Atheists on this board answer this question....

[Syriusly]

From the Atheist Foundation.......
Reaching a full potential of life before death is only afforded to those who reject the notion of life after death.
Life after Death Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc
Truly a vacuous meaningless statement because why go through all the effort of life, much less as above stated "reaching full potential"
if there is nothing here after.
I mean truly if I were a true atheist believer I'd commit suicide. Honestly. WHY would there be any purpose in going to school, having a job,
having kids! What purpose would any life fulfill if all there is was this life! Why in the hell go on?
Seriously why would any atheist want to be alive? They should commit suicide and I really wouldn't care. They have no reason to exist if they
have no belief there is a here after!

Do you know there is an afterlife? Are you absolutely certain there is one? Or do you believe it in hopes that this idea is true: life eternal?

Have you given much thought to what the afterlife is? Existence without struggle seems meaningless to me. After a million years, what's left to do? Sounds like eternal life would get very boring. I like mountaineering and skiing. Without the danger, those activities lose their thrill and their meaning. I like reading and educating myself, but in a perfect world and with universal knowledge, what would be the point? Even as a kid I got tired of summer vacation and looked forward to school. I relish a challenge, but what challenges are there in Heaven? Being with your loved ones for eternity sounds wonderful, but what's love without loss? Without the ever-present possibility of death, we lose our humanity, our identities, what makes us who we are. Unless God does a periodic mind-wipe. But then, if He does, how do we not know that we don't already live in Heaven? Perhaps that's what death is.

If you are so certain that the afterlife exists, should you not fear death? Should you not mourn those who have died whom you believe have already gone to this perfect place with no suffering, no struggle, no loss, and no end?

It's not what I believe it is what the atheist believes. If there is no life after death why the hell exist now? What's the purpose of this existence if you don't think there is something better? Hence if I were an atheist the only course of action is suicide. Again after all why waste all the energy and existence for nothing?

So sad that the only thing that keeps you from committing suicide is you believing in a god- that you don't recognize anything else in your life is worthwhile.

So very sad. I really hope you get some help, so that if your faith slips you don't end up comitting suicide.

But the point is why purpose is your life as an atheist? .

Why do you think I need a specific point? Life is for living.

I love life. That is enough for me.

Why don't you love life enough for that to be enough for you- that you need a god to prevent you from committing suicide?

 

[ChesBayJJ]

There is an after life. Otherwise our current lives are meaningless and we should have never crawled out of the microbial soup...

I have taken one small part of your post and just don't understand how you can believe such things.

From the Atheist Foundation.......
Reaching a full potential of life before death is only afforded to those who reject the notion of life after death.
Life after Death Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc
Truly a vacuous meaningless statement because why go through all the effort of life, much less as above stated "reaching full potential"
if there is nothing here after.
I mean truly if I were a true atheist believer I'd commit suicide. Honestly. WHY would there be any purpose in going to school, having a job,
having kids! What purpose would any life fulfill if all there is was this life! Why in the hell go on?
Seriously why would any atheist want to be alive? They should commit suicide and I really wouldn't care. They have no reason to exist if they
have no belief there is a here after!

You are deranged. The world continues on after I am gone. There is life after my death. If I have children and grandchildren, they are still here. Life is fulfilling and worth living for many reasons. I can enjoy the beauty of nature, the wildlife that visits my yard, the herbs and vegetables that I grow in my garden, helping neighbors and friends, doing community service, an endless variety of fulfilling things.

And as far as beliefs, I can go with the big bang and the laws of physics. With those, and the creativity of the human mind, all else follows. There is no need for a belief in an afterlife.

 

[rightwinger]

Well put

 

[Syriusly]

hmmm..the socialist mass murderers of the 20th century were atheists....they seem to have killed close to 100 million people.....sure...defenders of atheism say they didn't do it to promote atheism...but it can't be a coincidence that the greatest mass murderers in history were all atheists...can it?

I have heard that argument before but think about it- the biggest mass murderers of the 20th century- Hitler and Stalin- were both raised Christian.

Should we blame Christianity then on their becoming mass murderers?

Do you want to ignore that horrific religious wars that have killed millions and say 'but those weren't as bad so that means Atheism is bad'?

