Ain't No Atheist Babies

A video

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• Atheist

[bowlsallbroken]

A lot of what you're talking about is a misappropriation of Theory of Mind to the universe at large in order to give people some sense of control over, and understanding of, their environment. This is likely what brought man invent deities back in the day.

That said, if you raise a person in a modern, technological society without ever introducing them to the concept of God/gods, I think it's unlikely such a person would ever invent the idea.

[ThePunkReturns]

@bowlsallbroken I am not saying it is likely or unlikely. However, there isn't enough evidence one way or the other to determine it, and as such, any assertions made to the "truth" of any claim otherwise is unfounded. I don't think it is wise for we non-believers to go throwing around things that are assumed rather than proven. That's all I was saying.

[neilswann80]

And you argument about the word 'Atheism' itself implying Theism is default is just absurd.

That's like saying Sexual reproduction must have came before Asexual because the latter word refers to the former.

[ThePunkReturns]

@neilswann80 as human beings, we use our language to implicitly illustrate what is normal and abnormal (even the words normal and abnormal illustrate this). Sure asexual reproduction came first, but it is "abnormal" to us. Thus the concept of sexual reproduction takes the "default" linguistic position, because the concept of sexual reproduction was understood first.

[neilswann80]

ThePunkReturns: The point whether Atheism is the default position or not is really only about determining the most rational position to hold. If Atheism is the default position, the burden of proof lies with theists and their claims are irrational without evidence.

[ThePunkReturns]

@neilswann80 The burden of proof lies on them anyway.

[RandomDrone79]

dont even talk about no babies and any god what god is awesome and powers christian is better than dumb atheist fuck atheist and christ is savior. also. god bless also. christs is persecuted and.

[soskid]

You're right. A baby can't have a belief in a god. But that is the exact description of an atheist. A person that do not have a theistic believe.

So babies are in fact atheists.

Animals are atheists.

Christians are atheists.

Christians dont believe in Poseidon, Thor, or Zeus or any of the other 15000 gods people have belived in through times. For some irrational deluted reason they choose to hold on to one of them though.

[TheTexanCanadian]

@ThePunkReturns

1) Babies are atheists for the same reason you acknowledge. You admit that babies would be nonbelievers, and atheism is simply nonbelief in a god. If a baby grows up and never gets indoctrinated by a religious dogma, they preserved their nonbelief without actively doing so, whereas adding religious beliefs would be actively changing their position from the default.

2) Default position matters in showing that religious beliefs are completely learned, not innate.

[Enkarashaddam]

There is a divide between concept and reality. We may understand the concept of sexuality first, but that says nothing of the fact that asexuality existed before sexuality. This is because what is normal to us is also abnormal for other species on this planet, and visa versa. So the order of concepts in reality is non-existent; only the order of real things. Therefore we cannot say that atheism is not the default position in reality, for conceptual reasons, because of this.

[aabcehac]

@ThePunkReturns Burden of proof always lies on the person making the claim.

Theist are the ones that claim a god exists, atheists simply demand evidence that support such extraodinary claim.

[themongru]

When you are born, you have no beliefs. It is your parents, culture and experiences that enable you to form beliefs. That is why many people are against Baptising babies, you're effectively pushing a belief system onto them before they have a chance to decide for themselves what they want to believe in. The word 'Atheist' means without belief in a deity of deities. Since a baby has no beliefs to begin with, they are by definition, atheists.

[neilswann80]

@ThePunkReturns I would say as there are atheistic religions, the case for atheism as the default is pretty strong. Belief systems are taught. We do not start life with strong beliefs either way, just (usually) an urge to understand and question. I believe we have an evolved 'gullibility' when young to believe what we are told by elders, which usually helps protect us from harm in some cases, but has the rather nasty side-effect of indoctrination.

[neilswann80]

@ThePunkReturns Default linguistic position yes, that's obvious.  But as a philosophical or even rational position, then definitely not.