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Atheism
Atheism is the disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.
1,002 Questions
Who said 'The God that you don't believe in I also don't believe in'?
According to one source the origin is as follows:
"Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev, a Ukrainian Hassidic master, had a retort to a self-declared atheist in the town. He approached him one day and said, “you know, I don’t believe in the same God you don’t believe in.†The transcendent, vengeful, distant, patriarchal God that so many reject, I reject too. I don’t believe in that God! So, now what? "
https://bonaishalom.org/item/the-god-i-dont-believe-in-or-whose-mountain-is-it-anyway/
Opinion:
Nihilist comes from the Latin nihil, meaning nothing.
Nihilists probably follow their own doctrine that everything can be explained from the controlling laws of space-time, physics, quantum physics, chemistry and the like.
Some propound that if there is no god at all, the Universe is pointless. Science has not found a point to the Universe.
Nihilists probably insist that there is no point or meaning to anything. Science has found no meaning in the Universe.
Obviously a nihilist can be happy. Anyone can be happy. Some may revert to an explanation of Darwinian natural selection. If an organism were unhappy or upset about the pointlessness of everything, then it would just lie down pathetically and become extinct. So it is better to be happy.
It does not matter if anything is pointless, everything must just keep going. Science has triumphed in extricating the secrets of the Universe that are interleafed in the folds of spacetime. Surely humans can celebrate that, as a triumph of the human mind. One need not feel despair that we just haven't happened to find point in the Universe yet.
Yes. You do not need a meaning to be happy. Doing things that you enjoy, simply because you enjoy them, can make you happy without there being a "meaning of it all".
Opinion:
Given that the Buddha declared "The nature of life is to suffer", and that it's our attachments and beliefs that cause suffering, the path leads us to "emptiness", where we simply observe the world and other people as they actually are.
This may be viewed as nihilism, and it leads to happiness.
The Dalai Lama was asked about the meaning of life, and answered (more or less) that he didn't know the answer to such questions.
Opinion:
Basically Yes
Word meaning being evil to other people?
Generally, the word 'wickedness' is used to describe being evil to other people. The word describes extremely mean and evil behavior.
Why might it be important for an Atheist to feel this way?
I assume that "this way" means they don't believe there's a god. Putting "important" in your question makes it different from "Why are some people atheists?" I'm going to answer "Why are some people atheists?"
1. Some people are "atheists" because they're mad at "God". Deep down they still believe there is a God & hope that their atheist ways don't get them thrown to Hell when they die.
2. Some people are atheists because they can't find any evidence to support the existence of a god or gods.
3. Although our life in paradise here on Earth at this particular time in cosmic history seems like it was planned, atheists believe that it all came about by accident, through the laws of physics, which are impersonal. The universe is between 13 and 14 billion years old. Earth is 4.6 billion yrs old. That's long enough for the laws of physics to have created our paradise (Earth) and all the complex living beings on it.
4. Although the convolutedly complex ways in which living beings work are wondrous, living beings have been around for around 3.5 billion years, long enough for genetic changes to bring this about. The first life forms were extremely simple.
5. There are and have been many different religions, with many different -- sometimes very different -- gods. Do all these gods exist? Most Americans feel that only one of them exists. Some Hindus believe that 330,000,000 gods exist. Who's right?
6.Since atheists can't find any evidence for the existence of gods, they accept responsibility for trying to fix whatever problems may come their way. It's a heavy responsibility, trying to fix your problems all by yourself (with the help of doctors, plumbers, etc.). People who believe in a god or gods feel that these gods can help them, which takes a big load off their shoulders, despite the fact that there is proof that gods don't answer prayers.
7. Most atheists believe in the forces of nature, from cosmic physics to what goes on in atoms. In between the cosmos and subatomic particles is Nature -- the oceans, life forms, and more specifically trees and animals. Nature could be considered a god -- an impersonal force that runs the universe, but without a plan, appearing to "favor" some and "punish" others pointlessly. No prayers to Nature have ever been answered either. So why worship it, pray to it, have rituals on its behalf? Similarly with gods. Atheists just enjoy the positive aspects and try to get away from the negative ones.
8. If you're thinking of rejection of the Judaeo-Christian-Muslim god Yahweh/Jehovah/Allah/God, if you read the Bible, which is supposed to be the history of "God" 's creation of earth, animals, and people, you'll find that in the beginning there were, even in God's eyes, more than one god. Why else would he say "Take no other gods before me"? Reading the whole Bible, you can watch "God" evolve from a spoiled brat to (in the New Testament) a humanitarian (Jesus, although there's no proof he existed either, just claims in the New Testament).
