Ask an Atheist Day

[etherealascension]

You'd be very welcome.

Also, since you're in high-school, I should probably mention that our universities don't charge tuition.
All you have to pay is a small fee per semester (usually less than 200$) and for your own books.
Other than that studying is free in Norway.

Norway just became a much more viable possibility for me. my parents would love to hear that haha

 

[wayward_teen]

Study in Norway/Tuition/Scholarships/Tuition fees/

"The majority of Norwegian institutions of higher education are publicly funded.
And the Norwegian government considers access to higher education for all to be an important part of the Norwegian society.
Thus, there are normally no tuition fees at state universities and university colleges in Norway.
This also applies to foreign students, no matter which country you come from."

Aren't we nice!

You have GOT to be freaking kidding me. Public universities can cost up to $10,000 a semester in the United States! Seeing as I'm a liberal and very secular, Norway sounds like a very good place for me. *Fills out citizenship application forms

So, atheists:
How do you feel about so-called "agnostics"? Some don't like to choose a label of theism or atheism, but just remain agnostic. What are your thoughts concerning this? If you don't happen to believe in any particular power, does that automatically make you an atheist?

 

[jarofthoughts]

You have GOT to be freaking kidding me.

Nope.
I have a four year university level education, as required to become a teacher, and I paid nothing in tuition and a grand total of 800$ in semester fees.
That's for the full four years by the way, not per year.

Public universities can cost up to $10,000 a semester in the United States!

Well, as certain Americans will have you believe, socialist states are clearly the devil and nothing good can come from it.
As should be obvious to everyone, the Scandinavian countries, which, by the way, are probably the most socialist countries in world, totally suck.

Seeing as I'm a liberal and very secular, Norway sounds like a very good place for me. *Fills out citizenship application forms.

Oh my... What have I started.

 

[wayward_teen]

So, atheists:
How do you feel about so-called "agnostics"? Some don't like to choose a label of theism or atheism, but just remain agnostic. What are your thoughts concerning this? If you don't happen to believe in any particular power, does that automatically make you an atheist?

Nobody? You guys usually love to get questions like this. LOL, just kidding, I wouldn't know. But I thought it was interesting.

 

[etherealascension]

So, atheists:
How do you feel about so-called "agnostics"? Some don't like to choose a label of theism or atheism, but just remain agnostic. What are your thoughts concerning this? If you don't happen to believe in any particular power, does that automatically make you an atheist?

Agnostics to me are just atheists who don't want the negative connotations from the title. Not one of my friends who labels themselves "Agnostic" believe in a God in any way. Is that not just atheism with a more subtle name?

Agnostic to me means "Undecided, but too lazy to look for something to believe in." Just my .02

 

[jarofthoughts]

Nobody? You guys usually love to get questions like this. LOL, just kidding, I wouldn't know. But I thought it was interesting.

So, atheists:
How do you feel about so-called "agnostics"? Some don't like to choose a label of theism or atheism, but just remain agnostic. What are your thoughts concerning this? If you don't happen to believe in any particular power, does that automatically make you an atheist?

Didn't register the question for some reason.
Sorry.

In my book nobody is just an agnostic, seeing as that isn't really a position as I understand it.

Here is how I see it:
Being a theist means you believe in a god or gods.
Being an atheist means you do not.
Being a gnostic means you feel you 'know' your position is right.
Being an agnostic means that you do not.
And by that reasoning one can be a gnostic theist, an agnostic theist, a gnostic atheist or an agnostic atheist, but never 'just' an agnostic, gnostic, theist or atheist, based on the meanings of these words.
Of course, depending on context these words can have different meanings, but based on the original Greek, this is how I interpret matters.

 

[jaetwee]

I see agnosticism as a halfway point. You don't believe in a god but you don't deny the existence of a god.
Theist agnostics say its more likely whereas atheist agnostics say its less likely.

 

[Tellurian]

Why does atheism inevitably lead to genocide such as we saw under the leadership of such atheists as Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot?

Why did the Jewish god supposedly tell King Saul to commit genocide against his neighbors, and then punished him when he did not murder all the men, women, children, and infants?

Why did Christian military randomly kill everyone they encountered and explain that "God can sort out which ones are his"?

The history of Christians murdering Pagans simply because they were not Christians is very long starting in 391 CE when the Roman Emperor Theodocius made it the law that the only religion allowed in the Roman Empire was the Roman Catholic Church. Thus began centuries of Christian slaughters of Pagans which extended to the Americas and on to today when the Christian fundamentalist mercenaries of Blackwater have randomly murdered Muslims in Iraq.

