Why don't you believe in God/s?

[Twilight Hue]

I wonder if that's so. Because it sounds like you're bored from stuff not happening. But let's consider something.

You're not on the street, are you?

You have enough to eat?

You want something you can probably just buy it, not have a Shadow Governor tell you that the People are suffering?

Sometimes it's what's NOT happening that is a miracle. That you can be thankful for.

I don't necessarily disagree in principle.

Anyone should be thankful if they're in a position where they're not oppressed or hungry. :0)

I don't see how that would relate with divinity and or intervention given a person's state of affairs seem to be dependent on conditions and circumstances that they find themselves in.

 

[QuestioningMind]

Atheists, what caused you to stop believing? Or for those who never believed, why not?

Because I've never been presented with sufficient evidence to believe that any god(s) exist.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I wonder if that's so. Because it sounds like you're bored from stuff not happening. But let's consider something.

You're not on the street, are you?

You have enough to eat?

You want something you can probably just buy it, not have a Shadow Governor tell you that the People are suffering?

Sometimes it's what's NOT happening that is a miracle. That you can be thankful for.

That would require you to see yourself as God's favoured due to accident of birth, and see some poor schlub in Africa as...what?

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Atheists, what caused you to stop believing? Or for those who never believed, why not?

It's not quite as simple as this, but cognitive dissonance is not something I cope with well. So picking at inconsistencies or hypocrisy is largely unavoidable.

My response is generally more research than anything. That led to me rejecting religions I'd been exposed to. Initially I probably conflated God and religions I'd been exposed to, so my atheism has a little more consideration to it these days, but that's the short story.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Dieties? Are you overweight?

Deities.

If you cannot spell the word right, it leads us to question whether you really understand its meaning.

Who is 'us'?
Grammatically, you should have said 'me', surely? Though pointing that out does seem fairly trivial and a diversion from the topic at hand, now that I come to think of it.

Ahem...

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

Several reasons, over several years.

Started with the absolute empty not-answers to sincere prayers. But it took years of other minor failures of god to deliver on it's alleged promises to make me look more closely at what I believed.

That made me look around; and it really hit me: there exists on Earth, countless examples of god-preventable evil. The examples of simple negligence on the part of this "loves humanity" being are without number.

If there is a god? It's principle attribute is one of negligence.

Which is exactly the same result, if there was no god at all. Or a god who simply does not care at all (or may even be entirely unaware of humans).

And I realized that the faith I had growing up? Was entirely gone. It wasn't by choice-- I wanted to believe in a caring super-being who watched out for humans. But my nose kept getting rubbed in the fact that god-prevented evil was all over the planet.

If there is a god? I want nothing whatsoever to do with it, or it's "plans".

 

[nPeace]

Mainly because the people who claim to know about God consistently demonstrate a lack of knowledge and understanding.
Oftentimes they don't even understand concepts like "evidence" .

I believe in god. It's religion that I don't find at all credible.
Tom

I'm no atheist, so the question doesn't apply to me. So can I take this opportunity to ask - what do you believe is religion? The reason I am asking is to find out if you put religion and worship in the same bracket.

 

[nPeace]

Evidence, or total lack of..
I was brought up going to church but I started to think about what a god means. It made no sense at all.
Science made sense, it inspired me to ask questions. Religion stopped me asking questions, it was 'set in stone'

I'm just taking this opportunity to find out a few things. I hope you don't mind. Could I ask, in what way did "Religion stopped you asking questions"?

 

[Cacotopia]

Reading the bible, and then taking a world religion class at a relatively early age(6th grade) wait there are other gods? why is this one the only one I should believe in? Speakers coming to my school to denounce other religions. My parents sending me to parochial schools and forcing me to take theology courses. The more I studied the less convinced I was. THe more questions I asked, and the more times they told me not to question the foundation in belief eventually was broken. I will instead reserve my belief until there is sufficient evidence.

 

[nPeace]

Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?

This is a good question.
Did you find the answer?
If science hasn't provided it, then the answer must be there... somewhere.
Didn't the Bible give the answer?
So there is an answer.
If you did see it, It doesn't appear you accepted it. Would you mind saying why?

 

[Valjean]

No actual evidence for a God.
No need for such an extraordinary explanation of why things are as they are.

I'm no atheist, so the question doesn't apply to me. So can I take this opportunity to ask - what do you believe is religion? The reason I am asking is to find out if you put religion and worship in the same bracket.

