Quote:
On 2002-10-31 15:28, Kuizero wrote:
I'm not religious in anyway and get asked fairly often if I'm an atheist, I usually tell them no, I'm not religious-End of discussion.
Now, while not believing in God is atheism I just have no stance, I don't know what I believe.
Most of the atheists I've met have gone around yelling things like screw your god, or there is no god, satan-satan-satan, just as a way of antagonising people. The impression I have is pretty negaitve of someone without an open mind, it seems like only someone brave would place such faith in an unknown being like a god.
Well, I happen to disagree, Kuizero. There are plenty of atheists who are decent people. From what information I have gleaned from reading your posts you seem to be rather young, and maybe still in high school. The atheists you talk about sound very immature, which is common in adolecent teenagers. Most of the atheists around don't make a big deal about it because the truth is that a rejection of the concept of God is a dead end idea. It doesn't lead to any answers to questions about ethics and morality, politics and aesthetics, and any other fundamental question of existence. All it means is a rejection of the existence of God, and also, as in my case, a rejection of the supernatural. Some "Atheists" may still have some belief in supernatural things, except for God.
Because a rejection of God leaves no direction for what one <i>will</i> believe in, atheists have all sorts of philosophies for life, and their political views range the whole spectrum from far left to far right, and everything in between.
As for your assertion that one would have to be brave to believe in God, I think you are totally wrong. There is no objective evidence for the existence of God, and the very concept of God is itself contradictory. I rejected the concept of God because there is no evidence of his existence that I can either directly percieve or infer indirectly, the same way scientists infer the existence of atoms. My parents told me that God existed, but I could never find any evidence that satisfied me in proving his existence. Most atheists will never believe something unless you give them proof, as in my case. I needed proof, but I found none, so I became an atheist, something that my parents were very displeased about. Historically, to say that you <i>don't</i> believe in God took more courage than professing belief in God. In the Middle ages you got burned at the stake for it, today we are extremely better off, but I have heard horror stories of atheists being disowned by their families for their beliefs, which can be rather difficult for them. (especially considering the fact that most of these atheists didn't have a problem with their relatives believing in God...)
Even in my case, though my parents didn't punish me for my disbelief, I worry that many of the more religious members of my extended family might disown me if they found out. I don't want that to happen, since I happen to like many of them...