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What’s your main reason for being a theist or an atheist?

Dawnofhope

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i
Staff member
Premium Member
We all believe what we do for some reason. I’m a theist and believe in the God of Abraham. That God I believe is concerned for humanity and for each one of us. Out of His love for us all He’s guided us through His Great Educators such as Christ, Muhammad, the Buddha and Krishna to name a few. What I believe makes perfect sense to me but I can see merit in arguments that would reject such a view. I believe in God because:
1/ It seems rational
2/ It resonates with my experience in life
3/ It works practically.

An atheist could use exactly the same argument of course. I tried atheism for about a year but it was the worst year of my life. Some atheists would probably say the same about their experiences of theism. So I can see how atheism makes sense. It just doesn’t work for me.

Why do you believe what you do? We’re in the religious debates section so feel free to debate. I might too...who knows!? I don’t really like atheist verses theist debates. This could be s first. Let’s see how we go.
 

Phaedrus

Active Member
I identify as an atheist due to the fact that there is zero evidence, outside of a personal nature as it pertains to the individual and not the collective of humanity and also to which cannot be verified outside of the individual mind for the concept remains purely that, for the existence of any deity created by the process of fallible man's imagination.
 

MikeDwight

Well-Known Member
I identify as an atheist for the perks. People say you studygroup went bad one way or the other say, hey , personally, atheist. Check this out , Charles Dawkins. It works practically. People trust me with Jew-sized money numbers.
 

PoetPhilosopher

Veteran Member
I developed a deep fascination for religion and the mysteries of life based on a video game I really liked when I was 13, that contained those elements. Upon trying to further my development as a theist, I've tried hard for many years, but it was like I was running over and over in circles. All the truths I have actually found were found in accident and when I wasn't trying.

Why I think God is real is the evidence
that is people's accounts of these "manifestations of God".
 

Dawnofhope

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i
Staff member
Premium Member
I identify as an atheist due to the fact that there is zero evidence, outside of a personal nature as it pertains to the individual and not the collective of humanity and also to which cannot be verified outside of the individual mind for the concept remains purely that, for the existence of any deity created by the process of fallible man's imagination.

But there’s zero evidence outside of personal experience for atheism too. The strongest evidence for Theism is arguably the life example and Teachings of the recognised Religious Founders.
 

Dawnofhope

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i
Staff member
Premium Member
I developed a deep fascination for religion and the mysteries of life based on a video game I really liked when I was 13, that contained those elements. Upon trying to further my development as a theist, I've tried hard for many years, but it was like I was running over and over in circles. All the truths I have actually found were found in accident and when I wasn't trying.

Why I think God is real is the evidence
that is people's accounts of these "manifestations of God".
I like the phrase ‘Manifestation of God’. Accounts of Their Life and Teachings appears to be the strongest evidence.
 

Milton Platt

Well-Known Member
We all believe what we do for some reason. I’m a theist and believe in the God of Abraham. That God I believe is concerned for humanity and for each one of us. Out of His love for us all He’s guided us through His Great Educators such as Christ, Muhammad, the Buddha and Krishna to name a few. What I believe makes perfect sense to me but I can see merit in arguments that would reject such a view. I believe in God because:
1/ It seems rational
2/ It resonates with my experience in life
3/ It works practically.

An atheist could use exactly the same argument of course. I tried atheism for about a year but it was the worst year of my life. Some atheists would probably say the same about their experiences of theism. So I can see how atheism makes sense. It just doesn’t work for me.

Why do you believe what you do? We’re in the religious debates section so feel free to debate. I might too...who knows!? I don’t really like atheist verses theist debates. This could be s first. Let’s see how we go.


I don’t believe in any of the gods because the assertions that they exist have not met their burden of proof
 

Phaedrus

Active Member
But there’s zero evidence outside of personal experience for atheism too. The strongest evidence for Theism is arguably the life example and Teachings of the recognised Religious Founders.

I have heard all the tired, fallible theistic arguments. I've certainly lived long enough. Suffice it to state, none of those theistic arguments are credible, logical, or realistic.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
But there’s zero evidence outside of personal experience for atheism too.
(Explicit) atheism is just saying "I'm not convinced" when confronted with theistic claims. I'm not sure what "evidence" you would expect to support this.

