Is there really such thing as an "Atheist"...

[ThatRobGuy]

I've talked to several Atheists who say that they feel that there is no God or God-like diety or force....yet they all seem to comeback to the conclusion that there is something infinite...whether it be energy or time or whatever......

My question is this...if an Atheist believes that energy or time is infinite, wouldn't that be their "God" so to speak....It might not be the christian trinity (which i don't believe in either)...but it's still acknowledges something that exists out of our time.

 

[Patzak]

I've talked to several Atheists who say that they feel that there is no God or God-like diety or force....yet they all seem to comeback to the conclusion that there is something infinite...whether it be energy or time or whatever......

I don't know about other atheists, but I don't. Sure, there might be something infinite, I'm not opposed to the concept in itself. But truth be told, I have absolutely no idea whether energy or time or whatever are finite or infinite. In fact, if I had to decide right now, I'd go for finite.

My question is this...if an Atheist believes that energy or time is infinite, wouldn't that be their "God" so to speak....It might not be the christian trinity (which i don't believe in either)...but it's still acknowledges something that exists out of our time.

Well, aside from such a definition being a bit forced, I don't really think so. When I think of e.g. infinite time, I obviously don't think it exists out of our time (or universe for that matter) - it exists within our time (or in fact IS our time), only forever. IOW, when I think of something infinite, I don't consider it to be "beyond" in any way; just infinite.

 

[VinceBlaze]

I've talked to several Atheists who say that they feel that there is no God or God-like diety or force....yet they all seem to comeback to the conclusion that there is something infinite...whether it be energy or time or whatever......

My question is this...if an Atheist believes that energy or time is infinite, wouldn't that be their "God" so to speak....It might not be the christian trinity (which i don't believe in either)...but it's still acknowledges something that exists out of our time.

Why would a belief in something infinite (such as the universe for example) constitute belief in a god?

 

[Eudaimonist]

I've talked to several Atheists who say that they feel that there is no God or God-like diety or force....yet they all seem to comeback to the conclusion that there is something infinite...whether it be energy or time or whatever......

My question is this...if an Atheist believes that energy or time is infinite, wouldn't that be their "God" so to speak....It might not be the christian trinity (which i don't believe in either)...but it's still acknowledges something that exists out of our time.

How would time being infinite in some direction mean that infinite time exists "out of our time"?

Why would "something infinite" be my "God"? I can't think of any good reason to think that this is so.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Why would a belief in something infinite (such as the universe for example) constitute belief in a god?

I think everyone's personal beliefs are they're own way of trying to explain how everything came from nothing....it always has to go back to something that's infinite.

 

[Eudaimonist]

I think everyone's personal beliefs are they're own way of trying to explain how everything came from nothing....it always has to go back to something that's infinite.

Without quibbling too much here about the choice of the word "infinite" (I think "ultimate" would be better), let's say that physical reality -- what now exists as what we call "the universe" -- is my infinite or ultimate entity.

Why call it my "God"? What extra meaning does this add to what to me is simply physical reality?


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Freodin]

I've talked to several Atheists who say that they feel that there is no God or God-like diety or force....yet they all seem to comeback to the conclusion that there is something infinite...whether it be energy or time or whatever......

My question is this...if an Atheist believes that energy or time is infinite, wouldn't that be their "God" so to speak....It might not be the christian trinity (which i don't believe in either)...but it's still acknowledges something that exists out of our time.

Why would that be my "God"?

Why would it not be my "line"?

You have hooked yourself on to a certain attribute of a concept, and now try to sell it wholesale.

But only because a line is infinite does not mean that everything considered infinite can be called a "line".

And neither can anything considered infinite be called "God".

 

[VinceBlaze]

I think everyone's personal beliefs are they're own way of trying to explain how everything came from nothing

I personally don't believe that everything came from nothing. Rather, I believe the universe to be eternal.

 

[DailyBlessings]

I see atheism as something to aspire to rather than to be had- like being a perfect capitalist or being perfectly objective or perfectly anything else, it simply isn't possible to completely rid oneself of religion. To be an atheist is a noble enough goal though. Though I would not agree with such a man, I would respect him. Someone who truly counts on nothing but the universe itself will, upon dying, recognize the God who created it. It's the man who never comes to any conclusions that one must be wary of.

 

[VinceBlaze]

Someone who truly counts on nothing but the universe itself will, upon dying, recognize the God who created it.

Why do you believe that the universe was created?

 

[NCStein]

Someone who truly counts on nothing but the universe itself will, upon dying, recognize the God who created it.

