# question for the athiests **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 19, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-athiests/285483 "2005-01-19T02:41:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-athiests/285483/101 "2005-01-30T11:17:42Z")
(I’m sure it’s been done, but really, why do you think you’re superior to an ant?) IMO, we are nothing more than big fucking ants. I’m positive there are billions of species across the universe just like us, smarter than us, or meaner than us. Stepping on me, stepping on an ant, or stepping some Shlfegorian from QFS232a is all the same. The only thing that makes any difference is JOY in OTHER’s lives. Like Princess Di. She was a sweetheart. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-athiests/285483/102 "2005-01-30T11:37:21Z")
> [@tlk1](#): > > Of course, it makes me think of other questions… Such as? I’m not demanding a return… just curious and more than willing answer anything. ---
**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-athiests/285483/103 "2005-01-30T12:11:04Z")
> [@tlk1](#): > > Thanks for the lucid, cogent replies. > > Now let me tip my hand on why I wanted the know the answers: I suspected that actively deciding to be an atheist means that these questions to some degree have had to be answered, unlike an individual that never really considers and/or confronts the issue of God in thier life. Since I am not an atheist, I had to ask to get the real answer. Like I said before, forming an uninformed opinion is foolish AND stupid. > > Of course, it makes me think of other questions… I don’t know if you realize it or not, but in spite of your good intentions, this still pre-supposes that the reason why people are moral and (perhaps) feel that their lives are meaningful is because of their belief in God. If that were not your underlying assumption, you would have no concern about people’s need to address these issues when “converting” to atheism. I am grateful to hear from people like **Siege** , who demonstrates that (despite the fact that some of the most vocal Christians in the media seem to suggest otherwise) Christianity need not be incompatible with sophistication and a sense of personal responsibility apart from the fear of godly reprisals. If, for example, Siege were to become atheist, there would be no upheaval in his sense of morality, because his faith and his morality and sense of meaningfulness in life are independent of one another. ---
**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2005, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-athiests/285483/104 "2005-01-30T12:23:33Z")
Sorry for multiple posts, but I forgot to mention: Also, **TK1** , you may be able to see why your query is being viewed with some suspicion by some posters, given that you are a new guest and have started two threads so far, each of which has brought up either atheism or agnosticism. I am by no means implying that your intentions are insincere. It is far too soon to make any such assumption. It is just that people who have watched the never ending religious battles on this board can, perhaps, be forgiven for thinking, “Oh, no, here we go again” when a thread which _ **could** _ end up with the punchline “Well, you’re all wrong, and you’re going to HELL!” rears its head. Hope you’re enjoying it here so far. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-athiests/285483/105 "2005-02-01T19:53:05Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > **Freyr** , not **Fenris** – though his tutelary deity is his namesake, not Wotan. My ears were burning so I did a vanity search and came up with this thread. Does someone need to talk with one of the local pagans on the board? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-athiests/285483/106 "2005-02-01T20:14:47Z")
> [@Othersider](#): > > That’s a poor analogy, but I get your point. You won’t find many sane people that think Zeus or Apollo are up there on Mount Olympus, but you will find many people, some even more intelligent than you or I, who _do_ believe in God. You do realize that’s _argumentum ad populum_ don’t you? > [@](#): > > I used to be so sure God existed, that I’d have bet my life on it. The way I saw it, I didn’t have much to lose. Now I know better (part of growing up and all). I probably won’t ever, on this earth anyway, be _completely_ sure one way or the other. And I refuse to believe anyone who says he or she _knows_ (either way)…after all, I’m reasonably sure there are people who claim to know God exists, and people who claim to know He doesn’t. They can’t both be right,can they? Can God both exist and not exist? That’s not logical either. The fact that some people believe _not A_ doesn’t mean _A_ is false, or unknowable. “They can’t both be right” is not equivalent to “They are both wrong”, nor is it equivalent to “It’s impossible to know”. For example, some people used to believe that the Earth was flat, while others believed that the Earth was spherical. It turned out that one group was _right_ and the other group was _wrong_. I’m not saying who’s right and who’s wrong - just that your conclusion doesn’t follow from your logic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-athiests/285483.md?page=5)