What do Atheists believe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some religious people I know have a hard time believing a person can be moral without guidance from an authority. That fear of god drives behavior. They simply can't understand why anyone would behave ethically without belief. As people have posted, being an atheist entails behaving as if this is all there is. For the atheists I know, it's doing our best to make this world a better place today because things won't be better in a magical place that we don't get to until we die.

And if you fail at it, there isn't a higher power that will make it right for the people you wronged, or fix the planet, or forgive your sins. You have to do as well as you can, now, no takebacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some religious people I know have a hard time believing a person can be moral without guidance from an authority. That fear of god drives behavior. They simply can't understand why anyone would behave ethically without belief. As people have posted, being an atheist entails behaving as if this is all there is. For the atheists I know, it's doing our best to make this world a better place today because things won't be better in a magical place that we don't get to until we die.

Most Christians dont believe they need to be good to go to heaven they just have to "accept Jesus as their savior".

James 2:14-26 New King James Version (NKJV)

Faith Without Works Is Dead
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without [a]your works, and I will show you my faith by [b]my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is [c]dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made [d]perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was [e]accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

[Anonymous]

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.


I love it when people speak for Christians. It’s so meaningful.

How about speak for yourself and quit generalizing.

Where did you hear or see or come to think Christians don’t have robe good people, just accept Christ?

Christ preached many times on morals, values, and the way He wanted is to treat one another.

You cannot just say oh save me Jesus, I accept you, and be saved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.


I love it when people speak for Christians. It’s so meaningful.

How about speak for yourself and quit generalizing.

Where did you hear or see or come to think Christians don’t have robe good people, just accept Christ?

Christ preached many times on morals, values, and the way He wanted is to treat one another.

You cannot just say oh save me Jesus, I accept you, and be saved.

That's exactly what some Christians believe. I know this because some have told me when they were saved and asked me, presumptuously, how and when I was saved.

[Anonymous]

I consider all religion to be a man-made construct that serves a purpose for some, but not for me. I often envy the community people find in faith, but I've tried to join in and I simply don't believe what they believe, so it feels false to participate. And, as one PP noted, I can't ignore the horrors that religion has brought upon humanity over the ages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I consider all religion to be a man-made construct that serves a purpose for some, but not for me. I often envy the community people find in faith, but I've tried to join in and I simply don't believe what they believe, so it feels false to participate. And, as one PP noted, I can't ignore the horrors that religion has brought upon humanity over the ages.

Did you know that there are humanist congregations? The Washington Ethical Society is one example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.


I love it when people speak for Christians. It’s so meaningful.

How about speak for yourself and quit generalizing.

Where did you hear or see or come to think Christians don’t have robe good people, just accept Christ?

Christ preached many times on morals, values, and the way He wanted is to treat one another.

You cannot just say oh save me Jesus, I accept you, and be saved.

P
That's exactly what some Christians believe. I know this because some have told me when they were saved and asked me, presumptuously, how and when I was saved.

And they followed that up by saying now they didn’t have to be good people because they were saved?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.


I love it when people speak for Christians. It’s so meaningful.

How about speak for yourself and quit generalizing.

Where did you hear or see or come to think Christians don’t have robe good people, just accept Christ?

Christ preached many times on morals, values, and the way He wanted is to treat one another.

You cannot just say oh save me Jesus, I accept you, and be saved.

P
That's exactly what some Christians believe. I know this because some have told me when they were saved and asked me, presumptuously, how and when I was saved.

And they followed that up by saying now they didn’t have to be good people because they were saved?

They didn't mention anything about being good people. Just how great is was to be saved and how great I'd feel if I got saved too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Atheism is simply the lack of belief in a god or gods.

Nothing more.

+1

The only other related belief I have is that religion has no place in our government or public schools. Do what you want in your home and place of worship. Keep it out of the greater society.

Agreed

[Anonymous]

As far as athiests being rude on this board, some people are just jerks regardless of what they believe. Or don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.


I love it when people speak for Christians. It’s so meaningful.

How about speak for yourself and quit generalizing.

Where did you hear or see or come to think Christians don’t have robe good people, just accept Christ?

Christ preached many times on morals, values, and the way He wanted is to treat one another.

You cannot just say oh save me Jesus, I accept you, and be saved.

I am a Christian and I agree with you. Christians have no place on this forum. Please do not entertain or provide more material for ridicule. This is forum for atheism and other religions.

[Anonymous]

i don’t think I could be an atheist, because I don’t see how people born with horrible disabilities or birth defects, or those born in terrible countries under primitive and grim circumstances are addressed by such a worldview.

From the atheist standpoint, each human is born and lives and dies, correct? So if you are born with a defect that renders you unable to speak or walk, that’s it for you. You’ll just be a damaged human being, unable to take care of yourself, have meaningful relationships, do good, etc.

And then you die. That’s it. If you are born in a third world country and are a child prostitute who is horribly used and contracts AIDS and dies before you are 30, well, that’s it for you.

Atheism offers no hope for the millions of people who have nothing in this life.

