Does it take more faith to disbelieve?

[timotheos]

I don’t get the feeling that would work out well. Even if I limit consideration only to Yahweh there are some different incompatibles in their interpretations. As an extreme example are the Westboro members seem to follow what they believe. Of course there are less extreme examples, and gods other than Yahweh worshiped by the people of my land.

Sent from my phone, please pardon my mistakes.

Great example! It’s not about whether you* fervently *believe, it’s about whether you have examined your belief completely. Westboro members only pick and choose those certain texts to back up their desire to hate and to stir the pot, and stop there. If you examine your belief only to the point where your personal agenda is supported and go no further, you are not being true to your faith. Westboros need to honestly look at the “Judge not …” and other texts on mercy, and much, much more. Likewise, if a nonbeliever examines atheism only to the point where they feel reasonably self-assured that they can fornicate like Hugh Hefner without consequence, they are not being true to their faith. They should be challenging every moral law and behavior, including those having to do with killing, stealing, tripping little old ladies and anything having to do with concepts of right and wrong and justice, as they are without meaning in an atheistic reductionist worldview.

If both believers and nonbelievers did this in an honest and diligent fashion, we just might arrive at the truth about whether God exists (for so-called nonbelievers), and who he really is (for so-called believers).

 

[ThinkingSapien]

. Likewise, if a nonbeliever examines atheism only to the point where they feel reasonably self-assured that they can fornicate like Hugh Hefner without consequence

Among those that I’ve questioned I’ve not found that the absence of a belief in any gods is necessary for said person to engage in unmarried sex. That’s not to say that such a correlation cannot be found, but exchanges I’ve had with others sets the expectation that at least in the United States such a correlation won’t be prevalent. I’ve had chances to question quite a number of people over the past 13 (+/-2) years give or take on the topic.

Among those that I’ve questioned on the topic (both single people engaging in sex and married people that have sex with some one other than their partner) most instances of regret seem to be in response to getting caught (for both married and unmarried, either by their partner finding out, being removed from an office at their church for being found “guilty”, or some social consequence). A majority of those that I’ve been able to question on this are females of a Christian denomination. A much smaller number are of no religion at all though spiritual beliefs may or may not be present. Some among the group see marriage as a significant financial risk and/or don’t won’t to ever be married.

I’ve asked some of the Christians whether or not they are concerned with unmarried sex being a sin. According to their responses the rule is archaic much like old testament laws.

I’d love to share the rest of what I found, but I’ll get back to responding.

If both believers and nonbelievers did this in an honest and diligent fashion, we just might arrive at the truth about whether God exists (for so-called nonbelievers), and who he really is (for so-called believers).

I also don’t see this happening any time soon either. In some religious traditions challenging the the religious tradition is considered disrespectful (and in some cases an offense worth of death). Religious traditions also sometimes offer their own methods for collecting information or verifying information from others. Praying, meditation, drug induced visions, searching one’s feelings, and so on which don’t necessarily result in compatible conclusions. After a few thousand years not only do we not have consensus not only do we not have agreement, we have regions where believes with differences in their beliefs are trying to kill or subjugate each other.

They should be challenging every moral law and behavior, including those having to do with killing, stealing, tripping little old ladies and anything having to do with concepts of right and wrong and justice, as they are without meaning in an atheistic reductionist worldview.

Given the information that a person doesn’t believe any of the many god concepts as being descriptive of reality doesn’t by itself give enough information to infer what their views on morality are. Such a person may or may not subscribe to other ideologies or develop their own views. Some of which do imply morals (humanitarianism, environmentalism, so on) and some of which are not.

 

[timotheos]

Among those that I’ve questioned I’ve not found that the absence of a belief in any gods is necessary for said person to engage in unmarried sex. That’s not to say that such a correlation cannot be found, but exchanges I’ve had with others sets the expectation that at least in the United States such a correlation won’t be prevalent. I’ve had chances to question quite a number of people over the past 13 (+/-2) years give or take on the topic.

Among those that I’ve questioned on the topic (both single people engaging in sex and married people that have sex with some one other than their partner) most instances of regret seem to be in response to getting caught (for both married and unmarried, either by their partner finding out, being removed from an office at their church for being found “guilty”, or some social consequence). A majority of those that I’ve been able to question on this are females of a Christian denomination. A much smaller number are of no religion at all though spiritual beliefs may or may not be present. Some among the group see marriage as a significant financial risk and/or don’t won’t to ever be married.

I’ve asked some of the Christians whether or not they are concerned with unmarried sex being a sin. According to their responses the rule is archaic much like old testament laws.

I’d love to share the rest of what I found, but I’ll get back to responding.

I also don’t see this happening any time soon either. In some religious traditions challenging the the religious tradition is considered disrespectful (and in some cases an offense worth of death). Religious traditions also sometimes offer their own methods for collecting information or verifying information from others. Praying, meditation, drug induced visions, searching one’s feelings, and so on which don’t necessarily result in compatible conclusions. After a few thousand years not only do we not have consensus not only do we not have agreement, we have regions where believes with differences in their beliefs are trying to kill or subjugate each other.

Given the information that a person doesn’t believe any of the many god concepts as being descriptive of reality doesn’t by itself give enough information to infer what their views on morality are. Such a person may or may not subscribe to other ideologies or develop their own views. Some of which do imply morals (humanitarianism, environmentalism, so on) and some of which are not.

I think we are talking around each other. All very interesting topics of the relationship of belief to behavior (and seemingly ubiquitous lack thereof), but unfortunately not on the OP topic.