9. Based on the Bible, the Judaeo-Christian-Muslim god appeared about 6000 yrs ago. But people have been around since way before then, and there's evidence that they believed in humanized forms of natural forces. Atheists hypothesize that humans invented gods to have someone to blame or lean on when things went badly for them, someone to try to persuade or bribe to make things change (e.g. ritual dancing to bring rain), someone to look after them, even though this has never worked, and someone to thank when things did work. Atheists don't need this "help".
Since the material existence lacks the will and knowledge for planning for the future; the future can only be attributed to the conscious living creator of the universe. Therefore, belief in the creator of the universe is the only possible basis for belief in the future. This means that the atheist claim of disbelief in the creator of the universe cannot be true.
Answer:
Playing around with the word "believe" does nothing to prove anything in this question. Most people accept that the present moment is contiguous to a past moment and a future moment, no belief in a deity is required for this view of continuity of existence. it should be pointed out that there is no "standard" atheist. The only common position they have is the that there is no deity or deities. A common or agreed on atheist position on the future is not available.
Answer:
To some degree there does seem to be evidence for the future. We know from experience that we have each had a past and that our past has moved into the present. We also know that our current present was simply the future of the past. Considering we witness this process of the evolution of time constantly it is easy to believe that there will be a future. Weather we are in it or not we will never know though.
We also know that the universe does have a beginning i.e., it was non-existent before coming into existence. Therefore, instead of future, there also could be non-existence. Besides, the human life can end at any moment without prior warning or notice.
Anyway, predictability of the sequence of events means that the universe is an organized and planned event. Therefore, the evidence for the future is basically the evidence for the creator of the universe.
Saeed H H Alyousuf
If you found a million dollars just lying on the sidewalk what would YOU do?
Take it.
if someone can afford to be careless enough to lose a million dollars they can afford to not have it. Call the police when I have walked away. A million in cash is unlikely to from a legitimate source, and I don't need the mob chasing me, thanks. I also don't want them buying guns with it. So I'd turn a corner or two, act casual, and dial 999 on my phone.
A smaller amount of money (say under 10,000) I would hand in to the police. If it's unclaimed in 30 days, I get to keep it. If not, then somebody just got back their business. I'd keep an amount under 50 quid, unless I saw who dropped it.
if it can be returned i will return it, no matter the amount. how ever i do agree with the mob comment. with that much money the cops would probably be called lol.
The correct thing to do is to take it to the police (all of it) and get a receipt for handing it in. The laws of the land will then determine what happens to it. In some cases if it is unclaimed then it will become yours legally, if it was lost accidently then you may get a reward. If none of those things happen at least you will not have the worry that the mob will be after you for the rest of your life.
How many people follow atheist beliefs?
It is difficult to quantify the number of atheists in the world. Respondents to religious-belief polls may define "atheism" differently or draw different distinctions between atheism, non-religious beliefs, and non-theistic religious and spiritual beliefs. For instance, me, A Hindu atheist, I would declare myself as a Hindu, although also being an atheist at the same time. A 2010 survey published in Encyclopædia Britannica found that the non-religious made up about 9.6% of the world's population, and atheists about 2.0%, with a very large majority based in Asia. This figure did not include those who follow atheistic religions, such as some Buddhists. The average annual change for atheism from 2000 to 2010 was −0.17%. A broad figure estimates the number of atheists and agnostics on Earth at 1.1 billion.
Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object.
From a theist point of view it is possible for an atheist to be sacrilegious however, atheist's do not believe in "sacred" objects and would therefore say no.
Gnosis or gnosism is having, basically, the knowledge of an enlightened being such as the Buddha.
The past has recorded things. We can read what people wrote, and decide if they are reliable or not.
The future is always going to be speculative, but we can make some educated guesses by looking at was happened in the past, and trying to spot patterns. Human society is complex, however, so both the past and the future remain obscure.
What is a equation with one or more variables called?
This depends on the type of equation.
Example: y=2x +2 is called a linear function. in the form of a binomial.
y= 2x^2 +3x +2 =is a quadratic function. in the form of a trinomial.
What does an atheist think your conscience come from?
It really doesn't much matter where it comes from. If you discount the "magic" theory of where ethics, morality and conscience comes from, what you are left with is that there was and is a social advantage (or good for the species) for a pattern of behavior that comes from acting in this manner.Many animals exhibit altruistic behaviour - elephants and whales support their sick and injured, gorillas are upset at the death of their troop mates, and almost all mammals and birds protect their young. Whether they feel upset (have pangs of conscience) when they cannot follow these inclinations is not known.
If by "conscience" the implication is that you feel bad or upset when you have disobeyed your god or your religion by doing things that are, by their definition, wrong - then you are talking about a trained response by the proponents and supporters of that religion. Atheists would like see this as a predictable outcome of an imposed social behaviour.