 

[MapMistress]

Or... The Crusades ...hundreds of years of killing off different races that existed in the Levant and Palestine long before the existence of Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

And how many Native American tribes had genocide committed against them (on purpose) by missionaries of different Christian faiths and their God-following citizens?

We can start off with the Yazoo tribe--Catholic-Christian French committed genocide against the entire tribe. Christian Texans committed genocide against the entire Tonkawa tribe. And there's plenty more whether they be Catholics or Protestant settlers--entire Native American tribes wiped out on purpose because such god-following Christians called those native americans "heathens" and "sub-human".

Christians who follow "god" have committed genocide plenty more than Atheists have.

 

[andys]

What made you become an atheist?

What made you an a-Santa-ist, or an a-Tooth Fairy-ist, or an a-Unicornist?

 

[andys]

...what is the most annoying and sometimes insulting misconception of an Atheist...?

First off, neither "atheist" nor "atheism" is a proper noun, so there's no capitalization involved.

I could write volumes on this topic. But here are a few of my pet peeves:

1. Atheists (per se) have no morals. [As if denying the existence of something because there is no evidence to support it, entails a moral code to be adopted!]

2. If atheists don't believe in a god, what do they believe in? [As if absence of one (nonsense) belief excludes the possibility of any other beliefs from being held!]

3. Atheism is just another religion. [Incredibly stupid. Atheism has no doctrine, no rituals, no standard of behaviour, no moral codes. no beliefs, and NO god. All it is, is the absence of a belief in all things related to theism. Period.]

4. What justification do atheists have for saying there is no god? [First of all, the burden of proof always rests upon the shoulders of the one who proposes an assertion (i.e., that god exists). So it is the theist, not the atheist, who must provide justification. And in the conspicuous absence of any justification to believe in either a god, or a tooth fairy for that matter, it is perfectly reasonable to believe in neither. Therefore, any reasonable person will say that tooth fairies do not exist. Of course, this sort of "assertion" is not to be confused with the sort of dogmatic assertion made by the theist who asserts that a god does indeed exist. Firstly, an atheist's assertion that gods do not exist is perfectly reasonable in the absence of any evidence to the contrary. Whereas the theists' assertion fails to satisfy the required burden of proof to substantiate it. Therefore, their assertion is, by no means, reasonable. Finally, assertions that tooth fairies or gods do not exist, do not necessarily entail the logical possibility that a tooth fairy or a god could exist. Granted, on my pillow one morning, a tooth fairy might appear and allow scientists to establish her existence beyond a reasonable doubt. So, we atheists are usually careful not to assert that it is impossible that a god (or a tooth fairy)) could exist. It's just so bloody unlikely, that it is perfectly reasonable to believe, and even assert that they don't exist.

There are many more idiotic criticisms of atheism. but these are the most common ones that I have had to deal with on this forum.

 

[andys]

So, atheists:
How do you feel about so-called "agnostics"? Some don't like to choose a label of theism or atheism, but just remain agnostic. What are your thoughts concerning this? If you don't happen to believe in any particular power, does that automatically make you an atheist?

I love your question!

Personally, I regard agnostics as wishy washy milk toasts who lack either the courage or the intellect to have an opinion. They correctly argue that since all questions pertaining to god are metaphysical, therefore, no knowledge in that area (if not in all such areas) is impossible. Well, no kidding. But to conclude, "So, if we can't know if a god exists then we have no opinion on the matter" is to be irresponsibly self-distructive. In the name of "reason" they have abandoned reason.

Look, it's one thing to get an easy A+ on your philosophy 101 term paper by adopting the logical positivist's argument (A. J. Ayer and Carnap) but to wear it like a badge of honour is plain disingenuous.

Imagine an agnostic as a juror for the O. J. Simpson trial. "Your honour, we can never be sure what is true, so we have no verdict to offer." How convenient.

As I have just argued (directly above), in the absence of any evidence to support an assertion (e.g., "your mother is the devil") it is 100% reasonable—indeed called for—to dismiss such an assertion as not true. Well, neither is there a shred of evidence to support the assertion that a god exists. So that assertion, for the same reason, can not be assigned any credibility or truth value. Indeed, its lack of truth is only reinforced by the agnostic's claim that such an assertion can not ever be substantiated. So now there is even more grounds to dismiss its truthfulness.

