I must admit that I don't know

[Songofmorning]

I don't know much about athesim so I'm not here trying to cause trouble or stir anyone up. I was just wondering why many atheists believe what they believe and if it's kind of scary and/or lonely to an atheist living in this world where so many things seem to be unpredicatable and sporadic. Just let me know how you feel and why. I'm very interested.

 

[Scarlett Wampus]

My beliefs have changed many times in my lifetime and I've found that although a particular belief can make your inner-world a safer and/or arguably a happier place, fear and loneliness are going to crop up no matter what - especially regarding the way people treat each other.

Whether I believe in a God or Gods that is/are somehow personally aware of me and able to intervene in my affairs isn't nearly as significant to me as whether I have close friends & family and live in a benevolent & tolerant society.

As for unpredictable and sporadic events that are upsetting, I think we all just try our best to weather such storms.

 

[michel]

I don't know much about athesim so I'm not here trying to cause trouble or stir anyone up. I was just wondering why many atheists believe what they believe and if it's kind of scary and/or lonely to an atheist living in this world where so many things seem to be unpredicatable and sporadic. Just let me know how you feel and why. I'm very interested.

There are a few good sites you can look at; http://answers.org/atheism/debate.html

http://www.positiveatheism.org/index.shtml

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I feel fine. Thanks for asking.

 

[Songofmorning]

Thanks for the answers, everyone. Very enlightening, to say the least.

 

[BucephalusBB]

I was just wondering why many atheists believe what they believe

I believe what I believe because it seems the most logical to me. I try to explain the world to me in the most logical way. I make a question and try to answer it in as many possible ways and than "terminate" the answer being illogical. God is a illogical concept and can only be true due to emulation (in my answers) In the atheistic thoughts though, i can almost answer every question i make for myself. So why should I follow a God because everybody else does instead of following what I thought of myself?

if it's kind of scary and/or lonely to an atheist living in this world where so many things seem to be unpredicatable and sporadic.

why would this world scare me if I have answers? Followers of God have answers, so do I, Only with the difference that I have 3 or 4 answers (and prefer/choose 1) and they have only 1. To my feeling, things are far more predictable than for believers.
For example, the concept of war is very logical to me, why hurricanes killed so many people is normal to me. I have no questions why good honest people have to die.
And when im lonelly, i get a dog

 

[Tawn]

For example, the concept of war is very logical to me, why hurricanes killed so many people is normal to me. I have no questions why good honest people have to die.

Very well put.

An aetheist has to essentially accept that life is some kindof free ride. An experience not to be wasted on misery and depression, but a fortunate opportunity to exist and live... if for only a time. The reality we face of oblivion when we die (unless you believe in re-incarnation) only serves to make life more valueable.

Its only a personal opinion, but it would seem to me that accepting life as essentially unimportant to the cosmos, but also accepting it as purely good fortune and a time-limited 'gift' if you will, makes life far more important and precious than any religious view could.

Life to an Islamic suicide bomber or a suicide-cult is cheap. To me it is not.

Death scares me a little.. only because it is unknown.. but I assume it will be as it was before I was born. What is so bad about that? Its probably dying that scares me more!

 

[linwood]

I don't know much about athesim so I'm not here trying to cause trouble or stir anyone up. I was just wondering why many atheists believe what they believe and if it's kind of scary and/or lonely to an atheist living in this world where so many things seem to be unpredicatable and sporadic. Just let me know how you feel and why. I'm very interested.

There are different kinds of atheists and different paths taken to get to atheism

For myself personally I`ve always been an atheist and have no feelings of loneliness on a cosmic scale.
I can`t miss what I never had
In fact with all these kids running around here constantly I`d love a little loneliness from time to time.

I don`t really fear death but I do fear the act of dying.
I`m in agreement with Tawns views on life,death and dying.

However I`ve yet to meet an atheist who has converted from one of the Abrahamic faiths who does not feel the fear and loneliness you speak of.
Relying on a god for your worldview and the promise of life everlasting is a damn scary thing to simply toss aside.
Not to mention the threat of eternal hellfire for de-converting.
These feelings are also compounded by the eventual loss of the ready made social/support group of religion.

I have the utmost respect for any atheist who has travelled the path to de-conversion.
It is not an easy thing emotionally or mentally.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

I don't know much about athesim so I'm not here trying to cause trouble or stir anyone up. I was just wondering why many atheists believe what they believe and if it's kind of scary and/or lonely to an atheist living in this world where so many things seem to be unpredicatable and sporadic. Just let me know how you feel and why. I'm very interested.

From my point of view, I feel a tremendous intellectual bond to atheists. The Christian confession dictates that God had to reveal God. That is, God is a metaphysical reality that resides beyond the scope of any tool that humans can develop to study our world. That means that if we are to live our lives purely by a rational system that only inserts scientific data into its logic, that we would have to conclude that if there is a God we can know nothing of that God.

I am fully aware that I confess that God reveals God in Jesus Christ. If I ever resign this confession, I must be agnostic. I can assent intellectually that all physical evidence points against the existence of God. However, by the dymnamic relationship to God that Jesus Christ provides, I can see by faith God's work in all things.

 

[shytot]

I believe we all know what it's like to be dead, ask yourself what you were doing at 10 o'clock on the morning of December 3rd 1735, and when you say "I did not exist" that is what it's like to be dead,absolutly nothing to worry about.
or maby now that you have been born, we are doomed to live forever, in heaven or hell, but which rules do we live by, what if we have it wrong and the other guy has it right, how are we suppose to know, maby we should just pick one, and if we get it wrong??????

 

[Atheist_Dave]

Death isn't scary, it is a miracle, of all the genes that had to be passed on for me to be here, of all the different people could be here instead of me, im here. That makes me happy to be alive and makes me want to live a happy life. I was a christian for a short while, then I realised I had never opened my eyes, its a great feeling to break away from it and begin to live.

Peace x