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

[Phaedrus]

How am I misrepresenting your position?
Tom

I imagine you're applying the same methods used when interpreting scripture.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I'm quoting what you posted.
How am I misrepresenting your position?
Tom

I don't know how to explain it any better. But if you can't represent my position faithfully, don't try to represent it at all.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I don't see your limitation as rational. Why must god be defined your way?

Just stop.

 

[columbus]

I imagine you're applying the same methods used when interpreting scripture.

I don't know what you're talking about.
Lots of methods are used when interpreting scripture. Which are you referring to?
Tom

 

[columbus]

Just stop.

Perhaps if you didn't misrepresent deism so consistently we'd have nothing to talk about.
Tom

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Perhaps if you didn't misrepresent deism so consistently we'd have nothing to talk about.
Tom

It would be nice if you thought we had nothing to talk about, actually. Please don't derail this thread further.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

I accept there are difficulties and controversies in defining atheism reflecting in part a spectrum or range of beliefs. It seems best at the outset that each atheist or theist define their beliefs.

Deism can also have a range of beliefs.

With respect to gods and god-claims? An atheist has no beliefs-- unless he or she is among the small group who believes they are certain there are no gods.

Belief without evidence isn't a rational pathway to understanding or getting at the truth.

If you accept a claim without evidence? Then you can also believe that the universe was created by pixies who also steal socks-- but only one at a time. Indeed: Once you believe in Universe Creating, Sock-Stealing Pixies? You also believe you have lots and lots of "evidence"... who has not lost a single sock here and there?

 

[columbus]

Perhaps the OP is interested in the broad swath of human thought that is neither theist nor atheist, and why we find it the most reasonable conclusion.
Tom

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

With respect to gods and god-claims? An atheist has no beliefs-- unless he or she is among the small group who believes they are certain there are no gods.

I disagree with that characterization. Pretty much anyone - theist or atheist - has gods that they reject. It's just that this isn't what makes a person an atheist.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

I haven’t seen any pink unicorns either and don’t expect to soon. In that sense the analogy is a useful one. However most people don’t believe in unicorns whereas most people believe in God or gods. Why do you think that is?

Confirmation bias. They are carefully taught to believe in god, when their brains are simple, and they lack the critical skills to require evidence first. This acceptance in the god-idea becomes deeply ingrained-- indeed-- so deep, it forms a part of their self-identity. Such that when missing? They suffer distress...

But once the belief is deeply rooted? They see everything as biased through that belief.

Just as someone who believes in Universe Creating Pixies who steals single socks? Will see "evidence" for these beings every time a sock comes up missing: "Well. The Pixies got another sock. Praise Be To the Pixies!"

 

[columbus]

An atheist has no beliefs-- unless he or she is among the small group who believes they are certain there are no gods.

I think that there is a belief that we non-theist people have in common.
Religion is fiction.
Perhaps well intentioned, perhaps not. Perhaps a positive contribution to the human situation, perhaps not.
But the bottom line is religion is the attempt of puny humans to describe, understand( and thereby have a bit of control over) the vast unknown. Fantasy fiction.
Tom

 

[QuestioningMind]

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.

That's a rather silly statement. Please share your 'evidence' for your lack of belief in magical pixies.

 

[Aupmanyav]

What is different is that their fan bases eventually die out. .. but us believers, we just keep going and going like the Duracell battery.

God's fans also die. Only "Advaitist' Hindus (like me - believers in non-duality) never ever die.

 

[dfnj]

Thanks for your response to the OP and my posts. To be clear, this isn’t a bash the atheist thread and I don’t expect to be bashed as a theist. I’m comfortable with atheism but thought I’d explore it more closely as I do Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. I appreciate atheism isn’t a religion but it seems clearly a belief and an important part of one’s worldview. If I’m wrong about that, no problem. That’s what I like about RF. It’s a great place to learn and talk to different people across the globe.

It wasn't a question of bashing. It was your definition of atheism is so off-base you are not qualified in my opinion to talk about it. You still have not admitted where you went wrong. I don't even like atheism. But I don't misrepresent it.

 

[dfnj]

God's fans also die. Only "Advaitist' Hindus (like me - believers in non-duality) never ever die.

I've been learning towards this belief. Everything that we think is unique to our own character is exactly the same in everyone else. None of us really die because who we are lives on in every other person. From this perspective, this death of ego delusion is liberating because I am no longer responsible to save the human race. The race is doing just fine. You can't die if you are not really alive. Being alive is just an ego delusion.

 

[sun rise]

What's a rational individual to do when there are so many schisms?

Apply the "Blind Men and the Elephant" analogy.

Universe Creating, Sock-Stealing Pixies

I wonder what will convince them to not steal my socks.

God's fans also die. Only "Advaitist' Hindus (like me - believers in non-duality) never ever die.

Other traditions can have non-dual elements such as https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/blog/cynthia-bourgeault-christian-nonduality/

 

[robocop (actually)]

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.

It works practically. I do what's right, and the testimony comes to me.

 

[wandering peacefully]

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

That is a difficult question for an a-theist to try to explain to a theist. We believe all sorts of things I guess but the none of the beliefs involve the Abrahamic religions and God, whatever that is. It seems to be a little different for various Abrahamics. But I suppose the reason for not believing in them mostly has to do with it just not making any sense to us. There are too many conflicting stories, too many contradictions within the varying stories and there just has never been any objective evidence to show any of the stories are true. When one couples that with knowledge of how the human psych operates, the goals of the power hungry, the emotional needs of humans and knowledge of the history of so many different belief systems, an atheist usually concludes it is all made by man and made for man. That is not to say I believe there cannot possibly be something out there somewhere, but if there is, so far it has not been found would be my belief as far as gods are concerned. Not a big deal at all for atheists to live without gods. It's only a big deal when theists make rules from their own individual or collective beliefs and expect the rest of humanity to follow them as if what they believe is reality when it is clearly not and cannot be.

So as an atheist, that would be my beliefs about religious beliefs.

 

[Trailblazer]

It is, if the guy is so reclusive he must use god magic to entice the gullible

I do not consider the Messengers god magic, they are real people.
They can do magic but that is not their primary function.

 

[Trailblazer]

God's fans also die. Only "Advaitist' Hindus (like me - believers in non-duality) never ever die.

Nobody ever dies, but only some people have eternal life.