Hello there. Pleasured to be here.

I'm Catholic, but I want to learn more about atheism anyway. I promise I won't be annoying :)

I have a question and I've asked many of my atheist friends this.

Why are you atheist? Why would you rather be atheist than agnostic and believe there is nothing at all after death? Does it comfort you at night to know that nothing you do in this life matters because there is nothing after this in your opinion?

I like to take the side of some of my family members, I'd rather believe and worship and then find out there's not anything than live my life in non-belief and find out there is something.

O'aka XXIII said:

I have a question and I've asked many of my atheist friends this.

Why are you atheist? Why would you rather be atheist than agnostic and believe there is nothing at all after death? Does it comfort you at night to know that nothing you do in this life matters because there is nothing after this in your opinion?

I like to take the side of some of my family members, I'd rather believe and worship and then find out there's not anything than live my life in non-belief and find out there is something.

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Some of us are atheist because we see no real reason to believe. Also, you don't really have the right to say we don't see anything in this life matters. There are atheists out there that live life to the fullest, believe it or not.

Kind of a jerk thing to say. =/

O'aka XXIII said:

I have a question and I've asked many of my atheist friends this.

Why are you atheist? Why would you rather be atheist than agnostic and believe there is nothing at all after death? Does it comfort you at night to know that nothing you do in this life matters because there is nothing after this in your opinion?

I like to take the side of some of my family members, I'd rather believe and worship and then find out there's not anything than live my life in non-belief and find out there is something.

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To be free. If you're constantly living in fear that God is watching us, judging us, and threatening to throw us into hell, then you are not free. You're a captive of your own fears. I know it doesn't seem that way to a current Christian, I was one until last year, but the feeling of freedom after becoming an Atheist has been wonderful for me, and has changed my life. The world is no longer going to end, I no longer have to feel guilty about normal human body functions, I now know for a fact that all people are truly equal, and the universe is infinitely more vast and beautiful, now that I can see it for what it really is, without God clouding my vision. Just look up at night some time and consider every one of those dots... each one is a star just like ours, with planets like ours, and probably people like ours. All of those dots you see combined are 0.000000000000000000000000001% of the universe... and yet we're the center of it all. The one place that God cared about enough to give life. Life that is so big and important compared to the rest of that infinitesimally large universe that he feels the need to tell us that we shouldn't do this or that... that Gay people or Black people, or left handed people (going back in time a bit for that one) are evil and should be punished for something that they have no control over... simply for being what he made them to be. It's just wrong. There's not even a possibility of it being correct, or even morally right enough that I would want a part of it even if it were correct.

I'm having trouble finding a spot to end this, so I'll just stop before I get too out of control. lol

Murkmire said:

Some of us are atheist because we see no real reason to believe. Also, you don't really have the right to say we don't see anything in this life matters. There are atheists out there that live life to the fullest, believe it or not.

Kind of a jerk thing to say. =/

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I think it's a fair question. It was one of the biggest hurdles I had to face as a Christian... What if it's true and I end up going to hell? It's a big deal, and an important thing to think about.

Hi. I'd like to join. I honestly don't recall myself ever believing in any sort of deity. Probably because I need science to explain things. Also... I believe Jesus was a real person, but he wasn't like a superhero or anything.

QuilavaKing said:

To be free. If you're constantly living in fear that God is watching us, judging us, and threatening to throw us into hell, then you are not free. You're a captive of your own fears. I know it doesn't seem that way to a current Christian, I was one until last year, but the feeling of freedom after becoming an Atheist has been wonderful for me, and has changed my life. The world is no longer going to end, I no longer have to feel guilty about normal human body functions, I now know for a fact that all people are truly equal, and the universe is infinitely more vast and beautiful, now that I can see it for what it really is, without God clouding my vision. Just look up at night some time and consider every one of those dots... each one is a star just like ours, with planets like ours, and probably people like ours. All of those dots you see combined are 0.000000000000000000000000001% of the universe... and yet we're the center of it all. The one place that God cared about enough to give life. Life that is so big and important compared to the rest of that infinitesimally large universe that he feels the need to tell us that we shouldn't do this or that... that Gay people or Black people, or left handed people (going back in time a bit for that one) are evil and should be punished for something that they have no control over... simply for being what he made them to be. It's just wrong. There's not even a possibility of it being correct, or even morally right enough that I would want a part of it even if it were correct.

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I understand where you are coming from. A while back I had actually heard and then researched for a couple of hours a point in the bible that states there are other gods of other galaxies and that we really aren't alone. And in my opinion the things about black and left handed people is just really a mistranslation or something that the church decided to put in to the bible (as they often do) to promote a pathway to their ideal being. And the whole thing about gays is that in the beginning our survival was based on our ability to reproduce therefore we made a law under the name of the most powerful being we could think of so that we would try and try to procreate and not die out. Again I think it was just another thing the church added in as they always do.

