A question for atheists who don't believe in God

[Magic Man]

I find the arguement funny. I keep seeing atheists state how they believe. Which implys that they think not know. Not one atheist states how they know there is no god.

That's because I don't know there is no God, just like no one else does, and just like no one else knows there is one. I don't believe there is, just like I don't believe there is a tooth fairy, or leprechauns or the boogie monster.

What is the difference if you believe there is no god or if you believe there is a god as long as you don't know you are not correct.

The difference is that you believe in God (or don't). There are no other universal differences between people who don't believe in God and those who do. There are some other general differences in the groups, but of course, they don't apply to all individuals.

 

[gnomon]

I find the arguement funny. I keep seeing atheists state how they believe. Which implys that they think not know. Not one atheist states how they know there is no god.

You are witnessing true humility.

 

[Magic Man]

You keep making the false statement that atheists "believe there is no god" - it is correct to say that we simply "do not believe in gods". If you are capable of understanding the difference, then you will understand the answer to your own question.

To be fair, I believe there is no God, I just wouldn't go so far as to say that I know it.

 

[Diederick]

Isn't that the easy way out. Have you really tried to find an answer or just based on an uncertain belief we are supposed to eliminate all religions when there is a probability that one is right.

I think the easy way out is also the best way out, instead of making up all sorts of fantastic things to provide yourself with answers.

A very minor possibility exists that one is right, very minor. I wouldn't call it a probability in this context.

I never said we should eliminate all religions.

 

[Falvlun]

I don't know what It's like to believe, so I don't know what I'm not believing in

This sounds like a flimsy semantic cop-out.

You have to have an idea of what you're not believing, otherwise the phrase "I don't believe" has no meaning.

 

[science_is_my_god]

Personally, I think it's up to the "believer" to define what it is I disbelieve, because the state of disbelief is a reaction (not an action) to belief. I can't tell you what it is I don't believe untill you tell me what it is you believe. Atheists do not exist if there isn't a theist with their own concept of "god" for atheists to disbelieve in. For the sake of arguement, I would be compelled to define "god" as anything that is a personified form of something that does not have sufficent evidence to, beyond reasonable doubt, maintain it's own existence in our known universe.

 

[edencanfly]

Exactly what is it you are not believing in? What is "God"?

I think there could be a God, but if I would have to guess, I would say no.
What I would consider 'God' :
- the ruler of everything
- the beginning and the end

 

[science_is_my_god]

I think there could be a God, but if I would have to guess, I would say no.
What I would consider 'God' :
- the ruler of everything
- the beginning and the end

Well, you certainly demonstrate strong agnosticism but weak atheism. A few questions though...

1) How would you define "ruler?" Don't forget that mankind has free will. So, I don't think ALL notions of god put him in COMPLETE control.

2)The beginning and end of what? The universe? Time? Humanity? Does there even HAVE to be a beginning and an end?

 

[my opinion]

It's probably more what we don't believe in. We don't believe in gods that punish forever in eternal hell fire, we don't believe in brainwashing others with an image that a creator of so many wonderful things is vengeful, jealous, non respectful of people. We don't believe in running around telling everyone you have free will, but if you don't do what god says you will be condemned, we don't believe in an organised gang that uses guilt, fear, manipulation, to force you to tow the line, and we will certainly don't believe in the millions of murders that have taken place all in the name of god...Does that clear that up for you?

 

[Luminous]

I believe everything i know.

 

[Willamena]

I find the arguement funny. I keep seeing atheists state how they believe. Which implys that they think not know. Not one atheist states how they know there is no god.

You think that's funny... If you think you know what God is, and in doing so know that what you think you know isn't what is, per se, then the logical conclusion is: I'm an atheist because I know God.

 

[Autodidact]

Exactly what is it you are not believing in? What is "God"?

I think a god is a powerful creator being who cannot be perceived with the senses.

 

[Luminous]

some atheist believe there is a god or gods but are "against theism" because they see it as bad.

 

[Magic Man]

some atheist believe there is a god or gods but are "against theism" because they see it as bad.

They would be antitheists or maltheists then, not atheists. If you believe a god exists, then you're not an atheist.

