop up in debates. Whether or not the analogy is appropriate is a different topic, but imagine yourself actually confronting, not some atypical nut case, but a whole culture that earnestly believes in such things. Would not some of you find it astonishing, if not disturbing? Knowing full well that theists can be good or bad, wise or willful, smart or dumb, it is nevertheless difficult for some of us not to view theism as a primitive legacy and mass delusion, often benign, occassionally malignant, but always worthy of concern.[/QUOTE]
That is certainly one way of looking at it. But I consider myself to be open-minded enough to accept the possibility of anything. I remember being in the situation where I felt very 'out of sorts' with my faith, until someone pointed out that had I been living on the other side of the world, my views would have been seen as being 'the norm'.

You almost sound as if you feel responsible for 'our'(Theist) education and saving us from ourselves. I am happy with my beliefs in unicorns and pixies, and I certainly don't wish to be saved by an atheist.

 

[michel]

Having read my last post, I thought my last sentence sounded as a 'put down' of atheists; I certainly didn't mean it that way. Please accept my apologies, you fine atheists!

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Having read my last post, I thought my last sentence sounded as a 'put down' of atheists; I certainly didn't mean it that way. Please accept my apologies, you fine atheists!

I took it as an honest response and certainly took no offense. Note, by the way, that I was discussing my feelings, not attempting to justify them. I have no doubt that I seem blind to many theists. I am also aware that people such as E. O. Wilson (a brilliant scientist who I hold in extremely high esteem) are quite comfotable with their Deism.

 

[Tawn]

I am happy with my beliefs in unicorns and pixies, and I certainly don't wish to be saved by an atheist.

This statement speak volumes about your willingness to challenge your own views.. do you not even accept the possibility of being wrong?

 

[Mr Spinkles]

*MOD POST*

Folks, please keep in mind that this thread is in the "Discuss Individual Religions" forum. It is also located in the "Atheism" subforum. As a result, this thread is for learning and asking questions about atheism only. Just as a reminder: no debate is allowed here. Please keep this in mind, thanks.

 

[Kirkaiya]

I am atheist, and also interested in (some) religions. I liked the quote from Dan Brown's semi-interesting "Angels & Demons" book, by the head of CERN, who says words to the effect of, "You don't have to be suffering from cancer to have a clinical interest in it".

 

[greatcalgarian]

Try this book, and see whether that gives some of the reasons
Why God Won’t Go Away
Andrew Newberg, Eugene D’Aquili, and Vince Pause (2001)
Chapter 3 Brain Architecture
Tracing spiritual experience to neurological behavior does not disprove its realness. If God does exist, for example, and if He appeared to you in some incarnation, you would have no way of experiencing His presence, except as part of a neurologically generated rendition of reality.....
Chapter 4 Myth-making: The Compulsion to Create Stories and Beliefs
The cognitive imperative drives the higher functions of the mind to analyze the perceptions processed by the brain and transform them into a world full of meaning and purpose. By doing so, it has given human beings an unsurpassed genius for adaptation and survival....
Chapter 6 Mysticism: The Biology of Transcendence
14th century German nun Margareta Ebner perceived a wondrous presence “the name of Jesus Christ, was given to me then with such a great fervor of his love…”. Was Sister Margareta really visited by the mystical presence of Jesus in that lonely chapel, seven hundred years ago? Victim of some emotional or psychological imbalance?......
Chapter 7 The Origins of Religion
When philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, in 1885, made his famous proclamation that God was dead, he was saying, of course, that God had never really lived at all. As Marx, Freud, James Frazer, Ludwig Feuerbach, and Bertrand Russell, Nietzsche regarded God as just another vestige of an unscientific past that humanity would soon outgrow, the irrational appeal of religion would simply fade, and God, in all his incarnations, would simply go away. God, however, has not obliged. Are humans clinging to God because they lack the strength and courage to face the world without Him?...
Chapter 8 Realer Than Real
Can all spirituality and any experience of the reality of God be reduced to a fleeting rush of electrochemical blips and flashes, racing along the neural pathways of the brain? Based upon our current understanding of the manner in which the brain turns neural input into the perceptions of human experience, the simplest answer is yes......
Chapter 9 Why God Won’t Go Away
The urge to understand God as a specific, literal being only leads us astray. You should not wish to understand anything about God, for God is beyond all understanding. If I had a God that I could understand, I would not regard him as God. If you understand anything about him, then he is not in it, and by understanding something of him you fall into ignorance. God is by his nature, unknowable. He is not an objective fact, or an actual being; he is, in fact, being itself, the absolute, undifferentiated oneness that is the ground of all existence. When we understand this truth, then all religions connect us to this deeper, divine power. If we fail to understand it and we cling to the comforting images of a personal, knowable God – a God who exists entirely apart from the rest of the creation as a distinct, individual being – we diminish the ultimate realness of God, and reduce his divinity to the stature of the small, “deaf idol” that C.S. Lewis’s poetry so poignantly describes......

