Why You Should Be Atheist

[Dunno]

No no no that's what faith and belief is all about. Atheism is about rejecting these claims and possibilities as even valid in favour of naturalist materialism, the physical universe and the world as we experience it right now is all there is. Take a look at the stuff atheists are posting on here and you will see what I mean.

You are both wrong and right. That is what atheism is all about. However my statement was also slightly poetic, if I'm not just bragging, and the torah is full of poetry. I'm glad you thought my statement was poetic, but you see, this is what I believe, in keeping your mind open to an infinite number of possibilities. You see, by believing in something so strongly that you try to force it on other people, you are keeping your mind closed to possibilities. I keep the possibility of figurative truth in mind, but thinking that what is in the torah and the bible is reality is not just unlikely, it's ridiculous. You are keeping your mind closed to possibilities. Not everyone is exactly like you and people take pleasure in different things. I know a rabbi who said that Noah's Ark was really about speech because of the hebrew translation of word. He analyzed the story so carefully that it transformed from a children's story into a metaphor for giving your words length, depth, and height, or choosing your words carefully. A Christian would never do this because they only listen to their higher ups and have one set interpretation instead of listening to everyone's opinion. But in the end it is just a book, and everyone has their opinion. These people have theirs. Since you do not agree, why do you persist?

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I find your answers to be terribly inadequate. Here are a list of your mistakes.

1. You fail to make an important distinction between the existence of God and the existence of organized religion. Given all your critiques of religion, a deity of some sort could still exist.
2. Atheism is not a position on organized religion, it is a position on the existence of God. Thus attacking religion does not justify atheism.
3. The answers to your specific questions are inadequate.
-You have failed to determine that religion was "invented by humans".
-Assuming it was "invented by humans", your answer to (1) amounts to "I don't know."
-You have improperly used anecdotal, untestable and unverifiable observations of your own to answer (2).
-You have provided no evidence to support your answer to (3).

The only satisfactory answer you have provided is your answer to (4).

As such, reasonable people ought to reject your first three answers and accept answer (4).

Religion created god so there is no separating the two. Without an organized religion telling you to believe in god it would never occur to you to have such a belief, unless you are one of those children who had an imaginary friend. I never did. I had some real friends growing up. I'm sorry but your protests are just the result of you refusing to listen.

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agnostic

You are only half right. You have to acknowledge the existence of God, but not the possibility of the physical existence of God. Let's think about where God exists. In books, images, and cults who strongly believe. These are everywhere on Earth with many different ideas. You have to acknowledge this because these are people. This is some of the work of people. Not all of these people are bad people, not all of these people are stupid people, unless we come to the conclusion that people are in general stupid for being so gullible. I'm sorry but it is very, very, unlikely that the God described exists in real life. And how would I choose which one to believe, given all of the beautiful stories that exist?

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Explaining the rigorous use of reason to an atheist is like explaining quantum mechanics to the amish.

I'm familiar. What you're doing is using reason to be unreasonable. Although it's perfectly reasonable in relation to what it is reasoning about. Like quantum mechanics. All of quantum mechanics is completely reasonable except for the fact that it's based on a particle, the atom, created in ancient greece, whose existence is still theoretical. Even as you argue you still catch yourself agreeing with us, this is because somewhere inside you, you know what we say is true.

[Vincenzo Vinny G.]

I find your answers to be terribly inadequate. Here are a list of your mistakes.

1. You fail to make an important distinction between the existence of God and the existence of organized religion. Given all your critiques of religion, a deity of some sort could still exist.
2. Atheism is not a position on organized religion, it is a position on the existence of God. Thus attacking religion does not justify atheism.
3. The answers to your specific questions are inadequate.
-You have failed to determine that religion was "invented by humans".
-Assuming it was "invented by humans", your answer to (1) amounts to "I don't know."
-You have improperly used anecdotal, untestable and unverifiable observations of your own to answer (2).
-You have provided no evidence to support your answer to (3).

The only satisfactory answer you have provided is your answer to (4).

As such, reasonable people ought to reject your first three answers and accept answer (4).

Religion created god so there is no separating the two. Without an organized religion telling you to believe in god it would never occur to you to have such a belief, unless you are one of those children who had an imaginary friend. I never did. I had some real friends growing up. I'm sorry but your protests are just the result of you refusing to listen.

Can you prove that religion created god, as opposed to, say, some individual creating it, or perhaps even some individual "discovering" God?

[Brian37]

Religion created god so there is no separating the two. Without an organized religion telling you to believe in god it would never occur to you to have such a belief, unless you are one of those children who had an imaginary friend. I never did. I had some real friends growing up. I'm sorry but your protests are just the result of you refusing to listen.

Can you prove that religion created god, as opposed to, say, some individual creating it, or perhaps even some individual "discovering" God?

Which came first? The individual delusion or the mass delusion?

