As one who deconverted from fundamentalist christianity I find atheism allows me to evaluate my morals based in FACT. I no longer follow my ill conceived idea that what is of utmost benefit to a person is their eternal salvation, putting my effort into evangelising rather than using it in more practical projects. As an atheist my ability to use logic and critical thinking really advanced, that is not a criticism it is simple truth. Some things I miss yet feel I am of more benefit to society now.
@classicchinadoll Wow, from fundamentalist christian to atheist, that's a biiig jump!
I've never understood how people can be so obsessed with their "eternal salvation" when all the evidence and logic tells us that when we die, that's the end.
Critical thinking is a big part of being an atheist and sceptic, and seems to be alien to most christians (but not all).
I understand you would miss the comfort of "knowing" there's a big guy in the sky watching your back. Is there anything else you miss?
@KrisBlueNZ There is a passage in the bible that states all things work together for good for those who love god. It was nice to think all my mistakes would turn out for the best but it is better to weigh each decision with the full responsibility it truly entails. I am unable to handle the amount of responsibility I believed god was shouldering on my account therefore I am faced with the reality that I will often times be ineffectual and sometimes cause adverse effects.
@classicchinadoll That's interesting, I hadn't thought of it that way. I've always been atheist. Very simple for the theist, as many issues are. I often think I try to think too deeply into decisions, I guess I'm trying to avoid failure, because if things come out wrong, I don't have an invisible friend to blame it on (or to resolve me of blame, to be exact). The more I learn about fundamentalists the more worried I become :-(
I don't follow most of what you say, but I challenge you on certainty/uncertainty.
The certainty that atheism (actually, the scientific method) provides is that observations can be retested by others, with the same results, and are falsifiable.
Religious claims aren't repeatable nor falsifiable. You pray and one thing may happen, or a different thing, or nothing. If nothing happens, does this disprove the power of prayer? Apparently not; God works in mysterious ways. Where is the certainty?
"You pray and one thing may happen, or a different thing, or nothing. If nothing happens, does this disprove the power of prayer? Apparently not; God works in mysterious ways. Where is the certainty?"
God exists, no matter how much evidence piles up against the proposition, God exists.
That is certainty.
With atheism however, if the test result comes out different to what we expected well okay, we were wrong about that, lets try to find a better answer.
"God exists, no matter how much evidence piles up against the proposition, God exists. That is certainty."
That's the exact definition of faith! Belief without evidence, or with counter-evidence. You can be certain of your faith in God's existence, but it's not certain in any objective way.
Atheism is simply non-belief in any god; what you're trying to describe is the scientific method. It enables us to learn, rather than being stuck with bronze-age "understanding" of the world.
As one who deconverted from fundamentalist christianity I find atheism allows me to evaluate my morals based in FACT. I no longer follow my ill conceived idea that what is of utmost benefit to a person is their eternal salvation, putting my effort into evangelising rather than using it in more practical projects. As an atheist my ability to use logic and critical thinking really advanced, that is not a criticism it is simple truth. Some things I miss yet feel I am of more benefit to society now.
classicchinadoll 1 year ago
@classicchinadoll Wow, from fundamentalist christian to atheist, that's a biiig jump!
I've never understood how people can be so obsessed with their "eternal salvation" when all the evidence and logic tells us that when we die, that's the end.
Critical thinking is a big part of being an atheist and sceptic, and seems to be alien to most christians (but not all).
I understand you would miss the comfort of "knowing" there's a big guy in the sky watching your back. Is there anything else you miss?
KrisBlueNZ 1 year ago
@KrisBlueNZ There is a passage in the bible that states all things work together for good for those who love god. It was nice to think all my mistakes would turn out for the best but it is better to weigh each decision with the full responsibility it truly entails. I am unable to handle the amount of responsibility I believed god was shouldering on my account therefore I am faced with the reality that I will often times be ineffectual and sometimes cause adverse effects.
classicchinadoll 1 year ago
@classicchinadoll in short I feel less effective in reality I am probably more so.
classicchinadoll 1 year ago
@classicchinadoll That's interesting, I hadn't thought of it that way. I've always been atheist. Very simple for the theist, as many issues are. I often think I try to think too deeply into decisions, I guess I'm trying to avoid failure, because if things come out wrong, I don't have an invisible friend to blame it on (or to resolve me of blame, to be exact). The more I learn about fundamentalists the more worried I become :-(
KrisBlueNZ 1 year ago
It is generally a bad idea to disable ratings.
As to what I think atheism offers: Uncertainty.
Your word is not the word of God, and thus doesn't need defending as if it were - you can change your mind.
And you can do it without having to come up with ways the original "word" was a "metaphor", or with other evasions designed to keep the idea alive.
To me, that reduces the tension between what I believe, what I percieve and what is actually real.
Thandi123 2 years ago
I don't follow most of what you say, but I challenge you on certainty/uncertainty.
The certainty that atheism (actually, the scientific method) provides is that observations can be retested by others, with the same results, and are falsifiable.
Religious claims aren't repeatable nor falsifiable. You pray and one thing may happen, or a different thing, or nothing. If nothing happens, does this disprove the power of prayer? Apparently not; God works in mysterious ways. Where is the certainty?
KrisBlueNZ 2 years ago
"You pray and one thing may happen, or a different thing, or nothing. If nothing happens, does this disprove the power of prayer? Apparently not; God works in mysterious ways. Where is the certainty?"
God exists, no matter how much evidence piles up against the proposition, God exists.
That is certainty.
With atheism however, if the test result comes out different to what we expected well okay, we were wrong about that, lets try to find a better answer.
Thandi123 2 years ago
"God exists, no matter how much evidence piles up against the proposition, God exists. That is certainty."
That's the exact definition of faith! Belief without evidence, or with counter-evidence. You can be certain of your faith in God's existence, but it's not certain in any objective way.
Atheism is simply non-belief in any god; what you're trying to describe is the scientific method. It enables us to learn, rather than being stuck with bronze-age "understanding" of the world.
KrisBlueNZ 2 years ago