Hence, atheism: The rejection of metaphysical assertions postulating bearded gods, fluffy angels and eternal afterlifes. In short...poppycock!

 

[bobhikes]

I love your question!

Personally, I regard agnostics as wishy washy milk toasts who lack either the courage or the intellect to have an opinion. They correctly argue that since all questions pertaining to god are metaphysical, therefore, no knowledge in that area (if not in all such areas) is impossible. Well, no kidding. But to conclude, "So, if we can't know if a god exists then we have no opinion on the matter" is to be irresponsibly self-distructive. In the name of "reason" they have abandoned reason.

!

And I as an atheist agnostic personally believe atheist that support their belief by there so called reason are not being honest and have not really investigated there facts 100%. They have decided to agree with the current consensus and not the reality of things. They use there so called absolute facts of today as their bible for their so called religion of rationality.

 

[andys]

And I as an atheist agnostic personally believe atheist that support their belief by there [sic] so called reason are not being honest and have not really investigated there [sic] facts 100%.

What belief are you ascribing to atheists? Aren't you aware that atheism, by definition, simply rejects belief in theism? Atheism has no beliefs.

[Atheists] have decided to agree with the current consensus and not the reality of things. They use there so called absolute facts of today as their bible for their so called religion of rationality.

What are you rambling on about? There are no facts that atheists agree to, no current consensus among atheists to agree upon something, no atheist "bible", no "religion of rationality".

Whatever you're smoking, I want some!

 

[bobhikes]

What belief are you ascribing to atheists? Aren't you aware that atheism, by definition, simply rejects belief in theism? Atheism has no beliefs.


What are you rambling on about? There are no facts that atheists agree to, no consensus among atheists, no atheist "bible", no "religion of rationality".

Whatever you're smoking, I want some!

Aren't you aware agnostic's have the courage and intellect to realize you can't escape beliefs. Aren't you also aware that you don't speak for all atheists some don't just simply reject belief in theism there are many threads that speak to this point.

 

[andys]

Aren't you aware agnostic's have the courage and intellect to realize you can't escape beliefs.

What do you mean by "escape beliefs"?

Aren't you also aware that you don't speak for all atheists some don't just simply reject belief in theism there are many threads that speak to this point.

Very few so-called atheist on this forum have a clue what is meant by atheism. I do, however, speak for actual atheists, i.e., ones who conform to the definition of atheism (weak or strong).

 

[bobhikes]

What do you mean by "escape beliefs"?
Very few so-called atheist on this forum have a clue what is meant by atheism. I do, however, speak for actual atheists, i.e., ones who conform to the definition of atheism (weak or strong).

I get it your belief is the only belief, sorry your rational is the only rational.

 

[andys]

I get it; your belief is the only belief, sorry [that] your rational is the only rational. [My punctuation, for clarity]

(Note: You have mistakenly used "rational" instead of "rationale".)

What you fail to grasp is that "atheism" is not a matter of, or for, opinion. It is a word that is clearly defined and can be accessed easily on-line. (Hence, the silliness of this thread which invites people to say what they think "atheism" means.)

I do not have a "belief" of what "atheism" means; I have a clear and correct understanding of its definition. Neither you nor I is entitled to an "opinion" on the matter.

If you would bother to research its meaning, then you, too, would understand its meaning and would be in agreement with me. I invite you to take the moment it will require to educate yourself.

 

[bobhikes]

If you would bother to research its meaning, then you, too, would understand its meaning and would be in agreement with me. I invite you to take the moment it will require to educate yourself.

No need to research it, my goal is to understand others. I have come to understand your view and can accept it and move on. I need not change your rationale or my beliefs.

I by the way am an

Atheist agnostic nihilist

So, I proved based on my experiences there is no god; yet, believe there is no rational way to determine because everything is based on personal interpretation of personal experiences.

Example: What I see as an Atheist you see as something else. I can also provide text examples to support my claim and have in the past.

Its rather funny, there are 3 dictionary's in my house for a simple word they'll have 3 different definitions. Similar yes but still different.

 

[andys]

I proved based on my experiences there is no god;

I would be fascinated to hear how you proved there is no god. Please!

...yet, believe there is no rational way to determine [there is no god (?)] because everything is based on personal interpretation of personal experiences.

If you have no rational way to prove there is no god, then why do you say you can prove there is no god?

Anyway, I'm all ears!

-Andy