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Atheists Chose to be atheists?

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
If you don't mind @Invisibilis I think this might deserve a thread.

Did atheists choose to be atheists?
I chose to be an atheist because... Do you believe atheist had a choice or something happened which caused them to become an atheist. Whatever the cause, they could not have chosen otherwise. Meaning it would have been impossible for an atheist to have made the choice to be a believer.

Or could an atheist sit aside all of their skepticism and choose to believe in God.

My first question would be which God. Atheism is really one "choice" among many possible choices. Lots of Gods one could choose to believe in. So with of all of the Gods available to believe in, could you choose a different God?
 

icehorse

......unaffiliated...... anti-dogmatist
Premium Member
Here's a twist (maybe):

Is everyone in a culture that doesn't hold the concept of a god an atheist? In this case, no choice was really made.
 

Evangelicalhumanist

"Truth" isn't a thing...
Premium Member
I find the idea that I can choose to believe, or not, to be nonsense. Think about it this way: what I believe is what my brain has observed and made whatever sense of (or not) that it can. So, yes, my brain observes the effects of gravity -- and do you suppose that I could simply decide, and truly, actually and viscerally believe, that my observations don't mean anything and that if I want to stop of the edge of the skyscraper and float there in the air for a while, I'll be able to?

No, you can't choose what you actually believe. Many people, however, can and do choose some of the things that they suppose they believe, but do not really -- not in their heart of hearts. You can see this easily by simply watching politicians and pastors who proclaim many very profound beliefs, and then act against them in ways that would be totally impossible of those were truly held beliefs. The person who says "I believe X is a sin that is worthy of hell..." who goes on to commit that sin, clearly does not actually believe it.

It would be exactly the same thing as stepping of the skyscraper. Impossible if you truly believe.
 

SomeRandom

Still learning to be wise
Staff member
Premium Member
If you don't mind @Invisibilis I think this might deserve a thread.

Did atheists choose to be atheists?
I chose to be an atheist because... Do you believe atheist had a choice or something happened which caused them to become an atheist. Whatever the cause, they could not have chosen otherwise. Meaning it would have been impossible for an atheist to have made the choice to be a believer.

Or could an atheist sit aside all of their skepticism and choose to believe in God.

My first question would be which God. Atheism is really one "choice" among many possible choices. Lots of Gods one could choose to believe in. So with of all of the Gods available to believe in, could you choose a different God?
Isn't this a false dichotomy?
In order to “choose” to be atheist one would have to consciously decide that God doesn’t exist whilst acknowledging that there is a god.
But atheists simply don’t find the evidence for an existing God to be sufficient. It’s like choosing to not believe that a different force other than gravity is holding us upon the earth. You don’t consciously choose to believe in gravity, (well most people anyway) we’re taught the evidence in school with solid demonstrations.
 

Maximus

the Confessor
If you don't mind @Invisibilis I think this might deserve a thread.

Did atheists choose to be atheists?
I chose to be an atheist because... Do you believe atheist had a choice or something happened which caused them to become an atheist. Whatever the cause, they could not have chosen otherwise. Meaning it would have been impossible for an atheist to have made the choice to be a believer.

Or could an atheist sit aside all of their skepticism and choose to believe in God.

My first question would be which God. Atheism is really one "choice" among many possible choices. Lots of Gods one could choose to believe in. So with of all of the Gods available to believe in, could you choose a different God?


No.
 

Howard Is

Lucky Mud
What if God wants atheists to be atheists for an ineffable reason?

What if God is an atheist, and we are all a reflection of His personality crisis ?
Is sane part of the definition ? I haven’t seen it mentioned.
Eternal, yes, Omnipotent, yes, Omniscient, yes.
Sane ? Not on the list.
 

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
Atheism is a decision. Christianity is a decision. Advaita Vedanta is a decision.

Most thinking types make their choice based on their best reasoning. And most people can flip a time or two in their lifetimes as the correct position is not obvious.
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
Isn't this a false dichotomy?
In order to “choose” to be atheist one would have to consciously decide that God doesn’t exist whilst acknowledging that there is a god.
But atheists simply don’t find the evidence for an existing God to be sufficient. It’s like choosing to not believe that a different force other than gravity is holding us upon the earth. You don’t consciously choose to believe in gravity, (well most people anyway) we’re taught the evidence in school with solid demonstrations.

While I consciously I feel I chose to be a atheist, because I decided, as you said, not really enough evidence to choose to believe. I think before I was convincing myself there still was enough reasons to believe, but I kept questioning those reasons and eventually ran out of them.

I know some atheists have later chosen to believe in one God or another but was that really a choice between belief vs non belief or did something happen to cause the belief.

This idea of people having a choice to believe of not believe seems wishful thinking.
How then could a God judge a person for their lack of belief?

The Gods didn't create enough reasons to believe in them, not my fault. :shrug:
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
Atheism is a decision. Christianity is a decision. Advaita Vedanta is a decision.

Most thinking types make their choice based on their best reasoning. And most people can flip a time or two in their lifetimes as the correct position is not obvious.

Just because you made a decision doesn't me you could have chosen otherwise. Something causes the decision, even if it is as simple as me convincing you to stop believing.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
If you don't mind @Invisibilis I think this might deserve a thread.

Did atheists choose to be atheists?
I chose to be an atheist because... Do you believe atheist had a choice or something happened which caused them to become an atheist. Whatever the cause, they could not have chosen otherwise. Meaning it would have been impossible for an atheist to have made the choice to be a believer.

