What do Atheists Want?

[Jacob Samuelson]

I have been thinking lately about the collective responses that I receive from those who reject the God narratives.

I will be the first to concede any debate against my Atheist friends as their grasp to reality is what keeps them grounded and their attention to humanly influence and scientific evidences are crucial to holding less to fantasy and more to the world and the physicality around them. Who can blame a person that would rather devote their life to science books than fantasy? Aren't their interests just as valid?

I can imagine that to the Atheist, whether God exists or not, the mere reasoning behind the way He does things wouldn't be something they could worship or admire. I could see an Atheists conversation with God after death be something like this: "Could you blame me? You had built a world that had so much evil and death inside it, when you could have made it like _________.

I am sure Atheist would love to have a conversation with God. To hear his response to their complaints about what happened and why they happened that way. Heck, I think Theists would eavesdrop in as well to that dialogue.

I believe in a God that does reason with people. We give him the title of Righteous Judge for a reason. He will hear out your side to the sentencing and based on whether He feels you have had sufficient evidence or not will judge you as fairly as possible, better so, than any person could fathom in today's judicial systems.

So is that what Atheists want? Why do they even join this Religious Forum I wonder? Do they want to live forever being right? Or do they want to live forever feeling wronged?

The truth is, whether you believe in God or not, you will die. I'm sorry for the spoiler alert to some of you. When that happens, will Atheists and Theists get what they want? I can only speak as a theist. What do Atheist think?

 

[NArdas]

The freedom from religion is my first choice, after that "Do what thou wilt for that is the whole of the law" as long as everyone are consenting adults, leave our children alone.

And by religion, I mean all of them spoken or unspoken

 

[74x12]

The freedom from religion is my first choice, after that "Do what thou wilt for that is the whole of the law" as long as everyone are consenting adults, leave our children alone.

And by religion, I mean all of them spoken or unspoken

So you believe Thelema?

 

[Subduction Zone]

Why use such biased language if you want honest answers? You are also making some rather strong assumptions here.

We simply do not believe the God stories since they are not well supported. To claim a rejection you would have to prove that your God exists.

I would say that overall atheists just want to know.

 

[The Hammer]

I would say that overall atheists just want to know.

As a non believer, why does it matter if they exist or not. If you don't believe either way?

If your willing to look at or hear evidence, you're agnostic.

 

[Subduction Zone]

As a non believer, why does it matter if they exist or not. If you don't believe either way?

If your willing to look at or hear evidence, you're agnostic.

Most agnostics are atheists.

 

[Jacob Samuelson]

As a non believer, why does it matter if they exist or not. If you don't believe either way?

If your willing to look at or hear evidence, you're agnostic.

Which is precisely why I have a hard time believing you can be atheist and still a participant in this forum. There has to be a reason you are answering my question if you are atheist. What is it?

 

[MikeF]

I have been thinking lately about the collective responses that I receive from those who reject the God narratives.

I will be the first to concede any debate against my Atheist friends as their grasp to reality is what keeps them grounded and their attention to humanly influence and scientific evidences are crucial to holding less to fantasy and more to the world and the physicality around them. Who can blame a person that would rather devote their life to science books than fantasy? Aren't their interests just as valid?

I can imagine that to the Atheist, whether God exists or not, the mere reasoning behind the way He does things wouldn't be something they could worship or admire. I could see an Atheists conversation with God after death be something like this: "Could you blame me? You had built a world that had so much evil and death inside it, when you could have made it like _________.

I am sure Atheist would love to have a conversation with God. To hear his response to their complaints about what happened and why they happened that way. Heck, I think Theists would eavesdrop in as well to that dialogue.

I believe in a God that does reason with people. We give him the title of Righteous Judge for a reason. He will hear out your side to the sentencing and based on whether He feels you have had sufficient evidence or not will judge you as fairly as possible, better so, than any person could fathom in today's judicial systems.

So is that what Atheists want? Why do they even join this Religious Forum I wonder? Do they want to live forever being right? Or do they want to live forever feeling wronged?

The truth is, whether you believe in God or not, you will die. I'm sorry for the spoiler alert to some of you. When that happens, will Atheists and Theists get what they want? I can only speak as a theist. What do Atheist think?

IMO

What people believe affects the decisions they make as citizens. Whether or not you agree, religious beliefs affect others in society who do not hold those beliefs. For a non-believer, those beliefs are based on an imaginary entity created by ancient peoples with far less understanding of how we and the world work, essentially stagnating some believers in the morays of the ancient past, and at best creating unnecessary delay and resistance to change as our understanding of the world and ourselves grows over time.

Non-believers participate in this site to provide an alternative to the religious upbringing most people are given simply based on the family and culture they were born into. For most, religious belief is the result of indoctrination since birth, not something chosen as a consenting adult. Reasoned skepticism is a good thing, and the hope is that by interacting on this site, it will create pause in the believer, creating a chance for them think deeply and critically about why they hold the beliefs they hold, and an opportunity to explore other beliefs and ways of thinking.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Which is precisely why I have a hard time believing you can be atheist and still a participant in this forum. There has to be a reason you are answering my question if you are atheist. What is it?

Are you unaware of all of the terribly wrong things that various theists do in the name of their religion?

