Random Thoughts on Atheism

So, the label has been overused, and misunderstood to the extreme.

Or perhaps far too many people are misinformed/under-informed on the agnostic theory(?)

My thoughts:

I was talking to a good friend the other day about all of the shit happening in the world, and how literally fucked the U.S. is at this point and time....
I remember a couple months back, reading some Christian's theory on the prophecies and how those prophecies *tied into what is happening*.

Did it pinch a nerve with me? Not one bit, I don't believe in those things to the slightest, so it didn't leave me in any sort of awe....no matter what the "similarities" were...

My friend brought up these prophecies, and made a statement similar to: "Isn't THAT a bit odd though, how accurate these prophecies seem to be?"

This same friend claims to be an atheist.

My head's question is..."If you are an atheist, or so you say, how could you possibly tie those two together?"

By her saying this, TO ME it felt more as if she was leaving the door open for the possibility of some sort of higher power to exist. And in my utmost humble opinion, I do not believe that constitutes as a general atheist's way of thinking.

In my opinion, an atheist is just the OPPOSITE of anyone highly religious in that instead of firmly believing in whatever god, I/we believe in NO god.

Just as a Christian would not leave the door open for NO god to exist, and Atheist will close the door on the possibility FOR a god to exist.

Proceeding....

So far, in my discussions, and tossing my ideas onto the table for everyone... I have not come across one, single person like me... who firmly believes in NO god, and does not leave a door open for one to exist.


At the same time I have come across countless persons to have considered themselves an atheist. Is my understanding of *atheism* incorrect, or misunderstood? Or am I valid in saying that the word and "label" atheist, is misused on way too many accounts?

I understand, and realize, that being that atheism is NOT a religion, that people who dub themselves an atheist will have MANY differing beliefs, thoughts, and opinions...But I can NOT see how leaving the door open for a god to exist constitutes as an atheist idea in any way. Am I mistaken by thinking that would be more agnostic....?

Labels officially leave me distraught, but if you choose to label YOURSELF something, label yourself WISELY.

Or...NOT AT ALL.

 

God is a symbolic metaphore used as a psychological tool.


Only Atheists and Fundamentalists see God literally and not symbolically.

To accept or reject God on its literal merits is to miss the purpose of why we bring Gods into symbolic existence.

 

i live and think like an atheist but would be open to having that changed if someone showed proof otherwise. therefor i must accept the possibility of a gods existance but at teh same time i assume god doesnt exist. Am I an atheist or an agnostic? live, act, behave as an atheist but realise that perhaps im doing it wrong?

not to sound cocky but i believe its part of wisdom to know that you do not actually know anything and therefor anything can possibly be revised, whether it is, or never is.

a true atheist cannot call themselves people of no faith unless they can understand absolutely every scientific concept that scientists reveal, as well as observing every scientific experiment taking place. otherwise they are putting faith in scientists, who in reality are no different to you or I, they jsut studied different stuff.

so for all purposes, im an atheist because i follow the scientific belief. however, im not stubbornly against the possibility that this is all wrong. or at least, that scientists have got it wrong but there is science behind it nonetheless.

 

Yes, the label of "atheist" is too often misused. Most so-called atheists are actually agnostic.

Either way, an atheist must FIRMLY believe that no God exists. If they leave the door open to much possibility, they must be considered agnostic. An atheist must be able to say, "I believe that there is/are no God/god(s)." If an atheist can't say that, they aren't atheist.

 

all that really matters is how someone percieves the world and lives their life, someones willingness to accept that theres a possibility they might be doing it wrong (but not acting on the possibility, merely aknowledging that its there) is merely a part of character/personality/ethic.

now, obviously the fact is that someone who thinks theres a possibility of god is not by definition an 'atheist', but in all practicality, discussion wise, cultural perception wise, doesnt it only matter how someone actually behaves and waht standpoint in discussion they take, and how they value their morals/ethics?

 

Where did you get that definition of atheism?!? An atheist must certainly NOT say "I BELIEVE there is no God".

Atheism is NOT a belief. It is a disbelief, a doubt.

Theism is a claim. Atheism is doubting that claim.

Either you believe it (theism) or you doubt it (atheism).

Saying "I don't know if I believe or not" (agnosticism) is only for those uneducated about the subject.

 

I wouldnt say that being agnostic means to be uneducted, seeing as how both beliefs leave room for doubt. I personally dont have any kind of faith in any god, but I also dont have faith in learning what scientists claim to understand about our existance. I think everything is natural and simple, but when a species questions how everything came to be and how everything works, it all becomes opinionated which leads to unneccassary complexities.

 

Or an agnostic might just not give a fuck whatsoever, or be completely independent of that entire paradigm. Maybe I should be an athiest agnostic? Or maybe agnostic was just the best label among the few? Haha I dunno what my point is, but to the original post, that someone can see similarities, can that not be just that, the seeing of similarities, not necessarily because of any other thing than that they may or may not be there, regardless of a god, or coincidence or whatnot?

 

Souless I dont know if you remember me from my old screen name, but i was wondering if you still like YES's music? Sorry for being off topic

 

But, as you are, right now Do you BELIEVE in a god/gods or not?

 

Yeah I remember you, and of course I still like YES.

 

In order to be independent you'd have to be incapable of comprehending the paradigm.

Do you BELIEVE (not know, BELIEVE) or not?

To say, "I don't know" means you are either ignorant of the subject or you aren't convinced (i.e. you doubt).

 

Well would you mind specifying what it is you're asking me if I believe or not? I believe or disbelieving lots of various shit, some of it quite the same.

 

Do you believe in the existence of a "God" (i.e. universal creator, all-powerful, all-good, all-present, all-knowing, etc.)?

 

I can not say that I don't know, but I will say that I am unsure as I always have been unsure and I most definitley always will be. But I can understand why someone who doesnt even question they're faith can be considered uneducated in at least one of those ideals. Though there is a major difference between a diehard christian, a diehard atheist, and someone who has been educated in most of the major religions in the world and still can't come to any conclusion in choosing a comfortable state of mind. That is not me though, I am quite comfortable in my state of not caring who is wrong.

 

Cool. I'm hoping that they go on tour next year. I havent seen a concert since the last tour, and I doubt I'll ever go to one again unless someone comes out with music better than them.

 

It has been established that you don't "care", but we are speaking of "believing".

I can say I don't care if there is a Santa, but do I believe there Santa? I don't care if the New England Patriots won Super Bowl 39, but do I believe it?

 

ok, if you REALLY wish to know what I think, I would say as of right now, at this exact moment of percepted existance, no. I don't belive that their is a god. But, the not caring bit was only established originally by my saying that even questioning reality and all that it supposedly encompasses is pointless because I dont BELIVE that anything was supposed to be questioned since that would indicate that everything was created. And while I can say that right now I don't belive in god, I am still just as open to accept the possibility that I have no idea what I'm talking about if that were proven to me.

 

I believe in me.

 

So, you both are atheists by definition.

So am I.