Is there such a thing as an atheist?

[PennEd]

I have no knowledge of what you might be referencing here. Perhaps you could point to something that might give me a clue?


This might be something that you and I both agree upon, unless of course by honest faith you mean something different than what I have in mind, and of course that is entirely possible.


I don't believe science feels insecure in itself, but some may well feel threatened by a cultural shift that undermines science education and science funding. If you wish to understand what I am talking about have a look at the following 12 minute clip:
Neil DeGrasse Tyson - The Islamic Golden Age: Naming Rights - YouTube


Thanks NL these are the passages I had in mind when I made my comments. I do want to respond and I will get back to you.

Bet this aint your favorite Star Trek episode. I can see you trashing it in your Star Trek collectors edition!
Cycel, didn't see Spock arguing with Uhura on her conclusion!

[video=youtube;0P1m7ZdqDwc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P1m7ZdqDwc[/video]

 

[Cycel]

Non belief in a supreme being does not negate the fact that there is a supreme being. It is a bit like me saying to someone I have just bought a Lamborghini Countach and the person replies "I don't believe you have bought a Lamborghini Countach." The fact that the person doesn't believe me doesn't alter the fact that I have bought one.

I can't disagree with you. Your argument is good; but it is also true that no belief confirming the existence of God, counts for evidence either. That any named person denies, or accepts, the existence of God is not confirmation for either position.

 

[Cycel]

Bet this aint your favorite Star Trek episode. I can see you trashing it in your Star Trek collectors edition!
Cycel, didn't see Spock arguing with Uhura on her conclusion!

Oh, but I did see. I was bemused by the ending.

 

[Percepi]

Quite the opposite. I do know what you are saying. What you don't like is that someone is able to go head to head with you and doesn't back down and can present arguments you can't argue against and don't like.

That's cute.

 

[Cycel]

Believing in a supreme being does not negate the fact there isn't one.

Wrong. A fact can be proven.

Void was commenting on belief, and belief is not a fact in and of itself. The statement, "It is a fact that Phil112 believes in God," is not evidence for God, but it may be evidence that Phil112 believes in God, if Cycel's knowledge about Phil112 can be trusted as accurate. Personally, I don't know whether I would trust Cycel to have accurate knowledge concerning Phil112's personal beliefs.

 

[Cycel]

Atheist religious gatherings have existed all throughout history, especially in the Eastern world. I would argue that many kinds of theism, especially deism, can be non-religious. Atheists also can be non-religious. I think it only becomes religion when you start having dogmas.

Just curious, what would you consider and atheist dogma? I ask because I can't think of one.

 

[Cycel]

I was pondering the word.....atheist.......I wonder if it originally meant a theist and was combined into one word.

My understanding is that the components are from the Greek: a and theist. A means without and theist means god; so atheist means without god.

A theist would be one who believes in? A higher power, but not God?

No. Theist simply means one who believes in a god or gods. If you wished to know what kind of god the theist believed in you would have to inquire. Knowing an individual is a theist provides no information at all except to inform that the person in question believes in a deity of some sort. Similarly, knowing that a person is an atheist provides no additional information about what that person believes.

What does a theist believe...can any atheist explain this? If it has any merit.

A theist might believe anything that people are known to believe regarding any given number of deities. Or, a theist might even believe something that is entirely unique to themselves. There is no way to know. The terms theism and atheism provide only the bare bones knowledge of whether or not the individual accepts the existence of a deity of some sort.

 

[TheKringledOne]

Just curious, what would you consider and atheist dogma? I ask because I can't think of one.

[video=youtube;di7_IeqauyY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di7_IeqauyY[/video]Gary Edwards can explain it a lot better than me.

 

[mustaphadrink]

I can't disagree with you. Your argument is good; but it is also true that no belief confirming the existence of God, counts for evidence either. That any named person denies, or accepts, the existence of God is not confirmation for either position.

From what I read and have seen, most atheist say that God does not exist, full stop or period as the yanks say. Such a claim is based on belief in no God so they assume that what they believe confirms there is no God then they say prove to me that God does exist.

 

[JesusLives]

I can't disagree with you. Your argument is good; but it is also true that no belief confirming the existence of God, counts for evidence either. That any named person denies, or accepts, the existence of God is not confirmation for either position.

Who would you say Jesus is? Did He exist on earth in your opinion? I'm really curious and would like to know your answer. Thanks

 

[JesusLives]

Oh, but I did see. I was bemused by the ending.

Off topic but since you are a Star Trek fan do you have the TV series on DVD?

 

[Plowman]

John 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

The proof is available for those who will believe.

A couple of years ago I watched a science program about predicting the weather. One scientist talked about how the wind played a major role in determining what the weather would do, and how science had tried to determine the origins of wind in order to better predict the weather.

