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Kitty4670
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16 Oct 2019, 2:15 pm

Is Atheist doesn’t believe in stuff or just God?



Fireblossom
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17 Oct 2019, 5:26 am

What do you mean by "stuff?"



kraftiekortie
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17 Oct 2019, 7:44 am

Atheists don’t believe in God, gods, or any Supreme Being or spirit.



DoTheTw1zt
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17 Oct 2019, 7:45 am

They also tend to not believe in an afterlife, or anything "supernatural".



kraftiekortie
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17 Oct 2019, 7:50 am

I’ve met agnostics who have some vague belief in “metaphysics” or some sort of vague “spirituality.”

Not atheists, though.



DoTheTw1zt
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17 Oct 2019, 7:58 am

I think personally im more an agnostic than anything.

I think there could be a spiritual truth to all religions, but most of the relugous teachings as well as the spiritual leaders themselves are prone to corruption and aren't particularly trustworthy.

Because even the holiest of priests are still "only human".



naturalplastic
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17 Oct 2019, 3:44 pm

An "atheist" is someone who does not believe in god (nor in gods). A "theist" is someone who does believe in god.

God is the target of the nonbelief of the atheist. Though folks who are atheist tend to also not believe in other things stemming from religion like an afterlife etc.

"Atheist" does not mean someone who "doesn't believe in stuff in general". Not sure what you mean by that phrase. Maybe the word you're looking for is "skeptic" ( someone who doesn't take claims at face value and demands proof for assertions).



Last edited by naturalplastic on 17 Oct 2019, 3:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

DoTheTw1zt
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17 Oct 2019, 3:45 pm

I never met an atheist who wasnt a skeptic...



Moretto
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17 Oct 2019, 3:48 pm

I don't believe anything, not even my own eyes


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AngelRho
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17 Oct 2019, 7:13 pm

DoTheTw1zt wrote:
I think personally im more an agnostic than anything.

I think there could be a spiritual truth to all religions, but most of the relugous teachings as well as the spiritual leaders themselves are prone to corruption and aren't particularly trustworthy.

Because even the holiest of priests are still "only human".

Believe it or not, I actually agree with you. Most of religion is caught between altruism and leading a life of misery for the sake of some “greater plan,” or it’s selling the gullible on pure, wishful thinking. The former is perhaps the most pervasive within much of Christianity, where the greedy manipulate those in need through guilt. The opposite is really just a mindless Hedonism coupled with broken promises and charismatic speaking. Neither approach holds humanity in any kind of high regard.

The strength of Christianity is that it satisfies the human need for salvation and desire for reconciliation with the Creator. That’s really all there is to it. Imposing collectivism at the expense of the individual, or selling outright lies, were never intended to define Christianity. I know that not all Christians are like that, but sometimes I think I can honestly see why certain people hate religion as much as they do.



funeralxempire
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18 Oct 2019, 2:50 pm

DoTheTw1zt wrote:
I never met an atheist who wasnt a skeptic...


Really? I've encountered atheists who have spiritual beliefs. Atheism isn't defined by an utter lack of spiritual beliefs, it's defined by not believing in gods. Not all atheists are also materialists, even though all materialists are also atheists.


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funeralxempire
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18 Oct 2019, 2:51 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
Atheists don’t believe in God, gods, or any Supreme Being or spirit.


Atheists can believe in spirits, so long as they don't deify said spirits.


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18 Oct 2019, 3:14 pm

I had to chuckle. I remember a man who said he was an atheist. He then went and used the name of the Lord in vain. In my funny humour I said "I thought you said you were an atheist?" I am not sure he thought my humour was so amusing. Ok. I had a chuckle. Atleast it kept me amused. Some people take themselves soo seriously sometimes!
But i will say that from my conversations about God and other peoples beliefs, I do find that most atheists are more agnostic in that they don't rule out that there is no God. They just don't know so they call themselves atheists because it is a popular word that closests fits the not knowing type of circumstance they are in. And fair enough. It is honest. I like people being honest. I respect people for their honesty.



naturalplastic
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18 Oct 2019, 3:21 pm

funeralxempire wrote:
kraftiekortie wrote:
Atheists don’t believe in God, gods, or any Supreme Being or spirit.


Atheists can believe in spirits, so long as they don't deify said spirits.

Never met a Westerner, even a New Ager, like that.

There are what are called "atheistic" sects of Hinduism. Hinduism comes in monotheistic, polytheistic, and even atheistic, flavors. Buddhism is sometimes classified as an atheistic form of Hinduism. In Buddhism gods either don't exist at all, or they exist but they are irrelevant to salvation. Its the force of Karma (moral punishment and reward) that drives things.

But Hindu type "atheism" is not considered to be the same thing as modern Western "atheism", and the two are not supposed to be conflated.



BenderRodriguez
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18 Oct 2019, 5:26 pm

funeralxempire wrote:
DoTheTw1zt wrote:
I never met an atheist who wasnt a skeptic...


Really? I've encountered atheists who have spiritual beliefs. Atheism isn't defined by an utter lack of spiritual beliefs, it's defined by not believing in gods. Not all atheists are also materialists, even though all materialists are also atheists.


You would be surprised. A remarkable number of religious people are also hardcore materialists.


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funeralxempire
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18 Oct 2019, 9:01 pm

BenderRodriguez wrote:
funeralxempire wrote:
DoTheTw1zt wrote:
I never met an atheist who wasnt a skeptic...


Really? I've encountered atheists who have spiritual beliefs. Atheism isn't defined by an utter lack of spiritual beliefs, it's defined by not believing in gods. Not all atheists are also materialists, even though all materialists are also atheists.


You would be surprised. A remarkable number of religious people are also hardcore materialists.


No they aren't. Materialism implies a strict rejection of the supernatural.

Unless you're using it in the other, unrelated meaning.


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