What Makes A Person An Atheist And Why

[Guest michaelrosenweig]

also, i would like to know why some people are no londer jews nor christians

for real, no condemnation here.

[Amethyst]

Why can't Christians learn how to spell and use proper punctuation and grammar? Are you for real, or are you a member doing this as a joke? Wouldn't be the first time.

 

I suggest reading the testimonies and the FAQ. Also, not all of us here are atheists, many of us are agnostics, deists, pagans, buddhists, etc.

[Guest michaelrosenweig]

Typing, grammar, spelling etc. was not being watched. I did not mean to leave anyone out.

 

Good suggestion about reading the testimonies. Help me out here, please. Where can I find the testimonies?

 

I find it mind boggling that someone may leave his or her faith, or why a person chooses to have no faith in a Supreme Being at all. Their church or temple I can see leaning, but abandoning faith itself is a completely different dimension.

 

thanks,

Very Truly Yours

 

Michael

 

 

 

Why can't Christians learn how to spell and use proper punctuation and grammar? Are you for real, or are you a member doing this as a joke? Wouldn't be the first time.

 

I suggest reading the testimonies and the FAQ. Also, not all of us here are atheists, many of us are agnostics, deists, pagans, buddhists, etc.

[Amethyst]

If you go to the main page of these forums, you will see a section labeled "Testimonies of former Christians."

[ML13]

If you go to the main page of these forums, you will see a section labeled "Testimonies of former Christians."

[KT45]

Frequently Asked Questions

http://www.ex-christian.net/index.php?showforum=29

[Asimov]

Typing, grammar, spelling etc. was not being watched. I did not mean to leave anyone out.

 

Good suggestion about reading the testimonies. Help me out here, please. Where can I find the testimonies?

 

I find it mind boggling that someone may leave his or her faith, or why a person chooses to have no faith in a Supreme Being at all. Their church or temple I can see leaning, but abandoning faith itself is a completely different dimension.

 

Because I have no reason to believe in a Supreme Being.

[All Gods Fail]

I find it mind boggling that someone may leave his or her faith, or why a person chooses to have no faith in a Supreme Being at all. Their church or temple I can see leaning, but abandoning faith itself is a completely different dimension.

 

I guess how you're looking at it is: faith = hope. To me, faith = delusion.

 

Hope has nothing to do with faith. I am actually a very optimistic, hopeful atheist.

 

The reason I 'chose' to have no faith in a supreme being was, simply, they all fail. It happened in my religious walk, as it happens any time people start believing religion literally.

 

Only god's followers have any influence on Earthly events. A god doesn't make the rain fall, or the planets orbit, or do anything at all that can't be attributed to basic laws of the universe. So, why would I try to convince myself they're real?

 

Hope that helps.

[Thurisaz]

Well, sorry, I'm not an atheist...

 

also, i would like to know why some people are no londer jews nor christians

 

Oh, now that's another thing.

 

For me it's very simple. I started reading the "scripture" of another faith (Asatru, the one I still adhere to) and found it moving in a way that the bible never moved me.

[HuaiDan]

Burden of proof is on you, Michael. When you can prove to me why I should do something, then maybe I'll do it. If you called me on the phone right now and told me my house was on fire and I should get out, if I wasn't smelling smoke I'd laugh at you. If you told me there were invisible demons living in my closet conspiring against me and I need to burn carrots to get rid of them, I would advise you to seriously consider psychological evaluation.

Why should it be any different when someone suggests i spend my life kissing the ass of the invisible sky man? Futhermore when considering his so-called 'word' is full of easily recognized fallacies and contradictions?

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That, and read the goddam FAQ's. I speak for many here when I say I'm sick of repeating the same thing every week when someone like you comes here and asks the same question I've seen on these forums at least a HUNDRED TIMES

[Checkmate]

Hell, since I'm bored I'll play along with the gag.

 

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, then you will understand why I dismiss yours." -- Stephen F. Roberts

 

If you hang around these boards long enough, you'll read this quote often. It is the best summary of disbelief ever.

 

While I am an atheist (no god belief), I detest being labelled as such. There are a LOT of things that I don't believe in. Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, Bigfoot, the Bogey Man, ESP, NDEs, Martians and the Tooth Fairy, just to name a few. Are there narrow-minded labels to go along with each of these? Nope. So why should I have to wear a label for my lack of belief in god?

 

I am a Rational Skeptic. That means that unless there is sufficient, testable, reasonable and reliable PROOF for something, then I don't believe in it.

 

"God" is a nonsense syllable, made up by the same people who brought us elves, witches and unicorns. (Insert the word "snarf" in place of "god" and you'll see what I mean.) And until you can bring me some PROOF (not hearsay and emotional speculation and special pleading and straw men arguments) that such a being exists, then we have nothing left to talk about.

 

And THAT is why I don't believe. That and because I don't HAVE to believe. Why in the world would I want to believe in a "snarf" (Nonsense word, having ZERO meaning!) that desires to be praised and worshiped all the time? Does your "snarf" have an ego problem? Why would my non-belief make your "snarf" angry?

 

The question now is: WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE IN "SNARF"? (Sounds silly now, doesn't it? See my point?)

[Vixentrox]

Why dont you belive in Santa coming down your chiminey any more Christian?

[Asimov]

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, then you will understand why I dismiss yours." -- Stephen F. Roberts

 

That's a terrible quote.

[Jeydid]

I abandoned faith because I found that I was more interested in reality.

[SkepticOfBible]

also, i would like to know why some people are no londer jews nor christians

for real, no condemnation here.

Are you Jewish or Christian?

[Japedo]

also, i would like to know why some people are no londer jews nor christians

for real, no condemnation here.