IF you are going to blame 'atheism' for the murders committed by those who happen to be atheists- then you must also blame 'Christianity' for the murders committed by those who happen to be Christians- and in that case the best you might be able to argue is "We didn't kill as many" and that is not a winning argument.

 

[2aguy]

Hitler and Stalin- were both raised Christian.

They rejected those religions and commtted their mass murders as atheists....

Do you want to ignore that horrific religious wars that have killed millions and say 'but those weren't as bad so that means Atheism is bad'?

No, those were bad....but they were violating Christian teaching....not embracing it....

IF you are going to blame 'atheism' for the murders committed by those who happen to be atheists- then you must also blame 'Christianity' for the murders committed by those who happen to be Christians- and in that case the best you might be able to argue is "We didn't kill as many" and that is not a winning argument.

Again...the New Testament doesn't say anything about committing murder in the name of Jesus or God...they are violating Christian teachings....however....social darwinism is often embraced by atheists and when one is developing their own moral code...as is advocated here by some posters...who is to say that mass murder violated the moral code created by these atheists...

and if there is no divine moral code, and we each develop our own...how can you say that hitler, stalin's or mao's is worse than yours....right? You may not agree with what their moral code allows...but it is their moral code, and they have a right to create their own...right?

You'll need to try harder....

 

[JoeNormal]

Hitler and Stalin- were both raised Christian.

They rejected those religions and commtted their mass murders as atheists....

Do you want to ignore that horrific religious wars that have killed millions and say 'but those weren't as bad so that means Atheism is bad'?

No, those were bad....but they were violating Christian teaching....not embracing it....

IF you are going to blame 'atheism' for the murders committed by those who happen to be atheists- then you must also blame 'Christianity' for the murders committed by those who happen to be Christians- and in that case the best you might be able to argue is "We didn't kill as many" and that is not a winning argument.

Again...the New Testament doesn't say anything about committing murder in the name of Jesus or God...they are violating Christian teachings....however....social darwinism is often embraced by atheists and when one is developing their own moral code...as is advocated here by some posters...who is to say that mass murder violated the moral code created by these atheists...

and if there is no divine moral code, and we each develop our own...how can you say that hitler, stalin's or mao's is worse than yours....right? You may not agree with what their moral code allows...but it is their moral code, and they have a right to create their own...right?

You'll need to try harder....

Coming from a similar set of assumptions as you, I've always found it ironic that atheists seem to be on a higher moral plane that most people. I think you need to meet a few of these atheists.

 

[2aguy]

I think the root of atheism is that they don't want to believe that there is a being out there that is greater than they are....and they definitely don't want this being to put limitations on what they can or can't do....

 

[Foxfyre]

This thread is not in any way suitable for the forum it currently resides in.

I'm thinking Badlands?

Are you afraid of something? The premise of this thread is atheists are projecting their disbelief structure in politics...
See this: In Lake Worth Florida An Atheist 8217 s Invocation Offered Thanks to Allah Zeus Satan Buddha Krishna and Thor
So again.. why is this NOT a political forum thread if atheists are projecting their belief structure into political arena?

It HAS become a political issue for sure. Some people of faith would have the government REQUIRE a certain faith based curriculum in public school while others would have the government DISALLOW anything about religion to appear in public school curriculum. Both are in the wrong, I believe, as what curriculum is included in the public school should be left up to the local school board, parents, teachers, and members of that community who support the schools.

And others would have some anti-religious or insulting art banned from the public venue while still others want anything that even possibly related to religion removed from the public venue.

Because more than 90% of Americans believe in some form of higher power and because religion has affected almost every aspect of our shared lives as Americans, to deny it a prominent place in our art, literature, and history is absurd. And yet some would do that.

So the question 'why?' is appropriate for a political thread.

 

[healthmyths]

This thread is not in any way suitable for the forum it currently resides in.

I'm thinking Badlands?

Are you afraid of something? The premise of this thread is atheists are projecting their disbelief structure in politics...
See this: In Lake Worth Florida An Atheist 8217 s Invocation Offered Thanks to Allah Zeus Satan Buddha Krishna and Thor
So again.. why is this NOT a political forum thread if atheists are projecting their belief structure into political arena?