The strongest evidence for Theism is arguably the life example and Teachings of the recognised Religious Founders.
If that's the best you have, then I don't need to look into theism any further. I see nothing compelling in any stories of the founder of any religion. I certainly don't see the Religious Founders recognized by the Baha'i faith any more credible than the founders of other religions.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
But there’s zero evidence outside of personal experience for atheism too.
Assuming that you're basing this on some sort of idea that atheism is necessarily the rejection of all gods (it's not, but setting that aside), here's the thing:

When all available evidence can be reconciled with the claim that X exists as it can with the claim that X does not exist, this points to the conclusion that none of our evidence is actually testing for X.

This means that the existence or non-existence of X is utterly irrelevant as far as we can see or measure. If X did exist, nothing we're seeing would be any different than if X didn't exist at all.

I don't know many theists who believe in an irrelevant god... but that's the only sort of god that can be reconciled with a world where theism and rejection of gods are equally valid.
 

MikeDwight

Well-Known Member
If I was in a hazing ritual in Detroit, and I wanna be whatever this thing is at the Municipal Monument...
th

What does Eminem have to say about the hindu thing with the sun thing? Did you know France has no &, they can't do m&m, they got to do m et m I think.

I mean obviously Eminem Raps which makes him Great with the Blacks. They don't accuse him of rapant homosexual advances right off the bat anyway, rather Occitan.
 

lukethethird

unknown member
What’s your main reason for being a theist or an atheist?
My main reason for being a theist or an atheist is that I don't really give a crap either way.
 

Dawnofhope

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i
Staff member
Premium Member
Explicit) atheism is just saying "I'm not convinced" when confronted with theistic claims. I'm not sure what "evidence" you would expect to support this.

Being convinced or not is highly subjective. There are people on both sides of the Theism/atheism who have varying degrees of conviction. So whether or not we believe ourselves to be completely convinced or largely ambivalent can not be a determinant of whether something is true or not.

If that's the best you have, then I don't need to look into theism any further. I see nothing compelling in any stories of the founder of any religion. I certainly don't see the Religious Founders recognized by the Baha'i faith any more credible than the founders of other religions.

Maybe and maybe not. Some are easily swayed and manipulated whereas others are so rigid and inflexible they would refuse to accept the truth of a matter even when confronted with overwhelming evidence. So while you may have reached your conclusions based on sound investigation of the facts and been impartial and fair in your judgment, you may also have been manipulated, coerced and biased. There are many ways we could be in error when it comes to decision making of this kind. Once again what you say is highly subjective.
 

Milton Platt

Well-Known Member
But there’s zero evidence outside of personal experience for atheism too. The strongest evidence for Theism is arguably the life example and Teachings of the recognised Religious Founders.

Atheism isn’t necessarily a claim. It is simply a lack of belief in a god. What sort of evidence do you require from me to prove I don’t believe in a god?
 

Phaedrus

Active Member
Some are easily swayed and manipulated whereas others are so rigid and inflexible they would refuse to accept the truth of a matter even when confronted with overwhelming evidence.

You mean how theists refuse to accept the truth of reality, that personal evidence, aka personal faith, is to evidence as bald is to a hair color? If anything, theists are not convinced by evidence so much as gullible to philosophical woo that fills in the gaps of knowledge with non-credible religious concepts.
 

Dawnofhope

Non-Proselytizing Baha'i
Staff member
Premium Member
Assuming that you're basing this on some sort of idea that atheism is necessarily the rejection of all gods (it's not, but setting that aside), here's the thing:

When all available evidence can be reconciled with the claim that X exists as it can with the claim that X does not exist, this points to the conclusion that none of our evidence is actually testing for X.

This means that the existence or non-existence of X is utterly irrelevant as far as we can see or measure. If X did exist, nothing we're seeing would be any different than if X didn't exist at all.

I don't know many theists who believe in an irrelevant god... but that's the only sort of god that can be reconciled with a world where theism and rejection of gods are equally valid.
So your evidence is the perception of how the opposing points of view don’t appear convincing?
 
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