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Quote:Some Questions Atheist Cannot Truly and Honestly REALLY Answer! Which leads to some interesting conclusions…
1. How Did You Become an Atheist?
2. What happens when we die?
3. What if you’re wrong? And there is a Heaven? And there is a HELL!
4. Without God, where do you get your morality from?
5. If there is no God, can we do what we want? Are we free to murder and rape? While good deeds are unrewarded?
6. If there is no god, how does your life have any meaning?
7. Where did the universe come from?
8. What about miracles? What all the people who claim to have a connection with Jesus? What about those who claim to have seen saints or angels?
9. What’s your view of Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris?
10. If there is no God, then why does every society have a religion?
Apparently, none of us can "Truly and Honestly REALLY Answer" the question how we became atheists. Like, oh, I don't know, "I stopped believing in a god" isn't a true, honest answer to how it happened...
I'm also wondering why they allude to these "interesting conclusions" and then never talk about what these conclusions are supposed to be, because I'm pretty sure just about every atheist in these forums has an honest answer to every single question they're asking.
It's a cryin' shame this article doesn't have a comments section.
Teenaged X-Files obsession + Bermuda Triangle episode + Self-led school research project = Atheist.
July 10, 2014 at 1:13 pm (This post was last modified: July 10, 2014 at 1:35 pm by Dystopia.)
Quote:1. How Did You Become an Atheist?
I think I never became a theist, I never genuinely believed, so my answer is I was always at least a practical atheist or at most an agnostic with no defined belief. If I was a theist at some point, my answer will be - I read some arguments from both sides and concluded not a single theist argument has logical consistency, having philosophy in highschool helped me
Quote:2. What happens when we die?
Nothing probably
Quote:3. What if you’re wrong? And there is a Heaven? And there is a HELL!
If I were wrong and was brought before Thor or Zeus, it's the Christian who would be fucked, I would be considered at least impartial regarding the correct belief
Quote:4. Without God, where do you get your morality from?
Family teachings, social interaction, my own moral values that I consider more important, something very close to the most fundamental human rights everyone should support independently of belief (see the declaration of human rights). I believe some minimal objective morality may exist according to western values, things like 'Killing is wrong' are accepted by everybody
Quote:5. If there is no God, can we do what we want? Are we free to murder and rape? While good deeds are unrewarded?
No, see the previous answer. But in theory everyone is free to murder and rape, it just gets you a penalty. There are still values everyone treasures despite not being a theist. And good deeds don't need reward, or are rewarded while we are alive. If the only reason keeping you from murder and rape is god you have a serious mental problem.
Quote:6. If there is no god, how does your life have any meaning?
I am alive, therefore I have meaning
Quote:7. Where did the universe come from?
Where did the god idea come from?
Quote:8. What about miracles? What all the people who claim to have a connection with Jesus? What about those who claim to have seen saints or angels?
Would it be different if those people claimed a unicorn granted them those miracles?
Quote:9. What’s your view of Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris?
I like them, specially Dawkins, gotta love the man
Quote:10. If there is no God, then why does every society have a religion?
Because all societies suffer from the tragedy of human weakness products
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you
July 10, 2014 at 1:32 pm (This post was last modified: July 10, 2014 at 1:34 pm by Napoléon.)
Only because I feel like answering stupid questions, feel free to ignore:
1. How Did You Become an Atheist?
I was born one, don't think I ever believed in god. I think I had more of a belief in Santa than I ever did in god. At least Santa gave me presents.
2. What happens when we die?
Our brain stops functioning and our consciousness is gone. We won't know we've ever existed.
3. What if you’re wrong? And there is a Heaven? And there is a HELL!
Then god, if he did exist, will know my reasons for not believing. He would know me better than I know myself, and surely, he would only come to one conclusion. I might be a bit of an asshole, but I don't think I deserve an eternity of torture. If god were to send me to hell, simply for being what he made me to be, then fuck that god. I would gladly go to hell and serve Satan, he is no doubt more switched on than any of you jesus freaks.
But I'm not wrong, so it's pretty pointless to speculate.
4. Without God, where do you get your morality from?
I use my brain.
Anyone who gets their morality from a book is far scarier than anyone who doesn't.
5. If there is no God, can we do what we want? Are we free to murder and rape? While good deeds are unrewarded?
If you need this question answering you are admitting the only thing stopping you from murdering and raping other people is the threat of eternal damnation.
Who is more fucked up, the guy who recognises it's wrong from a very basic, human standpoint? Or the one who thinks we would all be doing it without an overbearing father figure telling us not to.
6. If there is no god, how does your life have any meaning?
It has as much meaning as anyone else would give their own. If you think you need god to give yourself meaning, that's still you giving yourself meaning.
7. Where did the universe come from?
I don't know, nor do I know if it came from anything at all.
Then again, you don't know. Nobody knows. If you think you do, that's all it is, you think you do.
8. What about miracles? What all the people who claim to have a connection with Jesus? What about those who claim to have seen saints or angels?
What about all those that have claimed to see UFO's, or claimed to have been abducted?
Bollocks, that's what.
Sure you might believe it, doesn't make it real.
9. What’s your view of Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris?
Never really looked into Harris too much. Dawkins and Hitch I quite like, but I don't think they're the moral authority or anything.
