Ask an Atheist

[hopefully_wild]

I saw some others had made threads for questions about their various religions and I thought I would offer myself up to any questions on atheism or my personal beliefs.
But please only for the sake of discussion, no fanatics ranting!

 

[ralphinal]

good luck with that .

Seriously, in a few words, what lead you to this point?

 

[pigtown]

Have you always been an Atheist? I just wonder what got you to that point? Honestly, I don’t know any Atheists personally. Did you at one time believe in God or were you brought up by Atheist parents?

 

[Lance]

Are you a true Atheist or an Agnostic? Have you ever read the religious writtings of C. S. Lewis who was an Atheist and became a Christian? If so what do you make of them and if not may I suggest you read them with an open mind and let us know what you think.

 

[Robbinson]

I have 2 questions (thanks for inviting the questions):

1. To the question of the prior post - are you really an Athiest (saying, definitively there is no God) as oppossed to an agnostic (just don’t know or believe).? If an “athiest” - how do you “know” (as opposed to believe) there is no God?
2. If you are an athiest (or even one who just “believes”) there is no God - how do you explain your conscience? Why do you do good sometimes even when it is against your self interest? If there is no God, then there is no judgement, and thus, there are no consequences to our actions (other than avoiding civil penalties), so why do you ever do something contrary to your best interests for the good of another?

Blessings,

Brian

 

[bpbasilphx]

Are you a doctrinal atheist, with faith in the non-existence of God?

Or are you merely a practical atheist, who just lives as if God didn’t exist (this is NOT the same thing as agnosticism).

 

[petitfleur]

interesting thread. wanted to post so I get e-mail updates

 

[Callin]

Okay, one serious, honest question, which is is my main trouble with accepting atheism:

What is your explanation for what seem to be very precise constants in science which allow for the creation of life? Basically, the fine-tuned universe?

For example, the big bang. If the energy released were even 10^-120 different than what it was (a VERY small amount), scientists believe that the universe would either have collapsed back on itself (if less energy) or expanded too fast for solid matter to form (too much energy). How did it get such a precise number?

Most Christians obviously believe God fine-tuned the universe, but I want to hear an atheist’s perspective.

Other examples (in case anyone doesn’t believe in the big bang)
2001principle.net/2005.htm
religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=66
geraldschroeder.com/tuning.html

 

[love4mary]

I have a very special love for Atheists, having spent a better part of 40 years as such.

My question to you, and this is the question that I as an Atheist could not answer, which by the way, lead to my conversion:thumbsup:

The beginnings of the Universe, ie “The Big Bang Theory” I believe is a logical explanation, but what I could not answer was,“Where did the gasses and dust come from”? It was the explosion of the gasses that caused the fusion of the dust, which in turn made the planets, (elementary simplification of the theory I realize).

How do you address this issue.

As a former long time Atheist, I am very familiar with all the usual arguments, having used many of them myself.

I pray that one day you and I can share conversion stories.

 

[adstrinity]

Are you afraid that you will not live forever? Is there some part of you that is scared that you cannot continue and one day you’ll stop?

 

[JMJ_coder]

Hello,

I have a question for you. Many times when talking with atheists, they seem to argue that there just isn’t any evidence of God - no matter what.

My question to you is: as an atheist, what sort of evidence for the existence of God are you looking for and would accept? And why is that your standard of proof?

 

[Lance]

I saw some others had made threads for questions about their various religions and I thought I would offer myself up to any questions on atheism or my personal beliefs.
But please only for the sake of discussion, no fanatics ranting!

There has been no rantings only some honest questions. I truely hope you have not abandonded us and give us some answers.

 

[Muslim_Woman]

Salaam/peace

…I would offer myself up to any questions on atheism

many sinners escape punishment in this world. If there is no God , no hereafter , then it means they will go unpunished . How do u explain justice then ?

 

[hopefully_wild]

Have you always been an Atheist? I just wonder what got you to that point? Honestly, I don’t know any Atheists personally. Did you at one time believe in God or were you brought up by Atheist parents?