I don’t want to sentence my fellow man to such hopelessness and misery. If there is no higher power, no soul that exists independent of the body, those people will live miserably and painfully and then, nothing.

I think every human born is worth more than that.

Does atheism have a theory about things like that? I’d like to know the perspective on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i don’t think I could be an atheist, because I don’t see how people born with horrible disabilities or birth defects, or those born in terrible countries under primitive and grim circumstances are addressed by such a worldview.

From the atheist standpoint, each human is born and lives and dies, correct? So if you are born with a defect that renders you unable to speak or walk, that’s it for you. You’ll just be a damaged human being, unable to take care of yourself, have meaningful relationships, do good, etc.

And then you die. That’s it. If you are born in a third world country and are a child prostitute who is horribly used and contracts AIDS and dies before you are 30, well, that’s it for you.

Atheism offers no hope for the millions of people who have nothing in this life.

I don’t want to sentence my fellow man to such hopelessness and misery. If there is no higher power, no soul that exists independent of the body, those people will live miserably and painfully and then, nothing.

I think every human born is worth more than that.

Does atheism have a theory about things like that? I’d like to know the perspective on that.

I think that your confusion lies in your belief that atheism is a unified belief system. It's not. It's "a-theist" as in, without theism. It's the absence of a religious belief system, non-belief in religion.

Whether you want to or no, millions of people live hopeless, miserable lives in this world. Maybe you and other theists of various religious communities are right and those millions will go to heaven and be at peace or be reincarnated as something less hopeless and miserable. But one way or another, those people are still miserable here and now. I believe very strongly in human rights and eliminating suffering in this life. There are many secular groups who do work to alleviate the suffering you hope will be alleviated by heaven. I have experienced pain and misery in my life, and at no point did it feel comforting to me to imagine that I was living through what I was living through and would be rewarded later. When you are sick or grieving or in pain, your wish is for that suffering to be alleviated now, not in some nebulous spiritual future reward realm.

So as someone who doesn't believe in a creator, I'd say that I believe every human being is worth the same and that we should all do,our best to alleviate suffering in this life because it is the right thing to do. If I am wrong and there is an after life of some kind, that does not diminish the righteousness that is striving to end suffering now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, you were probably taught your religion when you were a child. Back when you were learning everything about the world, your parents told you about the god they believed in. My parents simply didn't. They were scientists, and when I asked them a question about how the world works, they gave me a serious and real answer. (We also didn't have Santa to bribe us for good behavior.) When someone died, my parents told us the truth, that no one really knows what happens to them because no one has any evidence from having experienced it. They told me with affection that I should not worry too much about it. My parents are very just and ethical people who taught us to treat people the right way because it's the right thing to do, not because a god would punish us.

We have taught the same to our children. Something that has been very important to you is simply not important at all to atheists. You may have a red hat that is your absolute favorite possession, but lots of people simply don't own red hats. They don't care either way about whether other people own red hats. But they do notice that people have a tendency to kill one another over their hats.

I love this. Well said!

My parents are religious (catholic) and they also gave me serious and real answers base in science.

What did they say when you asked if heaven exists and what happens after you die?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i don’t think I could be an atheist, because I don’t see how people born with horrible disabilities or birth defects, or those born in terrible countries under primitive and grim circumstances are addressed by such a worldview.

From the atheist standpoint, each human is born and lives and dies, correct? So if you are born with a defect that renders you unable to speak or walk, that’s it for you. You’ll just be a damaged human being, unable to take care of yourself, have meaningful relationships, do good, etc.

And then you die. That’s it. If you are born in a third world country and are a child prostitute who is horribly used and contracts AIDS and dies before you are 30, well, that’s it for you.

Atheism offers no hope for the millions of people who have nothing in this life.

I don’t want to sentence my fellow man to such hopelessness and misery. If there is no higher power, no soul that exists independent of the body, those people will live miserably and painfully and then, nothing.

I think every human born is worth more than that.

Does atheism have a theory about things like that? I’d like to know the perspective on that.

Yes it’s called the randomness of life. Do you never garden? There are deformed vegetables and fruits everywhere. It’s random. There is no higher design.

I am one of those persons with a horrible disability of whom you speak. Was born deformed and there is no surgery to correct my deformity. And I can tell you I would be really pissed if there were a god out there who could have prevented me from being born like this but didn’t. Or who performs some miracles but never for example performs the miracle of rebuilding a broke and deformed body. That’s something religion has never been able to answer. Why can god cure cancer but not lengthen or replace limbs in humans? After all if you think he’s the designer of this world he could do that - I mean some animals are capable of limb regeneration.

I’ve heard people say “god doesn’t make mistakes” and these are always people who were born without disabilities. I always want to give them a big ef-u.

The idea that I get a fabulous afterlife doesn’t erase the pain and suffering I’ve had to experience here and now. Not unless I get to hang out in a higher circle of heaven than you.

Yes it’s sad to think how many people suffer nasty, short, brutish lives. Deciding they’ll get their reward in heaven doesn’t change a thing for them here on earth- though I guess it makes you feel bettter.