He spoke about how they found that, the origins of the wind was so infinite and miniscule that they had determined that with today's technology and scientific wisdom, we would never be able to determine the origins of wind.

I found that very interesting in light of what a shepherd said over two thousand years ago.

That is just one example of proof that no atheist will accept, but it is proof non-the-less. There are thousands of other like examples and although they are no more proof their volume is additional proof in of itself.

Then there is the ten good men rule, accepted by every law court in the developed world.
Under that rule, God's existence could be proven in any court in the developed world, if that court would hear such a case.

 

[IntoTheVoid]

I was pondering the word.....atheist.......I wonder if it originally meant a theist and was combined into one word.

A theist would be one who believes in? A higher power, but not God?

What does a theist believe...can any atheist explain this? If it has any merit.

I always thought there was a Deist and a Theist. The Deist believes in a non specific creator and a non specific higher power. Whereas a Theist believes in a particular god (ie Yahweh).

 

[IntoTheVoid]

Quite the opposite. I do know what you are saying. What you don't like is that someone is able to go head to head with you and doesn't back down and can present arguments you can't argue against and don't like.

Your not going head to head with anyone. Your just making the same absurd claims over and over again.

 

[IntoTheVoid]

Crystal McVea, author of "Waking Up In Heaven"

A devout churchgoing woman who doubted God's existence for most of her life says her doubts were laid to rest when she died for nine minutes and spoke to God in heaven in an experience so indescribable it felt like she had been imbued with 500 senses.

Former schoolteacher and mother of four, Crystal McVea, has written an account of her amazing brush with God in a book released in the summer, titled Waking Up In Heaven and now wants the whole world to know that heaven is real.
"I was a doubter. I know what it feels like to doubt His existence. And to doubt that there is a place that we really go after this [life]. And now I just want to tell people that it's real," McVea explained in an interview with Fox News' Gretchen Carlson.

McVea reportedly died in the hospital on Dec. 10, 2009, for nine minutes after she accidentally overdosed on her pain medication. Almost as soon as she died, however, she said she opened her eyes and realized she was in heaven.

"I remember almost every detail. I remember being in the bed. My mother was at my feet and I remember starting to drift off — and I remember opening my eyes and telling her that I loved her," McVea told TheBlaze. "I remember just closing my eyes in that bed and I opened them and I was standing in the most beautiful tunnel of light I could ever describe."

Cool story bro, needs more Dragons though.

 

[servantotehmosthigh]

The ideology of atheists is similar to be ideology of satanists in fact they directly worship Satan for his biggest deception was to have everyone believe that the creator of all living things does not exist. Evolution was created to discredit the creator which is a total disrespect to the father because we were all created to serve him and that Satan who rebelled against him wants everyone else to rebel by which he create a system and crises to try to prove that the Most High does not against or very evil because a majority of people only perceive the father as an all loving God. In fact, the Most high has the same characteristics as man, since man is created in his image, however he is PERFECT in his ways. He is also a God of war and wrath against the evil, he is merciful, enduring, forgiving, jealous when we choose to credit a nonliving god or man over the one who created all, and so because many do not know who really God is all about, Satan causes crises to causes people to lose faith and not believe because they do not understand the Father's ultimate purpose.

 

[IntoTheVoid]

The ideology of atheists is similar to be ideology of satanists in fact they directly worship Satan for his biggest deception was to have everyone believe that the creator of all living things does not exist. Evolution was created to discredit the creator which is a total disrespect to the father because we were all created to serve him and that Satan who rebelled against him wants everyone else to rebel by which he create a system and crises to try to prove that the Most High does not against or very evil because a majority of people only perceive the father as an all loving God. In fact, the Most high has the same characteristics as man, since man is created in his image, however he is PERFECT in his ways. He is also a God of war and wrath against the evil, he is merciful, enduring, forgiving, jealous when we choose to credit a nonliving god or man over the one who created all, and so because many do not know who really God is all about, Satan causes crises to causes people to lose faith and not believe because they do not understand the Father's ultimate purpose.

So your basically saying I'm not capable of independent thought and satan is controlling my mind?

 

[Simona25]

So your basically saying I'm not capable of independent thought and satan is controlling my mind?

No. Satanism is the worship of yourself, you do your own will (in your own detriment - because you cause your spiritual death); I also believe that in a way, satanism is related with atheism from an ideological point of view.

 

[IntoTheVoid]

I thought satanism was the worship of satan.. And to worship satan would by default believe that god exists.

I do neither.

 

[Simona25]

I thought satanism was the worship of satan.. And to worship satan would by default believe that god exists.

I do neither.

I also thought the same way, but most satanists say they don`t believe in Satan or God, they just go by the philosophy "do your own will", opposed to the christian teaching of doing God`s will.