10. If there is no God, then why does every society have a religion?
It doesn't.
Quote:Apparently, none of us can "Truly and Honestly REALLY Answer" the question how we became atheists. Like, oh, I don't know, "I stopped believing in a god" isn't a true, honest answer to how it happened...
The only people lying to themselves are those that really think there is a god out there. Anyone who is being even remotely intellectually honest with themselves has to admit there is no logical reason or credible evidence whatsoever for a god being real. That goes for deists too. An honest person says they don't know.
July 10, 2014 at 1:33 pm (This post was last modified: July 10, 2014 at 1:33 pm by Cato.)
My contribution...
Quote:1. How Did You Become an Atheist?
I was born.
Quote:2. What happens when we die?
Lots of shit, I just won't be around to know what it is.
Quote:3. What if you’re wrong? And there is a Heaven? And there is a HELL!
Can't wait to see the look on your face when you get to hell and find me in charge.
Quote:4. Without God, where do you get your morality from?
Same place you do, but I don't have a baked in excuse for being a cunt.
Quote:5. If there is no God, can we do what we want? Are we free to murder and rape? While good deeds are unrewarded?
Try it and find out.
Quote:6. If there is no god, how does your life have any meaning?
Daily ejaculation. Having willing participation is great, but going solo serves the purpose.
Quote:7. Where did the universe come from?
As far as we know right now, Big Bang. Anything 'before' the Big Bang is wild speculation.
Quote:8. What about miracles? What all the people who claim to have a connection with Jesus? What about those who claim to have seen saints or angels?
Hallucination, lies, or delusions.
Quote:9. What’s your view of Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris?
I follow two on Twitter. Right now Hitch has dispatched God and Satan to scrounge up an eternity of Scotch in order to relax after simultaneously skull fucking the two of them.
Quote:10. If there is no God, then why does every society have a religion?
You can't reason with stupid people, yet they still need to be controlled.
July 10, 2014 at 1:34 pm (This post was last modified: July 10, 2014 at 1:35 pm by Whateverist.)
(July 10, 2014 at 11:20 am)Clueless Morgan Wrote:
Quote:Some Questions Atheist Cannot Truly and Honestly REALLY Answer! Which leads to some interesting conclusions…
1. How Did You Become an Atheist?
With the examples of the Toothfairy, Santa and the Easterbunny it was inevitable to wonder if God was another made up entity. I decided it probably was.
Quote:2. What happens when we die?
Compost.
Quote:3. What if you’re wrong? And there is a Heaven? And there is a HELL!
Quote:4. Without God, where do you get your morality from?
Only without the rewards and punishments can you actually make an uncoerced moral choice. Avoiding the whip and prostituting oneself for a reward isn't actually moral behavior.
Quote:5. If there is no God, can we do what we want? Are we free to murder and rape? While good deeds are unrewarded?
Quote:6. If there is no god, how does your life have any meaning?
Quote:7. Where did the universe come from?
Who knows? (Hint: repeating that goddidit doesn't count as knowing anything.)
Quote:8. What about miracles? What all the people who claim to have a connection with Jesus? What about those who claim to have seen saints or angels?
Uh .. I don't know .. how about screw them?
Quote:9. What’s your view of Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris?
All make some good points. Dawkins and Harris are piss poor philosophers. I don't go in for hero worship.
Quote:10. If there is no God, then why does every society have a religion?
Great question. [Hint: it isn't because literal gods are over-running the planet.]
I've always been one. Though I do remember wondering during childhood, how adults could believe.
Quote:What happens when we die?
Our consciousness ceases instantly and our body decomposes.
Quote:What if you’re wrong? And there is a Heaven? And there is a HELL!
I'll have to revise my opinion. What if you're wrong and one of the myriad of other religions is right?
Quote:Without God, where do you get your morality from?
The same place you get yours. No, not from god. No one gets their morality directly from what you think is god. You pick and choose and revise to fit the times. What do you use to determine which parts are important or in need of revision?
Quote:If there is no God, can we do what we want? Are we free to murder and rape? While good deeds are unrewarded?
According to Christians god gave you free will. You are free to rape and murder. People do it all the time. Most of them believe in god. But, you have noticed that there are criminal laws haven't you? Those are the real deterrent to murder and rape.
Rewards come from feeling good about acting well and the approval of your fellows.
Quote:If there is no god, how does your life have any meaning?
Define meaning? Really, this is essentially a meaningless question. If you mean how does it have value, it has value to me and others who know and love me.
If your life is merely a piece of someone else's plan, how does your life have any meaning?
Quote:Where did the universe come from?
Haven't got a clue. If there is a god, where did it come from?
Quote:What about miracles? What all the people who claim to have a connection with Jesus? What about those who claim to have seen saints or angels
What about people who claim to have: seen or talked with ghosts; have ESP; have seen the Loch Ness Monster; been abducted by aliens (with or without medical exams); been brain altered by the government; remembered their past lives; talked with Allah; seen Zeus; seen zombies; petted unicorns; seen fairies; been hexed? See a pattern here?
Quote:What’s your view of Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris?
Love Dawkins books and his bombast about religion. I find Hitchens and Harris more thoughtful.
Quote: If there is no God, then why does every society have a religion?
If there is a god why does every society have a different religion?
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
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