BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Atheist Atheist, Agnostic, or Theist? Why?

Point taken. It would be nice if there was a positive term for non-$deity belief, but the language hasn't quite evolved for that. So for now, Atheist will have to do, and is easily understood by most.



I stand corrected. Pick nits at will

I never had belief in any $deity before (i.e. I was a blank slate), and yes, no one does until they are taught such a belief from others. I'll make a mental note of that for any future times if/when I decide to speak about such things.

Human beings, especially children, are naturally curious about the world and the unknown. I can most definitely accept that atheism (lack of a god belief) is the default state of a child. I just feel uncomfortable when children are given the stock answer "God is responsible for everything and knows everything." I recall being 6-7 and feeling creepy that this God thing was watching me go to the bathroom, etc. I guess that is what started me trying to find out, for my own privacy's sake, where is this being that supposedly sees/knows all. I wanna know! And I never did find out proof to my satisfaction. So, technically, you could say that I went from atheism, to skepticism, then returned back to atheism during my youth as I questioned. My POV remains atheistic to this day.

Once again, I'll file these nit-picking points away for future use. Thanks for the advice.

Modesty as an avenue to leaving religion -- hmm.... ;-)

I guess I "want" to believe in things, like the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, etc. I want to believe in God, but I don't. I never sat down and thought that since there is no proof, there is no God. I guess even when I was a kid I figured that if there was a God, he probably didn't interfere in our lives as much as everyone thinks (miracles, answering prayers, etc.) Why should I rely on a god to change my life? I'll change it myself!

No, I don't believe in God. I don't have a concrete reason. I guess it's just not logical (I hate that word, BTW, because faith is not SUPPOSED to be logical.) I've read the Bible, I went to church, I went to confirmation classes for two years. And I guess it's not that I never saw proof that there was God, but that the Bible doesn't make sense.

My husband is totally a deductive atheist. He says, where's the proof? And if there's no proof, then there is no God.

Personally, I think that polytheism, like the Greek gods, makes more sense than any monotheistic religion. Wicca makes more sense, too. If I had to choose a religion to practice, I would probably choose Wicca.

But, I don't feel lonely, I don't feel like there is something "missing" from my life. I treat others well (most of the time) and expect to be treated the same.

That being said, I don't disrespect people who are religious, unless you're totally over the top. That I can't stand from any religion. I also don't like the people who use religion for an excuse, like going to war.

I wanted to believe in God early, because it seemed easier. However, the logical side of me took over, so I used my lack of finding reasoning with the religious side of things as my final judgment tool. I really didn't study the Bible, per se, in my youth -- my Biblical readings as an adult (because I wanted to see what was really in there -- I didn't go there to be converted) reinforced my views.



Atheism requires thinking -- a lot of it. It requires logical analysis, putting two plus two together to make four, when in the religious sense, two plus two makes pi. That is why I am not really surprised to see a good number of CF people as atheists. CF decision making requires very logical thought processes, thinking about how the decisions of today affect the future. IMO, the same processes apply for people who question the religious authority and become agnostics/atheists.


I don't feel like anything is missing either. Plus, I did not need a church to be told that if I am nice to others, others just maybe, possibly, might want to be nice back.

Overzealous people don't deserve respect, IMO.

I would LOVE to believe in some of these things, like the dead can communicate with the living. I just have never see any evidence of it. If someone could show me some, then I would be prepared to change my mind.

I wish there was a Santa Clause and Fairys in the garden and God the great manipulator controlling all we do, I just don't see any evidence of it. As I tell people who try to force their religion on me, invite Jesus over for dinner and get him to do some tricks and maybe I will change my mind.

The phrase I use is "proof is in the pudding." For me, I know that I am such a doubter that even if Jesus came and, as you say, "did some tricks", I would still be a doubter. My standard of belief is so high, because the claims that go with religion (the existence of an after-life is a prime example) that I'm beyond convincing.

However, I actually do believe in the existence of ghosts of people still remaining on this earth and making their presence known to the living. I have not had any paranormal experiences, so I don't have that to fall back on. My difference between religion and the paranormal, I think, is that there are more believable physical manifestations that can be experienced from paranormal experiences than from religious events. In addition, ghosts or other spiritual entities don't require you to worship them. It seems more plausible, with more people having experienced such events in the here and now, than religious events.

The ultimate would be if I were to actually encounter the cold spots, the creepy feelings, the touches where no one is around, or the heavy breathing sounds or translucent images of things that have little to no real world explanation. I don't know if I am ready for that myself.

I have to agree with you there, I think its FAR more likely that the dead can communicate with us but its something where I would have to have a loved one of mine communicate with me before I would really embrace it for truth.

My invitation for Jesus to come over and do some tricks is more to shut up the bible beaters then a real perdiction that I would change my mind if he did.

Anytime when someone in my life tries to convince me of something UNLIKELY and I feel they have something to gain from it, I am skeptical.

I'm naturally skeptical about things, so we most definitely think alike. Whatever works for you is good... it works for me too

Duane, did you actually say that you believe in ghosts in one post and that you are naturally skeptical in the next? I am having a hard time finding the skepticism here. Might I suggest a little James Randi reading, try www.randi.org.

>My husband is totally a deductive atheist. He says, where's the proof? And if there's no proof, then there is no God

My dh is an atheist because, growing up, he realized that all religions say they are true, but they have contradictions, so, if they couldn't all be true, than none of them must be.

To me, both those lines of thought leave some things out. For the first, there is no proof that there is love -- acts that are described as "love" could be viewed in a different, more rational light. Yet I am certain that there is love.

And all religions not being true -- well, I doubt any religion has 100% of everything right. But that can't be a reason doubt doubt a deity. (Mind you, I doubt, but I can't say I KNOW.) Perhaps they all have a small piece of the puzzle, but none of them have all the details. Heck, from their perspective, it is awfully arrogant for them to think that their limited minds can perceive and comprehend the gesalt of God. But they never mention that.... ;-)