sandlewood

I think the question is, or should be: “why should you be a theist?” If you find the reasons unconvincing, then you will be an atheist.

It’s not that there are reasons for being an atheist. It’s that there is a lack of reasons for being a theist. As someone has said already, there is a lack of evidence for any religion that asserts that a god exists. That’s really the short answer. The longer answer is to read up on the reasonings and arguments in threads here and also in the II library.

rebelnerd

Hello Solomon,

What's in it for me?

Just kidding, I initially was going to answer with why I was an atheist. Then I got to thinking, I arrived at the atheistic viewpoint on my own through thought and logic. Religions preach or sell their ideas to others to gain members, their money and power. If I were to try to sell atheism to somebody else, wouldn't I be doing the same thing sans the profit/power motive? Unless of course I started the "United Atheist Church Of Filo."

An atheist to me is merely a non-theist. I have nothing to sell. You should (terrible, guilt loaded word!) be an atheist if you have either had no exposure to theism or have rejected theism's unsupported premises on your own, without being sold on it. To do otherwise would be dishonest to yourself.

Filo

[ August 05, 2002: Message edited by: Filo Quiggens ]</p>

Triple Six

Solomon

If you have a genuine interest in trying to find out why life, the universe and such is as it is then you will realise that theist arguments are demonstrably wrong. By wrong I mean logically inconsistent, historically inaccurate, scientifically impossible or more likely a combination of all three. Look around the forums for longer explanations of these.

So if theism doesn't have the answers then that leaves atheism.

If you don't want to know, or can't handle the truth then carry on believing in something shown to be untrue.

Stephen T-B

Solomon:
No-one can be an atheist who needs to be a theist.

(Atheists differentiate between reality and unreality; theists have an overriding need not to.)

DarkBronzePlant

Where are these pictures, and why haven't I seen them?

One of the last sane

Well I confess there was only one. It was somewhere in a David Mathews thread, IIRC.

DarkBronzePlant

*sigh* I really must speak with the administrators about getting more Mad-Kally-towel pictures up on the site...

Morgan

I am not as strict an atheist as some, I too regard myself as an agnostic atheist.

However, what evidence is there of Creationism? Gods? The Devil? Hell? Heaven? There is one book, riddled with contradictions.

Then you look at science. It backs its findings with logic and what I like to call the "It Works!" reason. I switch a switch. A light turns on. This is simple evidence that Science WORKS. Religion gives me none of these assurances. If I pray, something good may happen, or it may not.

So, the question isn't really "Why should I be an atheist?". The question is "Why shouldn't I be an atheist?"

Stephen T-B

You wouldn't be an ahteist if you needed to believe.

Autonemesis

Because doubt is more reliable at uncovering false ideas, than faith is at discovering true ones.