Atheist's biggest problems with GOD and religion in general

[tvpro]

The evidence is really the major factor for me.
and then there's alot of different religions while everyone claim to have the right belief. so naturally the chance of your religion to be the right one is pretty low.
then there is a lot of contradictions in beliefs between people. some say god allows this some say otherwise.

 

[Unsavedsinner]

I think it's common sence there is no God(s).

You Christains know that all other gods were made up to explain Natural Law right? Well, we feel that way with EVERY god. That includes yours.

 

[k]

Not quite accurate.

 

[Phred]

There is no evidence to suggest that a being such a god exists or needs to exist.

 

[Squeejie]

i think religious followers as a whole are lazy, too sensitive, over zealous, and hypocritical.

 

[mikex]

i think religious followers as a whole are lazy, too sensitive, over zealous, and hypocritical.

To say the least!

 

[bob135]

I don't believe in God because his existence doesn't add anything to my model of the world. I can't predict things or explain things any better by using God. I can't test claims about properties of God.

Also, lots of fundamentalist, anti-evolution, gay hating, bible bashing, anti-intellectual, etc Christians give the whole religion a bad rep. This gives me one more reason to remain an atheist.

 

[MorkandMindy]

We did believe in God and Christianity once. A big factor was an American mainly I had a short view of history, could hardly think back before 1776 let alone 1492 or older.

Therefore the book of Job and various others seemed to have too much expertise for a human to write way back then. I guessed wrong, the gospels and other books are fairly typical of their times.

Also Jesus was in the leading Encyclopedia so I assumed his existence and basic details were fact.

I believed a lot more firmly than most, I read the bible daily and got to know it very well. Now I wish I'd put my time into learning about my own personality and getting a career path. Mindy found she gets more in government supplements with me gone than with me there, so now I don't have a home, rental to rental, and the biggest part of my life is gone.

Yes it's 2:30 in the morning now. I'm still upset about the letter telling me I can't move back under any circumstances whatever.

I thought Christianity would work, it didn't and now my life's screwed up.

 

[Eudaimonist]

In this thread I'd like all Atheists to list their biggest reasons or reasons for not believing in GOD and religion in general. That's it, just tell me ur buggest beef with realigion. I'm doing this to collect information on the atheist's point of view on religion.

You make it sound like I need reasons NOT to believe in "GOD and religion in general". I don't need any reasons at all. If I am to believe in such things, I need reasons TO believe in them. (Likewise, I require no reasons not to believe in elves, but belief in elves would require reasons.)

Generally speaking, such reasons would require a rationally plausible way of interpreting my life experiences such that I would conclude that a theistic metaphysics is most likely correct. God of the Gaps arguments do not count. Even if a religion seems to "answer" questions about reality, if it can't justify its answers, an "I don't know" is far preferable.

You might still wonder if I yearn for religion, even if I can't honestly believe in one. I don't.

I have a nontheistic philosophical path that I find fulfilling. I am not depressed or filled with angst about death. I find my life to be valuable and meaningful. I have a moral compass that serves me well.

I'll only admit that I'm a bit envious of the thousands of years that the older religions have made use of to develop their religious communities. I would love to be part of a system of communities that has had centuries to gather wisdom and refine their techniques for accomplishing their goals of personal growth. I have to satisfy myself with being part of the beginning of such a tradition, which I suppose is exciting and adventurous in its own way.

Nevertheless, selling religion to me is like trying to sell snow to an eskimo.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[livingone]

Ok... I know in my heart that this thread will be completely in vain because of people's uncany ability to copletely ignore requests from the thread starter, but here goes. In this thread I'd like all Atheists to list their biggest reasons or reasons for not believing in GOD and religion in general. That's it, just tell me ur buggest beef with realigion. I'm doing this to collect information on the atheist's point of view on religion. Now here come's the tricky part that I'm sure will be the undoing of this thread: I'm begging all christians that read this please please pretty please with sugar on top DO NOT POST ANYTHING ON THIS THREAD. I'm collecting information on reasons why people dont like christianity. There is one exception, if a christian that reads this does happen to have a problem with a particular part of the christian religion, please feel free to post it. Well that's it, thnx for taking the time to read this unbearably long preface.

I believe in God but I hate God with a passion. I hate any God that would sell out by creating an organized religion. When a religion becomes organized, it only does so because there is consent from the flock to do so. In truth, there is no natural religion. In Christianity they believe that if they say something is true then it becomes true, completely ignoring the truth about reality and it's condition.
I hate those who say they have it all figured out. They believe that if they believe hard enough that something must become necessarily true. In truth, God should not conform to a religion because when he does so he gives man consent to create his image, not after a divine likeness, but only after what man considers to be divine.
And I love it, they kill you with the sword and then preach peace to you--no greater disease has been manifested but through Xianity.

