Are you smarter than an Atheist?

[ajcorleone]

There is nothing wrong with personal belief. We are all entitled to it. The problem is when some use their personal beliefs and try to justify them as facts. The have to back peddle when they are caught double talking.I think that is what causes the issue some portray their personal beliefs as gospel.

I get your point. It's hard for me to articulate but most people tend to answer with a yes or a no. Technically everyone should be agnostic since there's zero concrete evidence one way or the other, but get why people want to identify with a yes or no side. Part of it is personal belief, what ever those may be.

[Star_Cards]

There is nothing wrong with personal belief. We are all entitled to it. The problem is when some use their personal beliefs and try to justify them as facts. The have to back peddle when they are caught double talking.I think that is what causes the issue some portray their personal beliefs as gospel.

very true. that would make everyone technically agnostic when it comes to the existence of god. being agnostic removes one's belief one way or the other. I still don't have an issue with people identifying with one side or the other and still being smart enough to know that non one can know for sure.

[shrewsbury]

I still don't have an issue with people identifying with one side or the other and still being smart enough to know that non one can know for sure.

but this is just an assumptions, how do you know people cannot know? How do you know that the moment of satori is all someone needs to "know". Knowing comes from more than just empirical evidence.

I can respect all three sides, but when someone wants to float between them, it often seems as more of a defensive tool rather than an opinion based on critical thinking.
an agnostic atheist is just an atheist buying themselves an out when faced with the fact that their belief cannot be proven via any science. but in turn uses science to try an prove their side.

now if someone just doesn't care, that is better than trying to leave yourself a backdoor out of it.

If you don't believe in a creator, fine, but at least understand why you believe that. an agnostic-atheist is someone who has given no thought or conviction to their own ideas.

[duane1969]

I get your point. It's hard for me to articulate but most people tend to answer with a yes or a no. Technically everyone should be agnostic since there's zero concrete evidence one way or the other, but get why people want to identify with a yes or no side. Part of it is personal belief, what ever those may be.

I agree. Societal influences have made it almost a requirement that you identify with belief or disbelief in god. I can't tell you how many times I have been asked where I go to church and my response of "I don't, I am agnostic" earns me a response somewhere between thinking I am joking to blank stares as they try to contemplate how I could fathom not going to church (or trying to figure out what agnostic is).

[Star_Cards]

but this is just an assumptions, how do you know people cannot know? How do you know that the moment of satori is all someone needs to "know". Knowing comes from more than just empirical evidence.

I can respect all three sides, but when someone wants to float between them, it often seems as more of a defensive tool rather than an opinion based on critical thinking.
an agnostic atheist is just an atheist buying themselves an out when faced with the fact that their belief cannot be proven via any science. but in turn uses science to try an prove their side.

now if someone just doesn't care, that is better than trying to leave yourself a backdoor out of it.

If you don't believe in a creator, fine, but at least understand why you believe that. an agnostic-atheist is someone who has given no thought or conviction to their own ideas.

I honestly don't have an issue if people float between any of the three. I'm sure lots of people waiver depending on lots of different events that happen to them personally. It's a part of growing as a person. I don't feel that people have to have definitive stances on anything let alone religion. I just don't see it as a bad thing... unless of course you are someone changing stances for some other sort outside benefit like what politicians seem to do.


I don't see it as buying an out at all. I classify myself as an atheist because I don't believe god exists, but I also know that science or anything else will ever figure out how all of this all started. It's very intriguing, but knowing or not knowing really has zero bearing on my day to day life. I have my opinions but don't have a need or desire to be on the "right" side because the way I see it there will never be a definitive "right" side.

I disagree with your statement that someone who is an atheist but also says they just doesn't know hasn't given any thought or have any convictions. I don't believe that to be true in every case.

[shrewsbury]

starcards I can respect that