Athiests - Why is rejection better than acceptance? Why is No Hope Better than Hope?

[Contarini]

Atheism urges people to move out of their theistic self-delusions because even though such an evolution may not make them any happier, it will certainly make them more sophisticated entities, able to confront with stark honesty the greatest and most real problems of human life, such as how do we give our finite existence meaning knowing that we face inevitable extinction?

But I don’t know anything of the sort, any more than I know that Christianity is true. I don’t know what if anything happens after death. I do know that Christianity makes sense of this life and has, on the whole, been a transforming force in human history. So I’m willing to put my eggs in that basket, particularly since it’s the basket handed me by my heritage.

or how do generate our own values in a universe which gives us none? Only by wrestling with ultimate questions such as those can people truly become human. If they assume that some imaginary being from legend just solves these challenging, existential issues by his mere existence then they have lost the vitally important opportunity for personal development that comes from facing these questions as real problems to be thought through and answered for themselves.

But of course, you’re loading the dice by the way you word the question.

The question with which we all wrestle is where we get our values from. Something like a Platonist/theist answer seems to me to be far superior to the alternatives–that is to say, these values reflect an eternal reality which is independent of the empirical world but from which the empirical world derives. You glorify the project of “generating your own values.” But this leads you to one of three results, as far as I can see:

1. Some form of relativism/nihilism
2. A purely utilitarian ethic
3. An ethic which has no connection whatever to your belief about the way things are–i.e. an “ought/is” dichotomy.

If I have missed an alternative, please let me know.

Edwin

 

[Contarini]

I guess I was not clear in my OP, but what I wanted to address what atheists are offering when they choose to come to a Christian website, or anywhere else for that matter, and try to convince others that there is no God. I can see it if a Christian approaches an Atheist and the atheist is defending their views. But that is not hte case here. No one is approaching an atheist here, the atheist is approaching us - and often times not with questions but rather with, what amounts to, preaching.

Anyway - that is why I asked what they felt Atheism had to offer that theism does not. If your going to put forward a viewpoint, a belief system, there should be some perceived benefit. We know what belief in God offers, so I asked what Atheism offers.
The only answer I’ve been able to discern from the answers here is that Atheism offers “Reality” - Whatever that means.

Peace
James

Well, they may care about truth.

Or they may be obnoxious jerks.

Or quite possibly both. I would say that both the above are true of me

But isn’t it better to know the truth than to believe a lie?

I don’t believe that the evidence warrants the claim that Christianity–or Buddhism, or Hinduism–is a lie. These are, from my perspective, “live options.” But an atheist is, by definition, someone who thinks otherwise. And I applaud atheists who are passionate enough about the truth to argue with us poor deluded folks

Edwin

 

[Contarini]

Here’s an example of you not understanding reality, though it’s probably not (directly) caused by your faith. You think teaching astrology and creationism in schools should be a matter of “discussion, debate, and will of the local communities.”

This is beyond silly. If it were the will of the community to teach children that babies come from storks, should we start teaching that? And before you say yes, I’ll answer for you: no.

But who are “we”? Certainly a responsible teacher would refuse to teach anything he or she did not believe. And that means that communities committed to highly unreasonable belief systems–like young-earth creationism–would have trouble finding good teachers. They would suffer in comparison to other communities with more reasonable, or more flexible, belief commitments.

But who are the “we” who have the right to tell a community what to teach its young?

The purpose of schools is to educate our young – that means actually teaching them things about reality, not exposing them to whatever superstitions the majority of the culture favors.

Indeed. But whose schools are they?

Edwin

 

[Shredderbeam]

Having read and posting on various threads where athiests have expressed their views. The Following questions seem appropriate. This thread grows out of another thread HERE but I felt sthe subject needed it’s own thread.

When a Christian asks you to believe in God and preaches the Gospel etc to you, they are offering you a hope in Eternal Life.
The questions for you are are these.

1. 
   *]What is it you are offering to us when you ask us NOT to believe?
   
   *]What advantage(s) does belief in NO God offer?
   
   *]Why is Rejection of God better than Acceptance of God?
   
   *]Why is Hoplessness (No afterlife) better than Hopefullness (glorious afterlife)?
   
   Let it be know right now that I am no philosopher, nor am I a theologen.
   I am a simple believer in God, because it makes no sense to me NOT to believe in God.
   I am a Christian because Christianity, built upon Love, makes more sense than any other faith that I have looked at.
   
   I recognize that there are numerous examples of people of faith acting badly, even horrifically, yet I cannot see that as some sort of proof against Gods existance.
   
   So tell me - What does the “faith of Atheism” offer that is not found in a “faith of theism”.
   Most forms of belief in God, particularly Judeo/Christian belief, whether right or wrong, offers the Hope of salvation and an eternal life of happiness. What can Atheism offer me except the grave?
   
   Peace
   James

1. 
   I’m sure that many others have posted and offered their opinions, but let me offer mine:
   
   I don’t try to “convert” theists because I think that the benefits of atheism are superior. I do it because I honestly believe that there is no God.

 

[sinnerdexter]

I’m still having trouble figuring out what “Reality” it is we are not accepting on it’s own terms.

Well, I suppose it depends on what specific flavor of Christianity you follow. Historically, God has been invoked to explain various things such as rain and lightning, etc., and such belief has been an impediment in trying to find real explanations for said phenomena. This is especially important in medicine, where to this day many believe it is God who has the power to cure (with some not even taking their kids to the hospital when seriously ill). There is also the reality that prayer does not get answered (when tested scientifically, so as to eliminate various biases). Oh and of course, that there is no reason to believe that the god you are worshiping exists, is the correct god, etc.

 

[tonyrey]

I’m sure that many others have posted and offered their opinions, but let me offer mine:

I don’t try to “convert” theists because I think that the benefits of atheism are superior. I do it because I honestly believe that there is no God.

What are the superior benefits of atheism?

 

[Laughing_Crow]

What are the superior benefits of atheism?

What are the superior benefits of being catholic?

 

[tonyrey]

What are the superior benefits of being catholic?

Of knowing that truth, beauty, goodness, freedom, justice and love are not human inventions but objective realities which are far more important than anything else in life…

 

[JulieAA]

What are the superior benefits of being catholic?

Superior benefit (grace/blessing) of a Christian: Jesus Christ!

 

[Shredderbeam]

What are the superior benefits of atheism?

I’m not saying that atheism has superior benefits, or that the benefits are important at all. When I argue about religion, truth is my primary concern, not how good they make a person feel.