To Atheists - why God does not appear to us

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PaulAckermann:
Second, although some atheists have since intellectual problems with the existence of God, there are also atheists who not believe because they do not want to - and all their arguments are mere smokescreens. Some may be in open rebellion to their believing parents. Some may choose not to believe in God because they enjoy their sins and would rather not face the possibilty of eventaully be acountable to God.
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Boloney. All of the atheists I am familiar with, and have discussed this with, point to no evidence of gods and the traceable evolution of man’s belief in gods and religion, as reasons for their atheism - as man has become more knowlegeable, gods were/are continuously relegated to smaller areas of man’s ignorance.
To state an atheist is so, merely as an act of rebellion against their parents of some fictional deity, is an insult to all rational individuals, and an act of propping up your beliefs by trying to diminish the beliefs of others.
 
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wildlifer:
Boloney. All of the atheists I am familiar with, and have discussed this with, point to no evidence of gods and the traceable evolution of man’s belief in gods and religion, as reasons for their atheism - as man has become more knowlegeable, gods were/are continuously relegated to smaller areas of man’s ignorance.
To state an atheist is so, merely as an act of rebellion against their parents of some fictional deity, is an insult to all rational individuals, and an act of propping up your beliefs by trying to diminish the beliefs of others.
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I agree with Wildlifer. I also feel the need to point out the example of the rebellious kid (possible strawman). To me the kid sounds like a theist that is lying in order to get a rise out of his parents. A lying theist, not an atheist. Like some of the Catholics here that claim to be “ex-atheists” that go on to say that they “really believed the whole time although they didn’t want God to be true”, they were lying theists and not atheists. They never were atheists. They may have hung out with atheists and read atheist books, but some theologians probably do the same thing. It doesn’t make you an atheist. Not believing in a god(s) makes you an atheist.
 
Second, although some atheists have since intellectual problems with the existence of God, there are also atheists who not believe because they do not want to - and all their arguments are mere smokescreens. Some may be in open rebellion to their believing parents. Some may choose not to believe in God because they enjoy their sins and would rather not face the possibilty of eventaully be acountable to God.
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Rubbish. One of my best friends used to be an out and out atheist but became a Catholic later in life. According to him it was a slow process of realization rather than some immediate supernatural experience. I think he was particulary dissastified with the sterility and coldness of his atheistic intellectual life.

We are both students of science, he studies inorganic chemistry and I biology. Neither of us or any of our professor have any trouble with faith and science. I think that’s because we are all well aware of the limitations of human understanding. We were given reason and intellect to study God’s creation and in the process come to know Him. That’s what the scientific method was devised for, to test the laws governing creation, not to test God.

*"that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; *

for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, `For we also are His children."

-Acts 17:27
 
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DuMaurier:
Rubbish. One of my best friends used to be an out and out atheist but became a Catholic later in life. According to him it was a slow process of realization rather than some immediate supernatural experience. I think he was particulary dissastified with the sterility and coldness of his atheistic intellectual life. Not that I’m suggesting that applies to you.

We are both students of science, he studies inorganic chemistry and I biology. Neither of us or any of our professor have any trouble with faith and science. I think that’s because we are all well aware of the limitations of human understanding. We were given reason and intellect to study God’s creation and in the process come to know Him. That’s what the scientific method was devised for, to test the laws governing creation, not to test God.

*"that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; *

for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, `For we also are His children."

-Acts 17:27
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uhmm… What part of my post was rubbish and how does this have anything to do with what I said?
 
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Booger:
uhmm… What part of my post was rubbish and how does this have anything to do with what I said?
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Woops, that was supposed to be for Paul. Not good to post when you’re tired. Corrected. 🙂
 
Strange thing is I’ve met very few true atheists in real life. Even in a very liberal university all the professors I’ve met believed in a higher power but not nescessarily in all the teachings of various churches. I guess they could be called deists. But I’ve had biology and chemistry profs who are very devout Catholics and a couple East Orthodox.

There seems to be a disportionate number of people claiming to be atheists on the net than in the real world. I don’t know if that’s because they feel more comfortable with the anonimity or as you say just to get a rise out of people. I think that’s what Paul may be getting at.
 
