Is atheism ok yet?

It's not that I don't believe in god.
I just believe that there is no god.

I'm atheist myself. You should watch Bill Maher's documentary, "Religilous"
I personally think that religion is just something people believe either because their parents believed in it and taught their children. Like teaching a child to not play with the stove, they teach the child that there is a god and he is all powerful, all wise, and all knowing. They've been taught about it so well that its like second nature to them. So in their adult life they want to teach the same values to their children.

Question almost any "Christian", and you'll find they do not really know much about what they believe.

I'm not a christian anymore, but neither am I an atheist either.

I have nothing against atheism itself, but most of the people I've seen online who claim to be atheists are self-righteous jerks who think that anyone who believes in God is an idiot.

I am an agnostic myself. My wife is deeply spiritual but not of any particular religious denomination or church. We make it work.Tried to read the bible in college and was confused.Tried to read it when I was in my late fifties and was even more baffled. The god in the old testament and the God in the new testament seem like two different entities.The bible seems to contradict itself too much.Maybe the real message got lost in translation.If God is just and he can do anything why do so many bad things happen to kids and good people?

Some Christian girl told me that ghandi is going to hell regardless of all the good he did because he never excepted Jesus yadada and after that I kinda lost some respect for the Christian religion. I'm happy with Buddhism. I just think everyone should except eachother because you can't change anyones mind about what or who they want to worship. There are good people and bad people. That's the only difference between you and someone else

BE LIKE ME HAVE YOUR OWN RELIGION.
Aces High§

Im not atheist, but im agnostic. What I dont get is why alot of people think that agnostic/atheist people are different. In my small town, everyone is religious, and no one knew i wasnt until they brought it up. I just tell them I dont believe, which my friends understood but I dont really want to tell some other people because they'll try to turn me into some sort of "miracle" or something.

I guess i just never thought, or cared to think about religion. It's just a part of my brain that not working i suppose.
Although I believe that the bible has very good moral codes/rules to live by, I'm not going to think that just because I'm doing them, means im doing them for god. I do them to feel better about myself mainly.

Mostly, I dont know why I'm such a nice person, I just see things I can do and do them.

I guess what I'm trying to say is no one can tell you how you feel. If you dont believe in God, then you don't. In your early years you can probably be persuaded otherwise, but how I see it, at age 18 I'm not going to change my mind unless there was some huge miracle that happened to me.

I don't wear a label. I don't believe in a higher power.

Why do you care?!?!?!?!

Truth is not dependent on popular vote.

A LOT of people are Atheists. There's no law that says you have to believe in God. Believe whatever you want, and live your life however you please. Don't live based on other peoples standards or you will be unhappy.

By the way I'm from Ireland, a country that up until quite recently was very religious. However most people I know don't go to mass or even believe in God. Even my parents stopped going to mass years ago. If it can happen on a small island where up until 50 years ago the Church practically ran society, then it can happen in the 'superpower' that is the U.S. Don't be afraid to speak out and say "I'm an atheist and I'm proud".

I'm athiest and I never want to be in a religion. If God won't let me in heaven just because i'm not christian than be it. I've been a good person all my life, and will continue to be. I avoid bad things, and try to never cheat, steal or lie. If that's not good enough for "God" then i don't know what is. So does that mean all athiest people should go to hell even if they were the kindest person on earth? i say its bullsh*t. Believe what you want to believe but "God" supposely made people with the right to steer their own life in the right direction.

i'm atheist and where i live everyone flips out over it and say i'm ignorant.

its completely normal to be atheist. we shouldn't have to worry about what other people think of us. not trying to offend anyone, but i think christians are completely ignorant. read some of the stories of the bible and tell me that someone wasn't on there period.

okay that wasn't necessary. but thats what i believe.

but i have best friend that are christians. i respect everyones beliefs. so if you just do that then people will eventually get over it.

I'm Catholic, but you have the free will to accept or reject God.

I am an atheist. I think most people follow because that's how they were brought up and because everyone else around them does. They don't want to look and feel out of place from society because they want to fit in. So they don't question.
There is nothing wrong in being an atheist. It's a minority so people will question and argue and try to change your mind, but that's expected. Stand your ground in what you believe in.

No body has a REAL good reason not to belive in God the Whole "I don't see proof of his existance" is a bunch of bull shit.I do belive in God but not follow a Religion.Their is no bible that says "Follow my religion or burn in hell". I suggest you to belive in God but have no religion that way you'll be in balance.

It is not normal to be an atheist.
You should try to be a Christian (even if only in name) in order to honor the traditions of your people. It is shameful to spit on a hundred generations of your ancestors heritage like that!

whats yet? theirs no yet.

It's normal since there's no evidence that a god exists.

Atheist - Satan puppets

God has proven his existence many times, you just need to open your eyes :-)

It's always been okay to be an atheist. It's only the irrational victims of mass delusion who ever thought otherwise.

