What are your reasons for being an atheist?

Wouldn't say I'm a 100% atheist, so I am somewhere with in the agnostic range as well.

But honestly...even growing up and going to church I with my family I never once believed any of it wad actually real. Not just Christianity but any religion.

I like the though of fate and destiny, and beings of a high deminision that made this universe and fuck around in it at times. But its not the same as worshipping a religion. It is more the writer in me coming out

Oh, and then history class, especially college level ones. Learning about the dawn of man kind and how religions came about and rose to power. It just looks more abf more like a creative way to explain the world, teach morals, and eventually it was used to.justify hate.

 

Russell's teapot.

In other words the burden of proof lies upon the person who claims that supernatural forces exist and not upon me to disprove their existence. Since no one can prove their existence, and I base my beliefs on facts that can be proven to be true or false using the scientific method, I choose not to partake in any religious beliefs. This is closer to being agnostic but for all sakes and purposes I am effectively atheist.

However, I do acknowledge the existence and importance of traditions that have their roots in religious holidays, and have become part of people's culture. I myself sometimes participate in such events. More importantly, some people have an innate belief in god(s), which I almost never challenge because it's necessary to respect each other so that we can find a common language to settle our differences when they arise.

 

Because truth should matter. The religious intellectuals only ever argue the usefulness of religion. They can never admit they might be wrong or they would lose the argument inevitably. If truth is more important than comfort, then let us embrace reality. I get frustrated bc I gladly admit religion is useful, but the next thing they always say is that of course it's useful bc its true. I respond by saying it's not true. Then comes without fail, who cares if it's true, religion is useful. Makes me want to pull my hair out. .

 

Where no proof exists, it's not a particularly rational thing to presume the positive.

Religion is useful. It can provide a strong source of law and custom invested in a single, unquestionable source of authority, which can shape social cohesion. Many people feel a deep sense of devotion to God and many without purpose are tempted into belief because that devotion creates meaning.

But where it comes to convincing someone who doubts, whether it be because of disillusion or lack of cultural exposure or because religions themselves have increasingly switched to utilitarian language which virtually amounts to a couched acknowledgement of the empirical challenges of deism, religion falls dreadfully short. Preachers and laypeople alike struggle to provide any positive proof of its foundation - the existence of a deity from which all authority then flows.

And it's because of that, despite my respect for the role of religion, that I can't remotely believe.

 

I don't believe in God, because I have no proof that he exists and that most religions oppose LGBT+. While I'm not religious, I am quite spiritual, I get it from my mother, I believe in spirits, demons, and stuff like that.

 

Because I have seen no proof of a god or after life existing. Madalyn Murray O'hair has got great view points on religion IMO.

 

It's a longer story than this, but here is the important part. I didn't feel a connection with God, hard as I tried. Then I started watching Atheist Youtube channels, such as Jaclyn Glenn and The Bible Reloaded, and I started to see the flaws in Christianity. So I stopped trying to have a connection with God, and I slowly I started thinking more and more how unlikely it is that he exists.
And here we are...

 

I like to think of myself as a person of logic, and I don't really have enough (in my opinion) solid information that there is a god/higher being. I don't rule out the possibility of one since I don't have anything proving that there is not a god, I just choose not to believe in one. But on a more emotional level, I don't like the idea that I could be the plaything of some immensely powerful being.

 

I'm technically agnostic because I ultimately can't be certain that a God doesn't exist until I die. Until then, I don't want to jump to conclusions.

I however live as an atheist. I was raised a Catholic but gave up on it after seeing how screwed up the world really is. Even if a God did exist, I'd hate to worship someone who lets so much suffering happen. The Problem of Evil just proves that an all-powerful, all-loving God wouldn't make sense in this world, and all that bullshit about "life being a test" is, well, bullshit. It doesn't explain why good people suffer, why innocents die (what excuse is there for babies to die, before they even have a chance to prove their faith?) and why the world is generally a very dark place.

 

I've been through a lot of religions. Grew up Catholic. Was born-again evangelical in middle and high school. Went agnostic in college, especially after an Anthropology course that talked about the different religions around the world and different belief systems. Did Zen meditation for about a year and a half. Was agnostic/spiritual for a long time.
I read a lot of science stuff and Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World, Science as a Candle in the Darkness really impacted me. Before, I couldn't wrap my brain around how the universe came to be. After reading that, the concept of a God creating it made no more sense than no God. We just don't know and I actually love that. I also really love the idea that this is all the life I get. Once I die that's it. It's made my life deeper and more meaningful. This is it. Live it fully.

