RE: Let's answer CARM's Questions for Atheists
September 14, 2014 at 4:49 pm
(This post was last modified: September 14, 2014 at 4:54 pm by pocaracas.)
I like quizzes! 
1. How would you define atheism?
There are two definitions of atheism
- To lack belief in the existence of any god ever brought forth by any human.
- To belief that no gods exist at all.
I'm ok with both definitions, although I identify myself with the first.
2. Do you act according to what you believe (there is no God) in or what you don't believe in (lack belief in God)?
My actions rarely take into account the nonexistence of any deity.
One may say that my lack of actions does represent my lack of belief in any deity.
3. Do you think it is inconsistent for someone who "lacks belief" in God to work against God's existence by attempting to show that God doesn't exist?
Do you think it is inconsistent for someone who "lacks belief" in the mythical winged horse Pegasus to work against Pegasus' existence by attempting to show that Pegasus doesn't exist?
Seriously, how does one show that a mythical creature doesn't exist? You can't... it's impossible!
However, if such a creature did exist, it should be possible to show that it does indeed exist. Care to give it a go for your particular deity?
4. How sure are you that your atheism properly represents reality?
The lack of any evidence for the existence of any deity leaves me with no choice. Why should I assume that reality is best represented with a deity in it?
5. How sure are you that your atheism is correct?
How sure are you that your a-islamism, your a-hinduism, your a-shamanism, and other a---isms is correct?
Yeah... that's about as sure I am.
6. How would you define what truth is?
Truth is the correct interpretation of reality.
7. Why do you believe your atheism is a justifiable position to hold?
Because there's nothing reasonable to indicate that I should hold any other position.
8. Are you a materialist or a physicalist or what?
I... what's the difference?... anyway, beats me. I'm human.
9. Do you affirm or deny that atheism is a worldview? Why or why not?
World view is what the good folks at the International Space Station have, when they look out their window.
My atheism is the lack of belief in any deity.
10. Not all atheists are antagonistic to Christianity but for those of you who are, why the antagonism?
Christianity... and all other religions... have plagued humanity for far too long. Scientific knowledge is now replacing mythologies and psychologists are taking the place of spiritual leaders... give it time...
11. If you were at one time a believer in the Christian God, what caused you to deny his existence?
I was once a kid, immersed in a christian region... I thought everyone believed in it... it just seemed like a part of the world... but then I realized that many claims made by people about the deity didn't pan out. That was the beginning of the end.
12. Do you believe the world would be better off without religion?
It's possible, but the transition may be difficult.
13. Do you believe the world would be better off without Christianity?
As long as you take all others with you!
14. Do you believe that faith in a God or gods is a mental disorder?
Considering that it's somewhat normal case, I find it difficult to say it's a disorder... it does seem to be in order. But it does seem to be wrong.
15. Must God be known through the scientific method?
If it exists, yes.
16. If you answered yes to the previous question, then how do you avoid a category mistake by requiring material evidence for an immaterial God?
If it is immaterial, then it doesn't exist, does it? It's like Harry Potter.
17. Do we have any purpose as human beings?
Survive, I guess... as any other living species on this planet.
18. If we do have purpose, can you as an atheist please explain how that purpose is determined?
Life goes on, life finds a way. survival is the goal of life.
19. Where does morality come from?
[repeat others] From the need to live in groups, for the past hundreds of thousands of years. Rules are required to keep all the people working towards the goal of survival. Those who don't follow them, fail to survive.. or fail to pass on the genes which carry the unruly behavior.
It's a similar phenomenon to that of animal domestication.
20. Are there moral absolutes?
I guess there are some rules that end up being the same for every group...
21. If there are moral absolutes, could you list a few of them?
Avoid harm to the elements of the group.
Work to the improvement of the group.
22. Do you believe there is such a thing as evil? If so, what is it?
Evil is when someone fails to uphold the rules for the betterment of the group... typically by harming, physically or psychologically, another element of the group.
23. If you believe that the God of the Old Testament is morally bad, by what standard do you judge that he is bad?
By the same standard I think that Voldemort is morally bad.
24. What would it take for you to believe in God?
God to exist.
25. What would constitute sufficient evidence for God’s existence?
The god to behave as such.
26. Must this evidence be rationally based, archaeological, testable in a lab, etc., or what?
This evidence must be god based... a show of power every now and then, a show of actually wanting us to acknowledge that it exists.
27. Do you think that a society that is run by Christians or atheists would be safer? Why?
What?!
28. Do you believe in free will? (free will being the ability to make choices without coercion).
yes.
29. If you believe in free will, do you see any problem with defending the idea that the physical brain, which is limited and subject to the neuro-chemical laws of the brain, can still produce free will choices?
What does this have to do with coercion?
You redefined free will and now back down to the common definition? disingenuous much?
30. If you affirm evolution and that the universe will continue to expand forever, then do you think it is probable that given enough time, brains would evolve to the point of exceeding mere physical limitations and become free of the physical and temporal and thereby become "deity" and not be restricted by space and time? If not, why not?
The condition presented has no bearing on the conclusion proposed.
The eternal expansion of the universe leads only to a tendency of the universe's mass and energy density to reach zero. Once there, there will be virtually nothing.
