Hello everyone! I'm an Atheist!

[Evointrinsic]

Well this sounds like a welcome thread doesn't it? Actually, I'm here to address a few misconceptions in a friendly manner that I seem to almost constantly get placed on my plate. Firstly, I'd just like to say that I've been on the forums for a whole year now! And not one single warning of banishment I am honestly here to learn why people believe in what they believe in, there for I'm usually asking quite a few questions.

In this topic, however, I'm not here to ask, I'm here to answer! And I wouldnt mind having any other Atheists on the forum answer questions as well.

Over the past year i've been on here on and off due to lots of traveling and lots of working. But I even though a year has passed I've seen even the most respectable members on the forum state a common misconception about atheists and/or atheism. I'm not here to battle who is correct about anything, or who's belief system is better or worse. I'm merely here for questioning.

Before I begin though I might as well get to the most common claims or misconceptions I see on this forum, as well as through meeting new people.



Atheists have no morals because morality comes from god
I for one have never believed in a god. Which is remarkable coming from a highly religious based family. My mother was Christian, her parents both Christian and Catholic, and my father is Jewish, with even more religious parents. I've been to church and I've been to synagogue, read the bible in it's entirety as well as the Qur'an. Heck i've even had a bar mitzvah. However, During my whole life i've never had the feeling that someone was watching me, or looking after me spiritually. However, I have been traveling the world for the past 4 years now. Not just to see what's out there, in fact, that wasnt the main reason at all. I travel for conservation work. I dont get paid, in fact I pay to help out. I've helped the rehabilitation of reefs (although it's still a work in progress), I've helped breed endangered species on separate continents to build their numbers in the wild, I've helped build schools, shelters and homes in 3rd world countries. And just like any other person would expect a good person to be, I'm respectable and polite.

Unfortunately, I still see people in person and on this forum who'd rather spit in my face (which has happened by the way) than shake my hand, simply because I'm an atheist and they've been wrongly informed about what atheism actually means. Of course, there are just much more friendly people out there and on this forum as well. But there are some "self-proclaimed" christians who really dont act the way the bible guides them to.



Atheism have a book and/or single person they believe in (Such as Darwin)
Sorry, but no. Although there are books written by Atheists, this does not mean we all follow them. In fact I've only read about two books that were written by Atheists that actually had anything to do with a God. And even then i didnt agree with all of their positions. There is no single book out there that is a guideline for being an atheist. That is mainly because the only similarity all atheists have is that of the belief of no deities. As for Darwin. Darwin came up with what is currently the most scientifically accurate description of the diversity of life on earth. It really has nothing to do with believing in a god or not. there for we arent required to believe that Darwin's Ideas were credible or not. In fact I know a few Atheists that dont believe in evolution at all. I also know many Theists who DO believe in evolution. But they only believe in the theory, they dont believe Darwin is any more of a higher being then you or I. I believe in Gravity, but I dont believe that Isaac Newton or Einstein is any more of a higher being then you or I.


Atheists are driven by the Devil!
Although I can't explain this one away, My previous paragraphs do show that I'm not a bad or evil person. And just like anyone, i'll slip up every once in a while and get mad or commit a sin (doesnt have to be one of the really bad ones), curse or what have you. Really, the only difference between you and I is that you believe in god, and I don't (currently). After all, we all have free will.


If I Didnt believe in God, I would feel empty and worthless, what would the point of life be?
I may not be able to speak for you, but I certainly dont feel empty and worthless. I really enjoy my life, And although it has it's ups and downs, It eventually evens out again. I have a lot of hobbies that I love to mess around with and be creative. I have a girlfriend, even in another country (long story), and she has her problems, But i'm always there (so to speak) to help. As for the point of life, I dont claim to know it. And although I know atheists that believe in reincarnation and an after life, I really do think it all ends once we die. And I'm ok with that. But because I enjoy my life, i might as well be a healthy, fit and enjoyable person so I can live even longer and see more things. So the point of life for me is just to make everyone happy. If I think we only have a few years to live, then why not try to help everyone else enjoy it, too? So the point of life for me is to be, and make people, happy.




Those are the few that i usually get from people. But if you have more questions please ask! or thoughts!

 

[Cheyenne K]

If you don't mind me asking, what made you become an atheist? Was there any specific event that changed your opinion or did you just come to that conclusion after a while?

 

[Evointrinsic]

If you don't mind me asking, what made you become an atheist? Was there any specific event that changed your opinion or did you just come to that conclusion after a while?