Atheism rocks. Rock on, dude.

@ HowardMoon (20280) and author of this story

I live in South Africa, and nearly all of Africa follows the religious belief in God. Some native people here still believe in their traditional religions such as Shembe and so on, but for the most part it seems the Catholics did a good job of converting the continent. If you're interested in finding out more just for the sake of knowledge copy and past this link in your browser

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_traditional_religion

As far as I am concerned, I was raised a Christian - have been to many different demoninations for Sunday Schools and church with my friends as a kid - but have NEVER found that thing called faith that Christains swear comes to you, that you feel with fervor. If there is a God, he knows I've tried and it hasn't happened. To me science is logical, folling myths and legends isn't. I believe that this global belief in God / Gods is something that has been around since a little thinking man sat on a rock pondering the stars and wondering how we all got here so came up with a story to explain it to his tribe - or MANY thinking men for that matter who took their different versions to their tribes. I'm not against EVERYTHING the bible tries to teach us - as there are some good values instilled in there. However, I do often pick up a lot of hypocrisy. Most of what is written in the Bible is in symbolic form so it can impart any message you take away from the reading. A lot of the predictions are very general. Of course man is going to fall away from it as he evolves and understands more of his world and how things actually work. You can choose to see something as a miracle or as the natural order of life. Yes, some things are too great for us to understand yet, some things still seem strange to us with no explanation, but I'm sure as we continue to evolve we will figure it out - if we get that far what with the nuclear weapons a constant threat.

After many heated debates with friends and family I still maintain that religion is the biggest killer of man, the most evident reason for unrest in our world and dissatisfaction with our lives because it goes against everything that is inherant in our nature - it has tried to civilise us and make us able to function in a society, which isn't bad, but at the same time, it does often negate certain behaviours that are fundamentally primitive and no matter how evolved we are, those traits will always rear their heads from time to time. Think of adultery for eg : I don't think it is normal to commit to one person, that is why we all still battle with it. It is instinctual to procreate - but due to our complicated social rules we shit ourselves when a baby is conceived if it's out of wedlock. There are so many things I can argue on this topic in favour of atheism, but it's far too long and drawn out a topic to go on and on about.

Having said all that, I don't disrespect the views of others and if some people are

Ugh, these rants are pointless and lead us to no where but more argument. How would you know you were born agnostic, do you have memory of they day you were born?

Not have enough intelligence to think it through to become an atheist? Look, leave the Christians (and, why oh why are these rants here directed usually at Christianity?) alone and in their faith, leave others to live their lives as they please, as you would wish. This is just a common rule of learning to live in peace, together, no matter what background - tolerance.

A few years ago the questions and ponderings started (as I suspect it happens for most ppl at some point in their life who dare to question)and I realized I could not trust the book Christianity bases it's faith off of. This threw me into an upheaval on pretty much all fronts of my life (lol I guess I'm pretty sensitive)because you kno once that happens, the 'questions and ponderings' get a lot more menacing.
I know only one atheist well and that is my husband. But all this talk of 'no proof, no God' gets me a little confused because what I see is that an atheist's faith is in himself. The knowledge that he is in control of his life and is the one that makes it what it is. Are you not your own proof?
Anyway, I have begun to feel that way myself very strongly but where mine is much more spiritual my husbands is just more physical. When all is said and done I see no difference.
Our matter has always existed and is still a part of everything. We created ourselves. And we are God.

But morality is important.

Here's something for you

what did cavemen believe in?

Believing in atheism is itself perhaps a new religion, or philosophy. They're all philosophies and it just so happens that religion is a philosophy that believes in a higher being called "God" who is omnipotent and is the ruler of all.

That said, I'm quite spiritual (although it would be hypocritical of me to say that I'm religious, even though I'd like to, seeing as my beliefs are a mish mash of different religious), and had become more so after doing my own thorough independent research on all sorts of religions and beliefs. I'm Roman Catholic, although perhaps I'm now religious Agnostic, although such labels are probably inaccurate, as I don't try to become the label itself.

With all that said, I'm not really all for atheism, but so long as we all get along without harming each other, then they're cool in my book, as regardless of personal beliefs, we should all know inside ourselves what's truly good or evil, right or wrong.

I think Newton spent more time analyzing the book of Daniel than he did discovering the universal laws of gravitation...and he didn't live in the dark ages. He lived at the peak of the Age of Enlightenment in Europe. Nobody was burned at the stake for being a heretic. Descartes had been around for 100 years. Religion and science were practically the same thing back then...I think only a scholar could fully understand how complicated it was. Newton refused to take the sacrament on his death bed, and many people claim that this meant he no longer had faith in the church. A more accurate view is that he refused the sacrament because he had an Eastern Orthodox view of the Trinity (the Schism). If you are fascinated by atheism, and I certainly am, it is always fascinating to study what really went on in Europe for hundreds of years with the church, and not just make juvenile assertions about God's non-existence like so many people on this site love to do (not you, necessarily).

