What does being an Atheist mean ?
Posted on: June 19, 2009 - 3:40pm
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What does being an Atheist mean ?
I have heard a lot of negative things about Atheist,like you don't want to take responsibility for your action's or your just mad at God,for something that went wrong in your life,and many other stupid things.They don't seem to understand the benefit's of using your brain,for things like Reason and Logic. 
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It means not having a belief in God
It should mean not having a belief in God.
This is perhaps true for children. But in real world, for outspoken atheists it means also things like:
to be a fervent anti-theist, anti-irrationalist, skeptic, admirer of scientific authorities, and most of all, closed-minded.
I'll specify the closed-mindedness. I had some friends, who were not religional, but also didn't fight for atheism, neither they knew much about spirituality in general. They never thought a lot about these things. And they were intelligent above the average.
Such a people are capable of listening open-mindedly to other's opinion and judging it according to it's internal consistence, objective facts, and common sense. They are therefore open-minded. They are not burdened with the sorrow for years, relatives, and grey hair, lost to religion. Such an atheist doesn't say "I hate the local crew of East Dakota Presbyterian Church." He will most probably say something broader, like "I hate everything irrational." This is an ideology, in which name such a person may pigeon-hole people.
Therefore, I have to say, in areas where atheism succeeds, it will also die out. It will be (and is, locally) replaced with open-mindedness and great freedom and diversity of opinion. People will realize, that there is no world of atheists vs. theists, but practically, that people are unique. Today, those free from religion and free from the hate towards religion do not fit into either of the camps.
Beings who deserve worship don't demand it. Beings who demand worship don't deserve it.
Ditto.
I disagree. This is the comment of someone that's extremely defensive.
I'm an atheist. Many of my friends are evangelicals, spiritualists and deists. While I disagree with many of their views I don't define myself as being against their beliefs. I am an atheist. I hold no belief in a higher power. I'm not anti anything. I'm pro-rational thought
As an aside; atheism/rationalism/whatever-you-want-to-call-it-ism is not close minded. Most atheists are scientists and they are rational. The great things about science are thus: All statements must be disprovable, all theories must be tested; all things are open to query. Please explain what about this "world view" is close-minded.
Forget Jesus, the stars died so that you could be here
- Lawrence Krauss
This.
No.
No. Atheists don't believe in God. They can't be mad at God.
Well, it's good to use logic, but that isn't included in the definition of atheism either. So......no.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors, | As I foretold you, were all spirits, and | Are melted into air, into thin air; | And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, | The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, | The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, | And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, | Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff | As dreams are made on, and our little life | Is rounded with a sleep. - Shakespeare
I'm very influenced by underground, 'illegal' science, and the underground culture in general. This has nothing to do with belief, but a lot with science. You would perhaps be surprised, what these people dare to question. (the thermonuclear process of the Sun, for example) In my experience, when people say "all things are open to query", then almost certainly there are questions too insane in their opinion to be seriously questioned. They are called the mainstream cultural norms of what is possible and impossible, sane or insane. I have only rarely seen the rationalism to surpass that cultural frame of mediocrity, the norms that they didn't create by themselves. I say, that these norms are flawed.
Beings who deserve worship don't demand it. Beings who demand worship don't deserve it.
Well,I guess that your right and wrong.There are Atheist that believe that there are mystery's (GOD) beyond our knowledge.
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I think that you hit the nail on it's head.Wearing the badge of Atheism does pigeon-hole a lot of rational people.
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You have it backwards. Unless you're not a monotheist, believing in God makes you close-minded. Denying the existence of any other imaginable God to believe in one without any evidence makes you closed-minded. Atheists are open-minded because we're open to any God - we're just waiting on evidence.
Wrong. Disinterest doesn't mean closed-mindedness. I don't care about womens' purses. I'm open-minded on the subject of purses because I don't refuse to engage in the subject when pressed to, nor do I accept any opposing idea that would suggest I'm more open to something contrary. Also, by saying they don't know a lot about things is basically saying that if a person is ignorant, they're closed-minded. That's not true, either. That could just mean they're not exposed enough to have an opinion. Or, if they weren't intelligent enough to grasp the subject, that still wouldn't make them closed-minded because there's no refusal to accept opposing ideas, but an inability to. ALSO, just because someone doesn't accept something WITHOUT EVIDENCE, it doesn't mean they're closed-minded. However, ignoring Science DOES. The burden of proof is on Theists, so don't call us closed-minded just because we choose not to engage in your fantasies.
I don't hate everything irrational, I hate irrational people. It has nothing to do with ideology, it has to do with application. If Christians kept their fantasies to themselves and didn't try to push them on me (and the rest of the world), there wouldn't be a problem. It's their USE of irrational thought (and sometimes actions) that makes atheists hate their irrational behavior.
As previously mentioned, being an atheist IS being open-minded. I actually find it odd you would consider an atheist closed-minded when we're not the ones worshipping the same 3-4 books like the majority of people are doing. I also disagree, I cannot envision a future where Theism survives unless we die. Let us hope through science and understanding people disregard fantasy and focus on reality.
