What Makes People NOT believe In God? (Atheists Come!)

By the way, this...

Quote:

Stating that "thoughts" and "mind" and "emotions" are abstract concepts, and only abstract concepts, and therefore evidence of "spirit," is to willfully ignore the physiology of the physical organ which is the brain.

...is more assuming on your part. I am not willfully ignoring anything. I can say that a car moves forward, and if I fail to mention the engine, am I willfully ignoring the physical element that makes the car move? No. And I think you would agree that there is a big difference between movement and the engine that causes it. Similarly there is a big difference between the brain and the mind. They are closely linked. I do not presume to know exactly how. You seem to though, and that has to be based on what you believe. Or are you willfully ignoring the fact that science doesn't have all the answers yet?

Try this for an assumption: Instead of assuming that you know what I mean when I say "spiritual", try to assume that your application of the word is off in this context.
I am not talking about ghosts, god or a magic force. I am talking about abstract concepts and constructs we create and maintain. Here's a phrase that might shed some light on it: In the spirit of christmas we gather 'round the tree and give thanks for the good things we have.

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Cyracuz wrote:

By the way, this...

Quote:
Stating that "thoughts" and "mind" and "emotions" are abstract concepts, and only abstract concepts, and therefore evidence of "spirit," is to willfully ignore the physiology of the physical organ which is the brain.

...is more assuming on your part. I am not willfully ignoring anything. I can say that a car moves forward, and if I fail to mention the engine, am I willfully ignoring the physical element that makes the car move? No. And I think you would agree that there is a big difference between movement and the engine that causes it. Similarly there is a big difference between the brain and the mind. They are closely linked. I do not presume to know exactly how. You seem to though, and that has to be based on what you believe. Or are you willfully ignoring the fact that science doesn't have all the answers yet?

Try this for an assumption: Instead of assuming that you know what I mean when I say "spiritual", try to assume that your application of the word is off in this context.
I am not talking about ghosts, god or a magic force. I am talking about abstract concepts and constructs we create and maintain. Here's a phrase that might shed some light on it: In the spirit of christmas we gather 'round the tree and give thanks for the good things we have.

Do you give thanks?

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That I do. Though not to anyone in particular, except when gratitude is due, of course. But from time to time I am reminded of just how good life is, and that gives me a feeling of gratitude that can be very inspiring.

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mesquite wrote:

Do I ever send you on wild goose chases neo?

Could you repeat that? I can't hear with all this flappin'.

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I suspect that you peeked.

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:wink:

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I'm atheist because there's no proof of it.
I also realized at a younger age that people created God as a purpose for their existence. People created religion. People created God, not the other way around. The first bible was written BY A PERSON. And people lie to gain power all the time, and that doesn't change. I am torn between what religion is though. Just a cult, or is it a faith? Or both?

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Why do I not share the Christians' belief in an anthropomorphic God? It's because it makes no sense FOR ME. But it's not because they have not proven His existence. How could such a proposition be proven? It's too absurd for either falsification or substantiation.

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I've learned, from living with a devout Catholic, that certain beliefs (that make no sense to me at all and defy my understanding of logic) make perfect and logical sense to another person who probably scored 150 on the Stanford Binet. It makes no difference to me how one "proves" there is a god...suffice it to say that the proof works for them.

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@Cyracuz,

Cyracuz wrote:

To support an incorrect idea, wether you know it or not, allowing the lie to spread under the guise of truth, makes you a liar, wether you know it or not.

If you push a crate down a cliff just to watch it shatter on the rocks, that might be ok. But if there is a man inside, and you don't know about it, it still doesn't alter the fact that you killed him, regardless of wether or not you knew he was there.

However it is the difference between Murder and Manslaughter--TO LIE
involves some to attempt to deceive. Once we believed the world was flat, being wrong does not make one a liar. The Child who believes in Santa is not a liar.

1 Reply

@duce,

I agree, there's a difference between telling the truth and speaking truthfully.

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@thethinkfactory,

There are 4 ways -- There is a God --- there is no God --- I don't know -- what the hell you talking about.

1 Reply

@lightfoot,

Lightfoot, my position is the forth. That's MY form of atheism. I do not, as in the second, believe in a NoGod; and I do not hold the view that there may be or may not be (a 50-50 proposition) a God as in position three.
It just doesn't make any sense for me, as in number four.

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@Rosslyn,

I used to believe in God but after everything that has happened to me I just lost faith. I believe in Heaven and Hell (if possiable xD) but not God. The reason why "I" think this is not because lack of evidence its because people ALWAYS say "god helped me" or "If you Sin blah blah" "God works in weird ways" or even "God loves us" but if God "loved" us so much why are we in war? Why are people getting killed everyday? WHY do people who are soooo nice and good be the ones that get tortured the most?! I just think that if god was so powerful why doesnt he help people more? Thats my opinion at least

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@Animerox78,

Animerox78, I find your reasoning interesting: it is purely moral. You seem to disbelieve in God because he doesn't deserve it.
You might convince someone with that reasoning that God is bad, but not that He doesn't exist.

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@Animerox78,

Animerox78, I find your reasoning interesting: it is purely moral. You seem to disbelieve in God because he doesn't deserve it.
You might convince someone with that reasoning that God is bad, but not that He doesn't exist.

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An acquaintance told me that, if some hoped-for good happened to him when he was a child, he believed that god had answered his prayers. Whereas, if there was a bad outcome or happening, he must have acted in such a way as to displease god. He and I agreed that this was a good example of "post hoc" reasoning.

1 Reply

@Rosslyn,

I don't believe in God, and by "God", I mean a being who created everything that is, and is existing now watching over you all the time. it seems to me to be the ultimate comforter. if someone actually believes this to be the truth about existence, then it allows them to live their lives without doubt or anxiety, the universe is no longer this strange mysterious and scary place, its the exact opposite. I know that this does not negate the existence of God, I am just trying to say that some people believe in God because it takes uncertainty, fear, worry etc away. people may think that they believe in God because they think he/she/it exists, but I think that there are subconscious reasons people believe; to feel safe, to give them purpose etc.

1 Reply

@existential potential,

EP, agreed.

1 Reply

@JLNobody,

Rosborne posted this on another thread. Its too good to just get lost in an evolution pie war

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/2388/128784223730432191jpg.jpg

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What Makes People NOT believe In God? (Atheists Come!)

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