In your OP, you asked, "I wanna know personal experiences from people who claim to be atheist on the benefits they have received emotionally, dare i say spiritually, or emotionally. The reason i don't get it is because even the casual Christians have some hope. And i don't just mean hope in the next life I mean hope in this life. What hope is there in no god?"

I answered that question. Then, in your response to me, you ignored what I actually said, literally made up stuff that I didn't say, and talked about how it was wrong. Furthermore, you've continually attempted trivialize my rejection of Christianity as purely the result of irrational impulses.

So to make the point again, my life as a Christian was "working out." I don't blame god for anything. I think there are many things in the Bible that can improve your life here on earth. I don't focus only on the negative aspects of religion, and so on.

Next time, instead of asking a question in your OP and pretending to be interested in the actual experiences of other people, just open with your narcissistic approach and tell everyone the reasons they became atheists. That way I can know to ignore you.

It's good to know my fellow atheists are appropriately skeptical.

Very condescending, not too bitter, not especially hateful. I'm more concerned with the ****ty quality of atheist reasoning lately ITF. The sharp atheists are really picking their battles now and are often ending up on the side of the theists.

I really hope this doesn't mirror something in the general population.

This is true, and a much more better argument than most theists critiquing "atheist morality" can come up with.

Holy **** man...this is the dumbest thing I've read in a long time.

Anybody can say anything in the heat of the moment but do you really think people are as focused on atheists as much as you think they are?

There is no reason for the average theist to focus on atheism one way or the other particularly....It's not something the average person is particularly interested in...They don't normally teach on it anywhere a theist would encounter it...Theists have enough religious topics to focus on without studying atheism...

This atheism/theism debate isn't as big out in the world as you're making it in your mind.

If it were there wouldn't be any instances of people showing up on here with the "date a Christian" problem...

How can atheists have this problem yet have this paranoia at the same time?

Simple: projection.

You are projecting the way you want things to be on the other group off of one or two experiences you may have had. But its quite obvious if you study people's actions that they don't all think identically. Selfishness is one huge factor all by itself that messes up your generalization and there are many other factors.

Also the percentage of Christians that do Apologetics or spread the Gospel in proportion to their number in society is very small and they are more likely to fall in this category you are generalizing about but even in that category there are many exceptions....I know I don't spend time saying I should feel sorry for anybody to myself...To do that would be to deny that people are responsible for themselves...and I just don't engage in thinking like that routinely.

You have to consider the exceptions to the rule before you speak for the group as a whole.

I feel I should take any opportunity that arises to agree with Splendour and I agree with much of this.

qed

people who care if their beliefs are true.

i can fully admit to the condescending part, not so much to hateful and bitter. although a lot of you deserve condescension when using horrid arguments, like pascals wager and by trying to prove the truth of the bible with astrology.

Don't worry madnak, shouldn't we expect to see something of this sort as the atheist population rises though? Sure some of the newcomers don't have razor sharp reasoning abilities (and probably never will), but they can recognize enough inconsistencies to realize that something just doesn't add up. I'm sure there are still plenty of really smart atheists...they're just not the only ones combating religious ideology anymore.

I would say you have a certain peace of mind with atheism. You can eliminate something you don't care for out of your life and not have to worry about it. I also respect atheists who tolerate religion/spirituality, but i can't stand the ones who ignorantly attack it.

I was interested and still am interested in hearing the many atheistic stories.
Your story seems to revolve around being too lazy to be a christian. You believed but you just didn't "feel" like it anymore. You felt like god was restricting your life, and that's a huge error. An error in lack of understanding the restraints you supposedly thought you had. And an error in any future consequences after your short life here on earth ends. It's fine with me however that's the beauty of free will, you can make some great choices and some stupid ones, the bad part is you have to pay the consequence for each one. That's life.

"ur lazy"

"u might be going to hell"

.....

*runs away*

Atheism isn't based on stories. When you can explain the benefits of not believing in Vishnu and Shiva, you'll have the answer you're supposedly seeking ITT.

Oh come on. This is exactly what he's talking about. His story didn't seem like that at all - you just tried to force his account into this pre-existing idea you had already decided he held.

Honestly, it's embarrassing to read you ask a question then interpret people's responses so badly. When trying to understand a non-believer, it makes no sense to frame their attitudes in terms of a relationship to God. He didn't "feel like God was restricting his life" - he didn't think the reasons put forth to justify belief in God were sufficient.

On the Atheism isn't a philosophy subject...

Would that make Atheism arbitrary? If there is no reasoning behind your lack of belief, then what's the point? Wouldn't supporting reasoning constitute a philosophy?

*edit*

Certainly. Disbelief in God(s) isn't an arbitrary part of Christianity for example, since it's a monotheistic religion (for most believers) it is actually the central tenet of the religion that no other gods exist. In the same manner atheism can be a central part of beliefs in its own right, but that doesn't mean that the atheism in and of itself has any particular substance.

Sure, but if we end up with an atheist ideology just as critical and irrational as the religious ideologies that preceded it, then have we really accomplished anything?

Well I think we all can see a correlation between poker players(known as "lazy") with atheists(and why this forum has so many atheists) who according to the responses I have read in this thread, don't "feel" like believing. They don't "feel" like getting up and going to church. They don't "feel" like doing anything but what they "feel" like. Just so tired I guess.

And how do you account for atheism being so popular among scientists? They're all just lazy too I guess? Since theology is so much more complex than science....

It does not require any intelligence to believe a superstition.

I am very open and comfortable with a live and let live philosophy when it comes to religion. However, once religion is put forth to be used in any way that restricts the rights of others, interferes with government, or impedes the work of science, then I find no problem with a steady and vehement attack on the religious group that brings forth those interferences. At that point it is no longer live and let live, it becoms you must change the way you live because I think it is wrong, and at that point an attack is no longer unjustified or ignorant.

It's perfect that you asked this right after the quoted exchange between you and Sklansky.

It's impossible for almost anyone to keep their cool in the face of such blatant dishonesty. If you or other theists would admit to being wrong every once in awhile it would be easier to keep things civil.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...4&postcount=13

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/62...oin-me-659121/

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/62...chicks-618646/


Praise Jesus.