(April 27, 2013 at 7:58 am)Dawud Wrote:(April 26, 2013 at 4:59 pm)Gearbreak Wrote: Why are babies always used? They lack a belief in god, but they also lack empathy, intelligence, survival skills and emotional control. Babies are terrible role models. The only thing they get right is atheism and cute.
There is no evidence in this lack of belief to be fair...
Babies aren't born with a belief in a deity; they have no concept of things beyond their own instinct to survive.
Self awareness isn't evident in children until just under 2 years when they begin to recognise the 'self' in their own reflection in a mirror, and even at this age, they display no evidence that they 'believe' in anything beyond what they can see, touch, and taste (eg. Mommy and Daddy, touching the radiator when it's warm is painful, when I cry I get attention from people and so on and so on).
If we were born hardwired with a belief in a deity (which one? The possibilities for deities are infinite), then why did I never believe in one? If we presume a baby is born with a belief, then that means I would have had to 'lose' my belief in whatever god or gods I was born with a belief in, which never happened.
Anecdotal, perhaps, but has much more basis than the idea of belief inherent within children.