Let's settle this for once and for all...... is atheism a belief, a non-belief or an anti-belief? (page 9)

leavingwt

There are manyscientific principles that must be taken on faith.

Please provide some examples.

brotherdan

I gave some examples. 1 being the Oort cloud.

cyberjesus

I find in facinating that atheists HATE the word "faith"

My friend this is an assumption and a hasty generalization. I find it fascinating that you make this comment....maybe not.

What is the problem with people who want to prove themselves right... oh JWs still....

Theist is someone who believes in a God or Deity. doesnt mean the he can provide evidence, only that has belief in it. ADD the LETTER A and you just say that you DONT believe in a God or Deity. DONT BELIEVE = ABSCENCE OF Belief, LACK of belief. THATS ALL

I doenst matter thought because they are gonna hear waht they want to hear... Oh Atheist have bigger faith, oh atheist deny there is a god, oh atheist this and that. this dictionary that encyclopedia... whatever.

"Lets settel this for once"... yeah lets do that in this thread with the level of logic being used.

Why are you afraid of the term? boooooh I am an atheist, I am gonna eat you alive! booooh

JWoods

Brotherdan, I think LeavingWT makes the distinction between Scientific Principle and all the vague so-called Scientific "theories" out there -

It also took faith to believe in cold fusion. Very few still claim that faith nowadays, and nobody calls it Scientific Principle.

Back on the topic - I think that the adamant "Atheist" - that is, one who truly "believes" that there MUST be no creator-God - has either wittingly or unwittingly bought into a belief system of their own.

Many of them do not like to admit that - hence the plethora of threads in which self-pronounced atheists say they believe there is no God, but at the same time deny that they have any "belief" on the subject.

I just don't know why they view the term "agnostic" as so abhorrent - if they truly have no belief, one way or the other.

brotherdan

Maybe "scientific principle" was not the correct term to use. I just meant to say that we all have faith in something. I don't know why the word is so hated. I have faith that the sun will rise tomorrow. Can I say FOR SURE that it will? No. But I have faith that it will because it has risen in the past.

Faith does not have to have a religious meaning. But atheists are so afraid of the word. And yet I'm accused of making a "hasty generalization". Well...I don't care. It is what it is. I say it due to past experience and conversations with other atheists. I'm not trying to tear down their faith in their lack of belief in God. It's easy to argue over the semantics of lack of belief. But a lack of belief in God is a belief that there is not a God. What it comes down to is that this is a pointless argument. Atheists BELIEVE that there is not a creator. They have FAITH that there is not a creator.

I think the most sense that I've come across in speaking with atheists is when they say "There is no way for us to know if there is a God or not". At least with that statement, you are saying that you cannot PROVE that there is not a God. But you also cannot PROVE that there is a God.

Essan

"I think the most sense that I've come across in speaking with atheists is when they say "There is no way for us to know if there is a God or not". At least with that statement, you are saying that you cannot PROVE that there is not a God. But you also cannot PROVE that there is a God."

And with that statement they reveal that they are not actually atheists, but are agnostics, even if they are not informed enough to realize it.

bohm

brotherdan - where was you on my magic sandwhich thread! http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/198116/1/Are-you-an-anti-sandwhicher

JWoods

And with that statement they reveal that they are not actually atheists, but are agnostics, even if they are not informed enough to realize it.

But, the problem is, that many Athiests are as steadfast about preaching their belief as a die-hard JW. The term agnostic simply is not hard-line enough for them.

A perfect example was Murray-O'Hair from right here in Dallas - she actually created a self-made "church of Atheism", complete with meetings, literature, a mailing list, and made herself its grand old lady and collected donations for her work. Another example is the San Francisco guy who made his little girl sue the school system to prevent them from having the flag salute because it said "one nation under god".

That kind of Athiest kind of wants to have the cake and eat it too - they don't want to admit a belief system, but definately do want to spread their belief of "no god" to everybody in sight.

Agnostics that I have known (self described Agnostics, I mean) in general do not care what others believe so long as they live lawfully and are tolerant of other people's rights and freedoms.

brotherdan

I didn't comment on it, because it doesn't make sense. It takes all the reasons for believing in the Bible out. It's a fallacy that the WT uses when it does not agree with something. The evidence is not given, so the opposing side seems ridiculous.

JWoods

My opinion is that atheism is not a belief. It is a belief in no belief.

Quilsky summed in up on the very first post 5 pages back: It is a belief in no belief. Bohm, I believe in submarines. Does that count as a belief in sandwiches?

Let's settle this for once and for all...... is atheism a belief, a non-belief or an anti-belief?

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