How do you atheists stay so calm, not believing in a God?

This is worded in a way that an atheist would be confused by. From my experience, there is nobody more full of anxiety that those fearing for the soul of their children. If you don't believe in a soul then it's not a problem...and you are calm. If I believed that there was a God to punish me (my soul) for things I might not even remember then I would not be so calm.

Reincarnation is a lesser form of this soul punishment. I'm sure the anxiety and calm is the same in Buddhism, depending on beliefs.

 

Like I already said. Ask him. It's his life and that's not for anyone else to decide.

Involuntary? Yes. We aren't born believing much of anything. For most they believe what the people they trust believe and it grows from there. If you tried could you believe that the moon is in fact cheese?

Much the same way as I thought the typical childhood belief things were nonsense. People just played along. Apparently they didn't. When I figured that out I'd spent a great deal of time studying religions and mythology. Some was somewhat interesting, from a story perspective. Some of the more ancient stories I quite liked actually. But nothing compelled me to believe a word of it. It was all incredibly made up sounding. Like something you'd tell a child to get them to eat their vegetables, but for more adult things. Usually. Sometimes it did still involve food.

Specifically things presented to me? It's usually in the form of some haphazard argument based on poorly understood science. The laws of thermodynamics and motion seem to be popular for that. Or most prevalently in the form of a Christian quoting the bible like I'm going to be convinced by the words written by who even knows about a god I don't believe in. For the most part it's the same argument. We don't have an answer for something. Or the person thinks we don't. Therefore there must be a god. Only a god could answer that. To me that's like answering some mathematical problem we don't have an answer for with banana. I may not know the answer, but it's painfully obvious that's not it.

Actually now that I remember it, I once was directed to a video and saw a guy trying to prove god with a banana. It was gripping.

 

and what is it that atheists want to be free to do that differs from what theists want to do? please spell it out.

bolding mine.

 

These especial, Wren type units have the most difficulty with this. It's apparently not possible for them to grasp that Yahweh is precisely as believable as Tlaloc. I often wonder if they don't suffer a form of realisation shock, when and if this ever hits home. If you've been raised to think Yahweh is unique and special, and have never heard any different, it must be an incredibly rude awakening.

 

He has water on the brain. He cannot talk. Once again, he's mentally disabled. He doesn't have a coherent mind like you and I, because he is mentally handicapped.
So, once again. How can he make his life worth living?

So then explain why people can't control their beliefs.

You just got up one day and figured it was all a fairy tale? Have you ever asked yourself how the universe was made to be?

I see. Well, the answer on whether God exists first start with a question. That question is "How do we exist?". You start off right at the beginning. How did humans get here? How did the planet form? What created the universe. When you ask those questions, the answers ought to make sense, right? Well, that's where you start.

 

The alternative is to be blissfully ignorant.

The "thing" is the effect. For example:
Your parents having sex is the cause. You being born is the effect. Notice how *you* (the thing, the object) are the effect.

How can a mentally disabled person decide anything.... When they're mentally disabled? Just think about that for a second.

Not really? Why not really? What's preventing you from believing in God?

Theist don't, actually. Ask a theist if its OK to have unrestricted sex. You'll be surprised with the answers.

 

you are plagued by a failure to recognise the value of a life to the individual living it. that's your burden, not ours. answer the question yourself.

1) wanting to know 'how do we exist?' is irrelevant. we can ask it all day long, every day, but none of us are ever likely to find out in our lifetimes. there are, literally, an infinite number of possible reasons for why we exist - and no human KNOWS what that reason is. the difference between us and you is that we prefer the honest answer (I don't know), and you prefer the lie. and it IS a lie, because you can't possibly know. and you know that you can't possibly know, so that makes it worse - a deliberate lie.

2) planet and universe as above. and no, you DON'T start there, when the planet we're on needs urgent attention and there are kids starving to death in the dirt. if your (*)(*)(*)(*)ing useless god actually existed, AND gave a damn about us, things might be different.

