Why are you an atheist?

[AntEmpire]

Because I consider belief in God to be a form of destructive magic and an idolatry that is actually the opposite of faith.

[FONT=arial, helvetica] "Faith is a state of openness or trust. To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float. And the attitude of faith is the very opposite of clinging to belief, of holding on. In other words, a person who is fanatic in matters of religion, and clings to certain ideas about the nature of God and the universe, becomes a person who has no faith at all. Instead they are holding tight. But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be."[/FONT]

Alan watts

 

[Nooj]

If you are an atheist, what is the biggest reason?

I have faith that there is no God.

 

[LuisDantas]

Because I consider belief in God to be a form of destructive magic and an idolatry that is actually the opposite of faith.

Ain't that the truth?

 

[Reader]

I'm an atheist because I have no evidence for the existence of a God. I've looked, searched, read, debated, questioned, etc etc. And, despite a religious upbringing, I still never did find God... so, in my late teens, I started looking into evolutionary theory, natural history, secular ethics and philosophy, and I found that all of the above made a LOT more sense to me than the hunt for theism ever did. Several years later, I've met a lot of great people, and every day I keep learning more and more.

I'm happy to call myself a secular humanist as well, because my number one priority and concern is making the world better than it was when I got here... so, yeah, I'm working my way towards that goal, anyways.

 

[Sententia]

So many reasons but I did try Christianity for most of my life and it didn't take.

 

[Intrigued]

I put other because I feel that just because you are an atheist it doesn't make you less spiritual or less good person

 

[Vile Atheist]

I am an atheist primarily because I do not find the concept of God to be backed by evidence or logic. I see no reason that such a being should exist. If it does exist, it is clear that I am perfectly capable of conducting my life without its guidance. I have no need for a god or the concept of a god. Therefore, the question of whether god exists or not, to me, is completely irrelevant. The more relevant question is "Is this a useful concept?" Some certainly may find it useful for a variety of different reasons. That certainly does not make the concept true or rational, but if there is some utility in the concept, I can get why people would embrace whatever theism they like. I wish they'd do so on the basis of rationality and evidence, rather than some sort of vague utility.

 

[E=mc²]

I think, therefore I'm an atheist

 

[angellous_evangellous]

I think, therefore I'm an atheist

As Grampa Angellous says:

"I think, therefore gone wrong"

 

[RitalinO.D.]

I picked other, as I couldn't pick two options. There is no credible evidence, and organized religion is all messed up.

In my experience, most religious people I have met aren't devoted enough to form their own views and opinions on their religion, and just use whatever their priest or pastor preaches to them. When questioned about specific beliefs they may have, they generally are unable to explain it. If a Pastor preaches against evolution, chances are the sheeple won't even bother to look at both sides of the issue. They generally take their Pastors word for it, and that is a problem as I see it. Then they spread this to their children and the vicious cycle continues.

And of course there is the whole no evidence thing...

 

[LoveDistribution]

1- Lack of evidence
2- contrary reasons (evidence to me)
3- I'm an agnostic atheist, I think I can't diprove the existence of a god (Intelligent design), but I can easily disprove religions and personal Gods.
Be happy

 

[Matthew78]

I can list reasons I was an atheist. These would now be reasons for disbelief in any revealed theism. But I have stopped calling myself an atheist these days.

 

[rocketboy]

I call myself non-religious, the existence of god is just one of many religious tenets I don't accept.

 

[Phunter87]

"If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, 19 his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. 20 They shall say to the elders, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard." 21 Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death." Deut. 21:18-21

That section of deuteronomy also includes justification for slavery, child abuse, and murder. The bible also condones the raping and killing of women, as well as the torture of women. I am not an atheist solely for those reasons though, those are simply the passages that helped guide me to my lack of faith. Like others I find very little evidence in a statistically random world for a higher order. Also, I believe that we should look inside ourselves to find our own morals, and that those morals will help us find our own place in the world. That is why I cannot derive my morals from what somebody else says.