 

[Jacob Samuelson]

Why use such biased language if you want honest answers? You are also making some rather strong assumptions here.

We simply do not believe the God stories since they are not well supported. To claim a rejection you would have to prove that your God exists.

I would say that overall atheists just want to know.

I am not assuming anything, rather questioning what Atheists want If it is not the God stories and the promise of an afterlife? Want to know what?

 

[Jacob Samuelson]

The freedom from religion is my first choice, after that "Do what thou wilt for that is the whole of the law" as long as everyone are consenting adults, leave our children alone.

And by religion, I mean all of them spoken or unspoken

Interesting. Wouldn't that freedom eventually form into a religion eventually. A system where all people are religionless no matter what they choose or not being told what to believe or not?

 

[Jacob Samuelson]

IMO

What people believe affects the decisions they make as citizens. Whether or not you agree, religious beliefs affect others in society who do not hold those beliefs. For a non-believer, those beliefs are based on an imaginary entity created by ancient peoples with far less understanding of how we and the world work, essentially stagnating some believers in the morays of the ancient past, and at best creating unnecessary delay and resistance to change as our understanding of the world and ourselves grows over time.

Non-believers participate in this site to provide an alternative to the religious upbringing most people are given simply based on the family and culture they were born into. For most, religious belief is the result of indoctrination since birth, not something chosen as a consenting adult. Reasoned skepticism is a good thing, and the hope is that by interacting on this site, it will create pause in the believer, creating a chance for them think deeply and critically about why they hold the beliefs they hold, and an opportunity to explore other beliefs and ways of thinking.

Interesting thought. Religious people see it in reverse, that modern understanding is what is destroying civilization, i.e. gender roles, identities, political moderation. They would prefer to hold onto ancient principles that only didn't work because humans eventually made exclusivity of it for their own good. I do agree skepticism and common sense is absolutely necessary. So that is why atheism is an expected product of our times.

 

[Viker]

"Do what thou wilt for that is the whole of the law"

That comes from a religion founded by Aleister Crowley....Thelema.

 

[Jacob Samuelson]

Are you unaware of all of the terribly wrong things that various theists do in the name of their religion?

Yes and that is why I created a post about it right after this one. You should check it out. "Is it God or is it Me." I believe religion is more a response ethical dilemmas such as the one you presented, more than a cause of it.

 

[F1fan]

I am sure Atheist would love to have a conversation with God. To hear his response to their complaints about what happened and why they happened that way. Heck, I think Theists would eavesdrop in as well to that dialogue.

I believe in a God that does reason with people. We give him the title of Righteous Judge for a reason. He will hear out your side to the sentencing and based on whether He feels you have had sufficient evidence or not will judge you as fairly as possible, better so, than any person could fathom in today's judicial systems.

Righteous Judge? Is that what a God does that allows children to be born with fatal genetic defects? Children diagnosed with cancer before kindergarten suggests God is righteous to you?

What would you ask God if you had the chance? Would it be why the innocent suffer and die due to natural causes? That would be my question.

My option is that a God doesn't exist, or it exists but behaves as if it doesn't.

So is that what Atheists want? Why do they even join this Religious Forum I wonder?

Ask us. For me it is entertaining, and I learn what theists believe and why they believe. Theists heavily influence American politics and this interaction gives me insight into how these folks think and behave.

Do they want to live forever being right? Or do they want to live forever feeling wronged?

We don't live forever, flawed question.

The truth is, whether you believe in God or not, you will die. I'm sorry for the spoiler alert to some of you. When that happens, will Atheists and Theists get what they want? I can only speak as a theist. What do Atheist think?

Oddly it is Christians who think they will live forever, and atheists accept their mortality.

 

[NArdas]

That comes from a religion founded by Aleister Crowley....Thelema.

Though I liked Crowley's musings on numerous levels, Crowley's reality seems much more like a trust fund baby that only through his monetary inheritances that he was able to explore his own personal advances in his own mind through drugs, alcohol, and sex without having to actually work for a living. This doesn't imply he was a stupid man, it just says to me he was a simple, basic, man who had the capability to enjoy what a simple basic man enjoys because of his monetarily gifted status (for a time)

 

[The Hammer]

Which is precisely why I have a hard time believing you can be atheist and still a participant in this forum. There has to be a reason you are answering my question if you are atheist. What is it?

Believe, don't believe. Action, no action. People are too caught up in dualities.

 

[Viker]

Though I liked Crowley's musings on numerous levels, Crowleys reality seems much more like a trust fund baby that only through his monetary inheritances that he was able to explore his own personal advances in his own mind through drugs and sex.

He did what he willed. One of the few to practice what he preached, so to speak.

 

[The Hammer]

Most agnostics are atheists.

Technically, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in a god, while an agnostic is someone who doesn't believe it's possible to know for sure that a god exists.

Yes, it's possible to be both. But I wouldn't say "most".

 

[Subduction Zone]

I am not assuming anything, rather questioning what Atheists want If it is not the God stories and the promise of an afterlife? Want to know what?

I would like to know as much about this world as possible. I would like to know how to make it a better place for everyone. And is it a promise of an afterlife or a threat of one? You might want to think that out.