Why newborn babies are atheists

[Kim7229]

All humans can be divided into two categories:

1) Those who hold the belief that a god exists (theist)
2) Those who don't fall into category #1 (atheist)

Since newborn babies wouldn't even be aware of the concept of a god, they don't hold a belief that a god exists. Therefore they fall into category #2 and are atheists.

 

[Sketcher]

We don't know that for sure, but let's say for a second we did.

They also poop their diapers. They also don't speak intelligibly, they have no skills whatsoever, they need to be taught everything - how to love, how to give, how to wait, how to work. While babies are wonderful bundles of joy, what is more wonderful is their growth into functioning adults. They learn many good things on that journey, so much the better when they have two good parents to teach them. One of these many good things they need to learn is faith in God.

 

[Occams Barber]

All humans can be divided into two categories:

1) Those who hold the belief that a god exists (theist)
2) Those who don't fall into category #1 (atheist)

Since newborn babies wouldn't even be aware of the concept of a god, they don't hold a belief that a god exists. Therefore they fall into category #2 and are atheists.

Great. Thanks to you the number of atheists in the world just increased by a huge factor.

Just a few more toddlers and we could be looking at world domination.
OB

 

[Radagast]

All humans can be divided into two categories:

1) Those who hold the belief that a god exists (theist)
2) Those who don't fall into category #1 (atheist)

That's not what "atheist" means. An atheist holds the belief that god(s) do not exist. A baby is not an atheist.

And, by the way, where is the question about Christianity in that post?

 

[ewq1938]

Since newborn babies wouldn't even be aware of the concept of a god, they don't hold a belief that a god exists.

Prove that please.

 

[Occams Barber]

They also poop their diapers. They also don't speak intelligibly, they have no skills whatsoever, they need to be taught everything - how to love, how to give, how to wait, how to work.

I'm not sure what the problem is here?

These sound pretty much like your average atheist.
OB

 

[mmksparbud]

All humans can be divided into two categories:

1) Those who hold the belief that a god exists (theist)
2) Those who don't fall into category #1 (atheist)

Since newborn babies wouldn't even be aware of the concept of a god, they don't hold a belief that a god exists. Therefore they fall into category #2 and are atheists.

No---they just think that their Mom and Dad are God. They are the child's first concept of what God is. That is why to hurt a child, emotionally or physically, is so abhorrent to God--it warps their view of Him.

 

[Subduction Zone]

That's not what "atheist" means. An atheist holds the belief that god(s) do not exist. A baby is not an atheist.

And, by the way, where is the question about Christianity in that post?

Nope, that is an incorrect definition. Some atheists believe that god or gods do not exist. Most simply lack a belief in god. That is not the same thing. Just as you do not ask a Muslim to explain the beliefs of a Christian you do not ask a Christian to define atheism.

There are two basic groups belief wise. Those that believe in a god or gods and those that do not. If one believes in any sort of god one is a theist. If one lacks a belief in god or gods one is an atheist. Babies would be in the category of atheists.

 

[Radagast]

Nope, that is an incorrect definition.

Actually, it was completely correct: "Therefore, in philosophy at least, atheism should be construed as the proposition that God does not exist (or, more broadly, the proposition that there are no gods)." -- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

"Atheism is the position that affirms the nonexistence of God. It proposes positive disbelief rather than mere suspension of belief." -- Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy

As a matter of fact, it is you that is using an incorrect definition of the word -- one introduced by Antony Flew in the 70s. As Alice pointed out to Humpty Dumpty, there are problems with that kind of attempted redefinition of a word that already has a clear meaning.

And, like I said, babies are not atheists.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Actually, it was completely correct: "Therefore, in philosophy at least, atheism should be construed as the proposition that God does not exist (or, more broadly, the proposition that there are no gods)." -- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

"Atheism is the position that affirms the nonexistence of God. It proposes positive disbelief rather than mere suspension of belief." -- Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy

As a matter of fact, it is you that is using an incorrect definition of the word -- one introduced by Antony Flew in the 70s. As Alice pointed out to Humpty Dumpty, there are problems with that kind of attempted redefinition of a word that already has a clear meaning.

And, like I said, babies are not atheists.

And what makes you think that those are proper sources? In fact they are less than worthless. No links were provided. This is a far superior source:

What is Atheism? | American Atheists

"
Atheism is one thing: A lack of belief in gods.
Atheism is not an affirmative belief that there is no god nor does it answer any other question about what a person believes. It is simply a rejection of the assertion that there are gods. Atheism is too often defined incorrectly as a belief system. To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods."

Would you allow a Muslim to define your faith?

Ask a Christian to define Christianity, ask an atheist to define atheism.

 

[Godistruth1]

All humans can be divided into two categories:

1) Those who hold the belief that a god exists (theist)
2) Those who don't fall into category #1 (atheist)

Since newborn babies wouldn't even be aware of the concept of a god, they don't hold a belief that a god exists. Therefore they fall into category #2 and are atheists.

Children are born believers in God, academic claims

 

[Serving Zion]

All humans can be divided into two categories:

1) Those who hold the belief that a god exists (theist)
2) Those who don't fall into category #1 (atheist)

Since newborn babies wouldn't even be aware of the concept of a god, they don't hold a belief that a god exists. Therefore they fall into category #2 and are atheists.

A belief is a predetermined decision.

A rational decision is deliberated with an open mind, considering available facts and arguments.

A belief is formed when we identify a reliable pattern so as to provide a shortcut in calculations of thought.