Well hold your horses right there fella. If any of your friends doubt the thermonuclear processes of the sun then they're not scientist. Anyone that looks at "illegal science", as you put it, isn't a scientist. They're a fucking idiot. I will qualify my response here by saying I'm drunk bug you can't argue against estalished science without evidence and anyone that argues against the cosmological birth, life and facts thereofe is fucking stupid.
And you're creating an argument. All things are open to query. That means that any proposed theory is open to ridicule. Unfortunately for you what actually happens is that theists, when their argument is questioned in a proper way, clam up and state that ideas are being represses. You can't ask people to have open minds and the bitch that they're closed minded just because they're inspecting something you believe.
M
Forget Jesus, the stars died so that you could be here
- Lawrence Krauss
I'll add something else...
By your logic, if a Theist doesn't believe in EVERY CONCEIVABLE POSSIBILITY within the known universe, they're closed-minded. Just because you believe in SOMETHING, doesn't mean you're open-minded to everything unless you believe in EVERYTHING. If you don't think I can jump 50 feet in the air but I do, you're closed-minded. Do I need to prove I can jump 50 feet into the air? NOPE, Theists cannot prove God exists, yet here we are. As an Atheist, I believe Jesus was a homosexual because he always hung out with dudes. The majority of Christians disagree, therefore, Christians are closed-minded. See how this works?
Finally somebody who gets it.
Degrees of open or closed-mindedness vary from individual to individual. The non-religious are more open-minded by definition, and personally, I think the average atheist is more open-minded than the average theist, although there is no concrete evidence for this. But, either way, none of these stereotypes can be applied to everyone in the group; that's why they're stereotypes. None of these groups guarantees that you will be extremely thoughtful or dogmatic.
One of the most popular atheists on Youtube, TheAmazingAtheist, annoys the hell out of me. He always responds to his opponents arguments with gratuitous insults, and he's really stupid. He's the perfect example of a closed-minded atheist.
Atheism will not "die out." If, by atheism succeeds, you mean that nobody believes in God anymore, then everyone will be an atheist.
You don't have to be in an organized religion to be a theist, and you don't have to hate religion to be an atheist.
Whoa, whoa!
Atheism is not believing in God. Nothing more.
The average atheist can be more open-minded than the average theist, but atheism does not necessitate open-mindedness. You can be right and closed-minded; you can be wrong and open-minded.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors, | As I foretold you, were all spirits, and | Are melted into air, into thin air; | And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, | The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, | The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, | And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, | Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff | As dreams are made on, and our little life | Is rounded with a sleep. - Shakespeare
Who's that in your avatar this time?
Our revels now are ended. These our actors, | As I foretold you, were all spirits, and | Are melted into air, into thin air; | And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, | The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, | The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, | And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, | Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff | As dreams are made on, and our little life | Is rounded with a sleep. - Shakespeare
Oh, the original answer of "without belief" was the correct answer, no doubt. That was the END of this thread.
I was combating the comment that an Atheist is closed-minded by showing how an Atheist is open-minded. I know it's a generalization, but I still think Atheists are more open-minded because the majority seems to be more rational. Since so much of the world is influenced by religion, many Atheists have to fight their way to reason by applying critical thinking skills. If there was evidence that a certain God exists, we would easily be willing to believe because we're open to suggestion, while a theist who believes in a DIFFERENT God is more limited (or emotionally connected to their God). Just ask a Christian if it's POSSIBLE for a different God to exist and they almost resoundingly say no. At least in the south where I live ;o
I don't know really, I just found it.
It is one of the main characters in Valkyrie Chronicles, an anime that just started roughly 2-3 months ago.
I'm a fan of the series.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
SHHH! have fun with it next time... tell her its from some obscure tentacle rape hentai!
You gotta milk the oppertunity! dont pass that shit up
What Would Kharn Do?
But Valkyrie Chronicles IS a tentacle rape hentai. She was just ruined in the last episode by the demon lord Kzath who drives a tank the size of a football field in the middle of a war taking place in Europa.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
I changed it to Sailor Mars, who is the exception to rule 34
Look being an atheist is simply having no belief in supernatural deities/god(s)/goddess(es). Now none of this means being rational, open-minded, closed minded, logical, scientific or anything else. Just a non belief in a supreme being/supernatural being. I know a few irrational, illogical atheists (very much into conspiracies, Illuminati, government, secret society stuff), i know atheists that believe in ghosts, that believe in big foot, the chupacabra, yetis, loch ness monster, etc, etc.
How one reaches the conclusion that there is no god, or better yet, reach the conclusion not to believe in a supernatural being or a god, is up to each individual, be it rational and logical or irrational and illogical. Atheism is simply put a non belief in god(s). That's it, nothing more nothing less. However every person follows their own philosophies in life and how they want to live their lives and this varies from person to person, even among the theists folks
Edit [double post]
O'really?
I smell a challenge!
What Would Kharn Do?
I lied by the way.
Oh, and a google search gave me furry on sailor mars porn. Huh. Who knew she was into cats like that.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
Pineapple, you simply must realize that there are no exceptions to rule 34. Then too, there is rule 35 as well.
Also, a cat is fine too...
=
and well said, thankyou!!