by done4good 46 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
For all of you non-religionists out there: Do you consider yourself an agnostic or atheist, and why? It seems many ex-jws that "loose the faith" have a tendency to go straight for atheism. I myself, would consider myself more of an agnostic, as I believe we have no real way of knowing if there is a god one way or the other, and it tends to seem just as extreme to me, to insist that there is not one. What are your thoughts?
j
I used to be an agnostic, but the arguments for atheism are too compelling. Check out this little book (Atheism: a very short introduction):
It convinced me that I'm really an atheist and not agnostic.
I am atheist. I have no belief in God, but I would be open to evidence if it presented itself. Only someone insane would believe you can *disprove* God. It's impossible. But just because you can't disprove him doesn't mean people should be agnostic instead of atheist, IMO.
Whenever an extraordinary claim is made, I want to see proof before I will profess any possible acceptance of it. In the meantime I will lack belief in it.
I'm a raving Atheist! I began being JW, then after many years after leaving but believing became agnostic and then came here and decided I dont believe in God at all - if he exists he has so much to answer for.
I dont believe in his existence. And if he is there he is an impotent f***wit.
It seems many ex-jws that "loose the faith" have a tendency to go straight for atheism.
Speaking for myself, it took a lot of exploration of other belief systems and personal ethical development before I realized that I was an atheist. I find that my life is much less complicated and far more successful now that "god" is not my drug of choice.
I dont like either term as they are both conceptually flawed. Both imply a "negation" or denial of some possible reality. I consider the entire concept of "god" or the supernatural in general to be nothing more than social and cultural constructions, which cannot be tested or investigated in a manner that would satisfy my standards of proof. Thus, in MY reality, there is no god like creature pulling the strings of the universe.
To be "atheist" requires an active negation of the concept of god. However, a concept for which there is no empirical or tangible evidence either in support or against cannot be negated. I am just a human being that has moved beyond a "social meme" that was implanted in my brain by society and parents. To argue that "lack of belief" in a god is equally a social construction, is to confuse cause and effect . To be "agnostic" is to leave open the possibility that the hypothesis of a god can be proven under certain conditions. The problem is, the question itself cannot be tested and is therefore does not even meet the criterion of a "hypothesis" in an empirical sense.
Finally, a theist can argue ad infinitum that there are alternative ways of determining reality beyond basic empirical reasoning and experimentation. However, at the end of the day, all they are left with are unproven claims and evidence that cannot be substantiated independently. For the theist, their subjective "experience" of the supernatural is real and produces tangible "feelings" that are used as evidence to support their personal reality. Thats great, and if it brings them peace, so be it. However, subjective reality does not, and cannot prove any reality outside of one's own experience.
Athiest. I don't even think or say, "Until I'm proved wrong..." because I won't be proved wrong.
I struggled to believe in a deity for years before studying w/jw's. At this point in life, I am honest with myself and have learned to let it be.
I am an atheist. I would have considered myself an agnostic a few months ago, but I simply no longer have any belief in a higher power anymore, so it's atheism for me, and I'd a hell of a lot of persuading to ever think otherwise again.
i am an agnostic which reminds me of a joke I posted some time ago...
What do you call someone who is dislexic, agnostic, and has insomnia?
***Someone who stays up all night wondering if theres a dog***
Ha Ha Hee Hee
Nikki
To be "atheist" requires an active negation of the concept of god.
I disagree.. see my post above, but basically atheist means lacking any belief in a god. That is not the same thing as someone who believes you can disprove god (which is impossible).