 

[invisible chzbrgr]

When asked directly what is the nature of god, a theist might say "god is mystery, love, creator, destroyer, lawgiver, mercy, grace, omnipresent, omnibenevolent, omnipotent, omniscient, father, son, holy spirit" all at the same time. This is not a "being," this is a series of descriptive words that shift meaning depending on the question and the situation. You simply can't pin him down, am I right?

I disagree that to be taken seriously as an atheist, I must define god to a specificity that theists themselves cannot achieve, and yet they say "I believe" and we leave them alone.

(Believe? Believe what? Something that is unknown and potentially unknowable, unproven and potentially unprovable?)

They are the ones who must come up with a positive definition, not I.

 

[Storm]

To those saying the onus is on the believers to provide the definition...

I agree with the sentiment, but surely you have a default God-concept?

 

[invisible chzbrgr]

To those saying the onus is on the believers to provide the definition...

I agree with the sentiment, but surely you have a default God-concept?

Good question. The answer is yes and no. I was raised in a very passively Christian home. IF we were to go to church, I knew which one we would go to, but we never went. lol. So my beginning point is the Christian god, I guess. (Even so, there are so many wildly different concepts of the Christian god alone, I have no idea which one this would be!)

I am aware that there exist different god concepts in the world, so I can discuss the possibility of an uncaused cause, or a personal god who wrote/dictated a book, or a pantheon of gods and goddesses who each address different aspects of human and cosmological nature.

But since I was never a fervent believer in any one of these concepts, when I think of "god," it's constantly shifting. When discussing god I am forced to tailor my concept based on the concept of the believer with whom I am discussing the subject. That is in the nature of not believing (I think). There is no use in discussing why I think the literal account of Genesis to be false, with someone who positively thinks Atlas still holds up the world on his shoulders, or with someone who is a deist.

I have a better concept of Santa Clause than I do of god. This does not count in god's favor.

 

[Alceste]

To those saying the onus is on the believers to provide the definition...

I agree with the sentiment, but surely you have a default God-concept?

I don't. I spent a whole evening once discussing the nature of "God" with a Christian friend who I admire - and who is very logical and intelligent - because I wanted to know what the difference between her "god" and my (sort of Taoist) "no god" is. I went through every "property" I could think of - male or female or neither? Loving or vengeful? What "race", if any? etc. She answered that none of these properties of her god are knowable. When we finally got down to the actual difference between her "god" and my "no god" the only difference was intent. She believes the ineffable, mysterious, unknowable font of existence has benevolent intent, and I do not.

Not a big difference, when you get right down to it.

 

[Storm]

I don't.

Really? When someone says "God" you don't think of anything at all? I find that difficult to believe.

I spent a whole evening once discussing the nature of "God" with a Christian friend who I admire - and who is very logical and intelligent - because I wanted to know what the difference between her "god" and my (sort of Taoist) "no god" is. I went through every "property" I could think of - male or female or neither? Loving or vengeful? What "race", if any? etc. She answered that none of these properties of her god are knowable. When we finally got down to the actual difference between her "god" and my "no god" the only difference was intent. She believes the ineffable, mysterious, unknowable font of existence has benevolent intent, and I do not.

Not a big difference, when you get right down to it.

An interesting story, but I have no idea what point you were trying to make with it. :sorry1:

 

[Alceste]

Really? When someone says "God" you don't think of anything at all? I find that difficult to believe.

Yes, when somebody says "god" I have no preconception of what they are talking about. I might guess that a Christian would be talking of a beardy fella in the sky watching their every move, or that a Wiccan is talking about a goat-leggy fella with a flute or something, but my guess would always be entirely dependent on the extent of my knowledge and understanding of the believer.

I don't have a "god-concept" of my own - when somebody says "god" without explaining further I think up something custom-made that fits in with the kind of person they are.

An interesting story, but I have no idea what point you were trying to make with it. :sorry1:

It was meant to demonstrate that the only way for me - as a non-believer - to really know what individual people are talking about when they say "god" is to grill them about it for a whole evening. I've only done that once, so I only really "know" one person's definition of "god".