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Sat, 2009-03-28 08:05 — michael1093
Question:: 
I've been a Christian all my life and have recently started thinking otherwise. I am not sure what I am Could you please give me some reasons as to why Atheism is the way to go!
Atheist Answer: 

Begin by reading around the site, where I address many of the reasons people are Christians. If you've use any of those, there's a start.

Simple stuff to get you thinking: there are many religions, and adherents to each are just as convinced they're right. Why is one lot right and another wrong? How many possible gods are there, and therefore, what are the chances you've got the right one?

To distinguish between agnosticism and atheism: if there is no particular reason to believe in any particular god, why believe that there is something at all?

This is essentially what I do when I want to make more atheists. I ask people why they believe. That's what happened to me: as it turned out, my reasons for believing sucked, and I realised the fact.

- SmartLX

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Sun, 2009-03-29 16:07 — Kferd (not verified)

My Problem.

As human beings, we are constantly in search of groups in which to belong. Religion serves this purpose for many, and apparently Anti-Religion has the same function. My number one problem with religion is that they are always recruiting to their belief-system, its never truly about spreading ideas, in the end it is all about the number of foot soldiers.

When i was re-assessing the way that i looked at life, I was all about finding a group that fit my beliefs. Should I be atheist or agnostic, and other such questions. Looking back on it I see that i was not trying to look at my own beliefs and see what group would most fit me, I was forfeiting all personal beliefs and looking for groups that i could mold into my new belief system.

If you believe that there is no god because of many obvious facts about the historical nature of religion, then that is fine. But when there are churches of atheism, and people are looking toward you for consideration in there life choices, then it appears to me that it is a religion based on irreligion; God isn't there but hypocrisy and indoctrination sure aren't leaving anytime soon.

Again, nothing against non-religious movements as a whole. I agreed with the majority of your response, but it was the "I want to make more atheists" comment that kind of set me off.

As a people, we need to find more productive things to spend our time on. Trying to prove that there is or isn't a god is something that obviously is never going to happen. People have been trying to do it for thousands upon thousands of years, and here we are in the same struggle.

-Kyle

Sun, 2009-03-29 18:22 — SmartLX

Indoctrination

Fair enough attitude, but to defend my comment, making atheists is more about confronting prior indoctrination, as it was with me.

I'm not trying to prove anything about the existence or non-existence of gods, because as you say nobody's managed either way after millenia. A god, as one of the more exotic and incredible things ever imagined, needs some heavy-duty reasoning or evidence to support. I argue that it isn't really there, so the best attitude is, "I'll believe when there's a reason to."

I wouldn't like to identify myself primarily as part of an atheist community. I'm an atheist, all right, but atheism is an absence of belief. I don't base my life on a hole. I fill it with other things.

I plump for atheism for two reasons. One, if I'm wrong I want to know, so I go where the big theist arguments will be thrown. Two, I think people in general would be better off without religious faith, because the things they find to serve the same purposes in their lives would serve them better.

Finally, I'm sure there are some religion-esque groups based around anti-religion sentiment, because forming dogmatic groups appears to be a universal human habit. I don't intend to be a part of that. It's a large part of what I don't like about religion.

- SmartLX