Good question. I was born the same as everyone else. I do not like the use of religious labels on children. I don’t think a child is a Christian child any more than she is a communist child, or a democrat child, or a feminist child. My father is Jewish and my mother is Protestant/Catholic. I was introduced to the idea of God when I was a child, but when I started asking the usual ‘how can this be?’ questions, my parents were always very quick to tell me that no one knew for sure, and that it was up to every individual to investigate these truth claims for themselves. In college I gained an interest in this whole ‘God’ thing so I looked very closely at everything offered as evidence and I wasn’t convinced. It’s really as simple as that. I’m an atheist because I’m not convinced otherwise.

 

[hopefully_wild]

Are you a true Atheist or an Agnostic? Have you ever read the religious writtings of C. S. Lewis who was an Atheist and became a Christian? If so what do you make of them and if not may I suggest you read them with an open mind and let us know what you think.

I believe that I am a ‘true’ atheist. I lack a belief in any God or Gods.

I have read the first book in the Narnia series (The Magician’s Nephew?), however I was in already in my twenties and had a hard time seeing past the style written for youth. I do however have the movie and I love it! And it was not until I was informed later that I became aware that there was religious significance to it. So how do you like that? I honestly didn’t know until someone pointed certain things out to me. I know, I’m blind as a bat!

 

[hopefully_wild]

I have 2 questions (thanks for inviting the questions):

1. To the question of the prior post - are you really an Athiest (saying, definitively there is no God) as oppossed to an agnostic (just don’t know or believe).? If an “athiest” - how do you “know” (as opposed to believe) there is no God?
2. If you are an athiest (or even one who just “believes”) there is no God - how do you explain your conscience? Why do you do good sometimes even when it is against your self interest? If there is no God, then there is no judgement, and thus, there are no consequences to our actions (other than avoiding civil penalties), so why do you ever do something contrary to your best interests for the good of another?

Blessings,

Brian

You’ve masked at least five questions into “two”! The first I have already answered, I am an atheist, and I “know” or believe that there is no God for the same reasons you “know” or believe there is no Zeus.

I’m going to just answer the first part of the second question(s). I explain consciousness as signals received by the brain. My response is a purely materialistic one.

 

[hopefully_wild]

Are you a doctrinal atheist, with faith in the non-existence of God?

Or are you merely a practical atheist, who just lives as if God didn’t exist (this is NOT the same thing as agnosticism).

I have honestly never heard of a doctrinal atheist. That would be similar to saying that bald is a hair color…

 

[hopefully_wild]

Okay, one serious, honest question, which is is my main trouble with accepting atheism:

What is your explanation for what seem to be very precise constants in science which allow for the creation of life? Basically, the fine-tuned universe?

For example, the big bang. If the energy released were even 10^-120 different than what it was (a VERY small amount), scientists believe that the universe would either have collapsed back on itself (if less energy) or expanded too fast for solid matter to form (too much energy). How did it get such a precise number?

Most Christians obviously believe God fine-tuned the universe, but I want to hear an atheist’s perspective.

Other examples (in case anyone doesn’t believe in the big bang)
2001principle.net/2005.htm
religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=66
geraldschroeder.com/tuning.html

I explain it by chance. I know that isn’t the poetic answer that people are wanting, but I think that all this wonder and beauty simply coming about by chance makes it more wondrous and more beautiful.

 

[hopefully_wild]

I have a very special love for Atheists, having spent a better part of 40 years as such.

My question to you, and this is the question that I as an Atheist could not answer, which by the way, lead to my conversion:thumbsup:

The beginnings of the Universe, ie “The Big Bang Theory” I believe is a logical explanation, but what I could not answer was,“Where did the gasses and dust come from”? It was the explosion of the gasses that caused the fusion of the dust, which in turn made the planets, (elementary simplification of the theory I realize).

How do you address this issue.

As a former long time Atheist, I am very familiar with all the usual arguments, having used many of them myself.

I pray that one day you and I can share conversion stories.

I don’t know.
But this doesn’t bother me. There are plenty of things about the natural world that we do not know yet. Religion has constantly had to update itself as science has found better explanations for the way things work in this world. A wonderful example would be the discovery that our solar system rotates around the sun, and not the earth as the church had said.

 

[hopefully_wild]

Are you afraid that you will not live forever? Is there some part of you that is scared that you cannot continue and one day you’ll stop?

I am not scared to die, as it sounds you are asking. I can’t be fearful of something that I, more or less, won’t even experience. Though I’m sure that as I age I will have feelings of regret over things that I wished I could have done.