Are you Jewish or Christian?

 

My moneys is on he must be Christian, Jews know they have nothing what so ever in common with Christians. Uneducated Xtins on the other hand are for ever attaching themselves to the hips of Jews acting as though they are extremely similar in beliefs.

 

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, then you will understand why I dismiss yours." -- Stephen F. Roberts

 

That's a terrible quote.

 

 

How is it a terrible quote? I think it hits the crux of the matter when talking to theists. Once they themselves examine honestly why they don't believe in other gods it will be easier for them to look at non believers stances. People like michaelrosenweig can't even fathom people not believing, this is a simple way to allow them to see they don't believe in certain gods either and we are no different.

 

I think it's one of the best quotes to hit theists with IMO.

[Skankboy]

I'm an atheist because I don't have faith there is a god. I require some kind of proof to back my beliefs and I've yet to be given convincing proof of the existence of any kind of god (christian variety or otherwise).

[Asimov]

How is it a terrible quote? I think it hits the crux of the matter when talking to theists. Once they themselves examine honestly why they don't believe in other gods it will be easier for them to look at non believers stances. People like michaelrosenweig can't even fathom people not believing, this is a simple way to allow them to see they don't believe in certain gods either and we are no different.

 

I think it's one of the best quotes to hit theists with IMO.

 

Well, for one thing, theists who don't believe in other gods aren't atheists. For another, they don't believe in other Gods because they think their belief system is more reasonable.

 

At least, I don't believe in God for the same reasons that theists don't believe in other Gods.

[SkepticOfBible]

My moneys is on he must be Christian, Jews know they have nothing what so ever in common with Christians. Uneducated Xtins on the other hand are for ever attaching themselves to the hips of Jews acting as though they are extremely similar in beliefs.

He may be one those "Messianic Jews"?

[Taphophilia]

Why do Christians think that rejection of Biblegod makes a person an atheist?

[Antlerman]

also, i would like to know why some people are no londer jews nor christians

for real, no condemnation here.

Being quite sincere here, I've always said the best way to become an atheist is to read the Bible. For me, I would say studying it led me to see that those who teach that it is infallible are either lying to themselves, to others, or to both. In either case, bottom line it didn't live up to its promises of providing an absolute to an idealistic young man looking for clearly defined boundaries in life.

 

Christianity is a system based on inflexible absolutes, and I've found those don't fit the real world where real life happens. It's far too complex of a world for black-and-white, fundamentalist thinking to be of any benefit or healthy for the person believing that way, or for those people they come into contact with. That sort of system gave me license in my arrogant youth to become critical and uncompassionate towards other humans by virtue of my dogmatic insistence on there being absolute truth. I lived like that for many years and it alienated me from the beauty of humanity and my own enjoyment of life as hid behind those promised "ideals" or absolutes under the name "God". That is what that system is all about and why it appeals to a public that craves for simple answers.

 

All these things led me to break away from a system that justified my rigid thinking, which have consequently now been allowing me to become a human being with those in the real world, figuring out truth as we all go along. I hope this helps answer some of my core reasons for walking away. Feel free to ask any questions you might have.

[Vixentrox]

That's a fact about reading the bible. It sure sped me on my way to shit-canning the bible-god.

[Gaura]

I'm one of the pagan ex-Christians around here so while I'm not an athiest I'll try to somewhat answer the question.

 

Different people come to the realization in different ways. Something that I have noticed in common with many atheists is that they have a desire to remain in there here and now, and they tend to not parceive any force or entity beyond the observable world, That, in my view, is just fine. (I perceive a whole world of spirits and energy which is part of what makes me Pagan) When you have someone who doesn't perceive a force beyond what science describes, do you really think that they are going to be swayed by the dusty leaves of some ancient, mis-transcirbed tome? NOT! This is why Christians tend to have a rough time of attempting to convert atheists.

[Astreja]

I'm a hybrid heiðinn-Buddhist-humanist (Ásatru with a side order of Vipassana and a large grain of salt).

 

I read The Bible in Pictures when I was about six or seven years old. The stories always seemed a bit "off" to me, what with some guy sitting up on a throne in the clouds and lakes of fire and people getting tossed out of gardens for eating apples. And it never even occurred to me that some people actually thought these stories were for real. I was actually shocked when I found that out.

 

And then I got angry, to think that some people were scaring other people into believing all this stuff. It was painfully obvious that this was a very good way to influence and control entire populations. I was about seven or eight years old when I realized all this.

 

I tried going to Sunday School, primarily because my best friend went there. Nothing touched my heart -- The stories remained just stories. I quit. A few years later, I decided not to get confirmed in the Anglican church because (1) I didn't attend church and (2) I didn't believe. And so far I have not spoken the Sinner's Prayer and doubt that I ever will.

 

However, I have had a number of very interesting mystical experiences which point to something either Out There or In Here (points to cranium). Imagination makes my life more interesting, and I'm fascinated by the power of the mind to create that which it imagines.

 

My view of the universe does fluctuate somewhat, with weak atheism on one end of the spectrum and a somewhat irreverent "the gods are close personal friends of mine" attitude on the other. I can't see myself becoming either a strong atheist or a literalist theist of any denomination.

[riverbank]

I abandoned the Christian faith because I was confronted with various issues about Christianity, which when faced, made it impossible to continue being a Christian. I'm kind of the opposite to you, michaelrosenweig, in that I don't understand how people can stay Christians. Because there are so many things about the religion which either aren't right or don't add up.

 

I am not an atheist (although I can't say for certain there is a God), but I am reading a book which looks at God from a different standpoint to the christian god. So sorry can't answer any questions relating to atheism.