The individual delusion came first, then it got marketed for political power. The religions that are popular today, worldwide, are a result of successful marketing, not because a real god exists.

[Vincenzo Vinny G.]

Can you prove that religion created god, as opposed to, say, some individual creating it, or perhaps even some individual "discovering" God?

Which came first? The individual delusion or the mass delusion?

The individual delusion came first, then it got marketed for political power. The religions that are popular today, worldwide, are a result of successful marketing, not because a real god exists.

So if the "individual" came before the organized, therefore religion didn't create God but an individual did and thus you have shown your own claim to be bullshit. That takes care of that.

Next, your claim that it is a delusion. Can you prove it?

[Brian37]

Which came first? The individual delusion or the mass delusion?

The individual delusion came first, then it got marketed for political power. The religions that are popular today, worldwide, are a result of successful marketing, not because a real god exists.

So if the "individual" came before the organized, therefore religion didn't create God but an individual did and thus you have shown your own claim to be bullshit. That takes care of that.

Next, your claim that it is a delusion. Can you prove it?

The individual got their ideas from those prior, just like Coke And Pepsi were not the first beverage, and other drinks existed before, but individuals had to look at those around them for ideas to market their new brand.

Yes religion is a delusion and crap, just like soda.

[*Deidre*]

Coke and Pepsi are real though.

The idea of a god existing has been a common preoccupation with humans since the earliest of civilizations. An idea or concept isn't the same as reality. I can have some very good ideas about something but if they are never actualized, they remain ideas.

Like God. An idea created by mankind. This is why there are so many religions because so many people have a different idea of what a god means to them.

All ideas. If you wish to worship an idea, go for it. But admit that is what you're doing.

[Vincenzo Vinny G.]

So if the "individual" came before the organized, therefore religion didn't create God but an individual did and thus you have shown your own claim to be bullshit. That takes care of that.

Next, your claim that it is a delusion. Can you prove it?

The individual got their ideas from those prior, just like Coke And Pepsi were not the first beverage, and other drinks existed before, but individuals had to look at those around them for ideas to market their new brand.

Yes religion is a delusion and crap, just like soda.

But can you prove that religion is a delusion, and crap?

[*Deidre*]

To Dunno:

Ummm, as an agnostic, I don't know if a god exists, but I can't say with certainty either way. Not having to make a choice, I just live my life not knowing.

Not sure why you replied to me as you did but my belief is simply that there is no evidence to support either way, if a god exists or not. You replied to me as if you are trying to convince me of something I already agree with you on.

[Dunno]

But can you prove that religion is a delusion, and crap?

I'm sorry but I can't prove that religion is crap. There is no possible way on Earth that I could prove that religion is crap. It's too popular. Can I prove that it is a delusion, of course, however a wise man once said that if someone does not want to hear wisdom then there is no point in offering it. That man was Orson Scott Card.

There are many things that aren't crap about religion. The smell of pine. Decorating a tree. Feasting. Stories. Philosophy. The stories, the parties, the philosophy, it is real. There are things that you can learn from everyone you meet. It's real in every religion ever created. You can pick out the delusion for yourself. You do it with other religions you don't agree with so I'm sure it's easy to do it with yours.

Is religion cruel and vindictive, yes. Is it good and kind, yes. Because we are people, religion is people, and it has the same duality as people.

It is myth.

Can you prove that Zeus is not up there watching us, plotting his revenge? He slept with a lot of Earth women you know. That's why Hera was always mad at him. And he always turned himself into animals when he did it, he was a kinky god.

"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy"-- Shakespeare

But in my philosophy, I haven't yet dreamed, I will not confine myself to the prison of a philosophy.

[Vincenzo Vinny G.]

But can you prove that religion is a delusion, and crap?

I'm sorry but I can't prove that religion is crap. There is no possible way on Earth that I could prove that religion is crap. It's too popular. Can I prove that it is a delusion, of course, however a wise man once said that if someone does not want to hear wisdom then there is no point in offering it. That man was Orson Scott Card.

There are many things that aren't crap about religion. The smell of pine. Decorating a tree. Feasting. Stories. Philosophy. The stories, the parties, the philosophy, it is real. There are things that you can learn from everyone you meet. It's real in every religion ever created. You can pick out the delusion for yourself. You do it with other religions you don't agree with so I'm sure it's easy to do it with yours.

Is religion cruel and vindictive, yes. Is it good and kind, yes. Because we are people, religion is people, and it has the same duality as people.

It is myth.

Can you prove that Zeus is not up there watching us, plotting his revenge? He slept with a lot of Earth women you know. That's why Hera was always mad at him. And he always turned himself into animals when he did it, he was a kinky god.

"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy"-- Shakespeare

But in my philosophy, I haven't yet dreamed, I will not confine myself to the prison of a philosophy.

So you believe something you can't prove. That was all I wanted to know.