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DuMaurier:
There seems to be a disportionate number of people claiming to be atheists on the net than in the real world. I don’t know if that’s because they feel more comfortable with the anonimity or as you say just to get a rise out of people. I think that’s what Paul may be getting at.
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My theory is that the large number of atheists on the net is a result of the fact that there are few ‘natural’ meeting places for atheists to socialize with each other. ‘Internet Infidels’ is a very busy place … one of the busiest forums I’ve ever seen. It’s a place where an atheist can go without worrying about being ridiculed or facing condescending attitudes from others, etc.

A religious person has lots of non-internet opportunities to socialize with those with like minds.

While on the internet, atheists, like others are prone to go surfing to see what else is out there. And some of them land on religious forums.

Just my theory.
🤓
 
DuMaurier, I couldn’t tell you. I’ve only ever had 3 professors that mentioned belief in a god. 2 of them were English or Art teachers and the other was my Botany teacher (a Baptist deacon). Teachers don’t talk about this sort of thing. I would guess it is because it is such a personal subject.

I think that the reason you find so many atheists on the net is because this pretty much the only outlet that we have. Atheists are hardly organized in any real way, except for congregating on internet sites. My 2 cents.
 
I assume he does, but one also assumes you must be looking to see… 👍
 
{Quote = Freud} RELIGION IS AN ILLUSION…IT DERIVES ITS STRENGTH FROM THE FACT THAT IT FALLS IN WITH OUR INTELLECTUAL DESIRES.{QUOTE}

As if Freud’s philosophy didn’t derive from his intellectual (and other) desires? There was one twisted pretzel.
 
jjanderson said:
{Quote = Freud} RELIGION IS AN ILLUSION…IT DERIVES ITS STRENGTH FROM THE FACT THAT IT FALLS IN WITH OUR INTELLECTUAL DESIRES.{QUOTE}

As if Freud’s philosophy didn’t derive from his intellectual (and other) desires? There was one twisted pretzel.
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How so?
 
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Iohannes:
From what I heard from my psychology teacher, Freud had incest with his daughter, that is one sick perverted man.
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You mean his daughter the famous psychologist? Funny, I can’t find that on google anywhere. Care to back it up with some references? It should be easy if it is true.
 
I was told that Freud’s theories have long been discredited and are no longer taught except to give a history of psychology.
 
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PaulAckermann:
And yet a small voice in your head would convince you that God exists? To you this may be proof that God exists. To a psychologist …
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The voice within the head of a christian is none other than natural intuition. It would make sense to us if the universe were finite because we only know of things happening casually and in sequence. Why? Because we are finite creatures within a system of infinitude. Accordingly, though the notion of a finite universe has its strength in logic, which is a construct of our finite minds, it has its weakness in science. Reality fundamentally does not not make sense; it never did and it never will. Believing that the universe is finite because it makes sense to us is unjustified, and needless to say, wholly unrealistic.

Correspondingly, religion seems to mimic our psychology all too well; just as logic does. . . . According to religion everything seems to compliment our nature. God is like us. Angels are like us. Demons are like us. Heavon is a place. Hell is a place. Things occur in a way wherein everything makes sense to us. The universe can be rigorously determined. And, so much more unrealistic fantasies. Perhaps we created religion to make sense of things, which by their very nature are fundamentally paradoxical. Perhaps its real function is to add a false sense of significance to our insignificant lives? Perhaps all theology is man-made?

Perhaps it doesn’t hurt so terribly to believe a lie?
 
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DuMaurier:
I was told that Freud’s theories have long been discredited and are no longer taught except to give a history of psychology.
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That’s slightly incorrect. Freud got the ball rolling for cognative psychology as we know it today. Although much of what Freud said was discredited (most of his theories regarded sex), he was on the right track in certain areas. Especially in his theories about pride defense mechanisms and opposites attract, etc.
 
First, if I only believed simply because I desired to, I would have chosen something other than Catholic Christianity.
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Why not believe in just a creator then? Because a creator doesn’t give structure or hope to one’s life. A creator is a negative definition, so you couldn’t even believe in him if you wanted to, but that’s neither here nor there. Of course you believe because you desire to. Do you mean to tell me that religion in general is not inherently illogical? The most rational Christian would admit that religion is illogical and that is why it takes faith to believe. At least admit that much.

So why do you believe? Because you want to believe.
 
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