No, atheists do not believe in the existence of God. Individual atheists may or may not believe in some kind of creative force or prime cause, and I’m pretty sure nearly all of us believe in math.
How does atheism interfere with a worthwhile existence, unless “worthwhile” is defined as “faith-centered”?
blinks I’m confused here. I’ve never said that there was no first cause, though I’m an infidel to the core. Only that I see no reason to believe or suspect that it bore any resemblance to any god that any religion has ever posited.
I admit, here and now, to not only the possibility, but the existence of symbolic deities. No real ones, though.
And how do you figure we reign? In what alternate universe has the U.S. (the world’s most powerful country) ever had a chance in hell of having an openly atheist President, or more than a handful of atheist members of Congress? The Western world is run by Christians, which doesn’t bother me at all as long as we still have separation of church and state in America.
Millum how can you say that people cannot conceve of something coming from nothing or having no creator, and yet yourself conceiving of a God that was neither made nor created.
Atheists are not the only ones to believe that it is impossible for something to come from nothing. That is a belief heald by people in general.
Physicists and other philosophers whether atheist or theist (such as myself) are learning that the belief that something cannot come from nothing is in fact not allways correct. It can be observed through careful experiment that on a very small scale somethings are coming from nothing all the time, everywhere.
I think most atheists would beleive that the stuff that exists came into being through a process, or otherwise has never not existed. Just that the process of creation does not necessitate the existance of a concious being to make that process occur.
Gee whiz! Will you guys listen to yourselves. Semantics, boys, semantics. We are talking about hypothetical intangibles. Geez! Think a bit and examine your terms. I know that you boys are better thinkers than the weak contiguousnesses of your wordings.
Damnation! I just realized that you all don’t even realize that you are not atheists. Wow!
Milum, I don’t know what caused the universe to exist. I don’t know if I, or the rest of humanity, will ever know for sure. (Though we might, someday. Who knows?)
But the thing is…whatever is the cause of existence, I sincerely doubt that it was a supernatural creature. Much less a middle-eastern deity named Yahweh.
I’m pretty sure I could dispute this, but I’m going to wait until Milum sells his computer and gives the money to the poor and then it won’t matter anymore. Milum is kidding, right? Anytime now he’s going to yell psych and you’ll all go out for a beer? I really just had a question if anyone knows the answer. Is the religion of a politician, public record?
Why is anyone arguing with this Milum? What is there to argue? His posts in this thread contain not one whit more than non sequiturs, unsupported (and unsupportable) assertions and ad hominem attacks.
I’m actually surprised at how decent you “unpleasant atheists” have been to him so far.:)Do they have some kind of “different” religion in Alabama? I haven’t figured out what he is yet.:eek:
. . . One can only assume that the irony here has gone right over Milum’s head . . .I, by the way, do not feel “discriminated against” as an atheist in the U.S. Marginalized and disdained, sure, but not really discriminated against.
Milum - GOD told me to give you this message and he wanted you to know you’re really embarrassing him.
Proverbs 18
1 An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment.
2 A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but delights in airing his own opinions.
This has confirmed the theory that I’ve held for many years. There are (2) Gods. The one that Milum and GWB worship and the one that I believe in. “Slame” on you Milum.:o