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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There are a lot of atheists on this forum.

Why are you an atheist? How can you be definitively sure that God doesn't exist?[/quote]

When I studied religious history on my own (i.e. long after sunday school, where you're just fed what your particular religion wants you to believe), I realized there was nothing to believe. -- it was all stories - some useful, some horrible, but all just stories - then surrounded by dogma and doctrine that were also very obviously invented by humans.

As for the existence of god -- others here have explained it well.  I would add that the gods of religion (vs the pantheist god of the universe) are particularly easy not to believe in - such incredible stories, so obviously man-made.

regarding being "definitely sure" about god's non-existence, I suspect religious people, possibly clergy, got the lie started that atheists are definitely sure, because it makes us seem silly and unreasonable and easy to write off.

And atheist/agnostic -- well, as evidenced here, there are several different usages of the word.  People have sort of made up their own meanings, I think, in the absence of much public discussion about the terms.  I've seen several varieties of agnostics:

1) not sure - they may become atheist when they feel more comfortable with not believing or when they get some piece of information that helps them feel more convinced about the absence of gods.

2) it's a personal thing - they prefer the word agnostic over the word  atheist - to each his own.  I've known agnostics, who later call themselves atheists -- nothing about their beliefs has changed.  They just feel OK with the word atheist in a way they did not before.

Personally, I went from believer to atheist, based on information that to me made belief no longer possible.  [/quote]

Sorry, but I really have to object to this characterization of agnostics. I posted earlier - I am agnostic - and it's just so incredibly condescending when people act like agnostics are just atheists who are too weak/afraid/whatever to own up to their true feelings of atheism. I've arrived at my present beliefs after quite a bit of thoughtful introspection, like many other non-believers. Please don't dismiss me as someone who doesn't have the balls to identify as atheist. It makes you seem like you don't really understand what you're talking about.[/quote]

23:19 here.  I posted before I read your response.  I don't think the PP knows what she/he is talking about.  Both of her definitions of agnostic are just flat out wrong.[/quote]

Please read carefully and you will see that I'm not giving definitions of the word "agnostic"  I discussing people I know who call themselves agnostics.  See the difference?  It allows for a lot of other self descriptions, including yours and including others that we both might disagree with.  [/quote]

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