 

[NewToLife]

Unfortunately, humans are not only rational animals, they are rationalizing animals.

I think this is spot on, man certainly has a penchant for self deception. I dont think this is in any way limited to theists though, atheists engage in rationalisation too. Certainly the major religions all recognise this tendency in man but I wonder if the self image that atheists hold of themselves as being particularly rational or enlightened in their outlook blinds them to this?

 

[Eudaimonist]

Certainly the major religions all recognise this tendency in man but I wonder if the self image that atheists hold of themselves as being particularly rational or enlightened in their outlook blinds them to this?

Atheists are individuals, just like everyone else. There is no universal "self-image" shared among atheists. This varies quite a bit.

Personally, I practice self-examination because I realize that no matter how rational or enlightened I believe myself to be, I can always learn something new about the world, or about myself, and can learn that I had made a mistake somewhere that needs to be corrected.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[NewToLife]

Atheists are individuals, just like everyone else. There is no universal "self-image" shared among atheists. This varies quite a bit.

It is inevitable that on an internet message board generalisations need to be made to make any point. Frankly I'm unapologetic because in this case the generalisation is usually true. That it isnt universally true is hardly a real critique, just pedantic nit picking.

Personally, I practice self-examination because I realize that no matter how rational or enlightened I believe myself to be, I can always learn something new about the world, or about myself, and can learn that I had made a mistake somewhere that needs to be corrected.

Very clearly the generalisation does apply to you. You do in fact see yourself as particularly rational and enlightened, despite what you say i suspect that such a view makes you prone to rationalisation precisely because you feel you have that base covered with your 'self examination'.

 

[Eudaimonist]

Frankly I'm unapologetic because in this case the generalisation is usually true.

I doubt that this is true. This strikes me as the illusion of debate. People in debate stand up for their views publically, but privately they may be more questioning of their beliefs.

Very clearly the generalisation does apply to you. You do in fact see yourself as particularly rational and enlightened, despite what you say i suspect that such a view makes you prone to rationalisation precisely because you feel you have that base covered with your 'self examination'.

Ah, despite what I say. So you prefer mind-reading?


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[sbvera13]

My beef's with religion, in order of importance:

1) Religion offers justifications to persecute, degrade, and ignore other people, and in general violate their civil rights. Not all religions do this, and those that don't I don't have a problem with. Some religions, in particular the Abrahamic ones, actively encourage it. Those that require literal interpretions of the Bible or Koran are the worst violators. Because they perpetuate injustice, these religions are, to my mind, evil.

2) No religion has adequately spoken to me. I mean that figuratively, I have a very intense emotional and spiritual awareness. All religions I've seen do nothing more than vaguely appeal to that awareness so they can then trick me into letting them impose their own doctrine over the top of it.

3) They don't jive with what I see in the world around me. "Goddidit" is not a compelling reason when I can figure out a perfectly natural reason with a few minutes study and a keen eye of my own.

 

[NLN]

As a child I was fortunate to be raised in a loving household in which the concept of God was never discussed. I actually never even heard the word "God" until I was perhaps 10 years old, and then only rarely on TV or in magazines. So for me, God was always a kind of fairy tail -- like Santa Clause and the the Great Pumpkin -- not to be taken seriously.

As I grew into a young man I was astonished to discover that many grownups actually believed in God -- a mythical figure with no more basis in reality than Bigfoot. There was absolutely no physical evidence on which to base their belief; they were simply believing in belief itself.

Later I toured Europe and Asia and had the opportunity to visit many holy sites -- and came to realize that people everywhere tend to believe what their parents teach them to believe. This is an important and fundamental point: by and large, the religion people select is not the one with the most beautiful churches, or the one with the best holy scriptures, or the one with the most endearing God; the religion they believe in is the one selected by their parents.

This, more than anything, told me that many people are not thinking for themselves, but instead are allowing others to think for them. It is the lure of all religions everywhere.

I feel an affinity for the physical world, and life on this planet. I love the earth, it's people and wildlife -- treat all with kindness and respect and ask for nothing more in return. I agree with the poet Mary Oliver in her little poem,

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting –
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

 

[Morcova]

I see as much evidence of the existance of the christians god as i see evidence of the existance of the hindu gods.

Or unicorns. Or spagetti monsters who have developed the ability to fly..

 

[Asimov]

Very clearly the generalisation does apply to you. You do in fact see yourself as particularly rational and enlightened, despite what you say i suspect that such a view makes you prone to rationalisation precisely because you feel you have that base covered with your 'self examination'.

Well, aren't you all that and a bag o' chips?

Now that you've figured all us atheists out are you going to go off and prove that white is black and black is white then get trampled on the next zebra crossing?

 

[Tenka]

I pretty much find it to be ridiculous nonsense.

 

[ExistencePrecedesEssence]

The idea of god is dead. It was killed by modern society. If you cant understand this statement you need to take some logic classes.