Additionally, can a person choose their belief? You are either convinced something is the case or you are not. If fear is your reason for non-belief, then you are choosing a position - to me this seems untenable. — Tom Storm
I don't take that seriously.You are delusional. — Apollodorus
Okay, so you don't care about my claims (though for some odd reason you replied anyway). But why then should you expect me to care about your unsupported claims? Do you not see how this is connected?I don't need to support anything and I don't care about your claims. — Apollodorus
Possibly. I gave you that reply before too.I told you many times you're wasting your time. — Apollodorus
I hope that car is not still blocking my driveway by the time I head out.You only hope something is not there when you're afraid of it. — Apollodorus
People change from one religion or political system to another all the time. And that involves choice. — Apollodorus
But the question was whether atheists hope that there is no God. You only hope something is not there when you're afraid of it — Apollodorus
You only hope something is not there when you're afraid of it. — Apollodorus
Hi, I am a theist and I have a question for atheists. I hope this does not cause too much turmoil. Do atheists actively not want God to exist? I am aware that many atheists come to their conclusion because they believe God is impossible and other reasons. However, is there ever an element of not wanting God to exists? I hope this makes sense. — Georgios Bakalis
People stop believing in God when they have reasons that convince them and visa versa. 'Fear' obviously can't work as a reason for not believing in something because you have to believe in God in order to fear it. — Tom Storm
Atheism is ignorance, Agnosticism is the process of inquiry and theism is well, I’m agnostic so I don’t know what theism is. Theism is I guess the end of our pursuit to understand the entirety of the universe - the answer to all of our questions. — Benj96
By suppressing an idea that has a negative connotation for you, you may end up convincing yourself that the thing represented by that idea doesn't exist or shouldn't exist. People say all the time things like "this can't be true" even when it is. — Apollodorus
The atheist rejects theism (maybe even deism too if she is consistently inclusive), or what theists claim about (their) g/G because those claims are either incoherent, insufficiently warranted or demonstrably false. Atheism, as I understand it, denotes a 2nd order denial of what 1st order theism affirms about g/G. It's simply not the case that the atheist must have her own conception of g/G in order to reject the theistic (and also deistic) conception of g/G on its own terms. For instance, I don't need know "what $%#&!@ is" in order to disbelieve you when you say "$%#&!@ created the world" or "$%#&!@ says X is right and Y is wrong" when the evidence entailed by what you say about $%#&!@ is lacking or uncorroborated.In order to reject a god you must have a preconceived idea of what that god is. — Benj96
I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." — Stephen Roberts
I think atheism is a false concept on a rational basis. Because there is an issue with the official definition in the dictionary which renders the term “atheist” pretty useless. — Benj96
In order to reject a god you must have a preconceived idea of what that god is. — Benj96
But there are hundreds of religions. — Benj96
n essence if you aren’t god yourself (omniscient and all knowing) and keeping it very quiet, then you are agnostic (not all knowing/don’t know) but you can’t be atheist (refuse to know) towards all religions because it’s just a blind rejection of any possible description of reality which is absurd. Atheism is ignorance, Agnosticism is the process of inquiry and theism is well, I’m agnostic so I don’t know what theism is. Theism is I guess the end of our pursuit to understand the entirety of the universe - the answer to all of our questions. — Benj96
Atheism, as I understand it, denotes a 2nd order denial of what 1st order theism affirms about g/G — 180 Proof
Yes, but as far as I am aware, denial is often a fear reaction. It is a function of the defense mechanism that seeks to protect the ego from things that the individual cannot cope with or thinks it cannot cope with. — Apollodorus
It may well be that some atheists reject the idea of God on “rational” grounds. But not all people are rational, many are emotional and react emotionally to ideas and other things. — Apollodorus
I understand what your personal opinion is, but is there any scientific reason to exclude the possibility of that denial being rooted in fear, anxiety, etc. when those emotions often result in denial? — Apollodorus
any scientific reason to exclude the possibility — Apollodorus
I don't need to support anything ...
— Apollodorus
So the troll confesses! (Kiss of death (banning) on a philosophy forum – or ought to be) Okay. I won't waste anymore of your time or my own on you, Apollodoofus, here or on any other thread. Good fuckin' luck with that. — 180 Proof
I understand what your personal opinion is, but is there any scientific reason to exclude the possibility of that denial being rooted in fear, anxiety, etc. when those emotions often result in denial? — Apollodorus
If one is an atheist because theistic claims of God are false, then what matters of fact are that atheist in denial of? — Sunlight
So the troll confesses! (Kiss of death (banning) on a philosophy forum – or ought to be) — 180 Proof
Again the category error. You apparently have zero interest in reason or reasoning or being reasonable. — tim wood
There is no “scientific” reason to exclude the possibility, but only the possibility. — DingoJones
Denial is not always a fear reaction, so atheism is not always a fear reaction. So associating fear based denial with atheism is fallacious. — DingoJones
Exactly. We can't exclude the possibility on logical or philosophical grounds. — Apollodorus
I never said "always". I said "denial is often a fear reaction". That's an established psychological fact. — Apollodorus
Again category. Please give a citation. And could it be that you are confusing ordinary denial with clinical denial, which diagnosis being made, the individual diagnosed may have some issue with fear?"denial is often a fear reaction". That's an established psychological fact. — Apollodorus
If he is infinitely good, what reason should we have to fear him?
If he is infinitely wise, why should we have doubts concerning our future?
If he knows all, why warn him of our needs and fatigue him with our prayers?
If he is everywhere, why erect temples to him?
If he is just, why fear that he will punish the creatures that he has filled with weaknesses?
If grace does everything for them, what reason would he have for recompensing them?
If he is all-powerful, how offend him, how resist him?
If he is reasonable, how can he be angry at the blind, to whom he has given the liberty of being unreasonable?
If he is immovable, by what right do we pretend to make him change his decrees?
If he is inconceivable, why occupy ourselves with him?
If he has spoken, why is the universe not convinced?
If the knowledge of a God is the most necessary, why is it not the most evident and the clearest? — Percy Bysshe Shelley (1811)
Please give a citation. And could it be that you are confusing ordinary denial with clinical denial, which diagnosis being made, the individual diagnosed may have some issue with fear? — tim wood
I thought it was Christians and Muslims and such that feared their deities — jorndoe
Do atheists actively not want God to exist? . . . However, is there ever an element of not wanting God to exists? I hope this makes sense. — Georgios Bakalis
But it is wrong to assert that denial can't be motivated by fear. — Apollodorus
There is a fine line between "ordinary" and "clinical" that can only be established on a case-to-case basis. — Apollodorus
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