Who are some historians who question the existence of the biblical Jesus?
Historians traditionally take the approach that a person attested to by an ancient author probably did exist, unless there is reason to believe otherwise. The following is a quick list of some who challenge this view of Jesus, which could be extended with some research. I have not read most of the works cited and in these cases can not attest to the quality of the conclusions drawn:
Downing (In Search of the Historical Jesus, edited by H. McArthur) is quoted as saying, "There is now no dearth of scholars who think that the Jesus of the gospels never existed in history."
H. Raschke wrote, "The historical existence of Jesus need not be denied as it has never been affirmed".
Albert Schweitzer, the world famous theologian and missionary, "There is nothing more negative than the result of the critical study of the Life of Jesus. The Jesus of Nazareth who came forward publicly as the Messiah, who preached the ethic of the Kingdom of God, who founded the Kingdom of Heaven upon earth, and died to give His work its final consecration, never had any existence."
Pastor J. Kahl, "Nothing at all is known of Jesus beyond the bare fact that 'he existed at a date and place which can be established approximately' and that both his teaching and manner of death remain unknown so that 'the name of Jesus is bound to remain cryptic and meaningless, indistinguishable from a myth'."
G. A. Wells, author of Did Jesus Exist?
Richard Carrier, author of Sense and Goodness without God
Earl Doherty, author of The Jesus Puzzle: Did Christianity Begin with a Mythical Christ? Challenging the Existence of an Historical Jesus
Timothy Freke, who co-authored with Peter Gandy, The Jesus Mysteries.
Michael Grant, author of Jesus: An Historian's Review of the Gospels
Maurice Goguel, author of Jesus the Nazarene: Myth or History (1926)
Why is atheism a mostly Western phenomenon?
This is not correct. Visible Atheists are mostly in Western countries because Atheists in Latin America, Africa, the Islamic World, and parts of Asia risk serious violence or social setbacks for coming out publicly. A number of Atheists have left those areas to come to the West in order to promote their Atheism within the relative safety of the West. Maryam Namazie, Fariborz Pooya, Ali Rizvi, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and several others fit this mold.
What is the Missing Link and why is it not an accurate term for hominid evolution?
This is not an Atheist category question, but rather a Scientific question. However, I will try to give you a decent short answer. A transitional fossil is any fossilized remains that exhibit traits to both an ancestral group and its derived descendant group. The phrase "Missing Link" has been used extensively in popular writings on human evolution. Scientists do not use this term as it refers to a pre-evolutionary view of nature. One will often hear this term by pseudo-scientists to dazzle and awe their audience explaining Intelligent Design.
Why do atheist people think they are smarter than everybody else?
They're not. They just have a different perspective on creation and life. Unfortunately this causes conflict with people who believe they have all the answers through their own personal belief system, religious or otherwise. There are many unanswered questions about life and the universe its just that atheists tend to approach the subject a little more scientifically.
Is Richard Dawkins married and is his wife an atheist as well?
Yes, he married Lalla Ward - an actress (she was one of the old Dr. Who companions.)
They record his audio books together. They make quite a team.
In your opinion why don't religious people understand reality?
Reality frightens them and the promise of everlasting life is irresistible.
There are many reasons religious people have such strong beliefs. For most people religious belief provides a reason for living, structure, rules to live by, someone in charge of a chaotic world and a strong belief that words in the form of prayer can actually have an impact on human events. It provides comfort for those who would find it terrifying to be alone in the world and responsible for their own behavior and well being. It teaches there is some omnipotent force watching everything each human does, protecting from danger, punishing for bad deeds and rewarding for good deeds and personal sacrifice. It allows that one person whose home was not destroyed by a tornado to exclaim that, "God was watching over me!" (Few question why God was not watching over those other families.)
Religion teaches that believers are superior in character than non-believers and they will be rewarded in the "next" life. It provides an excuse for oppression and a forum in which to establish hierarchies that allow the desires of men to be expressed through the will of God. It is a way to control people. It provides a scapegoat for misbehavior (the devil made me do it). It is a way to make certain people rich beyond imagination.
What does culture universal and culture relationship mean?
Antropologist George P. Murdock compiled a list of more than seventy cultural universals. "Cultural universals - customs and practices that occur across all societies. His categories included appearance (body adornment and hairsyyles), activities (such as sports, games, joking, and visiting), social institutions (such as family, law, and religion), and customary practices (such as cooking, folklore, gift giving, and hospitality). These general practices and customs may be present in all cultures, their specific forms vary from one group to another and from one time to another within the same group." - Taken from the text book - Sociology in Our Times - The Essentials by Diana Kendall.
