There is one(main) reason why there are no "true" atheists, and it is that a true atheist DOES NOT believe in any deity or creator. This one thing is supposed to be what atheism is, and it means that they shouldnt care about any deity or try to say that the deity isnt real, because a true atheist would just think that those people are crazy or i dont care what they say, because i dont believe in a god. If the meaning behind this is hard to grasp, it is that a true atheist wouldnt try to disprove any deity because they simply dont care. That is all.
Why There are no true atheists
I think atheists spend more time complaining about religion than religious people spend praising and worshiping God. I spend two minutes a day to say The Lord's Prayer in the mourning and at night. I read The Bible maybe for 30 minutes and that's it. Religion doesn't really take over a person's life. I can't imagine anyone spending their entire day praying.
But here we have devout atheists* spending most of their time on the internet speaking against God and religion. You'd have thought that they'd be out enjoying themselves while being "free" from the "shackles" of religion but no.
*I'm not talking about every atheist but there are some very extreme atheists who do dedicate their life to "debunking" God and religion. Just look at Richard Dawkins.
Chicagotribune.com
Sry, but...
Of course Religion doesn't take your whole god damn life. Just like atheism doesn't. There are extreme people on both sides who are spending probably too much time on one thing.
The only difference is with what they excuse their unproductiveness.
Atheists are also not free from the shackles of religion. Being religious has negative sides and positive sides. But that is completely subjective. Others may think of things you see positive negative. Not everyone is the same. You can't squeeze everyone into one single religion and then expect everyone to be happy just because you are.
Also @ordoabchao: This is ********. I'm not trying to be against Chrisitans here, or try to start a discussion wether or not God exists but this is so arrgh. I just have to interrupt when someone is as wrong as you.
You're basically stating that every single person living on earth cares about religion, and caring is already enough to belive. -.-
Just like you guys, atheists try to convince as many people as possible that they're the ones being right.
Let's assume that you are right though. Wouldn't that mean that there aren't any true christians because a true christian would simply not care about atheism?
Please. For the love of god. Think for youself.
Tl;dr
Both of you please start thinking.
Hold about leiste. Didn't I just say that it was the extreme atheists who spend their entire time preaching against religion? Yes there are atheists who don't just as there are religious people who have dedicated everything in their life to God. The difference between these religious people who give up everything for God is that they aren't shouting at others as the extreme atheists do.
There are extremist Christians - who denies this? - that do go over the top in what they believe and shout at others while condemning others to Hell but this is different from people who have forsaken everything to go and live in a monastery.
a true christian would care about atheism because they would try to convert the atheist into a christian to "save the atheists soul" especially if they personally know the atheist. and i think i exaggerated by saying there are "no" true atheists, but from my observations of atheists, i assumed that i was right at the time of me posting this article.
I would argue against the "no true Atheist" idea myself. I would argue instead that Atheism is in fact a religion in itself.
What's the definition of a religion? A belief about the supernatural, I suppose would be one. By stating that there is no God, Atheists are taking a stand on a religious belief. There's just happens to be that there is no God, or any higher power.
Also, think of this. Perhaps the reason that Atheists try to debunk various religions is because they are trying to "save" us from our (in their eyes) "ignorance." Just as we Christians try to save them from their belief.
Don't ya see? It's the same thing with both sides. We're all just people... not as different from one another as some of you (both Atheist and Christian) might think.
i never thought about it that way
Exactly what I've said before.
See, atheism is the BELIEF that there is no God, right?
An agnostic is someone who neither believes or disbelieves in God or religion, so I think that is the true "No religion" mind set.
Congratulations! You got the point!
(buried)
*facepalm* You sir are a moron.
No offense.
Uncivilized and/or younger usually try to offend someone when they don´t have something to conter another argument...
Who is the moron here? lol.
but how many is there "true christians" left out there? Most of the people who call them christians these days make and shape the religion to fit their world view better. not much from the whole group truely follow the christianity like people did originally.
But yea, there are not much true atheist neither, because some find it hard to watch when people are forced to beleif (well, you cant actually convert someone to religion. The person may say that, oh yeh i beleave now but in hes heart he despise it), most of modern christians have been forced by the parents etc. before they were thinking with their own mind. If your parents woulda have been atheists or so, would you still beleave in god? i dont think so. But that is just my opinion.
you have a good point, it is a shame that it is true though. i myself wouldnt consider myself a true christian because if i did right now, i would be the biggest hypocrite i know for how much i have sinned
yup, so as time changes, so does any religion or culture, that is just the way of the world these days. People often find it hard to stay on ancient shape of beleif or something because it will go against modern society. So in like in life, religion requires shaping to fit the modern age.
And you guys completely understand what atheism is... I have never thought there is such a war between christians and atheists now, because in my country it's hard to find a real practical believer. More than 50% are atheists and the rest are mostly people who have been brought up to belief by older generation, but have been in church just few times.
