Why are atheists and agnostics so sad?

[hahaha3hahaha]

-deleted-

[Donelladan]

You want to have discussion about God or you want an answer to your question?

Assuming you want an answer to your question, your affirmation is made without any good argumentation. Because you quoted 3 agnostic/atheists that are sad does not mean millions of people that are atheists/agnostics are sad. So unless you can prove that atheists and agnostics are all so sad, I will go ahead and assume they are not sad. Therefore I dont need to answer your question.

[mrswdk]

You never heard of anyone blowing themselves up in support of atheism.

[thegreekdog]

You never heard of anyone blowing themselves up in support of atheism.

Google "atheist terrorism" (although, to be fair, I couldn't find any suicide bomber atheists). But I'm pretty certain atheists are not immune to suicide because of their religion.

[2dimes]

I have read and heard that Agnostiic was not an actual word. It must be by now due to so much use in the last decade.

The claim used to be it was a misnomer derived from switching up Gnostic. Because people thought gnosis was the belief in God.

Gnostics were actually a sect that believed Jesus was just a prophet and repeating the message brought by other prophets before him. I have seen posts on this site close to some of the Gnostic theories that suggest the gospel is an updated copy of other older texts.

[Donelladan]

You're wrong. Agnostic comes from greek. It always have been a real word.
gnosis = knowledge.
And when you put a "a" in front of a word in greek it means you don't have it.
So agnostic = they do not know (wether there is a god or not).

In the same way, theo means god. atheist are people that do not have gods ( do not believe in any god).

I don't know where you've been reading such a weird things like agnostic not a real word

[2dimes]

I don't recall for certain Donelladan, it most likely would have been on a forum that no longer exists but also I think there was a published article either in a magazine and/or online linked from the poster's claim. My memory is not as good as it used to be.

So no I am not wrong. I did indeed read and hear that.

I never quite agreed with anyone making the claim because if the word did not exist they should have provided a correct word because, I don't believe the main part of their claim, which was, you can not question God you had to decide if you believed in him or not.

You never heard of anyone blowing themselves up in support of atheism.

Google "atheist terrorism" (although, to be fair, I couldn't find any suicide bomber atheists). But I'm pretty certain atheists are not immune to suicide because of their religion.

Too often we see murder suicides including mothers and fathers killing their children.

Granted there are times when your family might drive you nuts. Killing your kids is difficult to imagine even before I was a parent. Those people must have suffered an actual mental issue or had an emotional breakdown, I believe it most likely there was a mental condition leading up to the event in many of those cases.

What about Sandy Hook, Columbine, Taber and other school events. Don't read the wiki list if you want to claim, "When I was a kid, no one brought guns to school." Also CNN claims The UK has a smaller guns in school problem but needs to tighten up knife laws.

I won't even mind anyone rebuttal listing people claiming to be Christians doing the exact same thing. Or groups such as the Branch Davidian rebels in Waco Texas, other than the fact Koresh and some of his followers claimed he was Jesus. Hardly what most would consider an actual Christian group.

I believe anyone harming another person can't have had much experience with the true and living God.

[chang50]

I believe anyone harming another person can't have had much experience with the true and living God.[/quote]


So that's pretty much all of us then,excepting the very young who can't conceive of gods anyway.

[jonesthecurl]

I believe the point was, not that atheists don't kill themselves, not that they don't hurt other people.
The point I believe was that nobody kills themselves for the glory of atheism or to gain the approval of, um, not-god.

[thegreekdog]

I believe the point was, not that atheists don't kill themselves, not that they don't hurt other people.
The point I believe was that nobody kills themselves for the glory of atheism or to gain the approval of, um, not-god.

I can't tell if they blow themselves up, but they certainly blow up others.

[2dimes]

Yes, Greek but Jones' point is, they don't do it because they are atheist. They just happen to be atheists. Just like priests raping kids don't represent the Roman Catholic Church. Though that one can be a bit trickier to explain. I certainly continue to have difficulty with it. For one thing, where do they get the outfit?

I believe anyone harming another person can't have had much experience with the true and living God.

So that's pretty much all of us then,excepting the very young who can't conceive of gods anyway.

Well thanks for trying to translate but by harm I was referring to physical damage or death caused intentionally.