I wasn't anything other than an atheist. After the years went by though, I started try to actually find a god, but I personally couldn't find anything. After a longer period It was just too difficult for me to try and see anything supernatural at all, so I started asking people why they believe. I found some interesting stories, But they never seemed to confirm anything to me. Maybe I can't find god?

 

[Vic C.]

You're correct, you can't find God; HE will find you.

Hey, be who you choose to be; your fate isn't in my hands anyway.

I laughed when I opened the thread and saw it was you! LOL, you've been here for a year already!

 

[Evointrinsic]

lol, hi Vic The snake reminded you! or maybe my avatar

 

[Pard]

lol, hi Vic The snake reminded you! or maybe my avatar

That avatar scares me a little...

So... do you have a believe that there is no God? Or has He just not found you yet?

 

[Evointrinsic]

lol, it has that effect on some people

I can only speak for my self on this topic, so there are atheists that believe there is absolutely no god at all. However, personally speaking, I haven't found any evidence that proves to me that there is a god as of yet. I am open to the possibility, though

 

[jasoncran]

the snake isn't bad. lol.

this coming from a guy who was bitten by nonpoisonous snake.

 

[Vic C.]

lol, it has that effect on some people

I can only speak for my self on this topic, so there are atheists that believe there is absolutely no god at all. However, personally speaking, I haven't found any evidence that proves to me that there is a god as of yet. I am open to the possibility, though

Now I would say that is leaning a bit toward agnosticism. No knowledge (ignorance) is better than denying and being adamantly against, to the point of arrogance. I don't see you as being arrogant.

Maybe one day, if it be the Lord's will, you may see it as there being no proof that God doesn't exist.

 

[Cheyenne K]

If you don't mind me asking, what made you become an atheist? Was there any specific event that changed your opinion or did you just come to that conclusion after a while?

I wasn't anything other than an atheist. After the years went by though, I started try to actually find a god, but I personally couldn't find anything. After a longer period It was just too difficult for me to try and see anything supernatural at all, so I started asking people why they believe. I found some interesting stories, But they never seemed to confirm anything to me. Maybe I can't find god?

As Vic said, he finds you.

But while we are on the subject of others beliefs, what do you make of testimonies, particularly ones involving supernatural events? You seem to be very open minded, so do think that there may be some validity or that it's just in their heads?

 

[jasoncran]

amen vic, he found me and turned me around.

 

[Evointrinsic]

Now I would say that is leaning a bit toward agnosticism. No knowledge (ignorance) is better than denying and being adamantly against, to the point of arrogance. I don't see you as being arrogant.

Maybe one day, if it be the Lord's will, you may see it as there being no proof that God doesn't exist.

Yes, I was wondering when someone would bring that up. Technically I'm an Agnostic Atheist. Which is basically someone who doesn't believe in got, but doesnt claim to know that a god does not exist. Yes, it's a real position! There are Agnostic Theists too, which believe there is a god, but dont claim to have knowledge of one. For Agnostic Theists, they bassically dont belong to any particular religion per say, but still believe there is a creator. Just in case anyone didnt know that

I for one am all for proof. And since i can't prove there is or isnt a god, Then there is no reason for me to claim their is or isn't one. However, I can understand the scientific theories on how everything came in to existence, and to me it makes sense.

But while we are on the subject of others beliefs, what do you make of testimonies, particularly ones involving supernatural events? You seem to be very open minded, so do think that there may be some validity or that it's just in their heads?

This one is more difficult. Although I'm very interested in Ghosts, telepathy and all that, I come at them more skeptical than anything else. I've seen the shows Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth, and frankly, i find it more of a comedy than anything factual. It is difficult to prove there are ghosts or demons because they aren't technically supposed to be physical things. with incidences that include these things, I would have to witness it myself. Old buildings make interesting noises, Technology has it's way of failing and giving wrong information, and the human brain is far from perfect and we have a dependency of seeing things that arent actually there, and personifying sounds and objects to make them appear more human. We make a lot of mistakes and some people want to believe in something so much that they will piece things together that makes sense to themselves. Other than that, Humans don't know everything, and although somethings may be able to be explained in the future, we may not have the capability of showing what an event actually was right now. So those things are difficult to prove.

However, if something really did happen that was completely unexplainable, take raining frogs for example, I'd be pretty excited about what supernatural possibilities could occur next.