Bro, i think about it too, and everything points to God. That's my truth, find yours. Look around. I don't think all of that could be a random occurrence.

I can't understand why people make such a big deal over religion. Though, regardless, they do. Just be yourself, and ignore the imbeciles who are overly religious, and be proud to be an Atheist.
I myself don't follow a specific religion. To avoid further digression I'll stop here.

I go to church on Christmas Eve voluntarily because my Grandpa goes and I think it is a chance to really calm down and be together with people who matter to you. No offence, but Atheists are usually the most unpleasant people to encounter, and when asked about religion they often give really stupid jokes or remarks. I used to think that religion may be useless but then learned that hey it really is a good thing, unless you use it as an excuse to suicide bomb jews because you want their little sliver of land.

Let me pose this to you:

-reference "the crusades:-

If you knew that people were coming to kill you and your children if you did not believe in the Spaghetti Monster doctrine. Your children were really young and you were not sure if you could get them to lie convincingly, or were afraid they would not be well versed enough in the doctrine to pull it off.

Wouldn't you cram the Spaghetti Monster doctrine down their throats to protect their lives? Then when they had their kids they would cram it down their throats because you taught them it was "the truth," not a method to save their lives.

We were Pagans that worshipped the female because she was the vessel of life until the crusades. All the religious holidays fall on Pagan holidays.

I was raised in the Church of Christ by a minister. I do not believe any of it.

Plus...psychology shows that people turn to religion when they have nowhere else to turn. My sisters are a shining example of this. Their lives suck right now because of the economy and they have become religious again. They were not going to church on Sunday when they were making $100K a year. They worshipped the retail establishment at that time.

I could go on with this subject forever. However, if you do enough research you will see that Christianity was made up as a means to control the people.

Break Free!

My man you are not as intelligent as they say, for you posted this question actually expecting an answer rather than a God/no God debate ;)

I am a spiritual person, but it doesn't matter. I think being Atheist in today's society as long as you conclude with the phrase "but sometimes I dabble with various Eastern philosophies."

:D

Well..I feel you on where you're at, but don't accept nothing...That's a coward's way out of moral responsibility(Living a life with no higher power to answer to... Not to mention athiest for the most part don't have many GOOD organizations..Which in contrast I'd say just about every religion on earth does..I am not a practicing christian,muslim or anything like that...I just think accepting nothing is an empty miserable feeling and misery LOVES company...As far as I see it if you live a moral just life athiest, agnostic, or religious that's all that matters...DO YOUR BEST TO KEEP AN OPEN MIND!!If athiest want respect and to be accepted they need to act like more than a lump of living meat..MY MESSAGE TO THE CYBER WORLD:REACH OUT AND HELP SOMEBODY AND STOP THINKING OF YOU AND ONLY YOU.

To people that believe in a 'God':

Do you believe in Unicorns?

*sigh* faith is a hard thing to grasp let alone understand I can see how some people can become atheists...it requires understanding beyond seeing what is there and hard facts and also trust and intuition. In a way it requires intelligence beyond what people view as "traditional" intelligence. But it is not something that is unattainable. God bless you and goodluck.

Also I was watching a documentary that said that scientist pinpointed and area in the brain that controls Spirtuality. In atheists it is said to not be activated. But the brain is such a mysterious thing if you truley wanted to believe I think u could. Sometimes it is not a bad thing to "fake it till u make it" it is definitly worth it to feel the feeling of beliveing in God

Personally, I think its totally okay to be Atheist. God gave us free will, and if he wanted everyone to all be Catholic, he could! =)

I can't speak for America as I don't live there, but where I'm from acceptance of atheism would largely depend on what sort of area you live in, as in more rural areas any deviation from the social norm, be it religious or otherwise would make you somewhat of a pariah. Personally, I
can't see why what you believe would be a problem provided you don't look down on religious people solely because of their faith.

Be what you want to be but you'll see the truth at End times. hopefully a last second change will save you're soul

its quite normal to be an athiest really, except in america, but in the rest of the civilised world nobody really cares too much about religion.

The biggest problem in the world is that religion ever received any form of respect. If everyone just ignored it, it would most probably go away with time. Don't even try to argue rationally with religious people. Just tell them it's a scam, period.

I find your post full of signs that you have an above average/high IQ. I have also found that people of this type are overwhelmingly predisposed towards atheism/agnosticism. The reason? God is a logical impossibility! Intelligent people are also more prone to egoism, another stumbling block to worship of any entity higher than the self. How can an egotistical analytical personality 'fall down and worship' anything at all? It's a predicament that has haunted and tortured many avid intellectuals throughout their entire lives...but did you know that Sir Isaac Newton, founder of modern physics and widely regarded as the greatest scientist who ever lived, was a deeply religious man?