My view and reasons for them. Atheist and Christians welcome here. (short)

[Quick]

I'm not trying to argue that simply being born gives one a predisposition to believing in the christian faith. Not at all. I guess the closest argument I would make a stance on to that is that I think believing in a God or gods is inherent to our development as a species.

If we use the phrase "inherent to our development as a species" very....very loosely..then yeah, sure. More accurately, though, the driving compulsion behind animism is inherent to our development as a species and the manufacture of gods is a cultural and societal development.

Right. Very interesting that you give "God" even that much credit tbh, considering you are not agnostic (but I don't think I know that you are gnostic necessarily).

As such there is a cognitive bias towards believing in a higher power even in isolation of culture/society.

One might wonder why it took 3.5 billion years to get to a genus that would, in another 2million years or so....come up with animism, and then another 40k years passes until we come up with deism, and another 8k passes until we come up with theism.....if that were the case.

I still don't know what animism is so I don't understand the rest.

I would then have to say that the rejection in the belief God or gods as the arguments are put forth at this point in time are either also an evolutionary process for our species OR it is completely influenced by culture/society because of negative connotations of the belief in God or gods - a reaction, if you will, for the ever growing need to expand our toolset.

There;s still that nagging bit about their not being a theist gene.  It makes no sense to discuss something as evolutionary when it's not heritable.

It was recently discovered that "junk DNA" actually has a purpose. Could be in there somewhere. There's no gay gene either as far as I am aware. 

I guess that is more or less where I sit with atheism at this time. AND this change of view wouldn't be possible without robvalue, Simon Moon, or surreptitious57, so I want to make sure to thank you three for shedding some light on things. And now recently, you have given me something to chew on as well.

Progress, of a sort...I guess. 

\o/

[robvalue]

Excellent, you're welcome I always respect when someone takes the time to think things over, whether they come to agree with me or not.

[The Grand Nudger]

Right. Very interesting that you give "God" even that much credit tbh, considering you are not agnostic (but I don't think I know that you are gnostic necessarily).  

I;m not really giving god any credit.  It's a manufactured item.  I credit it;s creators, lol.  

I still don't know what animism is so I don't understand the rest.

The attribution of a "soul" to inanimate objects, plants, and natural forces.  In more developed forms, it's the notion that this soul or power or force organizes the universe.  

It was recently discovered that "junk DNA" actually has a purpose. Could be in there somewhere. There's no gay gene either as far as I am aware. 

"I don;t know, so therefore" is a hard no for credibility..not just in this context, but any context.  If god beliefs were heritable then my children would b f1 hybrid believers.  They are not, lol.  That;s not a thing.  Let;s not play batshit bingo with teh gayz, shall we?  It would be irrelevant to our conversation anyway.

[drfuzzy]

[Quick]

Well, I can surely say this thread turned out to be a LOT longer than I thought it was going to be.

It has been an enlightening experience, to be sure.