Religion is a belief or set of beliefs that manifests an ethic among its adherents.

rants.

 

[stvdv]

1: Atheists, what caused you to stop believing? 2: Or for those who never believed, why not?

1:Atheists, what caused you to stop believing?
* Obvious their belief was not based on reality, meaning knowing beyond a doubt out of firsthand own experience or meditation.
* Probably they were gullible and having no real knowledge gave up their belief because of science stories, hell stories; listening to others unbelief.
* Or they became enlightened and realized what they were believing was just not true [highly unlikely; only a small percentage reach this stage]
* ......

2: Or for those who never believed, why not?
* Some atheists say "because of stupid remarks religious people make". Thereby only declaring they are stupid themselves; need I explain, don't think so?
* Some atheists say "because Christians tell I go to hell and other emotional blackmail tactics". Totally valid point there. And great lesson for Christians.
* First of there is no worldly evidence of God. So there is no worldly definition of God. So naturally growing up there would be no thought of God.
* Second they never meditated deep and know for a fact if God exists or not, else they could claim "God does (not) exist".
* Third they never were granted the experience to know the reality.
* Fourth they became enlightened and realized the truth, so there was no need to believe anymore [highly unlikely; only a small percentage reach this stage]

 

[FlyingTeaPot]

Atheists, what caused you to stop believing? Or for those who never believed, why not?

Do you believe in genies? What caused you to stop believing? If you've never believed, why not?

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

This is a good question.
Did you find the answer?

Yes.. If there actually is a god? It's principle attribute is one of absolute indifference.

Evil, in other words.

If science hasn't provided it, then the answer must be there... somewhere.

Why? The answer could be "unknown".

The answer could be "we can't know"

Science isn't about philosophy, so it does not even try to answer where evil comes from.

Didn't the Bible give the answer?

The bible's "answer" is that god is pure evil. But I see that as unlikely-- for there is good in the world.

So there is an answer.

Not in the bible-- it's obviously false.

If you did see it, It doesn't appear you accepted it. Would you mind saying why?

The bible's god is pretty evil, actually. Having read and studied the whole thing, and not just the "pretty" bits? Yeah... the bible has helped to make me the atheist I am today.

 

[Altfish]

I'm just taking this opportunity to find out a few things. I hope you don't mind. Could I ask, in what way did "Religion stopped you asking questions"?

It was a long time ago now, so to be specific and accurate is difficult but we were told "That god created everything". We were told it was beautiful.
But I had just watched my grandma die of throat cancer - that was not beautiful.
God seemed to be taking credit for everything that was good but not the bad things.
When one questioned the vicar, you were told, "God works in mysterious ways" or similar.

Yet, science was the opposite. They weren't afraid to say, "We don't know". They gave beautiful and credible explanations of the way life has evolved. How planets move, how the continents were formed. They discovered new medicines, invented new things, etc.

 

[HonestJoe]

Atheists, what caused you to stop believing? Or for those who never believed, why not?

The same kind of reasons theists don't believe in all the other gods.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Atheists, what caused you to stop believing? Or for those who never believed, why not?

I tried to believe in God for a long time. I just never found the idea to be believable.

Honestly, when I stop and think about it, it's still wild to me that people treat modern religion any more seriously than we generally treat Greek mythology.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Do you believe in genies? What caused you to stop believing? If you've never believed, why not?

I always found it interesting that when we need an example of something ridiculous, we often use religious ideas that have just fallen out of popularity (genies, fairies, leprechauns, Zeus throwing thunderbolts, etc.).

I have no doubt that people will use angels the same way once Christianity becomes less popular.

 

[nPeace]

Religion is a belief or set of beliefs that manifests an ethic among its adherents.

rants.

Oh? Seems there are many varying opinions that are new to me.
So wouldn't that make various scientific theories religion - theories and sets of beliefs - synonyms and related words | Macmillan Dictionary if that's the case?

 

[Windwalker]

Don't really see a need for a God.
I understand some may need a God for emotional support. I'm not judging, if it's their need who am I to tell them otherwise.

Myself, and I imagine many other folks can get through life emotionally healthy without a God.

Such hubris. You think people believe in God for "emotional support"? What about those who are emotionally stable and well-fulfilled who choose to pursue God for "spiritual support"? You don't think spirituality is a real human experience? Do you think spirituality is nothing other than emotionalism?