Murkmire said:

Some of us are atheist because we see no real reason to believe. Also, you don't really have the right to say we don't see anything in this life matters. There are atheists out there that live life to the fullest, believe it or not.

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I didn't mean to offend you, it's just a lot of atheists have looser morals than people who live in fear of an all powerful being that will condemn them for some of their life choices. It sounds suspicious to me as well but I would still choose to believe in it.

First off, welcome to the club Murkmire and Digimon Kaiser.

And welcome to the discussion The Void, O'aka, and welcome back to the discussion QuilavaKing.

And a few responses.

O'aka XXIII said:

I didn't mean to offend you, it's just a lot of atheists have looser morals than people who live in fear of an all powerful being that will condemn them for some of their life choices. It sounds suspicious to me as well but I would still choose to believe in it.

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I can see how what was said could have been taken offensively.

Though your point about morals is a bit ridiculous. Atheists are people, just like any other. Just because we do not follow a religion doesn't mean that we act differently than other people would. There is no proof or evidence or studies that prove that atheists have 'looser morals' than any standard cookie cutter theist. That is an opinion, and an ill informed one at that.

But how can atheists have morals without god? Without religion?

Secular humanism.

Don't be a dick.

Hell, even the Jesus' golden rule is common sense. Don't want something done to you? Don't do it to them. Treat people like you would like to be treated. I think it's pretty safe to say that most people believe this way, or feel this way, raised Christian or not, believer or not.

What reason do atheists have to be moral? Why should they?

Human nature; empathy; compassion; conscience; loving; kindness... The desire to be happy. Happiness the deepest and truest expression being human. Who doesn't want a peaceful world? Does not every person desire a life of happiness? Of peace? A good life? You do not need religion to do that. The highest, purest and most lasting form of happiness is the one which we can only bring about in ourselves by cultivating it in others. The recognition of this truth gives us a basis upon which we can build a consistent, objective theory of human morality. Acts that contribute to the sum total of human happiness in this way are right, while those that have the opposite effect are wrong. A wealth of moral guidelines can be derived from this basic, rational principle; hurting others is wrong.

All in all, morality? It's common sense, or at least it should be.

Next?

EDIT

Also:

O'aka XXIII said:

Username: O'aka XXIII
Are you Christian?: I...maybe? I don't really know. I have like 8 bibles I've never read. I've only read Genesis and Revelations.

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I do believe fibbing is against a Commandment.

Oddly enough, the thing that actually convinced me to consider Atheism was the moral compass issue. From my perspective, the moral compass that most Christians follow is very very lacking. There's a lot of hatred involved that I just couldn't be a part of any more.

I would love to join this group.

O'aka XXIII said:

I have a question and I've asked many of my atheist friends this.

Why are you atheist? Why would you rather be atheist than agnostic and believe there is nothing at all after death? Does it comfort you at night to know that nothing you do in this life matters because there is nothing after this in your opinion?

I like to take the side of some of my family members, I'd rather believe and worship and then find out there's not anything than live my life in non-belief and find out there is something.

Click to expand...

Why am I an atheist? Hmm... well I see no reason to believe. There is not enough evidence to convince me that there is a god. I wouldn't waste (I guess that would be the word) my life believing and dedicating myself just to find out that when I die (not really lol, I'm dead) it was all fake.

QuilavaKing, would you like to be added to the member list? If I remember you weren't on it in the old one...

But you're right, the amount of hatred that comes from religion... it's nearly laughable for a theist to say an atheist is hateful or has less morals.

Welcome Ninja Surskit! Solid reasoning.

O'aka XXIII said:

I understand where you are coming from. A while back I had actually heard and then researched for a couple of hours a point in the bible that states there are other gods of other galaxies and that we really aren't alone.

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Also, no where in the Bible are there mentions of other gods. There are 'false' gods... that are 'false'. But none of this is mentioned in the bible... anywhere. There are mentions of angels and demons, though not many. Actually, god, if you read the Bible, is very very conscious about making it a point that he is the only god. It's mentioned QUITE a bit.

But there is not a word about other gods or galaxies... It was quite centric on Earth. And it for sure wasn't mentioned in Gen. or Rev.

Because I have read the Bible in its entirety, many times; usually for schoolwork.

So, if you would be so kind, can you give me book, chapter, and verse to support your claim?

Sure. I never joined the old one because I was still a Christian at the time. lol

QuilavaKing said:

Sure. I never joined the old one because I was still a Christian at the time. lol

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Wow, so you're not anymore? I remember you were a pretty staunch debater for religion at one point. Are you willing to share further? You don't have to, but I hope you're alright and everything.

