Explain atheism

[Jenny A]

Hi everyone,

Just joined, and I'm interested in learning about all cultures and belief systems. I'm curious what atheism means to you personally. Also why you don't believe in religion, and what you have to say about it.

Atheism isn't a belief system. Nor is there really an atheist culture. Atheist just means a person who does not have a belief in god.

As to why I don't believe in a god, the answer is simple, there is no credible evidence that such a being exists and plenty of evidence that much of what is said about gods is demonstrably false.

By the way, some religions, like buddhism, do not involve a belief in god, so it is possible to be both atheist and religious.

[Mudhammam]

Thanks for your reply! Could you expand on that more? I'd like to know what you don't believe about religion, and why you think truth is opposite of religion. What is truth, and how do you define it?

Roughly, I understand truth as a concept(s) or thought-object(s) that corresponds with things which are directly or indirectly observed to have occurred in external reality. Insofar as religion makes claims that cannot be supported by evidence, or be reasonably considered as probably true, and given its sloppy ad-hoc method for evaluating propositions, it is contrary both to my notion of truth and to any process which I might regard as conducive to producing accurate conclusions; therefore, it is false and harmful.

[pocaracas]

Since this in the intro forum, I'll only say Welcome aboard and enjoy the show.

[God of Mr. Hanky]

Hi everyone,

Just joined, and I'm interested in learning about all cultures and belief systems. I'm curious what atheism means to you personally. Also why you don't believe in religion, and what you have to say about it.

Atheism doesn't mean anything personal. Nothing. Atheists don't make the false claims of religious believers (or theists who deny their religious affiliations when they claim the gods of religious sects) on any relation between belief or lack of it and personality traits. Well, there is the honesty of calling a spade a spade, not being willing to pretend we believe what we cannot and should not just to please others, and not bending the limits of our honesty when attempting to argue for our ideas.

If I have an idea which I think you should believe, it won't be one for which there is no evidence which you cannot observe for yourself. I won't pretend to know something which you cannot, and then beat you over the head with the idea that if you don't know it too, then you have chosen to turn a blind eye to it.

Also, when I claim something as a fact, it is of a descriptive nature, not prescriptive. I would not tell you that you need to believe my ideas because they can make you a better person - nononono! You may wish to improve your life, but the desire for that is no good reason to believe what others tell you as fact when it's an unfalsifiable claim which cannot be backed by any evidence.

"Atheism" is a compound word consisting of the Greek negation "a" and "theism", which means "belief in a god or gods". Therefore, it's proper definition is "no belief in a god". Not "no belief in God", not unless you also exclude the gods Allah, Zoroaster, Vishnu, Zeus, Thor, and a million other such deities. Conversely, if you don't believe in Zeus, Athena, or Thor, then you too are an atheist on those gods. Most of us are atheists on some or most gods, and atheists are those who gave the god of their own culture a little more thought and decided that such a god or gods are equally unlikely.

There is no prescribed way of practicing atheism - no atheistic holy books, practices, rituals, secret handshakes, secret meetings, nor doctrine. On doctrine, this is not constituted by the definition of atheism, which is simply a response to ideas which other people choose to run their lives around. However, if an atheist proclaims there absolutely is no god, then this would be a doctrine. Most of us recognize theistic claims as unfalsifiable, a condition which inherently rules out absolute certainty pro or con, and given the track record of people with their gods are comfortable enough in our conclusion that there is at best only the most negligible chance that any god or gods exist outside of the minds of believers.

[robvalue]

That is an important message indeed. There is no atheist culture. There are groups of atheists who may have their own culture, of course.

There's no atheist anything. It's just a lack of a single belief that lots of people happen to have in common. Many arrive through scepticism, but not all.

Some weird people say rude things and make videos about God that wouldn't be appropriate for an introduction thread

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I'm curious what atheism means to you personally.

To me, personally, atheism means never having to apologize to a mythical being for Its having me the way I am.

Also why you don't believe in religion,

But I do believe in religion. I see their churches, mosques, synagogues, and meeting halls everywhere I go. I see religions attacking each other over minuscule differences in respective fairy tales. My local bookshop has a depressingly large section devoted to religion and associated nutjoberry. I read articles on a regular basis about how religion seems hell-bent (no pun intended) on destroying free speech, education, free inquiry, science, reproductive rights, artistic expression and personal freedom. Religion clearly exists. What I don't believe in is the moronic rubbish religions promote.

and what you have to say about it.

Generally I say, 'Dear religion: Do something useful for a change - please fondle my balls. Love, Boru'

Boru

[brewer]

Religion/god(s) is a fantasy conceived by man. A very cruel and manipulative fantasy that is ripe with abuse. Probably one of the worst conceptions man has ever bestowed upon itself.

[Edit] Holy shit. I nearly forgot. Where are my manners? Welcome!

[Red_Wind]

Hi everyone,

Just joined, and I'm interested in learning about all cultures and belief systems. I'm curious what atheism means to you personally. Also why you don't believe in religion, and what you have to say about it.

I consider atheism the default position, there is honestly no reason to follow any religions (there are a bunch of ways to get emotional support other then from religious groups)

[Brian37]

Hi everyone,

Just joined, and I'm interested in learning about all cultures and belief systems. I'm curious what atheism means to you personally. Also why you don't believe in religion, and what you have to say about it.

I wish even atheists would not call it an "ism". It is a mere position on one claim only. "Off" on god claims. Just like your light switch being off is not a political party or economic view.

Atheists are just as diverse in positions of politics and economics. I know Ayn Rand type atheists who think "fuck you I got mine" who vote either republican or libertarian. I also know other atheists who stupidly think Che who lead the revolution that lead to Cuba is a hero. Neither of which I agree with.

I know other atheists who worship guns on par with tea party nuts. I am not unrealistic about guns in that you wont get rid of all of them by force. But I do hate paranoid assholes who think any attempt to regulate them is a call for a fascist state.

"atheist" does not even address education level, though it could be argued that on average we do tend to value reality based facts over old books of myth. 

I have run into atheists who have their own bullshit conspiracies like 9/11 and JFK, and others who simply replace old claims of sky wizards with si fi woo, which is simply to me, replacing old bullshit with new bullshit.

 "atheist" merely means "off" on god claims, nothing more. It is not a political party, it is not an economic view. It is not a call to be lawless or commit crimes. It simply means the individual does not hold any belief in a god or gods.

Atheists come from all over the world and have left every religion you can think of. There are former Muslims, former Christians, former Jews, former Hindus former Buddhists. There are Iranian atheists, Syrian atheists, Mexican atheists, Korean atheists and black atheists. There are poor atheists and rich atheists. 

It is NOT a belief system although one could argue some atheists are trying to compete with theism by creating their own moral code lists, which to me is stupid. Our species ability to be cruel or compassionate is in our evolution, not our labels.

[Aoi Magi]

Hi and welcome.

To me atheism is just a term to say, " I am not interested in religious bullshit ".  As for why I don't believe in religion? Well it's mainly because I care about truth

Thanks for your reply! Could you expand on that more? I'd like to know what you don't believe about religion, and why you think truth is opposite of religion. What is truth, and how do you define it?

Truth to me is anything which is backed by actual evidence.
Religion makes claims which are not verifiable or observable, and the few claims that we can scrutinize have been proven to be false.