Opinion vs Belief

[VoiceOfReason]

Do you guys believe there are no gods, hold the opinion there are no gods, or just plain old fashion know as much?

In my opinion there are no such thing as Gods. I think in most cases "God" is an imaginary security blanket. Things like being one small person in a massive universe, seeking forgiveness for wrongs committed without facing the real victim, and the inevitability of death, are dealt with by looking to some omnipotent being. I think believing that allows a person to establish an imaginary sense of control over the world by 'praying' for things to happen in their favour. You can also soothe a guilty conscious simply by praying for forgiveness, rather than actually face the person you have wronged or trying to set it right. Also, it turns death into a gateway into an imaginary utopia. The virtue of blindly adhering to an illogical belief despite a total lack of evidence is rewarded with nothing less than eternal paradise. However, those who commit the heinous crime of asking questions and thinking things through go to a much deserved eternal torture chamber. This is also handy for a believer whose confidence might be low, because there is always a reminder that you are better than anyone who has not 'earned' a place in the paradise you obviously deserve.

[Minimalist]

It is my opinion, based on the fact that there is no evidence for any gods, that there are no gods. In fact, Pip, you and I are in complete agreement that 99.99% of all the gods created by the mind of men are nothing more than idols. Therefore, the evidence suggests that your god is equally fictitious. Just one more human brain fart in a long litany of human brain farts.

[Caecilian]

Beliefs are a sub-class of opinions. If an opinion is based primarily on faith, rather than evidence, then its a belief.

[fr0d0]

What if it's based on evidence?

[Paul the Human]

That would depend upon one's opinion as to the validity of said evidence. If it is your opinion that the evidence in question is valid... then you can call it a belief.

But that's just my opinion.

[British_Atheist]

I think that Opinion is not arrogant, My opinion is that God doesn't exist and many people believe God Exists. So that isn't arrogant.

[Pippy]

It seems like a thin line when, through all the rhetoric, the answer to my question was that an Atheist is right, and knows the truth, while a believer (of any stripe) chooses against overwhelming evidence to hold fast to illusion and dementia.

I, for the record, could never be as self-righteous as that.

-Pip