A baby has to form a belief about God at some stage. Usually a person first forms a belief about God while they are still young and impressionable, so their belief is more of a reflection of the environment in which they were making the decision. A child's ability to reason is impaired by their naivety, so that they are less likely to resist and more likely to concede to an authority's point of view, even if it doesn't immediately jive with their intuition.

(Some people don't really grow out of that naivety into a leadership authority, so producing communities of ignorance).

When a child is encountering the God concept, they are also learning. Knowledge consists of spirit and information.

God is spirit, the spirit that is holy. Some of the qualities of that spirit are truth, righteousness and love. A person encountering information in such spirit will come to understand the knowledge of God enough in order to understand and agree with the concepts that The Holy Spirit teaches, thereby forming Christian beliefs. If a person is viewing the information with an unholy spirit, having chosen that perspective in order to corroborate and justify their desire for sin, they are not receiving the information in a way that is agreeable to what The Holy Spirit is conveying. Therefore they are forced to oppose either The Holy Spirit's teaching or their own perspective.

A child does not naturally have an interest in opposing The Holy Spirit's teaching, because they do not naturally have a spirit that is unholy or sinful. We are made in the image of God, and it is when we are tempted to do sin, that sin manifests in us (eg: pride, wrath, envy, greed etc).

For this reason, if a child is introduced to the knowledge of God by a person who has holy spirit, they will find the concepts agreeable (children are naturally more agreeable with truth and righteousness than grown-ups, because they haven't yet been tempted and corrupted by sin so much, nor do they have ongoing pressures of anxiety, resentment and discontentment etc that produce a constantly unholy spirit).

If a child is introduced to the concept of God in an environment that is not of holy spirit, then they are tempted to take part in the perspective of conceit, that is to say "oh nah, we don't believe in God". It is possible, however, that upon encountering an opportunity to learn at a later time, they could still have God's favour because the fact is that they didn't consciously choose to reject the knowledge of God that The Holy Spirit had conveyed to them .. but it does also depend on who they have become as a result of the course they have taken in life.

 

[Radagast]

And what makes you think that those are proper sources?

Common sense. One is a highly respected web site, the other a highly respected book.

And the definition of atheism dates back centuries. There isn't any doubt about what the word means.

Would you allow a Muslim to define your faith?

Oh, so atheism is a faith now is it? And what's the propositional content of that faith? That god(s) do not exist. Like I said.

And, btw, why are you posting on this thread anyway? From the SoP: "No more than one non-Christian Seeker (the OP) may post in a thread."

 

[Johnny4ChristJesus]

And what makes you think that those are proper sources? In fact they are less than worthless. No links were provided. This is a far superior source:

What is Atheism? | American Atheists

"
Atheism is one thing: A lack of belief in gods.
Atheism is not an affirmative belief that there is no god nor does it answer any other question about what a person believes. It is simply a rejection of the assertion that there are gods. Atheism is too often defined incorrectly as a belief system. To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods."

Would you allow a Muslim to define your faith?

Ask a Christian to define Christianity, ask an atheist to define atheism.

Huh? Do you guys even listen to what you come up with? So, you aren't believing their is no God or gods. You are simply rejecting the assertion that there is a God or gods.

You can't reject something you don't believe. If you believed there was a God, you wouldn't reject the assertion made by another. And, if you didn't believe their was a God, it would be quite natural to reject the assertion made by another.

With logic like you quoted, it is no wonder atheism is illogical and worthless.

 

[bcbsr]

All humans can be divided into two categories:

1) Those who hold the belief that a god exists (theist)
2) Those who don't fall into category #1 (atheist)

Since newborn babies wouldn't even be aware of the concept of a god, they don't hold a belief that a god exists. Therefore they fall into category #2 and are atheists.

Actually and "atheist" are those who believe God doesn't exist. You forget about those who take no stand on the question.

There are two types of people in the world
1) Those who claim there are only two types of people in the world
2) Those who claim there are more than two types of people in the world

 

[Radagast]

There are two types of people in the world
1) Those who claim there are only two types of people in the world
2) Those who claim there are more than two types of people in the world

There are three kinds of people in the world:
1) Those who can count;
2) Those who can't.

 

[Greg J.]

All humans can be divided into two categories:

1) Those who hold the belief that a god exists (theist)
2) Those who don't fall into category #1 (atheist)

Since newborn babies wouldn't even be aware of the concept of a god, they don't hold a belief that a god exists. Therefore they fall into category #2 and are atheists.

So what you are saying is that newborns do not disbelieve in God. Thanks for that. That means they aren't atheists.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

All humans can be divided into two categories:

1) Those who hold the belief that a god exists (theist)
2) Those who don't fall into category #1 (atheist)

Since newborn babies wouldn't even be aware of the concept of a god, they don't hold a belief that a god exists. Therefore they fall into category #2 and are atheists.

So, are you saying that all atheists have an infantile outlook on the world?

 

[Ken Rank]

All humans can be divided into two categories:

1) Those who hold the belief that a god exists (theist)
2) Those who don't fall into category #1 (atheist)

Since newborn babies wouldn't even be aware of the concept of a god, they don't hold a belief that a god exists. Therefore they fall into category #2 and are atheists.

Perhaps... but they don't even know who their parents are now, do they? They are just those people, those things that bring food and wipe their butts. They only become "familiar" with those people over time and eventually come to understand that they are parents. So what's your point... you don't expect a baby to believe in god but they don't believe in parents either!

 

[Ken Rank]

Actually and "atheist" are those who believe God doesn't exist.

That is actually true... a true "atheist" has taken a position against God which means the concept of God is able to be processed in their minds, which a baby can't do. A baby then isn't an atheist, a baby exists in ignorance.