Atheism

[mentalkitty789]

Are you a weak Atheist or strong Atheist in your terms of views?
I am technically a weak Atheist, or Agnostic Atheist. I don't KNOW there is no god, but for all practical purposes I say there is not one, because the chances appear to be so incredibly small.

What are your opinions on strong Atheism or weak Atheism?
They make sense to me, no faith has any proof to back up its claims, so it simply say you won't believe until proven wrong is perfectly resonable.

What are your opinions on Religion?
I view religion as dangerous, at the worse of times, and just wrong, at the best of times. Faith is quite the dangerous thing, it allows people to commit the most cruel and depraved deeds without regret. Abortion doctors murdered, people killed in car bombings, and other foul deeds are brought on by faith. Even worse it allows people to commit such deeds with false promises and no proof that they will come true.

What are your opinions on some of the more famous figures in Atheism today?
They are cool people, and I enjoy listening to them.

Have you ever experienced any discrimination for being an Atheist?
Only once or twice on the internet, no one in my school really talks about faith. I can't wait for the religion chapter in Sociology though, I can't wait to see how people respond to my words in person. >3 -insert devious laugh here-

 

[GrowingSmaller]

Atheism can be fun, espeecially harassing beliebvers. But I think that God bothering has more of a positive focus, for instance we get together and pray for your immortal souls each weekend, hold raffles and collect for the roof repairs of listed buidings.

 

[EricWinston]

Are you a weak Atheist or strong Atheist in your terms of views?

I believe gods are not real.

What are your opinions on Religion?

They have pluses and minuses like most everything.

Have you ever experienced any discrimination for being an Atheist?

Never directly, but I don't wear a sign either so there really isn't any opportunity for it.

 

[orangelight]

Recently I have become fascinated by Atheism and Atheistic philosophy.
I want to ask you guys (the Atheist community here) what should Christians know about Atheism?

Are you a weak Atheist or strong Atheist in your terms of views?
What are your opinions on strong Atheism or weak Atheism?
What are your opinions on Religion?
What are your opinions on some of the more famous figures in Atheism today? E.g. Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Micheal Shermer, Stephen Hawkings, Peter Atkins, Sam Harris.
Have you ever experienced any discrimination for being an Atheist?

I'm an agnostic atheist.

I think religions to be lies, fabrications and old mythologies made up by civilizations because the lack of understanding. My view on the morality of a religion differs from a religion to another.

Famous atheists are fine, what I dislike is the obsessions that some atheists are holding to these people.

Persecution, no.. Discrimination yes, why do you think atheists want to gather? because we want people and friends who we can feel free to share our thoughts with.

 

[juvenissun]

I'm an agnostic atheist.

I think religions to be lies, fabrications and old mythologies made up by civilizations because the lack of understanding. My view on the morality of a religion differs from a religion to another.

Is that different from an atheistic agnostic?

 

[SecularThinker]

Are you a weak Atheist or strong Atheist in your terms of views?

Strong


What are your opinions on strong Atheism or weak Atheism?

I can see them both as justifiable positions


What are your opinions on Religion?

I think that religion is very dangerous and harmful to society, and provides no positive benefit that could not be achieved by secular means. It leads to divisive societies where superstition and faith are valued more than reason and science.


What are your opinions on some of the more famous figures in Atheism today? E.g. Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Micheal Shermer, Stephen Hawkings, Peter Atkins, Sam Harris.

All respectable figures, all very active and positive in their promotion of atheism and science. Some more entertaining than others, but all educational.


Have you ever experienced any discrimination for being an Atheist?

Luckily, I live in one of the least religious parts of the country, but still many friends of mine are religious. In terms of direct discrimination, I have not faced any, but the discrimination I see against women, homosexuals, and our Constitution by the religious believers directly affects me, my family, my community, and the country as a whole.

 

[Eudaimonist]

Is that different from an atheistic agnostic?

AFAIK, the terms atheist agnostic and agnostic atheist are interchangable.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Eudaimonist]

Atheism can be fun, espeecially harassing beliebvers.

Just like Christianity can be fun by harassing atheists. Oh, it definitely works both ways. I've seen it.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[createdtoworship]

Are you a weak Atheist or strong Atheist in your terms of views?

Strong


What are your opinions on strong Atheism or weak Atheism?

I can see them both as justifiable positions


What are your opinions on Religion?

I think that religion is very dangerous and harmful to society, and provides no positive benefit that could not be achieved by secular means. It leads to divisive societies where superstition and faith are valued more than reason and science.


What are your opinions on some of the more famous figures in Atheism today? E.g. Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Micheal Shermer, Stephen Hawkings, Peter Atkins, Sam Harris.

All respectable figures, all very active and positive in their promotion of atheism and science. Some more entertaining than others, but all educational.


Have you ever experienced any discrimination for being an Atheist?

Luckily, I live in one of the least religious parts of the country, but still many friends of mine are religious. In terms of direct discrimination, I have not faced any, but the discrimination I see against women, homosexuals, and our Constitution by the religious believers directly affects me, my family, my community, and the country as a whole.

just a philosophical observation:

if there was nothing in the beginning

then nothing results from that

if there was something in the beginning

something else can result from it

why that something is God:

only an uncaused agent can be an uncaused cause (from what I hear)

only agents are uncaused and therefore this cause has to be a person

because it's an agent not a force.....get it?

I don't

at least not all the way but it makes sense in a confused way I suppose.