Or could an atheist sit aside all of their skepticism and choose to believe in God.

My first question would be which God. Atheism is really one "choice" among many possible choices. Lots of Gods one could choose to believe in. So with of all of the Gods available to believe in, could you choose a different God?

I was reading this a good amount of times to see if you're asking a new perspective on the topic we haven't talked about yet.

My observation is many atheist come from religious backgrounds. So, it's not more of a choice to not believe in god but a choice not to follow and accept the teachings associated with the concept of god they are highly familiar with. So, the association of not believing "in" god may translate to not believing god exists. Another way to see this is some of the same atheist will not say they know god does not exist they just believe he does not because of lack of evidence. So, in that respect, one can choose to not follow their view of god. That, and not believing (rather than not knowing) leaves room for revelations. Some atheists became theist because they had a revelation of god's existence that lead them to Know god exist rather than believe he did not. Usually, when you know something is not true and your reality doesn't revolve around it, revelations won't make sense. If you just believe it's not true and you can change your beliefs from atheist, agnostic, this or that, that does leave room for a revelation. Assuming that said person hasn't found a belief they Know.
 

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
Just because you made a decision doesn't me you could have chosen otherwise. Something causes the decision, even if it is as simple as me convincing you to stop believing.
Are you getting into 'determinism' here?
 

SomeRandom

Still learning to be wise
Staff member
Premium Member
While I consciously I feel I chose to be a atheist, because I decided, as you said, not really enough evidence to choose to believe. I think before I was convincing myself there still was enough reasons to believe, but I kept questioning those reasons and eventually ran out of them.

I know some atheists have later chosen to believe in one God or another but was that really a choice between belief vs non belief or did something happen to cause the belief.

This idea of people having a choice to believe of not believe seems wishful thinking.
How then could a God judge a person for their lack of belief?

The Gods didn't create enough reasons to believe in them, not my fault. :shrug:
The religious will spin it as a “test of faith.”
But we’re all born atheists and have to be taught faith. So I mean if one finds their own spiritual path, then I mean is that really a choice or a reaction to surroundings?
 

wandering peacefully

Which way to the woods?
Did atheists choose to be atheists?
No. Belief is not a choice. You either believe or you do not.

After believing is no longer an option, one can either pretend to believe, or continue to not believe or understand believing. But believing after not believing is not a choice.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I never chose to be an atheist.
I was born not believing, & never
saw a reason to change. So I
continued having no choice about it.
 

Workman

UNIQUE
My Mother is Catholic...
And Im an atheist...
I have broken ‘The Cross’ that lied before me..That I now am..worthy.
And there was nothing before me..for I knew nothing...The world has become small for me, that I place myself behind lock doors..for protecting all those I love..and only without few words..and verily So..I am confident. For the Love of my Father.

who ever has ears to hear..Let HiM hear.
 
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Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Did atheists choose to be atheists?
No, I do not think so. I think they are atheists because they never had a reason to believe in God, and they never had a reason because they never saw any evidence that God exists. That does not mean there is no evidence, it just means they did not recognize the evidence as evidence, or put another way, they did not find the evidence convincing.
I chose to be an atheist because... Do you believe atheist had a choice or something happened which caused them to become an atheist. Whatever the cause, they could not have chosen otherwise. Meaning it would have been impossible for an atheist to have made the choice to be a believer
I do not believe that they could not have chosen otherwise because I believe we all have free will; so I believe they had the capacity to choose to be a believer, although that does not mean they could have used that capacity to choose to believe in God, because free will has many constraints.
Or could an atheist sit aside all of their skepticism and choose to believe in God.
No, I do not think it is like that. One does not just choose to believe in God like they choose a new pair of shoes; they are either convinced by the evidence or they see no evidence.
My first question would be which God. Atheism is really one "choice" among many possible choices. Lots of Gods one could choose to believe in. So with of all of the Gods available to believe in, could you choose a different God?
I guess you mean there are many different religions that have different beliefs about God or gods.

I do not believe there is more than one God. I rather believe there is only one true God and many true religions that were revealed by that God through the Messengers of God.

I believe that people are free to choose a religion because they have free will, so just because someone was raised in a certain religion, that does not mean they have to stay with that religion.
 

Howard Is

Lucky Mud
No, I do not think so. I think they are atheists because they never had a reason to believe in God, and they never had a reason because they never saw any evidence that God exists. That does not mean there is no evidence, it just means they did not recognize the evidence as evidence, or put another way, they did not find the evidence convincing.

There is another category.

Consider someone who grew up in an atheist, though not anti-theist, household. This person is curious about the nature of reality and the mind etc, and in his teens begins to explore things like self-hypnosis, out-of-body experiences, meditation and chanting.

The exploration sometimes results in significant altered states, and epiphanies.

This person recognises some of their experiences in writings from other traditions and cultures, and assumes there is a correlation.

All of this has happened without any belief in God.
However it has opened up the heart and mind to a deep primordial intelligence, however dimly sensed.

Not supernatural. Not reliant on belief or approval. Not required to present in any particular way.

Here is the difficulty. There is very little language about what that person experienced and is experiencing which does not sound mystical or supernatural or theistic.
Those terms immediately bring so much baggage not intended they can’t be used.

And it is very difficult to discuss the ‘out of the ordinary’ when many atheists react immediately to that as evidence of a supernaturalist world view, and religionists reject it out of hand on doctrinal grounds.

It’s the horns of a dilemma. :alien:
 
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