The origins of atheism

[Wryetui]

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.

 

[pgp_protector]

It exists because by definition some people don't believe in God.

 

[Eudaimonist]

I want to hear your opinions on why do you think atheism exists and its cause.

There is no one specific reason.

In general, the reason is simply that not everyone is persuaded that divine beings exist, just as not everyone is persuaded that fairy tale creatures exist.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[quatona]

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.

Not sure what kind of explanation you are looking for. Seems pretty obvious to me: Some people make claims, others don´t find them convincing. Happens all the time.

I will tell mine only after I see yours.

I´m sure it will be based on the premise that a God exists. What do I win?

 

[Davian]

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.

Some are not convinced the god concepts that they have been presented with, if any.

 

[pshun2404]

I am not sure when it first came about but I can say that Archaeology and Anthropology reveal that as far back as we can see in the earliest civilizations they can find, all people everywhere sensed and knew of something that was there outside of the visible realm that as responsible for all this, that was there concerned about them, influencing them, and each civilization eventually developed cult regarding how to approach this realm (maybe even a simultaneous quantum reality if one wishes to think in these terms)...they wanted to contact this realm, seek this realm, please and appease this realm, and made prayers, rituals, oblations, and sacrifices (each of their own doing) that effected their relationship with this realm. We see things indicating this is various understandings of God, the gods, and forces, and in ornamentation, table statues, burial rites and so on and later in their writings.

So mankind is inherently religious or at least spiritual and only in the past couple of 1,000 years has soem of mankind sought to explain every aspect of reality in physical terms only. I like the approach of physicist Fritjof Capra...to get a full understanding of what it means to be human one has many avenues of exploration...the scientists is just as important as the theologians and philosopher in understanding our life and our world and neither is MORE correct and neither is MORE incorrect (except in some details). The Universe for me is Spirit and Life and matter/energy...the study and experience of each in its own place and the need for understanding of it all is who we are....

Just my $.02

Paul

 

[Chriliman]

It is rational to believe in the possibilty of God. Many people at some point rationaly believe in the possibilty of God, but some begin to assume God does not exist and this choice to assume is by their own free will.

After one chooses to assume God does not exist, they're lead down many different paths to false truths that leave them admitting they don't know why or how the universe or themselves came to exist.

A simple choice to assume God does exist or to rationally believe God is possible will get them back on the right path to finding the truth.

If someone really doesn't want God to exist, then they will get what they want and be separated from God. If someone deeply desires the truth, they will find the truth and be set free from the darkness.

 

[Davian]

Not sure what kind of explanation you are looking for. Seems pretty obvious to me: Some people make claims, others don´t find them convincing. Happens all the time.

I´m sure it will be based on the premise that a God exists. What do I win?

I think we will see fanciful comeback, like PZ Myers Courtier's Reply where the atheist (Dawkins, in this example) is compared to the boy at the end of the fable The Emperor's New Clothes, who is the only reasonable voice that recognizes the Emperor is naked. Myers satirized the aforementioned critics as follows:[1]

"I have considered the impudent accusations of Mr Dawkins with exasperation at his lack of serious scholarship. He has apparently not read the detailed discourses of Count Roderigo of Seville on the exquisite and exotic leathers of the Emperor’s boots, nor does he give a moment’s consideration to Bellini’s masterwork, On the Luminescence of the Emperor’s Feathered Hat. We have entire schools dedicated to writing learned treatises on the beauty of the Emperor’s raiment, and every major newspaper runs a section dedicated to imperial fashion; Dawkins cavalierly dismisses them all. He even laughs at the highly popular and most persuasive arguments of his fellow countryman, Lord D. T. Mawkscribbler, who famously pointed out that the Emperor would not wear common cotton, nor uncomfortable polyester, but must, I say must, wear undergarments of the finest silk. Dawkins arrogantly ignores all these deep philosophical ponderings to crudely accuse the Emperor of nudity."

 

[brinny]

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.

That's actually a very good question.

I don't know the answer to it, however i look forward to seeing responses.

 

[Freodin]

I am not sure when it first came about but I can say that Archaeology and Anthropology reveal that as far back as we can see in the earliest civilizations they can find, all people everywhere sensed and knew of something that was there outside of the visible realm that as responsible for all this, that was there concerned about them, influencing them, and each civilization eventually developed cult regarding how to approach this realm (maybe even a simultaneous quantum reality if one wishes to think in these terms)...they wanted to contact this realm, seek this realm, please and appease this realm, and made prayers, rituals, oblations, and sacrifices (each of their own doing) that effected their relationship with this realm. We see things indicating this is various understandings of God, the gods, and forces, and in ornamentation, table statues, burial rites and so on and later in their writings.

So mankind is inherently religious or at least spiritual and only in the past couple of 1,000 years has soem of mankind sought to explain every aspect of reality in physical terms only. I like the approach of physicist Fritjof Capra...to get a full understanding of what it means to be human one has many avenues of exploration...the scientists is just as important as the theologians and philosopher in understanding our life and our world and neither is MORE correct and neither is MORE incorrect (except in some details). The Universe for me is Spirit and Life and matter/energy...the study and experience of each in its own place and the need for understanding of it all is who we are....

Just my $.02

Paul

That is not quite correct - the problem you are ignoring is that of the available (potential) sources.

I already wanted to make the distinction between active and passive atheism before I read your post, but it fits in here quite well.

The problem is that both kind of atheists - the ones who simply don't believe or bother with "the spiritual", and the ones who actively proclaim their disbelief and disagreement with theistic claims - do not leave much source material, especially "in the earliest civilizations".
Non-verbal sources are already difficult to interpret: does that painting on a dark cave wall have some "magical" meaning, or is it just artistic expression? But one can safely say that people who do not believe in a magical component of cave paintings do not leave magic paintings on cave walls.
No source for these atheists.
As for the active atheists: without verbal sources it is quite difficult to find out if there were humans who disagreed with the "prayers, rituals and sacrifices". They didn't leave learned essays shredding their theistic opponents.