 

[The Nihilist]

just a philosophical observation:

if there was nothing in the beginning

then nothing results from that

if there was something in the beginning

something else can result from it

why that something is God:

only an uncaused agent can be an uncaused cause (from what I hear)

only agents are uncaused and therefore this cause has to be a person

because it's an agent not a force.....get it?

I don't

at least not all the way but it makes sense in a confused way I suppose.

1. What do you mean by "the beginning?"

2. It's possible that the universe (or multiverse, whatever) has simply always existed.

 

[KhaosTheory]

1. What do you mean by "the beginning?"

2. It's possible that the universe (or multiverse, whatever) has simply always existed.

Right, why do we have a special plea for our concepts of God? If gods could always exists, then why couldn't the universe?

 

[Davian]

just a philosophical observation:

if there was nothing in the beginning

Is it possible for there to be nothing?

then nothing results from that

if there was something in the beginning

something else can result from it

why that something is God:

You missed a few steps there. How could it be *your* particular deity?

only an uncaused agent can be an uncaused cause (from what I hear)

Not at the quantum level.

only agents are uncaused and therefore this cause has to be a person

This God is a person?

because it's an agent not a force.....get it?

I don't

Me neither.

at least not all the way but it makes sense in a confused way I suppose.

No, not even a confused way.

 

[createdtoworship]

1. What do you mean by "the beginning?"

2. It's possible that the universe (or multiverse, whatever) has simply always existed.

possible, but that is saying something is eternal with no evidence. Besides many athiests hold to evolution and the Big bang cosmology. But it is true that many do not hold to the big bang (the beginning). If it were possible to prove this, the argument would still stand that there was no creation and that something caused something. What we cannot see is how something came from nothing.

 

[createdtoworship]

Right, why do we have a special plea for our concepts of God? If gods could always exists, then why couldn't the universe?

from what I was told is that everything has a cause, accept agents....agents are uncaused. So if the universe is uncaused or God is uncaused.....God or the universe must be an agent. Which implies personality and not the characteristics of a force behind the universe. I hardly see an agent behind the universe and it being simply a force.

 

[createdtoworship]

Is it possible for there to be nothing?

You missed a few steps there. How could it be *your* particular deity?

Not at the quantum level.

This God is a person?

Me neither.

No, not even a confused way.

the illustration falls apart if everything always existed. But not really because what was caused has always existed and the only thing that can cause without itself being caused is an agent. Which is a personality, a living thing. How do we know. Here is a quote from STR website on it:

"We know that agents can start things from nothing. How do we know that? Because we do it all the time. We initiate action. We are not just a domino in a string of dominoes, doing what the domino before us forced us to do. We have freedom. This is why we condemn criminals and punish them, and reward people who do good. In both cases they deserve it because they are morally free creatures. To be free means you can start actions.

Agents start things. Things don’t start things. They just react to things before them. But agents can start things. If the whole physical universe was started, it seems reasonable that some non-physical agent did so, who himself was not started by something else. I’m not trying to persuade you that it happened. I’m trying to show you that it’s a reasonable explanation. It’s imminently reasonable."

 

[RoadWarrior]

1. What do you mean by "the beginning?"

2. It's possible that the universe (or multiverse, whatever) has simply always existed.

Not according to the Big Bang Theory. According to the latest calculations from astrophysicists, the Universe will just keeping expanding until we reach "The Big Chill". Ergo, the Universe, at least ours, is a one shot deal.

Now, if there are multiverses, that opens the door for an infinite number of other universes which could have been generating for an infinite amount of time. However, our Universe has a definite beginning and a fairly determinate end.

 

[Non sequitur]

Not according to the Big Bang Theory. According to the latest calculations from astrophysicists, the Universe will just keeping expanding until we reach "The Big Chill". Ergo, the Universe, at least ours, is a one shot deal.

Now, if there are multiverses, that opens the door for an infinite number of other universes which could have been generating for an infinite amount of time. However, our Universe has a definite beginning and a fairly determinate end.

While the "stuff" that made up the universe might "end", so what.

It doesn't need to have removed itself from existence.


Go outside on a cold day and breathe.

Did your once visible breath just poof out of existence?

No, it's still there. It's just different.

 

[Non sequitur]

the illustration falls apart if everything always existed. But not really because what was caused has always existed and the only thing that can cause without itself being caused is an agent. Which is a personality, a living thing. How do we know. Here is a quote from STR website on it:

"We know that agents can start things from nothing. How do we know that? Because we do it all the time. We initiate action. We are not just a domino in a string of dominoes, doing what the domino before us forced us to do. We have freedom. This is why we condemn criminals and punish them, and reward people who do good. In both cases they deserve it because they are morally free creatures. To be free means you can start actions.

Agents start things. Things don’t start things. They just react to things before them. But agents can start things. If the whole physical universe was started, it seems reasonable that some non-physical agent did so, who himself was not started by something else. I’m not trying to persuade you that it happened. I’m trying to show you that it’s a reasonable explanation. It’s imminently reasonable."

Agents can start processes, but no agent we have ever seen or known of can start a process of something that it manifested from a literal nothing.

 

[RoadWarrior]

While the "stuff" that made up the universe might "end", so what.

It doesn't need to have removed itself from existence.

Who, besides you, is saying it would? Did you even take a look at the link I provided on "The Big Chill"?

 

[Non sequitur]

Who, besides you, is saying it would? Did you even take a look at the link I provided on "The Big Chill"?

Sorry, I don't understand what point you are trying to make.