 

When I found out Santa Claus didn't exist! Like seriously *the sound of broken childhood dreams*
If Santa wasn't real, and neither were Zeus, Athena, Odin, Thor, then God couldn't be either
And there is no tooth fairy in Asia *sobs

 

Mainly because I don't believe in it. If everything has a creator who or what should have created god? This is how I came to my theory of a circle of life, everything happens again.

 

For me it's a lack of evidence.

 

Okay, I won't go too crazy and list every reason, for that would suffocate the thread, but I will elaborate a bit regardless.

1) The books of the main Abrahamic religions.
Okay, you could be one of those types who won't even read the book, take your parents' word for it and just say it's good. In my younger years I tried to force myself into the religion to fit in and in order to do such I decided to finally read it. Instead of proof of existence I got a slap to the face in every moral route possible. This "perfect being" is okay with torture, genocide of everyone, needless war, human slavery, killing to prove a point, rape, literally mauling children with bears, pillaging cities and "keeping the women for yourself", cannibalism, kill the ruler's child instead of him to make him suffer, I could go on.... but at the same time thinks eating shrimp, wearing mixed fabrics, falling in love, helping victims instead of selling them, a flipping fig tree, and more normal things are "abominations"
I don't know about you, but that sounds a lot more like a barbaric tribe of desert wanderers over the pinnacle of shining perfection.

2) The acts and behavior of those under it
Protecting pedophile priests while trying to limit basic human rights of women and minorities? Letting children die with "prayer" rather than seeking medical attention? Burning people at a stake? Bombing abortion clinics and flying planes full of innocents into skyscrapers? Killing us gay folks? The Holocaust itself? The crusades? Heck, the US's little escapades? Being on the wrong side of history at nearly every possible front? Where else could you get a better excuse than "God wills it!" The Nazis? ISIS? The KKK? Hamas? The Crusaders? Heck, the Westboro Baptist Church?

3) Lack of evidence combined with impressive counterarguments
The violent behavior I have witnessed told me I should hear the other side instead of blind submission. After reading the book I decided to listen to said counterarguments I was impressed, while the other side appealed to neither logical or moral standpoints but rather fear only I slowly began to change. I looked elsewhere, and I found the information I had so long been seeking. The arguments made sense, and were observable in the world around me. These people thought of me as an equal rather than a lesser "breeding machine" or silent subhuman slave. I say screw any promise of immortality, I'm going to enjoy the only life I know I have.
Another thing is science makes possible many of the prayers left forever unanswered. The plague? Cured. Dead organ? Replaced. Can't speak? That's what machines are for. Science has extended our lifespans significantly. It has given us the "next life" in a sense. Sure it takes a lot more effort to fix a problem than it does to wish it were fixed, but it's been shown to be the preferable option by far.

 

Kira pretty much nailed it, so I don't have much to say about it aside from the fact that I strongly agree with her views.
God is pretty much the villain protagonist of his own book.
A perfect being is a vague and a subjective concept.
It varies from person to person and in my opinion an homophobic, racist, sexist, vengeful being who is willing to kill thousands for the sake of it, is far from perfect to me.
However I don't think I can affirm or deny the existence of a higher power.
Thus I fall in the skeptical side of the agnostic spectrum.

 

i just can't imagine a being we cant see is ruling over humanity, it just doesn't make sense to me. plus there are so many horrible events, people and disasters that have happened, so if there is a god, they arn't entirely good. because then the world wouldn't have people like trump in it. and it would have equality. but no it doesn't. i just need evidence of a god to believe it. but i pretty much think we are on our own. and we are doing a terrible job of it so far

 

I think it was used to justify hate but also love, a lot of people got saved to under the idea of help your brother or sister. I know loads of killing and murder and barbaricness, but I dont believe without religion it would be better. I think with religion it may even kept it contained in some way. People need something to believe or something to hold on to, the not knowing makes everyone crazy. We need proof for everything, proof is also just a man made word...what is proof...

*Going ranting in a crazy hippy way*

Say you proof by picture the earth is round, what if it is just like a rainbow an optical illusion. But people flew around the world. Okay yeah..but that proof was not there at first...so how much proof is enough? Especially when it comes to outer space things.

We need proof to proof the proof

Okay time to get coffee, late night yesterday.

BTW im not atheist I do believe in god...yes..

 

To borrow words from others like Ricky Gervais, when you think about it, everyone's an atheist more than they are a theist. If there are say 3,000 currently followed gods, and a person believes in one, then they don't believe in 2,999. I just believe in one less.

 

Even if "God" or some higher power existed I would not worship them. Look at the world around us for the answer as to why.