Hello there,

[TheFriendlyAtheist]

Ok, so right off the bat, obviously as my name suggests I'm an atheist. To be clear the definition I go by is that while I don't believe in a God, I don't make a positive claim that there is absolutely no God. That isn't why I am here though. The main reason I here is just to learn about different peoples' beliefs and why they hold those beliefs. I'm not here to challenge anybody but rather to just understand them better. I don't want to cause a stir so I'll try to be as polite and non confrontational as possible.

I grew up in a secular household, neither of my parents are religious. Some members of my extended family are though. Growing up my exposure to Christianity came mostly from my childhood friends. I would occasionally attend their churches with their parents. Back then I had no real interest in the subject. I do now but it is in the academic sense so I do not wish to convert to Christianity but I am very interested in the various thoughts and beliefs of practicing Christians.

If there is anything anyone would like to know about atheism, feel free to ask any questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability. I can't speak for all atheists but I can give you my personal understanding of it.

For a quick first question I would like to know what your thoughts on atheism are? I don't mean to ask how your interactions with specific people went but rather just what your view of that way of thinking as a whole.

Thank you.

 

[Tigger45]

Welcome to CF!

For a few years in my life I labeled myself as an atheist. When it comes to evaluating any group of people I try to see each as an individual and examine them by their words and actions. If you would like a deeper discussion this forum >
Christianity and World Religion
would be better suited for that type of dialog then this one, which is intended primary for introductions.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Ok, so right off the bat, obviously as my name suggests I'm an atheist. To be clear the definition I go by is that while I don't believe in a God, I don't make a positive claim that there is absolutely no God. That isn't why I am here though. The main reason I here is just to learn about different peoples' beliefs and why they hold those beliefs. I'm not here to challenge anybody but rather to just understand them better. I don't want to cause a stir so I'll try to be as polite and non confrontational as possible.

I grew up in a secular household, neither of my parents are religious. Some members of my extended family are though. Growing up my exposure to Christianity came mostly from my childhood friends. I would occasionally attend their churches with their parents. Back then I had no real interest in the subject. I do now but it is in the academic sense so I do not wish to convert to Christianity but I am very interested in the various thoughts and beliefs of practicing Christians.

If there is anything anyone would like to know about atheism, feel free to ask any questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability. I can't speak for all atheists but I can give you my personal understanding of it.

For a quick first question I would like to know what your thoughts on atheism are? I don't mean to ask how your interactions with specific people went but rather just what your view of that way of thinking as a whole.

Thank you.

Come on in, TheFriendlyAtheist! There's always room for one more.

Peace,
2PhiloVoid

 

[BetzaidaK]

Ok, so right off the bat, obviously as my name suggests I'm an atheist. To be clear the definition I go by is that while I don't believe in a God, I don't make a positive claim that there is absolutely no God. That isn't why I am here though. The main reason I here is just to learn about different peoples' beliefs and why they hold those beliefs. I'm not here to challenge anybody but rather to just understand them better. I don't want to cause a stir so I'll try to be as polite and non confrontational as possible.

I grew up in a secular household, neither of my parents are religious. Some members of my extended family are though. Growing up my exposure to Christianity came mostly from my childhood friends. I would occasionally attend their churches with their parents. Back then I had no real interest in the subject. I do now but it is in the academic sense so I do not wish to convert to Christianity but I am very interested in the various thoughts and beliefs of practicing Christians.

If there is anything anyone would like to know about atheism, feel free to ask any questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability. I can't speak for all atheists but I can give you my personal understanding of it.

For a quick first question I would like to know what your thoughts on atheism are? I don't mean to ask how your interactions with specific people went but rather just what your view of that way of thinking as a whole.

Thank you.

Hello,

To answer your question; when I meet an atheist I usually try to find out what made them that way. The most common answers I got was that in the past they used to believe but were disappointed with religion or unfortunate events happened involving religion and they saw no place for believing in God. The other one, this is in school mostly, is that Science is the truth and religion is just an ignorant and stupid idea invented by man for mass control. And the third is that that was how they were raised, I get this one usually from those coming from Communist or former Communist countries.

I don't think bad of them because I understand why they would think that way. I'm an analytical person, I like to research in depth and understand things. Sometimes I get called ignorant by both atheists and Christians alike but that's ok. I am studying both science, like biology and physics, in school and theology. So I'm learning a lot from both sides. It is that combination why I'm still a Christian, though not exactly your everyday one but more of the early first Christians when the Apostles were in their ministry.
My question to you is: what do you think of Christians in general?
I hope you have a great day.

 

[TheFriendlyAtheist]

Bezaidak,

To answer your question, I have a pretty good opinion of most Christians that I have met. Whenever I do have issues with Christianity it is more with specific churches or specific teachings. From my experience the people who do bother me are luckily a very small minority. I tend to feel that way about most religious people I meet.

When it comes to my views, It seems like it came about differently then the ways you suggested. While my parents aren't religious I wasn't really raised as an atheist, the subject just never really came up. When I was a young kid I got the impression that being a Christian was a noble thing. So I would gladly go to my friends youth groups and even tried reading the bible (it was a little to dry and over my head at the time.) But it remained a social act more than anything. The teachings never really set in for me. As I grew, religious and philosophical questions just got pushed to the back of my mind.

It's only fairly recently that my interest in these subjects grew. So as I started researching philosophical and religious thought my own views became clearer and my fascination with the way others think about these things grew as well.

 

[EmmaCat]

Hi and welcome!

Here is a question I always ask anyone who says they are an atheist: When you pass away, do you hope you are right or do you hope you are wrong?

As a Christian, I truly do believe I am right and when I pass I will be in Heaven.

Feel free to poke around and I will see you on the boards!

All good things,
Emmy

 

[sunshineforJesus]

Hi and welcome here.

 

[Little Lantern]

Greetings and welcome to CF, @TheFriendlyAtheist. May you find good fellowship and encouragement here.
I've never been an atheist, but I'm chewing on you question and may come back and respond to it later.

 

[TheFriendlyAtheist]

Hi and welcome!

Here is a question I always ask anyone who says they are an atheist: When you pass away, do you hope you are right or do you hope you are wrong?

Well I wouldn't want to end up in hell if it exists. I personally don't think it does so I'm really not worried about it. I don't think what I hope matters though nor do I think that is a good enough reason for me to be a Christian. I mean if the only reason I have to follow Christ is a fear of hell then I think that would make a commitment on my part insincere. I also find it unconscionable for someone to be judged just as harshly for not believing in the divinity of Christ as they would for murder. And in some cases worse, like if the murderer repents, then he would be saved and I would be left in hell. I don't think I could love a god that would do that.

 

[brinny]

Hi. Welcome to CF