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Atheist

vulcanlogician

vulcanlogician

Well-Known Member
King Phenomenon said:
The atheist is grateful and recognizes things that are greater than them selves but what they don’t do is be grateful towards something greater than themselves which is cool with me.
Click to expand...

Yeah, atheists tend to be grateful for stupid stuff like their family... and people in their lives who love them. They might be grateful concerning their kids, even though they might not consider their kids to be "larger than themselves."

But, quite often, "larger than self" things are targets of gratitude by atheists. Sometimes they are grateful for nature and the things that sustain them. But not during hurricanes and stuff like that. They'll say things like, "It sucks that the hurricane blew my house down." Which is seriously ungrateful imo. One might even say sacreligious.

But I think the main thing that characterizes atheists' gratitude is that they prefer to express it toward things and persons whom they can tell obviously exist. Opinions differ as to whether this is a worthwhile metric.
 
MikeF

MikeF

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
King Phenomenon said:
Atheists have a disbelief or lack of belief in a god. I think it’s more of a disbelief because even if we could prove there was a god they still wouldn’t believe in my opinion. Let’s say we could prove that all of existence rises and falls with the birth and death of one individual, the atheist would be like, so what. Even then they wouldn’t believe imo. The atheist is grateful and recognizes things that are greater than them selves but what they don’t do is be grateful towards something greater than themselves which is cool with me. I can see where their coming from. I mean why should anyone think that there’s anything more important than themselves.
Click to expand...

I need some amplification of you comments. What does it mean for something to be greater than one's self? Why is gratitude a necessary component to holding something greater than one's self?
 
K

Kfox

Well-Known Member
King Phenomenon said:
Let’s say we could prove that all of existence rises and falls with the birth and death of one individual, the atheist would be like, so what.
Click to expand...
What God are you talking about that could be verified this way? I’ve never heard of such a God claim. The problem is there is no discription of God that people agree on; some people call God things that can’t be real other people call God things that can. I recognize what ever someone chooses to call God may exist but I don’t call it God, I call it something else.
 
B

Bthoth

*banned*
King Phenomenon said:
Atheists have a disbelief or lack of belief in a god. I think it’s more of a disbelief because even if we could prove there was a god they still wouldn’t believe in my opinion. Let’s say we could prove that all of existence rises and falls with the birth and death of one individual, the atheist would be like, so what. Even then they wouldn’t believe imo. The atheist is grateful and recognizes things that are greater than them selves but what they don’t do is be grateful towards something greater than themselves which is cool with me. I can see where their coming from. I mean why should anyone think that there’s anything more important than themselves.
Click to expand...
Sure Mom is more important than myself.

The 1 individual angle is irrational for the topic. Because then you infer to only 1 religion; christianity. IN that case, the christians create more atheist by accusation than people choosing to be atheist.
 
Clizby Wampuscat

Clizby Wampuscat

Well-Known Member
King Phenomenon said:
Atheists have a disbelief or lack of belief in a god. I think it’s more of a disbelief because even if we could prove there was a god they still wouldn’t believe in my opinion. Let’s say we could prove that all of existence rises and falls with the birth and death of one individual, the atheist would be like, so what. Even then they wouldn’t believe imo.
Click to expand...
The nature of belief is that we cannot choose our beliefs. If you provide the evidence they need to be convinced they will have no choice but to believe. Now they may deny they believe just like some believers pretend to believe for various reasons. Many atheists like myself want to believe what is true, that is how I became an atheist from my theists beliefs. I decided I wanted to know why I believed and if those beliefs were supported by good evidence. My journey found that they were not. If someone can provide good evidence for the existence of god many of us would believe it.

King Phenomenon said:
The atheist is grateful and recognizes things that are greater than them selves but what they don’t do is be grateful towards something greater than themselves which is cool with me. I can see where their coming from. I mean why should anyone think that there’s anything more important than themselves.
Click to expand...
Most atheist are not the narcissists you seem to think we are. My family, wife, kids, friends and truth are more important to me than myself. If a god exists I would have to evaluate if that god is worth considering to be more important than myself.
 