It HAS become a political issue for sure. Some people of faith would have the government REQUIRE a certain faith based curriculum in public school while others would have the government DISALLOW anything about religion to appear in public school curriculum. Both are in the wrong, I believe, as what curriculum is included in the public school should be left up to the local school board, parents, teachers, and members of that community who support the schools.

And others would have some anti-religious or insulting art banned from the public venue while still others want anything that even possibly related to religion removed from the public venue.

Because more than 90% of Americans believe in some form of higher power and because religion has affected almost every aspect of our shared lives as Americans, to deny it a prominent place in our art, literature, and history is absurd. And yet some would do that.

So the question 'why?' is appropriate for a political thread.

And I concur 100% with leaving it up to the community. After all if you don't like the community or school many of us can move. BUT when the dictum comes from the Federal government...where can we move?
This is why to me the concept of local rule superior to Federal rule is better, i.e. at the minimum I can always move from the community!

 

[2aguy]

What is curious to me....when people say they are killing in Gods name...they are committing a horrible sin...they are killing innocent people in the name of God and he has put down in his commandments that this is wrong......so, when people are violating the rules, breaking the law...how are they supposed to be Christians as they kill people....Jesus never said..."Go forth and kill anyone who does not believe in my teachings"....did he? Seems to me he taught the opposite....and yet Christianity gets the blame for people who aren't even acting as Christians...while the actual atheists...hitler, stalin, mao, and the other mass murdering socialist atheists.....somehow aren't atheists.....

 

[2aguy]

And I concur 100% with leaving it up to the community. After all if you don't like the community or school many of us can move. BUT when the dictum comes from the Federal government...where can we move?
This is why to me the concept of local rule superior to Federal rule is better, i.e. at the minimum I can always move from the community!

School vouchers would help solve this problem...if you don't like those policies of the school you are in....pull your kid out and go somewhere else...right now....the government schools, controlled by the education wing of the democrat party, have all the say in where you can send your kids.....that is if you can't afford to pay both the taxes to support the democrat controlled school, and then pay to put your kids in a private school....

• 
• 
• 

 

[healthmyths]

What is curious to me....when people say they are killing in Gods name...they are committing a horrible sin...they are killing innocent people in the name of God and he has put down in his commandments that this is wrong......so, when people are violating the rules, breaking the law...how are they supposed to be Christians as they kill people....Jesus never said..."Go forth and kill anyone who does not believe in my teachings"....did he? Seems to me he taught the opposite....and yet Christianity gets the blame for people who aren't even acting as Christians...while the actual atheists...hitler, stalin, mao, and the other mass murdering socialist atheists.....somehow aren't atheists.....

The problem is anti-Christians use the Crusades and missionaries as their examples of events where forcing Christianity by deaths WAS a fact.
The Crusades in attempting to "free" Jerusalem in the name of "Christ" thousands were killed.
Missionaries... as much as they were trying to bring civilization to the "heathens" there was a pomposity prevalent that sometimes over rode their
Christianity!
BUT no where for sure is there equivalent "kill the infidel" commands as in the Koran. And that is happening today!
I am very humbled to call my self a Christian and a believer in many of the atheists' claims of "myths"... but even the secular sometimes pray!

[Angelina Jolie] said 'I don't know what I'm going to do so I'll do what Louie would do.' She got on her knees and she prayed for a miracle … everybody saw it … It stopped raining. The sun came out, a rainbow came out, she said, 'let's get this take' [and] they shot the take. When she said 'cut,' it started to rain again. -
Hollywood Conversion Angelina Jolie Drops to Knees in Prayer on Unbroken Set

 

[JoeNormal]

This thread is not in any way suitable for the forum it currently resides in.

I'm thinking Badlands?

Are you afraid of something? The premise of this thread is atheists are projecting their disbelief structure in politics...
See this: In Lake Worth Florida An Atheist 8217 s Invocation Offered Thanks to Allah Zeus Satan Buddha Krishna and Thor
So again.. why is this NOT a political forum thread if atheists are projecting their belief structure into political arena?

It HAS become a political issue for sure. Some people of faith would have the government REQUIRE a certain faith based curriculum in public school while others would have the government DISALLOW anything about religion to appear in public school curriculum. Both are in the wrong, I believe, as what curriculum is included in the public school should be left up to the local school board, parents, teachers, and members of that community who support the schools.

