The origins of atheism

[gord44]

Thank you!

Second only to repenting and asking Jesus into their hearts; all I ask anyone to do here is read Galatians 3:26.

That's my life verse.

Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

It's a good verse. Doesn't do much for me anymore but I am glad it gives you peace for sure!

I used to bring up another topic here, other than Thalidomide, Phlogiston, and Pluto.

But a poster took it very offensively, and I promised him that if he would just read Galatians 3:26, I would never mention it again.

He not only read it, but read practically the whole chapter.

And I haven't brought it up since then.

Later, a lady joined and was very offended at me bringing up Thalidomide, and I told her the same thing.

If she would just read Galatians 3:26, I would never bring it up again.

Instead, she left the forum and, unless she's posting here as a sockpuppet -- she hasn't been back since.

Not sure what Thalodomide, Phlogiston and Pluto has to do with anything but interesting stories about your interactions with others using Gal 3:26.

 

[Colter]

Hello there everyone. I am sure this has been discussed before but I would like to start a new discussion on this. I want to hear your opinions on why do you think atheism exists and its cause. I will tell mine only after I see yours.

Atheism as a large scale movement began with Lucife'sr fall away from faith in the unseen Father and attempted coup d'état.

The doctrines of doubt may well have developed on their own into the Atheist religion but the scale of the fall and the consequence of confusion still seem to drive the ism of Atheism.

 

[ObamaWoodHollyWood]

Atheism as a large scale RELIGION began in 30 AD, with Jesus crucfixion. Romans and hostile Jews began to think that it was legal to kill Jews.

 

[Eudaimonist]

Atheism as a large scale RELIGION began in 30 AD, with Jesus crucfixion. Romans and hostile Jews began to think that it was legal to kill Jews.

Huh???


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Chriliman]

Atheism starts in the mind when the mind thinks it can figure everything out on its own without the help of any outside source.

 

[Davian]

Atheism starts in the mind when the mind thinks it can figure everything out on its own without the help of any outside source.

Would theism then be when the mind thinks it can figure everything out with the help of an imagined source?

 

[Chriliman]

Would theism then be when the mind thinks it can figure everything out with the help of an imagined source?

You're everywhere!

Is it wrong to ask for help when trying to figure out why I even exist?

 

[Davian]

You're everywhere!

Is it wrong to ask for help when trying to figure out why I even exist?

Is that even a valid question?

 

[Chriliman]

Is that even a valid question?

Ha, are you the arbiter of what's valid and invalid questions?

It seems clear you don't have the answers to the toughest questions in life and that's fine, you'll figure it out eventually.

 

[jackcv]

Some reasons are:

1. Pride.
2. False theologies
3. John 3:19​

At least, that's how it looks from the rock I'm sitting on.

It certainly is not because it makes any sense to think that all this organization derives from random collision of (highly organized) atoms.

 

[Davian]

Ha, are you the arbiter of what's valid and invalid questions?

Simply sticking a question mark on the end of a sentence does not make for a valid question.

It seems clear you don't have the answers to the toughest questions in life and that's fine, you'll figure it out eventually.

I could give you incoherent answers, but you already have those.

 

[Davian]

Some reasons are:

1. Pride.
2. False theologies
3. John 3:19​

At least, that's how it looks from the rock I'm sitting on.

It certainly is not because it makes any sense to think that all this organization derives from random collision of (highly organized) atoms.

Do you feel that it makes sense to think that all this organization derives from a "God" that allegedly walked and talked in a garden that has no evidence of having existed, poofed people and animals into existence, and later, in a manner contrary to the modern understanding of genetics, populated the planet with a tiny group of individuals and animals that survived a global flood in an unbuildable boat, a flood that killed the dinosaurs in a manner that only *appears* to be 65 million years ago, because the Earth is really only somehow 6000 years old, yet remains, by every objective measure to date indistinguishable from nothing?

 

[Davian]

Atheism as a large scale movement began with Lucife'sr fall away from faith in the unseen Father and attempted coup d'état.

The doctrines of doubt may well have developed on their own into the Atheist religion but the scale of the fall and the consequence of confusion still seem to drive the ism of Atheism.

What are the tenets of this "religion", beyond "I am not convinced"?

 

[Dr Bruce Atkinson]

Hello there everyone. I am sure this has been discussed before but I would like to start a new discussion on this. I want to hear your opinions on why do you think atheism exists and its cause. I will tell mine only after I see yours.