If you're a christian and have done that I'm here to read the story. Though that could maybe use a new thread.

As for age required to have a "concept" as it were, my nephew by marriage seems to have the same concept of his religion as my wife, he's pretty young around 2 years old. His Dad is raising him a Christian.

Maybe he will later find God, that's what happened to me.
(I accidentally clicked this guy. maybe it's supposed to be there.)

[oVo]

"The universe is nothing but a collection of atoms in motion, human beings are simply machines for propagating DNA, and the propagation of DNA is a self-sustaining process. It is every living object's sole reason for living." Richard Dawkins.

"Science has no need of purpose ... all the extraordinary, wonderful richness of this world can be expressed as growth from the dunghill of purposeless interconnected corruption." Peter Atkins.

"You, your joys and your sorrows, your memories and your ambitions, your sense of personal identity and free will, are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules." Francis Crick.

Discuss.

Can't we all be content with the knowledge that human beings are all soft machine condominiums controlled by fungi? Don't worry, be happy.

[Lootifer]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I always thought:
Atheists do not believe in God. Period.
Agnostics do not believe in God but acknowledge that God could exist.

My understanding is you are correct about atheism,but that agnosticism refers to the absence of knowledge as distinct from belief.So an agnostic atheist disbelieves but does not know..in my case 'cos I think it's probably unknowable.So what really matters is what you believe, and I see a paucity of evidence for your God,or any other to be accurate.

But see, this makes no sense. What you're saying is, you're acknowledging that God could exist, but say there is not sufficient evidence for us to know. So basically, under your world view, either:
a) God doesn't exist
b) God exists, but he is not powerful/wise/caring enough to supply sufficient evidence for you to believe in him

Now there are many who just accept option A and move one.
But to think that option B is even a possibility is ludicrous. If God does exist, do you really think hes going to sit aimlessly in a cloud, watching us without purpose or reason? He has supplied sufficient evidence for you to believe in Him, there is a reason Christianity is called a belief. If you're sitting down waiting for God to come down to earth so you can test his DNA in a test tube it is just is not going to happen.

Unbelievably arrogant,why are homo sapiens one of countless mammalian species on a tiny speck in the middle of the vast cosmos even likely to register on any gods radar?

Arrogant to say we are even on God's radar? Are you serious...God created us in his image and allowed his own son to be crucified for us, and you presume that we aren't "on his radar"?

I think such knowledge is beyond our limited partially evolved brains ability to know.

In the possibility that God does exist (which you have confirmed that you believe is a possibility- regardless of how minute you think the chance is), do you really think that God would create us under circumstances where we aren't capable of comprehending a universe with God?

You seriously mis-understand what most [active*] agnostics define as "god". If god was limited to the christian deinition then you would almost certainly find 99.999% of agnostics would also be athiests.

However there is no limit to what form god might take (from the pov of agnostism). Your version of god dictated that he** created us in his image etc etc, but whos to say that it didnt actually create the universe as some lab experiment in a meta world? What if we are simply organisms on a rather elaborate petri dish?

* Apathetic agnostics dont count as the apathetic agnostism can be summed up by the term "meh"

** I always find it especially cute when christians use the term "he"

[BigBallinStalin]

** I always find it especially cute when christians use the term "he"

What is cute about HIM dying for your SINS?!?!?!

[clangfield]

All of this thread sums up why apatheism is the way forward. Stop caring, and you'll stop worrying. Hang the sense of it and try to keep yourself occupied.

[2dimes]

If god was limited to the christian deinition then you would almost certainly find 99.999% of agnostics would also be athiests.

MMMM,MM,HUME!

However there is no limit to what form god might take (from the pov of agnostism).

Glory!

Your version of god dictated that he** created us in his image etc etc, but whos to say that it didnt actually create the universe as some lab experiment in a meta world? What if we are simply organisms on a rather elaborate petri dish?

* Apathetic agnostics dont count as the apathetic agnostism can be summed up by the term "meh"

** I always find it especially cute when christians use the term "he"

Preach it brother!

[Lootifer]

AMEN!