And others would have some anti-religious or insulting art banned from the public venue while still others want anything that even possibly related to religion removed from the public venue.

Because more than 90% of Americans believe in some form of higher power and because religion has affected almost every aspect of our shared lives as Americans, to deny it a prominent place in our art, literature, and history is absurd. And yet some would do that.

So the question 'why?' is appropriate for a political thread.

And I concur 100% with leaving it up to the community. After all if you don't like the community or school many of us can move. BUT when the dictum comes from the Federal government...where can we move?
This is why to me the concept of local rule superior to Federal rule is better, i.e. at the minimum I can always move from the community!

Nice concept but it rarely turns out that way. Everything in my life, friends, family, career have been built in the area where I currently live. Same with my wife. Unfortunately, that area is controlled by a theocracy. I'm thankful every day that the feds are there to intervene.

 

[JoeNormal]

I think the root of atheism is that they don't want to believe that there is a being out there that is greater than they are....and they definitely don't want this being to put limitations on what they can or can't do....

You could say that Christians might feel like they can get away with anything as well because they'll be forgiven for whatever they've done.

 

[2aguy]

You could say that Christians might feel like they can get away with anything as well because they'll be forgiven for whatever they've done.

Hmmm...and the atheists can do anything they want because no one will judge them in the end....and the only real rule for their moral code...whatever they decide to make it...is don't get caught.....especially if their moral code is not what everyone else making their own moral code thinks it should be...just don't get caught, do what you want and you can get away with it because there is no judge....anything goes....as long as you are smart, and can get away with it....

 

[rightwinger]

I think the root of atheism is that they don't want to believe that there is a being out there that is greater than they are.[/B]...and they definitely don't want this being to put limitations on what they can or can't do....

No, its more in the line with sounds like a bunch of bullshit

 

[2aguy]

It is funny though....the atheists think that they are the really smart people...they don't believe in make believe stuff....but in truth...no one knows what will actually happen to us when we die...the religious have faith and have an idea of what will happen....the atheists...they claim to know for sure...positively what will happen next.....and of course they are the biggest fools out there....

 

[tosacco]

It is funny though....the atheists think that they are the really smart people...they don't believe in make believe stuff....but in truth...no one knows what will actually happen to us when we die...the religious have faith and have an idea of what will happen....the atheists...they claim to know for sure...positively what will happen next.....and of course they are the biggest fools out there....

I think its more, despite the fact that there is a whole lot of "unknown" out there in the universe, should we really be attributing everything we don't know or can't explain right now to a god?

Also, in the way you frame it, people should be Christians to cover their bases for what could become their fate after they die. Choosing to be a good Christian for fear of consequences is a bad reason to be a Christian.

Lastly, most religious people are committed to religions they are born into. Very rarely is there a cross-over where a Catholic turns to Islam, etc. Even if people believe there is a god (rather than a lack of one), why should they assume their way of practicing their religion is correct?

 

[Where_r_my_Keys]

Atheist - n. A person who is not a theist.

That's it. It's that simple.

Theist - n. A person who affirmatively believes at least one god exists

********************************************************************************************

Atheism is the belief that no god exists. However, the nature of atheism is nuanced with complex and sometimes conflicting variants being found. In order to understand these it must first be understood that non belief in a god does not equate to non belief in spiritual or supernatural ideas altogether. And it does not necessitate an absence of beliefs on matters that theists tend to attribute to deities.

The broadest division of forms of atheism is positive and negative (also known as strong and weak) atheism. Strong atheism is a positive, affirmative disbelief in the existence of a deity. Meanwhile weak atheism is a tacit disbelief, generally without aversion to the possibility of a deity. A strong atheist will firmly disavow the existence of any deity much like a Jewish person will disavow the existence of the Devil and a Christian will disavow the existence of Zeus. By contrast, a weak atheist's non belief is justified by a lack of sufficiently compelling evidence. He disbelieves a god exists, but does not discount the possibility that a god exists. The difference can be summarized as such: a strong atheist's non belief is one of faith, whereas a weak atheist's non belief is one of pragmatism. Weak atheism should not be confused with agnosticism. While agnosticism can include uncertainty as to whether a deity exists or not, it most commonly refers to a non atheist person who does not know which spiritual system they find most compelling.

