[Serious] Why are you an Atheist?

[maxolla]

I think what “prime reality” represents is a catch all for coherency. Christians would say, for the most part that prime reality is God as a basis for reality.  Naturalists and existentialists might say something more like “based fully on what we can perceive with our physical senses”.  Prime is just the highest order of or primal.

This first part you've written here makes little to no sense to me. I'm not sure what you even mean by "prime reality is God as a basis for reality." That just sounds nonsensical, grammatically and conceptually, so I'm not sure what to say to that.

I’m not in this for a gotcha I truly want to understand where people come to the conclusions of how they see the world and existence.
If you are willing could you tell me how long you have been an atheist.  Have you believed in anything in the past before coming to the conclusion that there is no God?

Well, forgive us for being a bit skeptical. I'm nearly convinced that we have at least one so-called atheist here who is actually a Christian. Though, I argue with people on the merit of their ideas, if I'm arguing, and not on who they may or may not be pretending to be. So, essentially, a Christian pretending to be an atheist, on this forum, would gain quite little from such undercover work, as logically fallacious ideas will be pointed out as such no matter who authors them. Bad ideas are bad ideas, whether they come from Christians, atheists, Scientologists or anyone else, given that we can agree on what the word "bad" means within the phrase "bad ideas."

Though, some people may argue that a Christian could come here, pretend to be an atheist, and spout off ideas heard in Christian apologetics, while presenting them as secular ideas, to try and sort of "turn the tide." Though, once again, I doubt such an individual would have much success, as, sometimes, us atheists here have about as much in common with one another as an orange does with the planet Pluto. Sure, they both appear to be round, but Pluto isn't a planet, if you catch my drift.

Anyway, I digress. I've self-identified as an atheist since I was in my early teens... maybe fifteen or fourteen? I'll give you a different answer depending on what day you ask me, because I honestly don't remember how old I was, but I can remember a general time period. Certainly no earlier than fourteen and no later than sixteen. And, I'm not sure what you mean by, "Have you believed in anything in the past before coming to the conclusion that there is no God?"

Do you mean to ask if I believed in god at some point, or if I believed in ghosts, or vampires, or something else? I'll assume that's what you meant. The answer is... No, not really. I don't think I ever really believed in god; I certainly tried to convince myself that I did, though. And it wasn't for lack of trying. I spent many a night in my bed, praying to god, asking him to come to me, to reveal himself to me, praying for minutes and minutes on end... sometimes upward of fifteen, twenty minutes. Now, that may not sound like a lot to you, but it was a lot of time to my eight, nine and ten year old brain, certainly. So, I certainly tried, hard as hell, to believe in god and to have god reveal himself to me. It never happened. Big surprise.

As far as ghosts or spirits and things of that nature... I sort of bought into the idea of there being ghosts, though even when I was young, my mind seemed to lean to a "more scientific" explanation for ghosts. I remember, vaguely, some very lenient explanation of how ghosts could possibly exist, as a phenomenon that people actually see, hear and experience in the world, by some "expert." He talked very broadly about magnetic fields and how they could interact with certain people's brains and cause hallucinations and so on and so forth. He also talked about how the combination of a certain person's brain chemistry and certain magnetic fields could "unlock" a doorway into the spirit world. When I discussed this explanation with my father, he completely shut me down. He told me that "that's not how it works" and proceeded to tell me about how ghosts are lost spirits who didn't make it to heaven, and that's that, mister!

My dad's absolute "certainty" about what ghosts were, in that moment, made me wholly skeptical, along with a number of other behaviors I observed in my parents, extended family and other religious folks in general.

Well, as they say, the best way to become an atheist is to read the Bible. I suppose that holds true in many instances.

I would say that all makes pretty good sense. What were some of the behaviors that you witnessed in Christians, family or otherwise that caused your skepticism towards belief in God?

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I’m asking questions for the purpose of understanding not a gotcha.  You’re right...some explanation is in order.  I ask the first 6 questions to get a basis point for what someong believes about reality (worldview).  Many have answered with glib answers to some of the questions, which is a basis for discovery in itself.  Of course everyone is answering with  freewill to say whatever the choose but the fact that some people decide to make a joke of some of the questions while answering seriously to others tells me that there is something deeper or hidden in the joke answers.  

My reasons for asking these questions is because I’m taking a class on philosophy called Contemporary Worldviews and one of my assignments it to find some people with a varying worldview from my own and learn about their view.

Specifically what I’m trying to understand is how the atheist view is formed.

What you might think of a joke is actually serious. My answers were genuine.

I was born an atheist. That's how it happens.

I would say “my bad” but I don’t know that I was referring to your answers. And in any event I meant nothing by it other than my perceptions.

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What do you consider as prime reality?
Optimus

What is the purpose of history or does it serve a purpose?
HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools.
(The Devil's Dictionary)

How did human existence begin?
A Hypotheticalosaurus took a dump on a magical fungus .

What is morality?
Whatever I say is!

Where do you decide what is right and wrong?
The shitter.

What do you believe in with absolute certainty?
Hendrix is the greatest!

Hendrix is not the greatest. Its a well know fact that SRV took over that spot...by a mile or so.