So gonna join. Consider me a fellow member. :D

And yes - I am an Atheist.

PhantomX0990 said:

So, if you would be so kind, can you give me book, chapter, and verse to support your claim?

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PhantomX0990 said:

I do believe fibbing is against a Commandment.

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I did not fib, just because I have only read two books in their entirety and studied sections of it does not mean that I have fibbed. And I don't remember exactly the parts which I was searching, so this is probably the closest thing you'll be able to find regarding the topic and it's not even a very good resource. http://www.roadtobetterliving.com/HTML/OtherWorlds.html

Well, I'm not even sure of what I want to be. My family is Christian, so that's kinda how it started. But over the 6 months, my faith has withered. Why is it a sin to like someone of the same gender? I used to make fun of gays and transsexuals all of my childhood, but as of recent I wonder why. And I've found it kinda weird how you could rape and murder and still go to heaven if you confess your sins and accept Jesus as our lord and savior, but if you don't believe in God you're sent to internal damnation. I'm just kinda confused. I do like the thought of religion though, I'm considering converting to something else.

Anyways, I really get annoyed when Christians attack Atheists and vice-versa. I think everybody is born equally, and what someone chooses to believe will not change that.

Hey, I'd like to join. I'm an atheist.

pompayyy said:

I do like the thought of religion though, I'm considering converting to something else.

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Just a quick question: Are you considering converting to another religion because you truly believe in god or because you truly want to believe in god? I mean... converting isn't like changing socks. You can't just say "Hey, I like that one, I'll start believing in (Insert god name here)".

PervertedPikachu said:

Hi, I would like to join, if that's okay. I'm anti-religious, I don't believe any of them are true. That would tip me somewhere on the scale of atheism. Possibly agnostic, whilst there may be some divine force behind the universe I don't think it gives two ♥♥♥♥s about this insignificant planet. Spirituality only applies to what I will do with my life, my mantra for anything else is "i'll find out when I'm dead".

So, that's my outlook, i'd be happy to attempt to talk to try and talk argue with the rest of you, it's that okay.

I don't take kindly to bible preachers either, if I wanted that I would join the Christian club.

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Welcome to the club!

Arguing is a harsh word. I prefer 'debating', and a healthy debate is encouraged!

Poki said:

So gonna join. Consider me a fellow member. :D

And yes - I am an Atheist.

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Welcome!

O'aka XXIII said:

I did not fib, just because I have only read two books in their entirety and studied sections of it does not mean that I have fibbed. And I don't remember exactly the parts which I was searching, so this is probably the closest thing you'll be able to find regarding the topic and it's not even a very good resource. http://www.roadtobetterliving.com/HTML/OtherWorlds.html

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Soo, wait... you're going to support a theory of yours, because that is what it is at this point, with a link, from a site that isn't yours, and one, at that, that barely even pertains to it? Call me picky, but I'm no where close to convinced. When you find that book, chapter, and verse, please, tell me.

Unless I'm dead by then.

pompayyy said:

Well, I'm not even sure of what I want to be. My family is Christian, so that's kinda how it started. But over the 6 months, my faith has withered. Why is it a sin to like someone of the same gender? I used to make fun of gays and transsexuals all of my childhood, but as of recent I wonder why. And I've found it kinda weird how you could rape and murder and still go to heaven if you confess your sins and accept Jesus as our lord and savior, but if you don't believe in God you're sent to internal damnation. I'm just kinda confused. I do like the thought of religion though, I'm considering converting to something else.

Anyways, I really get annoyed when Christians attack Atheists and vice-versa. I think everybody is born equally, and what someone chooses to believe will not change that.

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pompayyy, that's much how I started to question at first. Ask questions from your religious leaders by all means, but at the same time look up the answers yourself. Look at other religions and look into their history. The reason I say this is because you need to come to terms with your questions on your own, and understand that their answers are biased. Find your own answers.

I'm always here to talk too. :D

LightningAlex said:

Hey, I'd like to join. I'm an atheist.

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Welcome! Tea and cookies are on the table in the corner.

PhantomX0990 said:

pompayyy, that's much how I started to question at first. Ask questions from your religious leaders by all means, but at the same time look up the answers yourself. Look at other religions and look into their history. The reason I say this is because you need to come to terms with your questions on your own, and understand that their answers are biased. Find your own answers.

I'm always here to talk too. :D

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I do believe in a higher deity, just not the god that I was led to believe. The reason I brought it up here, is because most Atheists I've come across are more understanding.

And I think it's worth noting that my faith in a God is just that - a faith. I'm not going to argue that science isn't the absolute, bottom line truth. I just believe, and hope, there is a God up there. If acknowledging that humans more than likely evolved is considered atheism, then I guess I am one.

Also, that wasn't aimed at you, I just felt like expressing my thoughts.