31. If you answered the previous question in the affirmative, then aren't you saying that it is probable that some sort of God exists?
I didn't answer it in the affirmative.
1. How would you define atheism?
There are two definitions of atheism
- To lack belief in the existence of any god ever brought forth by any human.
- To belief that no gods exist at all.
I'm ok with both definitions, although I identify myself with the first.
2. Do you act according to what you believe (there is no God) in or what you don't believe in (lack belief in God)?
My actions rarely take into account the nonexistence of any deity.
One may say that my lack of actions does represent my lack of belief in any deity.
3. Do you think it is inconsistent for someone who "lacks belief" in God to work against God's existence by attempting to show that God doesn't exist?
Do you think it is inconsistent for someone who "lacks belief" in the mythical winged horse Pegasus to work against Pegasus' existence by attempting to show that Pegasus doesn't exist?
Seriously, how does one show that a mythical creature doesn't exist? You can't... it's impossible!
However, if such a creature did exist, it should be possible to show that it does indeed exist. Care to give it a go for your particular deity?
4. How sure are you that your atheism properly represents reality?
The lack of any evidence for the existence of any deity leaves me with no choice. Why should I assume that reality is best represented with a deity in it?
5. How sure are you that your atheism is correct?
How sure are you that your a-islamism, your a-hinduism, your a-shamanism, and other a---isms is correct?
Yeah... that's about as sure I am.
6. How would you define what truth is?
Truth is the correct interpretation of reality.
7. Why do you believe your atheism is a justifiable position to hold?
Because there's nothing reasonable to indicate that I should hold any other position.
8. Are you a materialist or a physicalist or what?
I... what's the difference?... anyway, beats me. I'm human.
9. Do you affirm or deny that atheism is a worldview? Why or why not?
World view is what the good folks at the International Space Station have, when they look out their window.
My atheism is the lack of belief in any deity.
10. Not all atheists are antagonistic to Christianity but for those of you who are, why the antagonism?
Christianity... and all other religions... have plagued humanity for far too long. Scientific knowledge is now replacing mythologies and psychologists are taking the place of spiritual leaders... give it time...
11. If you were at one time a believer in the Christian God, what caused you to deny his existence?
I was once a kid, immersed in a christian region... I thought everyone believed in it... it just seemed like a part of the world... but then I realized that many claims made by people about the deity didn't pan out. That was the beginning of the end.
12. Do you believe the world would be better off without religion?
It's possible, but the transition may be difficult.
13. Do you believe the world would be better off without Christianity?
As long as you take all others with you!
14. Do you believe that faith in a God or gods is a mental disorder?
Considering that it's somewhat normal case, I find it difficult to say it's a disorder... it does seem to be in order. But it does seem to be wrong.
15. Must God be known through the scientific method?
If it exists, yes.
16. If you answered yes to the previous question, then how do you avoid a category mistake by requiring material evidence for an immaterial God?
If it is immaterial, then it doesn't exist, does it? It's like Harry Potter.
17. Do we have any purpose as human beings?
Survive, I guess... as any other living species on this planet.
18. If we do have purpose, can you as an atheist please explain how that purpose is determined?
Life goes on, life finds a way. survival is the goal of life.
19. Where does morality come from?
[repeat others] From the need to live in groups, for the past hundreds of thousands of years. Rules are required to keep all the people working towards the goal of survival. Those who don't follow them, fail to survive.. or fail to pass on the genes which carry the unruly behavior.
It's a similar phenomenon to that of animal domestication.
20. Are there moral absolutes?
I guess there are some rules that end up being the same for every group...
21. If there are moral absolutes, could you list a few of them?
Avoid harm to the elements of the group.
Work to the improvement of the group.
22. Do you believe there is such a thing as evil? If so, what is it?
Evil is when someone fails to uphold the rules for the betterment of the group... typically by harming, physically or psychologically, another element of the group.
23. If you believe that the God of the Old Testament is morally bad, by what standard do you judge that he is bad?
By the same standard I think that Voldemort is morally bad.
24. What would it take for you to believe in God?
God to exist.
25. What would constitute sufficient evidence for God’s existence?
The god to behave as such.
26. Must this evidence be rationally based, archaeological, testable in a lab, etc., or what?
This evidence must be god based... a show of power every now and then, a show of actually wanting us to acknowledge that it exists.
27. Do you think that a society that is run by Christians or atheists would be safer? Why?
What?!
28. Do you believe in free will? (free will being the ability to make choices without coercion).
yes.
29. If you believe in free will, do you see any problem with defending the idea that the physical brain, which is limited and subject to the neuro-chemical laws of the brain, can still produce free will choices?
What does this have to do with coercion?
You redefined free will and now back down to the common definition? disingenuous much?
30. If you affirm evolution and that the universe will continue to expand forever, then do you think it is probable that given enough time, brains would evolve to the point of exceeding mere physical limitations and become free of the physical and temporal and thereby become "deity" and not be restricted by space and time? If not, why not?
The condition presented has no bearing on the conclusion proposed.
The eternal expansion of the universe leads only to a tendency of the universe's mass and energy density to reach zero. Once there, there will be virtually nothing.
31. If you answered the previous question in the affirmative, then aren't you saying that it is probable that some sort of God exists?
I didn't answer it in the affirmative.