I like to think that as soon as there was some mumbo-jumbo chanting priest / shaman / prophet, there was a skeptic who didn't believe it.

 

[Freodin]

It is rational to believe in the possibilty of God. Many people at some point rationaly believe in the possibilty of God, but some begin to assume God does not exist and this choice to assume is by their own free will.

After one chooses to assume God does not exist, they're lead down many different paths to false truths that leave them admitting they don't know why or how the universe or themselves came to exist.

A simple choice to assume God does exist or to rationally believe God is possible will get them back on the right path to finding the truth.

If someone really doesn't want God to exist, then they will get what they want and be separated from God. If someone deeply desires the truth, they will find the truth and be set free from the darkness.

"Rational"... you keep using this word. I don't think it means what you think it means.

 

[David Colin Gould]

I like to think that as soon as there was some mumbo-jumbo chanting priest / shaman / prophet, there was a skeptic who didn't believe it.

My suspicion is that the first mumbo-jumbo chanting priest/shaman/prophet and the skeptic who didn't believe may well have been one and the same person.

Hello Freodin

 

[Eudaimonist]

It is rational to believe in the possibilty of God. Many people at some point rationaly believe in the possibilty of God, but some begin to assume God does not exist and this choice to assume is by their own free will.

After one chooses to assume God does not exist, they're lead down many different paths to false truths that leave them admitting they don't know why or how the universe or themselves came to exist.

A simple choice to assume God does exist or to rationally believe God is possible will get them back on the right path to finding the truth.

If someone really doesn't want God to exist, then they will get what they want and be separated from God. If someone deeply desires the truth, they will find the truth and be set free from the darkness.

Not true in my case.

I had started by assuming that God exists. I had been taught this as even a little child, and it was natural then to assume that my elders were correct.

I had started to question God's existence. I discovered that I had simply assumed that God exists on the authority of adults. I discovered that I didn't have any rational reason to think that God was even a "possibility".

I did not choose to believe that God does not exist. My belief in God disappeared without any conscious choice. My only choice was to accept that I was no longer a Christian.

It had nothing to do with "not wanting God to exist". That was never the issue. The issue was what good reason had I to think that God exists or might exist. I had none.

This path was motivated by a sincere desire to know the truth. I found the truth that belief in God has no rational foundation, and I was set free from darkness. I had found my rational enlightenment.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Davian]

It is rational to believe in the possibilty of God. Many people at some point rationaly believe in the possibilty of God, but some begin to assume God does not exist and this choice to assume is by their own free will.

After one chooses to assume God does not exist, they're lead down many different paths to false truths that leave them admitting they don't know why or how the universe or themselves came to exist.

How do you know this? Do you have one of those mind-reading hats?

Mind-Reading Hat

• Davian
• Jul 30, 2015

A simple choice

Belief is not a conscious choice.

to assume God does exist or to rationally believe God is possible will get them back on the right path to finding the truth.

I don't assume that your religious opinion is the truth.

If someone really doesn't want God to exist, then they will get what they want

Why would I not want for there to be something more to human existence than this relative brief biological stint here on Earth?

and be separated from God. If someone deeply desires the truth, they will find the truth and be set free from the darkness.

By "darkness", in this context, you mean "reality"?

 

[AV1611VET]

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 is a spiritual problem, not an intellectual one.

In other words, it stems from the heart, not the brain.

Psalm 14:1a The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

 

[alsughasoughaiuyfygh]

The reason why some people don't believe in God varies from one person to another. Some choose to be atheists maybe because they...

-Found explanations that make more sense to them regarding the world.
-Were harmed by religious folk.
-Want physical proof that they can see with their own eyes.
-Are disturbed by religion and its practices.
-Are too proud to believe in a being higher then them and want to feel superior to those who worship that being.
-Honestly believe they are a god.
-Are raised to be atheists.

and the list goes on and on. Everyone has a different life and thus it produces different results regarding faith and spirituality. Some reasons may seem more legit or insane than others but everyone has their own reasons to believe in what they believe in.

Finally, we got to accept the fact that Christianity -and religion in general - isn't going to appeal to everyone. There isn't a single idea out there that has a 100% approval rating.

 

[JonFromMinnesota]

I've been an atheist for 7 years. I find the claims for a God unconvincing so I choose not to believe in it.
You've probably met plenty of atheists and not even known it. A lot of us aren't outspoken about it in public. You'll only know if you engage us on the topic of religion.

Why do I think atheism exists? I'm not sure what type of answer you're looking for here. One answer could be people took a deeper look at the faith they were affiliated with decided it wasn't convincing anymore. The latest survey in 2014 showed that 22.8% of Americans are unaffiliated with religion.

 

[Davian]

Atheism is a spiritual problem, not an intellectual one.

In other words, it stems from the heart, not the brain.

Psalm 14:1a The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

There is a God. He is a character in a book.

 

[Davian]

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.

How long until the big reveal?

 

[muichimotsu]

Atheism is a spiritual problem, not an intellectual one.

In other words, it stems from the heart, not the brain.

Psalm 14:1a The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

Even if I granted your position, the verse you quote has a vernacular term that is difficult to not interpret as suggesting they are lacking in intelligence rather than, in the context of the culture and the language used, entails a lack of moral fiber or the like, from what I understand. It's not raca, but nabal, which implies someone who makes poor decisions more than someone who doesn't have knowledge in a general sense.

Can't not correct and point out issues in that verse as it's translated, as a student of religion.