Stevicus

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
King Phenomenon said:
Atheists have a disbelief or lack of belief in a god. I think it’s more of a disbelief because even if we could prove there was a god they still wouldn’t believe in my opinion. Let’s say we could prove that all of existence rises and falls with the birth and death of one individual, the atheist would be like, so what. Even then they wouldn’t believe imo. The atheist is grateful and recognizes things that are greater than them selves but what they don’t do is be grateful towards something greater than themselves which is cool with me. I can see where their coming from. I mean why should anyone think that there’s anything more important than themselves.
Click to expand...

I don't know if it's a matter of thinking something is more important than oneself. What people find important is subjective. I accept the reality that I am here, in a place, and have grown accustomed to the sensations and processes of everyday life. As to how I got here and whether there's a god or gods - I don't really know. All I know is that I'm in a place and live my life as best I can, within the parameters of the physical reality into which I was born. How it all came about is something I don't think anyone really knows, nor am I even sure if we're really supposed to care about something like that. Does it even matter?
 
King Phenomenon

King Phenomenon

Well-Known Member
MikeF said:
I need some amplification of you comments. What does it mean for something to be greater than one's self? Why is gratitude a necessary component to holding something greater than one's self?
Click to expand...
Not getting into word games sorry An atheist and non atheist can play word games all day long
 
King Phenomenon

King Phenomenon

Well-Known Member
vulcanlogician said:
Yeah, atheists tend to be grateful for stupid stuff like their family... and people in their lives who love them. They might be grateful concerning their kids, even though they might not consider their kids to be "larger than themselves."

But, quite often, "larger than self" things are targets of gratitude by atheists. Sometimes they are grateful for nature and the things that sustain them. But not during hurricanes and stuff like that. They'll say things like, "It sucks that the hurricane blew my house down." Which is seriously ungrateful imo. One might even say sacreligious.

But I think the main thing that characterizes atheists' gratitude is that they prefer to express it toward things and persons whom they can tell obviously exist. Opinions differ as to whether this is a worthwhile metric.
Click to expand...
U just repeated what I said
 
King Phenomenon

King Phenomenon

Well-Known Member
Clizby Wampuscat said:
The nature of belief is that we cannot choose our beliefs. If you provide the evidence they need to be convinced they will have no choice but to believe. Now they may deny they believe just like some believers pretend to believe for various reasons. Many atheists like myself want to believe what is true, that is how I became an atheist from my theists beliefs. I decided I wanted to know why I believed and if those beliefs were supported by good evidence. My journey found that they were not. If someone can provide good evidence for the existence of god many of us would believe it.


Most atheist are not the narcissists you seem to think we are. My family, wife, kids, friends and truth are more important to me than myself. If a god exists I would have to evaluate if that god is worth considering to be more important than myself.
Click to expand...
I put myself before family because I need to take care of myself in order to take care of others or be able to show love.
 
King Phenomenon

King Phenomenon

Well-Known Member
Imo I think If an atheist says they believe the universe is greater than them selves and that they’re grateful for the universe I see that as believing in God. Of course they’re not gonna agree with me but that’s how I see it. a stone is always a stone. You can call it a rock but it doesn’t matter. Nothing exists without the universe. It’s greater than all. The atheist is grateful for the universe and even may think it’s greater than all. But they choose to call it the universe.
 
Last edited:
John53

John53

I go leaps and bounds
Premium Member
King Phenomenon said:
Atheists have a disbelief or lack of belief in a god. I think it’s more of a disbelief because even if we could prove there was a god they still wouldn’t believe in my opinion. Let’s say we could prove that all of existence rises and falls with the birth and death of one individual, the atheist would be like, so what. Even then they wouldn’t believe imo. The atheist is grateful and recognizes things that are greater than them selves but what they don’t do is be grateful towards something greater than themselves which is cool with me. I can see where their coming from. I mean why should anyone think that there’s anything more important than themselves.
Click to expand...

If someone showed me evidence I could verify I would no longer be an atheist.
 
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