Splarnst

In general, I mean because you think it's true after logically examining all the available evidence. But my personal evaluation is moot.

The point is that no one else has said that atheists might disbelieve because of laziness, greed, lust, fear, conformity, etc., but only things like logic and lack of evidence. Why is that?

AV-98 Ingram

I've read the bible twice as a teenager, is that good enough to have a noble disbelief?

Did they have to? But even if some are atheists for that reason, so what?

Because most people were listing their own personal reasons for being an atheist, guessing anyone else motives for being an atheist is really only a guess.

Splarnst

I can't judge your personal situation, especially since I know so little about it.

Then they didn't answer the question properly. It asked what reasons "some people" had for being atheist, not for their own reasons. Besides, they had no qualms about assigning such motives to theists.

AV-98 Ingram

But what does it even matter if someone's disbelief is for noble or ignoble reasons?

So you're saying that logical inconsistency and lack of evidence isn't the reason that "some people" have disbelief? Even if it was answering on a personal level I don't see how the question was answered wrong because there are those who are atheists for precisely that reason. Unless the question said give an exhaustive list of all reasons why people are atheists, I don't see what your problems are with the answers given.

And like I said, it is really nothing more then a guess.

Gawen

1) What is your faith?
2) What are its basic principles?
3) Do you believe in God?
13) What evidence do you see that proves God’s existence?
None, no

4) What is God to you?

Make believe

5) Why do you believe doesn’t exist?

A preposterous concept in any form

6) What do the following words mean to you: spirit, soul, and ego?

Spirit: Glenmorangie whisky, a disposition or mood...quite secular.
Soul: Bottom of my shoes,
a certain type of music,
a vital or essential part, moral or emotional nature of a person.
Ego: The self, or an individual as self-aware with part of the psyche that organises thoughts rationally and governs action.

7) According to you, do the aforementionned words relate to God?

No

8) What do you think has to be personally done in order to feel closer to God?
9) Do you think that God may disapprove of some things we do?
10) Why do you think it may be so?
These are some of the questions Biff talked about...already loaded and preconceived.

11) Why do you think people believe in God?

There are just to many answers for this.

12) Why do you think some people don’t believe in God?

Because there's no real reason to believe.

14) Does your conception of God include notions such as heaven and hell?

NA

15) In this case, what is their link with God?

NA

16) What is your view on death?

The opposite of "alive"

17) According to you, what happens after death?

Well, there may be an autopsy, lots of depressing business with funeral directors....and family members.......sometimes a party, or a dinner, sometimes not......

18) What is your personal definition of life?

I think...therefore I am. (René Descartes)
I yam what I yam. (Popeye)

philoSOPHIA

1) What is your faith?

I consider myself a pantheist.

2) What are its basic principles?

Only one being exists and we are all components/fragments of that one complete being.

3) Do you believe in God?

Absolutely. I percieve that an eternal, ultimate, complete being exists necessarily.

4) What is God to you?

God is the universe....the collective whole of existence...and objective reality.

5) Why do you believe God exists or doesn’t exist?

Because, choosing to deny the existence of the universe, a.k.a. "god", would undermine the very method I used to question its existence. In other words, questioning the existence of existence, requires that existence exist. (I hope that makes sense.)

6) What do the following words mean to you: spirit, soul, and ego?

Spirit= The substance of life....the life-force or energy.
Ego= An identity...or the sense of a "self" that is distinct from other "selfs".
Soul= The theoretical ghost in the machine.

7) According to you, do the aforementionned words relate to God?

Well, they relate to our metaphysical assumptions...so, in my case, they do relate to the universal being (that is god).

8) What do you think has to be personally done in order to feel closer to God?

Study, observe and try to understand the various fragments of god that are available to me....in particular, the lifeforms on earth.

9) Do you think that God may disapprove of some things we do?

Well, that question personifies god, doesn't it? Approval or dissapproval, are not concepts that could apply to the type of god I perceive.

10) Why do you think it may be so?

N/A

11) Why do you think people believe in God?

God is the unifying factor. (This applies to other interpretations of god, not just panthieism.)

12) Why do you think some people don’t believe in God?

Becuase the word "god" carries negative connotations. Also, the nature of the question, "do you believe in god?" seems to presuppose that god is a personified, concious deity, which is easily rejectable.

13) What evidence do you see that proves God’s existence?

Similar to question#5...simply by seeking empirical "evidence", we must already trust the assumption that existence (god) exists. Disproving "god's" existence with evidence would result in the unreliabilty of 'evidence' in general...and if all empirical evidence is proven unreliable, our original disproving of god's existence goes out the window, too. :banghead:

14) Does your conception of God include notions such as heaven and hell?

No. Those concepts are illogical.

15) In this case, what is their link with God?

N/A

16) What is your view on death?

Death is the end of the illusionary self!

17) According to you, what happens after death?

Everything that exists continues to exist, infinitely.

18) What is your personal definition of life?

Life is a fun and entertaining way to pass the time. :thumbs:

Splarnst

AV-98 Ingram,

You're missing the point. Participants included "bad" reasons for theists even though it wasn't exhaustive, but they didn't include "bad" reasons for theists even though it wasn't exhaustive. I just find this notable.

Namaste

Thanks a lot for your replies! I will read them as soon as I have some time.
That's funny but for me, God has nothing to do with religion, in the sense, that I see God in Nature. The God of organized religions is not the one I believe in.

Biff the unclean

Then take a harder look at nature. You might just notice that it's all natural...and not supernatural.
If you see God in nature then you are deluding yourself. Get real.

Buffman

The more one studies nature, the more one will uncover the hand of evolution on the face of the earth...and the less one needs supernatural explanations.