First of all, we have no God, but also no holy places, holy books and those things, at least we in CR don't have. I see a difference between me and american atheist that must be more into it than I am, because you don't like them there - as I said I didn't know there is such a war until I saw some videos (this one for example: Moddb.com) I know that example is in fact an advertisement, but there are so many long videos with discussions, like they must prove they are right. They have no place in devout society, but they need it. Just accept them. If your belief is that strong as you claim, then they can't bring you to bad way. I don't mind christians, especially if they really follow their church, but here I can see some empty phrases...
As I said, no God, no fetish, no Idols, no heaven. No prayers to universe. But we keep traditions in CR (in fact they are even older than christianity). It's same just in one point - everyone can explain it to his point of view and that makes us not all good or bad. For a long time I thought that religious man can sin and then just apologize for it, until I met a young man that really follows the original idea. He changed my mind about you, and not just a bit.
All Religions except Buddhism contain believer's duty to bring infidels to the "right faith". That's offensive for those who don't share you belief. Atheist man has a choice, he can try to persuade you, or he can not care. First option is more likely, because most of us can't really understand how can you believe... Convert all to one side, or force both sides to tolerance, only solution.
Everything is a religion Commander. Religion simply means the codes that one follows in life. Are you truly saying that you wonder through life without aims, codes and morals? You'd have to be rather lifeless then. Religion doesn't necessarily have to have anything to do with a god, holy place or a book. It's rather about the beliefs of the individual.
Then there's the second religion that people will follow. You have so many people nowadays who will worship humans - these so-called celebrities - or some group. There's Christians and atheists alike who perform this abomination and you have all these books out about these celebrities and their lives that people actually buy because they look upon the celebrities as highly esteemed people.
Such things upset me. We're all equals (at least those of us that try to do good in life) and anyone who thinks themselves better than everyone else is the one who is actually worst.
First morals came up with religions, but that doesn't mean that morals and codes need a religion. For example communism refuses gods and gives such a strong moral that you can't even keep it.
I don't need 10 sentences to know how to behave. My measure to decide if I am good or bad is what I have done for society. Right now I am student and have done nothing. If I died now, no-one can say if I were good or bad. I don't need to be good because there is someone like a big papa watching me. It's like learning, at first you are doing it because if you get bad grade, your parents will punish you, but now as you grew older you know that learning is good for you and you are doing it for yourself. I also don't think I would want to live forever, even in heaven. Once you know everything and have no function, logical step is to die in the right meaning, to stop your existence. Eternal life gets boring after few thousand years...
But I agree with your opinion about worshiping celebrities. There aren't many things more stupid than a mass of extreme fans. But I don't like to discuss politics right now, since I have quite a nice day...
No but you have your own codes and morals and people do forge their own codes as they progress through life and therefore everyone follows a religion. How do you forgive someone? How do you deal with someone who has done something bad to you? Do you run from a fight or stay? Do you believe in hard work? These all define codes, beliefs and morals.
Eternal life could only get boring if you're walking around as a human. That's not Heaven as Jesus said our bodies would become like the angels. Heaven is beyond human imagination and who is to stay we would learn everything up there? We might just be experiencing happiness from God along with relaxation. Eternal happiness can never get boring. As someone I spoke to replied to this "So it's like being high for eternity?" and I said "I guess so but better."
Asides from that, say God allows us to view other places in the universe, then we have endless entertainment of watching other civilizations flourish and fall. God can create what he wants whenever he wants and if we somehow did experience everything one, God would easily be able to create billions of new things for us to experience.
My view of Heaven though is that it's worshiping God for eternity all while experiencing eternal happiness and bliss. Both things can never fade and can never get boring since they are emotions.
Actually, you got me with that forgiving point. I don't forgive. It has nothing to do with atheism, I am just not the best person to talk about morals. And please, don't tell me "you see, christians are all right and loving".
I don't run from fights, if I can't win, I am trying to get a draw. And about work - I told you, aim of human life according to my idea is to be helpful to society.
So:
Doesn't forgive.
Never runs from a fight.
Tries to be helpful to society.
That's a set of codes you have right there. It's no different from commandments but you've just given them to yourself which is my point about everyone having a system of beliefs, codes, morals and thus a religion.
Likewise just because I'm a Christian doesn't mean I don't follow my own codes. I too never run from a fight and I make it a habit not to waste my time on pleasantries. Some people call me rude, bad and abrupt because of this but my actions prove the contrary. I'm much like my first character from Baldur's Gate who is sometimes abrupt to people and doesn't waste time chatting about trivial stuff but when it comes to actions, he does what is right. I also have a spot for the stoic philosophy and asides from that I do like philosophizing myself and some of my views aren't exactly that of the majority. For example I don't believe you have to say hello to people you barely know but somehow society today expects you to do this. Also I don't like how society today puts labels on everyone (black, white, brown, Chinese, English, American) and I believe everyone should just be called human and that's what everyone is regardless from where they come from. If I was born in outer space on some space-vessel, would that make me a space-ling? Society is annoying at times.
So when someone asks me "what are you?" I say human.
IT's funny everybody knows there's a God... But some seem to just refuse, that
Jesus is their savior, and He created them.