 

[tkdrocks]

Atheist are closer to god than the people who actually believe in god, cause to believe in god, you have to not believe in him first

Maybe Karl is on to something here. My belief system ranges from atheist to agnostic to deist depending upon the current barometric pressure as a function of solar flares that impact my psyche measured in micro-theos. In other words, the jury is out for me. I do not believe in a Jehovah or Allah god (way too human in their methods to be original beings). I believe that we have a lifetime to explore evidence. I am not going to take the word of some "prophet" that lived thousands of years ago or sacred writings written by priests with an agenda. (This is known as revealed religion for those of you playing at home.)

Thus, to truly develop a belief system about god or whatever may or may not be out there, all beliefs must be zeroed out and started from scratch. Otherwise, you are just adopting someone else's belief system.

Speaking of adopting someone else's beliefs, what about those that believe in Jesus "just in case there is a hell"? If I were God and I was one of those sinner cooking type, I would turn hell up a few degrees for the "just in case" believer. Talk about disrespecting the rules. I could see the exit interview:

God: "Why did you believe in me? Was it because you saw my works in creation? Was it my everloving mercy?"

Believer: "No, I did not want to go to hell."

God: "That's Okay. I would not want you to have to break a sweat and actually think for yourself. I have a special punishment for you. You are going to hear the rumble of petroleum fire. You will endure the screams of those around you. I am going to sentence you to watching an oval, an oval full of cars going very fast and continuously making left turns. Thats right, since you have decided not to think for yourself, you must endure watching NASCAR for all eternity or until the end of the NBA Finals which ever comes first."

Believer: "So I am going to heaven?"

 

[Pinoy]

Because religion is a part of human culture.

Religion is a part of my nation's culture and heritage. Myths were fueled by religion. Most of our folk songs and epic chants like that of the Ibalons, the Sudsud of the Tagubanuas and the Aliw of the Ifugaos are formed by tribal religious beliefs.

Religion also give nostalgia. It gives color to my predictable daily life. It yeilds wonders on some mysteries I'm pursuing to know.

 

[Pah]

Because religion is a part of human culture.

Religion is a part of my nation's culture and heritage. Myths were fueled by religion. Most of our folk songs and epic chants like that of the Ibalons, the Sudsud of the Tagubanuas and the Aliw of the Ifugaos are formed by tribal religious beliefs.

Religion also give nostalgia. It gives color to my predictable daily life. It yeilds wonders on some mysteries I'm pursuing to know.

Sure doesn't sound like atheism to me. Are you sure you're in the right place?

 

[greatcalgarian]

Sure doesn't sound like atheism to me. Are you sure you're in the right place?

You mean only atheists can voice here?

 

[Pah]

You mean only atheists can voice here?

Generally that's right. Non-Atheists may ask questions but may not present views. That's true for all the forums in Discuss Indivivual Religions