I don't count on the universe; I recognize that there is nothing beyond the natural laws that govern it, and upon dying, I will not recognize anything, because I will be dead.

 

[michabo]

"Something" is infinite or eternal? What, like a M-brane? I don't know anyone that would consider this to be a god. You have to have a lot more than just being infinite or eternal to qualify for that job.

 

[quatona]

I've talked to several Atheists who say that they feel that there is no God or God-like diety or force....yet they all seem to comeback to the conclusion that there is something infinite...whether it be energy or time or whatever......

My question is this...if an Atheist believes that energy or time is infinite, wouldn't that be their "God" so to speak....It might not be the christian trinity (which i don't believe in either)...but it's still acknowledges something that exists out of our time.

Redefining words may give you the impression that you have the power to handwave things, beings, concepts and notions into and out of existence. Rest assured that this is but an illusion.

 

[Foolish_Fool]

It's the man who never comes to any conclusions that one must be wary of.

Not coming to any conclusion on a matter which you truly know nothing of, even if you have deluded yourself into believing you're an expert, is the only honest answer one can give. When asked "is there a god?" or "what is the meaning of life?" or some other such question the only honest answer is "I think it is X, but hell if I really know!"

 

[DailyBlessings]

Why do you believe that the universe was created?

God willed it? It doesn't matter to me really, I think that the universe, in all of its scope and beauty, validates itself.

I don't count on the universe; I recognize that there is nothing beyond the natural laws that govern it, and upon dying, I will not recognize anything, because I will be dead.

Moot question then, eh? If you are right, it won't matter to either of us. But the viewpoint you describe is exactly the kind I meant, if perhaps I worded it poorly. A question for another thread would be whether these natural laws exist in the first place, and why.

the only honest answer is "I think it is X, but hell if I really know!"

If there are, in fact, no absolutes. But I think there are, in the real world. A statement of nonabsolutes only makes sense on paper, it is never a practical answer to a problem.

Cool screenname, BTW.

 

[mikenet2006]

I've talked to several Atheists who say that they feel that there is no God or God-like diety or force....yet they all seem to comeback to the conclusion that there is something infinite...whether it be energy or time or whatever......

My question is this...if an Atheist believes that energy or time is infinite, wouldn't that be their "God" so to speak....It might not be the christian trinity (which i don't believe in either)...but it's still acknowledges something that exists out of our time.

My idea of an atheist is someone who doesnt care enough think beyond themselfs. This would be someone who has no paticular beliefe whatsoever and doesnt care to have one. There are people like this though.

Ive been called an atheist on this site a couple times and its because I dont believe in a conscience creator.

I dont believe in god this is true but does this make me an athiest? Well let me say for one there was a time when I belived in god and went to church and I currently think more about what happens after death than some of the christians I met when I did go to church did.

I belive that life goes on and its a good thing to understand wether or not you believe it to be in the form of heaven or hell.

They should call this site thereligiousforums rather than christianforums. After all they do hoast forums for nearly every beliefe.

 

[Foolish_Fool]

If there are, in fact, no absolutes. But I think there are, in the real world. A statement of nonabsolutes only makes sense on paper, it is never a practical answer to a problem.

I'm not saying that there are not any absolutes. I am simply saying we are unable to tell what they are, if they exist.

 

[Eudaimonist]

My idea of an atheist is someone who doesnt care enough think beyond themselfs.

If you'll pardon me saying so, that is a silly idea of an atheist. I think you'll find that atheists tend to be philosophical people, not unreflective ones.

I dont believe in god this is true but does this make me an athiest?

Yes, that is atheism by definition.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[quatona]

If there are, in fact, no absolutes. But I think there are, in the real world.

And the fact that you think this makes them already your concepts (as opposed to absolutes). The problem is not their hypothetical existence but our unability to discern them. Show me someone who can bypass his perception and interpretation, and I will accept him as the messenger of what these absolutes are.

A statement of nonabsolutes only makes sense on paper, it is never a practical answer to a problem.

Correct, and it isn´t even meant to be. It is usually used in order to merely point out that a statement of absolutes doesn´t help answering practical problems. Practical problems are solved by consensus, not by appealing to hypothetical absolutes or by asserting that my ideas of absolutes are congruent with those possibly existing absolutes.

 

[bob135]

Correct me if my math is wrong but.....
The real numbers are infinite. If time, or anything else, is infinitely divisible, even though it may have distinct starting and ending points, it is also infinite, in some sense, just like the number of real numbers between 0 and 1 is infinite.

Also, if you are saying that anything infinite is God, then sure time or space could be an atheist's God, and then the number of atheists is much lower than studies would show. However, that just seems like playing word games to me.