3) as for answers making sense ... does the assertion that the earth is held up by a tortoise, and is ruled over by a lizard god who lives in the core, and that the universe is actually really tiny and is the toy of an alien child living in a different universe make sense to you? well let me assure you that that's how much sense your mythology makes. EXACTLY that amount of sense. and you wonder why we come up with different answers

 

so one starts off asking the question, and rather then saying one doesn't know, they make up a God and say my God did it

 

Not one man in a thousand has either strength of mind or goodness of heart to be an Atheist. I repeat, not one man in a thousand has either strength of mind or goodness of heart to be an Atheist.
-- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

 

let me tell U a short story or maybe a joke:

someone who used to smoke said to his friend "I have read an article in a magazine a bout many many harms which smoking bring about!that was terrible!"
"and now what?U are not going to smoke any more?"his friend asked him.he answered "no.I am not going to read magazine any more!!"

now story of atheists is like that.they try not to think about death,a bout when they are going to die like every one else.not to think about the real meaning of their belief even.they try to make themselves busy to can calm but if they want to think they can't be calm.always no news is the best news!!isn't it?
for someone with this belief that " there always is a big,wise,kind God who loves me and support me, the God that have prepared another life for me after this world", being relaxed is more available than an atheist who all of his property is this world and this about 70 years...

 

not believing in a God doesn't mean one doesn't believe in life after death.... many Atheists believe in life after death, many believe in reincarnation

 

that's like saying not a man in a thousand has the goodness etc not to believe in invisible pink unicorns. ie, extraordinarily silly.

 

It is much simpler, because you're not spending time on something religious. Unless you feel like you want to. I went to church this Easter for example after many years because my parents went as well. I felt it would make them happy to go as a family. I just didn't believe in the content of what was preached.

Think about it that way: How often on daily bases do you let your belief in God guide you? even if you believe deeply, the amount of times that happens ought to be quite small. So the from day to day bases it is not that different I'd imagine. I guess in the moments you focus on what God wants, I focus on what I and those around me want and what repercussions ought to be expected from every decision. I just then pick whatever is think might be best...

 

No. Not at all

 

I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church and I now attend an atheistic Buddhist group on the weekends. The later is immeasurably more calm than the former. They consentrate on showing compassion and living in the moment rather than arguing useless metaphysics and concerning themselves chiefly with their own megocentric, megalomaniacal self-impossed "need" for a personal afterlife.

In fact, they take a daily vow to be willing to forego nirvana for themselves in order to help all others reach the same.

 

Does no one else value his life?

Because we don't have absolute control of our minds.

No, I never bought it to begin with.

Made. Created. You see those words? The very way that question is worded by theists is flawed and slanted.

 

I'm not sure it ever really does hit home. I remember once explaining in excessively great length the origins of the Yahweh myth. A history lesson all the way back to it's days as a lesser god under El. You'd think that would give a person who believes in him and dismisses polytheism pause, but no.

 

Of course, we're his family, value his life. However, how can "he" make his own life worth living.

So, because you can't have absolute control of your mind, how can you have absolute certainty that there is no God? Couldn't it be that the lack of control you have prevents you from seeing a truth from a lie?

But even theists believe in the Big Bang. You don't believe in the Big Bang?

 

People can control their beliefs. Most control their own thoughts, which is belief.

Most humans probably ask at some point how the universe was made.

None of the answers to those questions has anything to do with the God of Abraham.

Why couldn't the universe have always existed?
You will come and claim god has always existed and has no beginning.
Now if you want to say whatever started this universe is god, go ahead. Just don't put that thing into a box and claim it was some specific god with human like features.

 

There is no such thing as a atheist. They are offended by the cross, the ten commandments and other symbols of religion and you must believe that someone or something exists to be offended by it. Have a nice day

 

Whether anyone believes as you or not, most likely the end result for all of us is the same. Whatever that may be.

 

Who, what does have control of our minds?

 

We don't. We are in a state of constant panic throughout our lives.

 

Really? You just made that up?
If there are no atheists, who is the they that would be offended?
The only offense is being limited to what can be put out for symbols. Allow 1, you have to allow 1000 or more.

 

Have you never heard of people who don't value their own life but continue for the sake of those they care about? To be honest this conversation has gotten far too off course. You still haven't pointed out how a god would make his life different. That was the original point wasn't it? That an atheist can't explain how this person can make their own life mean something. Well by all means. Tell me how he can do anything different with a god than without.

Couldn't I just reverse that and ask you the same thing? How long before we get the "brains in jars" thing?

I wouldn't apply the word believe to it, but yes. However, to try to call that a creator as apposed to more akin to a force of nature is misguided. The question was slanted as to imply a personal creator when at best you have personification.

- - - Updated - - -

Who? No. Just no.

What? Chemicals and stimuli mostly.