Is it a presupposition to believe that faith in a creator (s) is superstition and never had any basis in reality?
TEC, in either case (belief or disbelief),it all depends on how/when the conviction was ascertained, right?
If, for example, the assumption you included above was accepted during childhood, based on one's environment, and carried into adulthood then yes, it is most definitely a presupposition.
But a supposition and a presupposition are two different things, as in judging and prejudging (prejudice). A presupposition is defined as "a supposition made prior to having knowledge."
To figure out if we've built our beliefs (or disbelief) on presupposition, we've gotta dig deep and be absolutely honest with ourselves. That's not easy because the mind tries to conceal bias. We are incredibly self-deceptive but that is where trained critical thinking comes in. Just because we may not be able to remove ALL prejudice, doesn't mean we shouldn't try to remove or suppress it to the best of our ability. If a person ignores that a presupposition has molded their thinking, he/she will not be able to judge impartially - and isn't that an important factor for a fair judgment?
Please bear in mind, I didn't leave the WT an atheist. I was disillusioned when I discovered the Society was just a high control publishing company but I still believed in Yahweh and Jesus, and I began searching for the most accurate translation of the bible available. I often used gatewaybible.com to compare multiple translations in an attempt to get the most accurate meaning. My goal was truth without bias.... and yet an atheistic comment that offended me (following an online news article) left me realizing that I was still basing so much of my faith on a prejudiced mindset.
Soon thereafter, I started trying to find the roots of my faith and realized I had to start from scratch since so much of my remaining beliefs were still tied to childhood presuppositions.
But back to your question... could I now be hung up on a presupposition that causes my lack of belief*? I truly don't think so, if only because a release of presupposition is what led me here. But I do have to ask myself regularly if maybe there's some bias against belief in god, say, due to my fallout with the WT. Thus far I can't find any desire in myself to not believe in a personal god. Could that be self-deception? Perhaps. But my consciousness tells me it would be great to have some kind of faith that immortality is achievable. And at this point, that realm of thinking lies in theology. So if I were not controlling my bias, I think it would push me towards theism, not away from it.
(*My views range between deism and atheism. I do not claim that a supernatural designer is impossible, only that I've yet to see adequate evidence to support it.)
There is the love that we should do good and show kindness while we are here.
Hypothetical: What kind of person would you rather watch over your children: The person who is good because he think he's being watched and fears punishment or seeks a reward? Or the person who is good because he believes in the humanistic value of doing good and does not think he's being watched?