Both forms of atheism can be subsequently cross referenced against materialism, i.e. the belief that the physical world as we know it is the full extent existence. Among non-materialists it is possible, and not uncommon, for belief in other supernatural phenomena. Some atheists believe in a spiritual aspect of existence other than in the form of a deity. Buddhists are one example. Some may believe in supernatural phenomena that are separate from their core spiritual views.

Questions of ethics and morality are often a misunderstood subsection of beliefs within atheism. Where many theists tend to directly attribute ethical systems to deities (with morality being a direct measure of personal adherence to the dictations of said deities), a misconception often arises that an atheist subsequently recognize no ethical or moral system. This is not the case, however, and atheists of all forms generally find some system of right and wrong by which they live their lives. The forms and shades of these systems are just as varied among atheists as theists.

You're using old precepts... A-theism is a distant cousin of the sociopathic anti-theist.

You'll find few if any a-theists who comment on this threads. The reason is that they have no interests in the subject of theism. They're not suing buying bill-board ads, they're not suing communities to place a Godless message next to the Manger Scene, or to have "God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance to the national standard. The atheist could not care less about such things.

The anti-theist on the other hand, they're loathsome sociopaths, determined to exercise their rights to the detriment of the means of others to exercise their own rights. And they're practicing those things that have always lead straight to misery, destruction and death.

But hey... such is the nature of evil... . Right?

 

[rightwinger]

Atheist - n. A person who is not a theist.

That's it. It's that simple.

Theist - n. A person who affirmatively believes at least one god exists

********************************************************************************************

Atheism is the belief that no god exists. However, the nature of atheism is nuanced with complex and sometimes conflicting variants being found. In order to understand these it must first be understood that non belief in a god does not equate to non belief in spiritual or supernatural ideas altogether. And it does not necessitate an absence of beliefs on matters that theists tend to attribute to deities.

The broadest division of forms of atheism is positive and negative (also known as strong and weak) atheism. Strong atheism is a positive, affirmative disbelief in the existence of a deity. Meanwhile weak atheism is a tacit disbelief, generally without aversion to the possibility of a deity. A strong atheist will firmly disavow the existence of any deity much like a Jewish person will disavow the existence of the Devil and a Christian will disavow the existence of Zeus. By contrast, a weak atheist's non belief is justified by a lack of sufficiently compelling evidence. He disbelieves a god exists, but does not discount the possibility that a god exists. The difference can be summarized as such: a strong atheist's non belief is one of faith, whereas a weak atheist's non belief is one of pragmatism. Weak atheism should not be confused with agnosticism. While agnosticism can include uncertainty as to whether a deity exists or not, it most commonly refers to a non atheist person who does not know which spiritual system they find most compelling.

Both forms of atheism can be subsequently cross referenced against materialism, i.e. the belief that the physical world as we know it is the full extent existence. Among non-materialists it is possible, and not uncommon, for belief in other supernatural phenomena. Some atheists believe in a spiritual aspect of existence other than in the form of a deity. Buddhists are one example. Some may believe in supernatural phenomena that are separate from their core spiritual views.

Questions of ethics and morality are often a misunderstood subsection of beliefs within atheism. Where many theists tend to directly attribute ethical systems to deities (with morality being a direct measure of personal adherence to the dictations of said deities), a misconception often arises that an atheist subsequently recognize no ethical or moral system. This is not the case, however, and atheists of all forms generally find some system of right and wrong by which they live their lives. The forms and shades of these systems are just as varied among atheists as theists.

You're using old precepts... A-theism is a distant cousin of the sociopathic anti-theist.

You'll find few if any a-theists who comment on this threads. The reason is that they have no interests in the subject of theism. They're not suing buying bill-board ads, they're not suing communities to place a Godless message next to the Manger Scene, or to have "God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance to the national standard. The atheist could not care less about such things.

The anti-theist on the other hand, they're loathsome sociopaths, determined to exercise their rights to the detriment of the means of others to exercise their own rights. And they're practicing those things that have always lead straight to misery, destruction and death.

But hey... such is the nature of evil... . Right?

You are right

Most atheists don't give a shit about your silly beliefs. No harm, no foul
But there are a small percentage who have grown tired of others pushing their beliefs in their faces and are doing a little fight fire with fire

Christians are not too happy