Is there such a thing as an atheist?

[Simona25]

Would I ever take the view that Zeus might exist? No, I would not. Zeus has also remained silent on the matter of his existence, but that does not make me an agnostic on the question of his existence. Without evidence to the contrary I am just going to assume no Zeus exists. Why would I make an exception with God? I see no more evidence for Yahweh than I see for Zeus. I don't see why I should hold out the possibility that one or the other, or both, might exist.

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

We believe and confess the resurrected Christ.

 

[nl]

...I see no more evidence for Yahweh than I see for Zeus. I don't see why I should hold out the possibility that one or the other, or both, might exist.

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

Science shows that the universe had a beginning. Someone launched that beginning.

Earth provides us with a home. Someone put that home there. (Thank you, God, for that current home.)

Existence without causation makes no logical sense (Sorry, Cycel, but it doesn't.).

(PaulHannah, welcome.)

 

[Sirk]

Cycel. It is obvious how you have set your heart...to not believe in God. Why have have you dug in your heals? Does it make your life easier and make more sense. To what bar do you hold your character too? To what truth dovyou examine your life against? Was the polishing wheel of God too much for you? Did you lose a loved one? You said earlier that you left the fold because God didnt answer you. Why did you set yourself up for failure? Who or what is your god now....and be honest....you can't live in a vacuum.

 

[nl]

It is obvious how you have set your heart...to not believe in God.

Source: Biblia blog

 

[PaulHannah]

You need evidence to belive in God? But...if you have evidence, faith would dissapear automatically if you understand what I mean. QUOTE]

Faith is belief without evidence. I am proud that I have none.
Belief without evidence is a very poor way to discover the nature of the universe and our corner of it.

As evidence for this statement, I refer you to the knowledge explosion that came immediately upon the enlightenment and the development of the scientific method. We have leapt forward in our understanding since then easily outstripping the knowledge of the last thousand years.

 

[phil112]

...............................
Faith is belief without evidence. I am proud that I have none..............................

You are completely wrong when you say that.
Hebrews 11:1

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

 

[nl]

You need evidence to belive in God? But...if you have evidence, faith would dissapear automatically if you understand what I mean. QUOTE]

Faith is belief without evidence. I am proud that I have none.
Belief without evidence is a very poor way to discover the nature of the universe and our corner of it.

As evidence for this statement, I refer you to the knowledge explosion that came immediately upon the enlightenment and the development of the scientific method. We have leapt forward in our understanding since then easily outstripping the knowledge of the last thousand years.

Q. Why is good music enjoyable? I don't see that we can rationally explain it.
Q. What is beauty? I don't see that we can rationally explain it.
Q. What is conscience and the intangible moral sense of righteousness and injustice?
Q. How can there be a beginning to the universe and not have a cause to that beginning? A. There must be a cause. If there must be a cause, then there must be a god.
Q. Why is the universe so orderly as well as the laws of physics that order it? A. There must be a cause...
Q. How is the earth sustained so well with so many ecological and physical factors in a delicate balance? A. There must be a cause...
Q. When evidence points towards God, will you follow the evidence?

 

[nl]

Faith is belief without evidence. I am proud that I have none.
Belief without evidence is a very poor way to discover the nature of the universe and our corner of it.

As evidence for this statement, I refer you to the knowledge explosion that came immediately upon the enlightenment and the development of the scientific method. We have leapt forward in our understanding since then easily outstripping the knowledge of the last thousand years.

Q. Why is good music enjoyable? I don't see that we can rationally explain it.
Q. What is beauty? I don't see that we can rationally explain it.
Q. What is conscience and the intangible moral sense of righteousness and injustice?
Q. How can there be a beginning to the universe and not have a cause to that beginning? A. There must be a cause. If there must be a cause, then there must be a god.
Q. Why is the universe so orderly as well as the laws of physics that order it? A. There must be a cause...
Q. How is the earth sustained so well with so many ecological and physical factors in a delicate balance? A. There must be a cause...
Q. When evidence points towards God, will you follow the evidence?

 

[mustaphadrink]

Q. When evidence points towards God, will you follow the evidence?

An interesting question nl. On another forum an atheist said that even if you provide evidence we still won't believe. A case of my mind is made up. Don,t bother me with the facts.