"A-theism" - this word means 'against God,' and we all interpret this to mean against the 'belief' in God. This disbelief has of course existed since any belief in God or gods have existed. Some people are not convinced or choose to disbelieve. Bottom line: people believe what they want to believe. Why do some WANT to believe and some do not? God puts this desire in some but not in others. As Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:44)

 

[RLBeers]

From the discussions (sometimes one-sided arguments with me being yelled at) I've had with atheists, I believe it stems from a deep-seated fear and insecurity, based on the thought of being judged for what you have done with your life. That anger even overrides the message of forgiveness with a false pride that declares, "How dare you suggest I have anything to be ashamed of!"

Some suggest that a spiritual element of satanic or demonic influence may be at hand. There are several passages in both the old and new Testaments that bear that out, but I think the major cause is the stubbornness the Bible says in inherent in all of us at birth. Stubbornness that grows into fear and then anger. For why else would atheistic organizations be so angry at a God they declare does not exist?

 

[Belk]

Huh???


eudaimonia,

Mark

Christians were labeled as atheists by the Romans.

 

[HappyHeathen]

As an atheist, the origins for a persons disbelief in god(s) comes from the same place a persons belief in god(s) comes from. Within the individual.

Myself, I was raised in a baptist home and spent a few years in the baptist children's home as a teen. I fully believed in god at that time and immersed myself in studying the bible morning, noon and night. I studied mainly textual criticisms of the NT but spent a few months looking into why the newly founded christian canon would seek to rearrange the order that the books appeared originally in the Tanakh.

It was during this period that the seeds of doubt started. I was raised that the bible was the infallible word of god and when I started noticing things that couldn't be reconciled I tried every way possible to make them fit together but eventually I had to admit that there was a mistake. This revelation didnt sit well with the whole 'infallible word of god' belief I was taught so eventually cracks in my faith started to form. I wonder how I would have ended up had I been raised in a more apologetic faith that can handle a fallible bible but I dont spend a lot a lot of time thinking about it now. I do still enjoy textual criticism of the ancients texts which is why I spend a lot of time on religiously themed forums and groups so I guess that's a positive.

A lot of atheists will make the claim that we are all born atheist and only find a god after being indoctrinated by our societies. The way I define atheism is making a positive claim that god does not exist or that there is no evidence of such a being. Obviously newborns dont make claims about a lot except that they need a bottle so I disagree with this claim. Newborns certainly arent theists nor are they agnostic. "Unaffiliated" seems pretty accurate. lol. If you define atheism as the lack of a belief in god then newborns do fit that definition and I think that's where the confusion comes from.

In the end, there are those with very low evidence thresholds for things they are willing to believe in and there are those whos thresholds are higher. We see it not just in religion but almost every topic; conspiracy theories, claims of personal conquests, new scientific advances etc. That's why some of us are atheists and some are theists, polytheists, etc.

 

[jackcv]

Do you feel that it makes sense to think that all this organization derives from a "God" that allegedly walked and talked in a garden that has no evidence of having existed, poofed people and animals into existence, and later, in a manner contrary to the modern understanding of genetics, populated the planet with a tiny group of individuals and animals that survived a global flood in an unbuildable boat, a flood that killed the dinosaurs in a manner that only *appears* to be 65 million years ago, because the Earth is really only somehow 6000 years old, yet remains, by every objective measure to date indistinguishable from nothing?

Now there is a mish-mash of true and false doctrines that tend to push people toward atheism. Well done.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

From the discussions (sometimes one-sided arguments with me being yelled at) I've had with atheists, I believe it stems from a deep-seated fear and insecurity, based on the thought of being judged for what you have done with your life.

Judged by whom or what? Do you believe I am being insincere when I say I don't believe your God is real? Do you presume to know everyone's true beliefs or just us atheists?

That anger even overrides the message of forgiveness with a false pride that declares, "How dare you suggest I have anything to be ashamed of!"

Again with the assumption that atheists believe or care about the threats of your religion. If I don't believe your God is real why would I ever think I should be ashamed of anything to him? What do I have to be ashamed of? Being human? Why are you ashamed of being human?

For why else would atheistic organizations be so angry at a God they declare does not exist?

I see this question come up way more often that it probably should. The simple answer is because religionists do believe their God is real and they tend to vote for public policy that reflects that. But maybe you can tell me about how you wouldn't mind living under Sharia Law if Allah isn't real. Or maybe we should all live by the tenets of Scientology?

 

[Dmitri Martila]

Hello there everyone. I am sure this has been discussed before but I would like to start a new discussion on this. I want to hear your opinions on why do you think atheism exists and its cause. I will tell mine only after I see yours.

There are many active atheists in this Christian forum. Are the Christians vanishing? Fight! Don't you loose the Grace, "salt"! See like I am doing in my post. http://www.christianforums.com/threads/standards-are-good-for-clearing-science.7909002/