 

[victormeldrew]

That is why I cannot derive my morals from what somebody else says.

I can derive my morals from people I respect, whether or not they hold a religious faith. How did I come to respect these people? By comparing my experience of the world, including the consequences of my own actions, and theirs, with their teaching, values and actions. It is a constant feedback, particularly in the early years of a person's development.

I think the 'where do morals come from?' question is irrelevant to the debate on the truth or falsehood of religious belief. Atheism is the only rational position to hold, as their is no evidence for anything else.

Victor

 

[etherealascension]

I used to consider myself a very firm atheist, and can still understand why people are so.

It's incomprehensible what it truly means. It's like a religious awakening... or lack thereof. I don't believe anyone gradually becomes an atheist nor can they rationalize what made them that way. It simply is. I was an atheist because everything else seemed illogical beyond any reason. God? Deities? Bah, some made up fairy tale to keep the peasants in line some few millenia ago. I can tell you the exact moment that my belief in God disappeared completely. I watched Carl Sagan's "The Pale Blue Dot". The final image of Earth, a tiny blue pixel in a sea of darkness set me over the edge. I thought "How could anyone truly believe any idea that was conceptualized here? We're one miniscule planet that honestly probably makes no difference in the galactic scheme of things. Why would any of our religions be correct?"

Of course, I have since reconsidered and reshaped my ideas, but the general idea that religions confined to our planet is illogical still applies to my views.

 

[srm1478]

My belife in Athieism has nothing to do with God. Just as I'm certain that no christian considers Athieism as a foundation for their belief. I am an Atheist purely because I have found that as a species we have come to an increased understanding of our universe and what would lie beyond that. Following this pattern the only logical conclusion is that given enough time we will eventually understand and be able to predict anything. Thus nothing would be a supreme being constantly deifying explanation. Therefore there can be no God.

 

[Invisible Pink Unicorn]

It's a number of things, for me.

First I don't like the idea of arbitrary rules constraining me. In a religion you are expected to think and behave a certain way. To me, religion is the ultimate form of oppression & control over a person's life and prevents you from realizing your own human potential. Religion also creates false moral boundaries regarding sexuality, honor, free will, and free expression.

In general I also see organized religion being a curse wrought upon mankind by politicians who were dishonest enough to claim that they were speaking on behalf of a "higher power". Most religions over the ages have been maintained by heterosexual men, and are therefore innately biased against homosexuals and women.

 

[Benhamine]

The problem of pain and evil
-Only disproves a benevolent god
Organized religions are all messed up
-Only disproves man's infallibility
I don't like the idea of there being a higher authority
-Is just as bad as religion :S

There is no credible evidence for any god
^---The only reasonable reason (redundant?) listed to be an Atheist

One could try to argue evidence of NO god as a reason.

That said...I accidentally voted the problem of Pain and Evil

A lot of the time, this happens because the person starts out as religious, and the process of learning more about their religion draws them further and further from it, until they no longer believe at all.

This would be my outlook on the situation, also how I came to be an Atheist myself. The moment for me was when I realized I didn't have to believe in God. I fought for a while with my spirituality trying to MAKE myself believe. One day I realized I didn't have to and I've been free ever since.

...and you can get good insight into life and psychology.

Although I'm not a theist, religion interests me because it's basically a collection of all the answers (good and bad) that humanity has come up with to life's biggest questions over the last several thousand years. It's a story of us wrestling with our existence and condition. Understanding how someone feels about their religion often says a lot about them.

There are some religions and religious people that I respect very much. I also incorporate several philosophical and religious principles into my worldview and lifestyle.

...and this would by why religion still interests me so much.

Frubals to all of you!

It's also notable that many religions are Atheistic (see Buddhism, etc.) and a lot can be learned from them without having to focus on the theistic religions...not that I fall specifically in this category

-Benhamine

 

[Splarnst]

I voted "lack of evidence" because it applies to the supernatural across the board.

The Problem of Evil, however, only applies to an omnimax deity and says nothing about any other deity or supernatural being or force.