[macbone]

** I always find it especially cute when christians use the term "he"

Why? =)

I'm playing in a GURPS game that's running through a lot of the old Ad&D classic modules. The barbarian in our group has acquired the sword Blackrazor, which feeds on the blood of its victims and gives its wielder various powers based on what it kills (watch out if it attacks magical constructs or the undead, though - the results are harmful for its bearer then).

Anyway, the barbarian is probably the most cunning of the characters. His IQ might not be as high as the wizards', but there's no better person to have on your side in a fight. He's convinced that Blackrazor is female when it urges him to give in to its bloodlust, and the sword's not even a living thing. One needn't be biological to have qualities associated with one gender or another - words in French, Death and Fate, the Earth, and starships all can be described in masculine or feminine terms. It's not the same as anthromorphism (although Pratchett, Gaiman, et. al. do employ personification).

Besides, most Muslims, Christians, and Jews refer to God using the masculine, and that's how he's referred to in their sacred texts, so there's precedent.

[thegreekdog]

All of this thread sums up why apatheism is the way forward. Stop caring, and you'll stop worrying. Hang the sense of it and try to keep yourself occupied.

I can only speak for myself, but I'm not too worried and I'm a pretty happy guy (but I'm not atheist or agnostic).

[2dimes]

** I always find it especially cute when christians use the term "he"

Why? =)

.

Angels don't have gender. Geosus said people will be that way in the resurrection. How can anyone think God would be contained by a such a limiting physical trait? Can he microwave a burrito too hot for himself to eat?

[oVo]

Besides, most Muslims, Christians, and Jews refer to God using the masculine, and that's how he's referred to in their sacred texts, so there's precedent.

Texts written by men for men in male dominated societies
that never accepted women as equal partners in life.

I've never met a depressed atheist or agnostic, but I have encountered a few existentialists that had difficulty getting out of bed in the morning.

[crispybits]

Were they also into bondage and there wasn't anyone there to untie the ropes?

[Lootifer]

** I always find it especially cute when christians use the term "he"

Why? =)

I'm playing in a GURPS game that's running through a lot of the old Ad&D classic modules. The barbarian in our group has acquired the sword Blackrazor, which feeds on the blood of its victims and gives its wielder various powers based on what it kills (watch out if it attacks magical constructs or the undead, though - the results are harmful for its bearer then).

Anyway, the barbarian is probably the most cunning of the characters. His IQ might not be as high as the wizards', but there's no better person to have on your side in a fight. He's convinced that Blackrazor is female when it urges him to give in to its bloodlust, and the sword's not even a living thing. One needn't be biological to have qualities associated with one gender or another - words in French, Death and Fate, the Earth, and starships all can be described in masculine or feminine terms. It's not the same as anthromorphism (although Pratchett, Gaiman, et. al. do employ personification).

Besides, most Muslims, Christians, and Jews refer to God using the masculine, and that's how he's referred to in their sacred texts, so there's precedent.

Well to be honest I think the whole concept of christianity cute. I mean I am not going to judge you if thats what you choose to believe, but I find the whole thing nothing more than a fairytale.

But the whole god has a gender thing stands out for me.

[oVo]

I am intrigued by the perceptions of different religious groups as to what qualifies as a so called pagan ritual by groups who's beliefs vary from their own. I mean watching all the pomp & circumstance of Catholics, the communion service ... blood of Christ, given for you... body of Christ, given for you or the basic ritual ceremonies of each and every church service.

It is a fascinating process... damning others for their beliefs,
while maintaining blind faith in your own.

Is God a volatile petty conniving sadistic despicable myopic miserable nefarious fickle douchenugget of a megalomaniac OR something else entirely?

[crispybits]

If there is a God(s) they're probably not all that bad, in fact they'd probably be offended by all the slander the holy books of most world religions seem to pin the blame on them for if they could be bothered to be aware of what some arrogant semi-evolved primates are attributing to them, which given the grand scale of time and space and whatever other wibbly wobbly stuff is beyond time and space has to be considered fairly unlikely.

I can't remember if it was this thread or not now, but I did like that response to the whole cosmic insignificance thing of "if he wasnt aware of us why would he ever sacrifice his only son for us" thing. And when I say "like" obviously I mean "rolled my eyes and mentally made some sort of Gregory House 'idiot' remark in my head"