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Top Myths About Atheism & Atheists: Answers, Refutations, Responses
Posted: September 3, 2009.
Print: About.com
- Atheism is a Denial of God That Requires Faith:
The most common misunderstanding about atheism is the definition. Many insist that atheism is really the denial of the existence of God, but there are two errors here. First, it pretends that atheism is exclusively about their god, the god common to Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Second, it focuses on a narrow sub-set of atheism and atheists to the exclusion of all others. Standard dictionary definitions list “denial of God or gods” second; first comes “disbelief in god or Gods.” Disbelief is not the same as denial, it’s either the absence of belief or the presence of skepticism.
- Atheists Choose to Disbelieve in God:
I frequently hear the claim that atheists choose atheism, usually for some morally blameworthy reason like a desire to avoid taking responsibility for their sins. My response is basically the same every time: You may not believe me, but I didn’t choose any such thing, and I can’t just ‘choose’ to start believing. Maybe you can, but I can’t. I do not believe in any gods. Evidence would make me believe in some god, but all the playacting in the world isn’t going to change that. It’s arguable, in fact, that no beliefs are choices that people can simply change their minds about.
- What is a “Real” Atheist? How Do “Real” Atheists Behave?:
One effective means for critiquing a belief system and/or its adherents is to point out significant contradictions between how believers behave and the ideals they espouse. These contradictions can suggest that they don’t really believe what they say, that the ideals aren’t taken seriously, that the system teaches worse things, etc. Atheists do this with religion frequently, but can religious theists do it with atheism? They try by presuming to say how “real” atheists would or would not behave. These arguments fail because atheism isn’t a philosophy that compels any particular behavior.
“To remedy this i think you need to firm up your footings a little and provide a little information outside of the request for respect of possibility. To provide information from your ‘external position’ that will allow an evaluation of that position.”
Well it would do little good or be of any value to firm up my footings as you stated. This has been my point all along the materialist as the religious have already made up their mind as to what is reality.
My point has been one must show interest and do their own reading and study. Even that can be futile. A preacher can study for 50 years and reach the same conclusion he or she reached the first year of study and research. Now the same does not always apply for an atheist. A significant emotional event can happen in their lives and cause some of them to seek outside their cherished beliefs.
I have a friend that when anything comes on TV that does not agree with his religions beliefs he in an instant flips the channel. I guarantee you if you asked him if he had an open mind he would state, “Yes of course”. That is the power of paradigms they are hidden from our view and they have a profound effect on our lives.
The Internet is full of such stories. This has been my position all along that atheism based in materialism can be as much of a religion in their self-confirmatory beliefs as a fundamentalist religious person.
If you will note on here with now over 100 posts many of those comments have been character assassinations or personal attacks. These personal attacks are living proof of how atheism is as much of a religion as religious fundamentalism. These attacks have proved my point much more than I ever could with my writings.
Both sides attack; as I was just told I had the mindset of a criminal from a person that claims he discovered the first scientific proof of God. That one was a new one for me. Now I may deserve all of those personal attacks, as my words are harsh and very threatening to those that hold cherished beliefs and who doesn’t hold cherished beliefs.
One of my beliefs Ben is that personal attacks are based in doubt not certainty. One who holds certainty has no need to attack. When the ego feels threatened with its beliefs it attacks and projects outward with an air of certainty.
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