The American heritage dictionary:
a�the�ism
1.a. Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.
b. The doctrine that there is no God or gods.
2. Godlessness; immorality.
I noticed that many people appeared to believe because they thought it was expected of them (If you ever watch TV Evangelist shows, you'll see this happen. Nobody ever jumps up and says "Hang on! That doesn't make any sense at all!" - everyone sits there, nodding and Amen-ing at everything the preacher has to say. Don't talk while the vicar is speaking, don't question, just listen and accept it. Peer pressure is a wonderful thing)
Adrian Barnett. Why do people become atheists?
Many of the rules and regulations laid down by religion tend to be arbitrary or irrational, and those that are not do not appear to be Divinely Revealed anyway. People lose their faith when their religion has nothing substantial to offer, and better answers, philosophies and ways of life can be found elsewhere.
Uncontrolled vocabularies
"I try my best to make *all* my posts nice, even when I feel upset" -- Philippe Maquet
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister
Originally posted by Mapraputa Is:
Why do people become atheists?
"Thanks to Indian media who has over the period of time swiped out intellectual taste from mass Indian population." - Chetan Parekh
Which definition of God? How did the Universe begin? Where did it come from? Give me an explanation for the creation of the universe which is not contradictory?Originally posted by Mapraputa Is:
They say that the very definition of God is self-contradictory to start with, so the God how it is defined cannot exist.
Associate Instructor - Hofstra University
Amazon Top 750 reviewer - Blog - Unresolved References - Book Review Blog
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister
Associate Instructor - Hofstra University
Amazon Top 750 reviewer - Blog - Unresolved References - Book Review Blog
Mani
Quaerendo Invenietis
In many cases, atheists will say "That God does not exist", not because they choose to do so, but because, from the description of the God, it cannot exist due to contradictory attributes. In the same way that a square circle cannot (and therefore does not) exist, a God defined as (for example) all-knowing, yet cannot see into the future, cannot and does not exist because the definition is self-contradictory. If you describe your God with self-contradicting attributes which make it logically impossible, then I may safely say that such a thing does not exist as described. This is not faith - this is reason.
http://www.abarnett.demon.co.uk/atheism/atheismreligion.html
Notwithstanding his statement to Danish physicist Niels Bohr that “God does not play dice with the Universe,” repetition of this quote in a mythological context was a source of irritation for Einstein. In responding to a letter that questioned the accuracy of an article about Einstein’s religious beliefs, he wrote:
It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.
http://www.biologyofbelief.com/chapter1.htm
Uncontrolled vocabularies
"I try my best to make *all* my posts nice, even when I feel upset" -- Philippe Maquet
"I'm not back." - Bill Harding, Twister