 

[mustaphadrink]

You need evidence to belive in God? But...if you have evidence, faith would dissapear automatically if you understand what I mean. QUOTE]

As evidence for this statement, I refer you to the knowledge explosion that came immediately upon the enlightenment and the development of the scientific method. We have leapt forward in our understanding since then easily outstripping the knowledge of the last thousand years.

Ha, ha. The development of science happened LONG BEFORE and without the Enlightenment. Classic examples are the Pyramids in Egypt and the Aztec dynasty and the scientific understanding that happened in the B.C. era.

All the Enlightenment did was to discover what God had already created. The Enlightenment didn't invent gravity. The understanding of flight was there since God created the first bird. Maybe man didn't understand it but God did.

 

[Cycel]

Music touches the soul. The influence of music to touch the soul is seen and experienced widely. How music influences us is, I think, not rationally understood. How music influences us is understood intuitively.

I spoke a while back with an acquaintance who I think is a Christian. She was surprised when I told her that Imagine was a song about absence of religion. She'd always interpreted it to mean that Lennon was religious. Just goes to show that we see what we want to see.

 

[Cycel]

Would I ever take the view that Zeus might exist? No, I would not. Zeus has also remained silent on the matter of his existence, but that does not make me an agnostic on the question of his existence. Without evidence to the contrary I am just going to assume no Zeus exists. Why would I make an exception with God? I see no more evidence for Yahweh than I see for Zeus.

We believe and confess the resurrected Christ.

Yes, I know, but that is not really an answer to the point I made above. What you are really saying is you have faith in the existence of God and of the faith claims this belief rests upon. Is that any different than the faith claims of ancient believers in Zeus? If you read the ancient literature you will find all sorts of attestations as to the presence and the power of the gods.

I am only saying that if I cannot detect the presence God, any more than I can detect the presence of the ancient gods – and I am justified in not believing in their existence – why should things stand differently with the Christian deity?

 

[Sirk]

Yes, I know, but that is not really an answer to the point I made above. What you are really saying is you have faith in the existence of God and of the faith claims this belief rests upon. Is that any different than the faith claims of ancient believers in Zeus? If you read the ancient literature you will find all sorts of attestations as to the presence and the power of the gods.

I am only saying that if I cannot detect the presence God, any more than I can detect the presence of the ancient gods – and I am justified in not believing in their existence – why should things stand differently with the Christian deity?

Maybe Zeus does exist and it was just a different name for satan. Satan is gonna use whatever way that is best for him to influence the culture at the given time.

 

[Timeline]

God answers prayers. Those of us that have had prayers answered know that God exists. And more, we know that God is loving. I know you will claim that worshippers of Zeus claimed answered prayers - and there goes the circular reasoning. God shouts His existence in all of nature. It seems that those that have been all but completely removed from nature (cities) tend to have a more difficult time seeing God through the concrete, asphalt, and steel. "Knowledge" as it is called also plays a large role in disbelief. Sometimes things that we think we know keeps us from seeing, learning, and loving (that would be pure, Godly love)

 

[Spokenpassage]

The thing about those mythological "gods" is that people made them out to be too human like, especially in their moral character.

I'm glad God Himself isn't like those fakies. How about we stick to the truth and stop with the mythological stuff.

 

[Cycel]

Faith is belief without evidence.

You are completely wrong when you say that.
Hebrews 11:1 (Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.)

It seems to me that Hebrews 11:1 just corroborates what PaulHannah stated.

 

[Timeline]

It seems to me that Hebrews 11:1 just corroborates what PaulHannah stated.

It depends on what evidence of things not seen is

But Hebrews 11:1 says that there is evidence.

 

[Spokenpassage]

It seems to me that Hebrews 11:1 just corroborates what PaulHannah stated.

Not exactly. If you read it again it states that faith is the evidence/conviction of things not seen.

 

[nl]

Maybe Zeus does exist and it was just a different name for satan. Satan is gonna use whatever way that is best for him to influence the culture at the given time.

And, aliens from other worlds also exist. They live in a spiritual dimension that science cannot yet detect. Devils, demons and angels are ways to describe them. Angels and demons have been around since the beginning of humanity. They have witnessed prior generations of human life.

 

[phil112]

It seems to me that Hebrews 11:1 just corroborates what PaulHannah stated.

Unbelievers...so had to accept their obstinance......Cycel, I've never seen you, but I don't think you are a "bot".
Substance and evidence...those are tangible things. Faith is not some odd idea, something dreamed up by a dreamer. Faith is tangible, like hope, love, hate.........it is real, it is based on reality.