Why is it so important for atheists that God does not exist?

[Tigers!]

It's pretty clear that atheism helps its adherents in various ways. If they feel it does then it does. There's no point arguing against that.

What I don't understand is why the atheists can't leave it at that?

Why is it so important for them that God does not exist? Why can't God exist?

Why can't the creation of the universe be just whatever God created? Why not God?

 

[Keith&Co.]

Why is it so important for them that God does not exist? Why can't God exist?

I suspect in most cases, most atheists don't give a toss about whether or not any of the gods really exist. What we react to is people who insist on forcing us to live our life as if we believed in their deity.
People who want to legislate the crazy shit their lawgiver supposedly told a friend of a friend of a friend of a dead guy, and make the rest of us toe the line.

 

[Syed]

It's pretty clear that atheism helps its adherents in various ways. If they feel it does then it does. There's no point arguing against that.

What I don't understand is why the atheists can't leave it at that?

Why is it so important for them that God does not exist? Why can't God exist?

Why can't the creation of the universe be just whatever God created? Why not God?

Why can't the creation of the universe be just whatever God created? Why not God?

universe created by anything except god BUT '' we dont know ''

 

[Keith&Co.]

universe created by anything except god '

You DO realize, don't you, Syed, that if i don't believe in any gods, i cannot accept gods as an explanation for anything?

I mean, do you accept the possibility that you cannot find your car keys because the Leprechaun Mafia hid them?
Or is it plausible to you that flying unicorns took down the Hindenburg?
Would you say that the possible explanations for Trump's hair are equally split between a mental deficiency on his part and a rational belief that it's the only way to protect himself from cannibalistic pygmies?

It LOOKS like you're just pissy because no one agrees with you just to agree with you.

 

[OLDMAN]

Does the truth matter Syed? If it doesn't matter, believe whatever you want. But for me, I would like to live in a world where any and every unknown is treated and an unknown and not the absolute truth. It might be nice to think there is a God (whatever that really is?) and that we would live forever with out families.
But reality and the truth point to the fact that everything dies. No one comes back from being dead, you simply cease to exist, just like before you were born. Our lives (in the big picture) don't matter (except to ourselves) any more than all the other life forms on the planet. Birds, insects, fish, die by the millions every year...and so do humans. It is a simple truth that we don't like and we try to pretend it doesn't happen. All religions share the same trait...they don't believe in death.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

It's pretty clear that atheism helps its adherents in various ways. If they feel it does then it does. There's no point arguing against that.

What I don't understand is why the atheists can't leave it at that?

Why is it so important for them that God does not exist? Why can't God exist?

Why can't the creation of the universe be just whatever God created? Why not God?

Let me try an analogy.

It's pretty clear that a Tooth Fairy helps its adherents in various ways. If they feel it does then it does. There's no point arguing against that.

What I don't understand is why non Tooth Fairy adherents can't leave it at that?

Why is it so important for them that a Tooth Fairy does not exist? Why can't a Tooth Fairy exist?

Why can't the disappearance of teeth from under a pillow be just what a Tooth Fairy creates? Why not a Tooth Fairy?

What do you think?

If it sounds harmless, perhaps you are unaware that right now there is legislation pending that will make us all include homage to a Tooth Fairy in our daily recitations. It's even going to appear on our money. Many of us will be contributing tax dollars to institutions which promote Tooth Fairy worship. And I'm not even going to mention all the litigation that will occur over this whole Tooth Fairy business. Etc.

 

[Ford]

First off I don't think that my atheism "helps" me in any tangible way. It is a lack of belief.

And I would leave it at that, except society makes it difficult. This is an imperfect analogy, but what if belief in god were like a taste for coffee. Lots of people like coffee. Most, actually. Coffee shops are ubiquitous. Like churches, they're everywhere. I've even been to a few and tried the iced mocha lattes, etc. and it just isn't for me, so I don't go.

But imagine that the coffee drinkers in your life made you feel like a bad person for not joining them at Starbucks. When you didn't take your kids to Starbucks and get them hooked on coffee at a young age it caused a family argument. Or you're in college just trying to get to class when some asshole comes up and tries to put a cup of coffee in your hand and no matter how politely you refuse he keeps hounding you every morning. Then on a weekend when you're trying to sleep in or get some housework done a couple kids from the local coffee shop knock on your door and try to hand you an espresso, insisting that you're a terrible person if you don't share a cup with them.


I don't care if you drink coffee. Whether you go to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf every morning or just enjoy a cup with Sunday brunch once a week doesn't bother me one bit.

The problem I have is with the people who think coffee is the secret to happiness and can't help but share that secret over and over again whether I want to hear it or not. And then there's the fact that coffee drinkers are trying to get Starbucks installed as the official brand of the government, trying to lead my kids in a pledge to caffeine, and insisting that I swear on a Dunkin Donuts gift card when I testify in court.

 

[Keith&Co.]

First off I don't think that my atheism "helps" me in any tangible way. It is a lack of belief.

And I would leave it at that, except society makes it difficult. This is an imperfect analogy, but what if belief in god were like a taste for coffee.

Don't forget the look of utter confusion when you decline to put any money into the office Coffee Club.

 

[Lion IRC]

Non-stamp collectors spend a lot of time talking about stamps.

WAIT - no they don't!

 

[Juma]

It's pretty clear that atheism helps its adherents in various ways. If they feel it does then it does. There's no point arguing against that.

What I don't understand is why the atheists can't leave it at that?

Why is it so important for them that God does not exist? Why can't God exist?

Why can't the creation of the universe be just whatever God created? Why not God?

Why God?

 

[ideologyhunter]

I guess I'm snarkier than the other atheist posters above. I can't "leave it at that" because following some 'smutty orthodoxy' (an Orwell coinage that I love) looks fucking stupid. And it leads to insufferable attitudes in the believers (I know, I'm insufferable to them; I get it.) And their attempts to make their primitive scriptures somehow not atrocious fly in the face of reason. And so many of them believe that whoever refuses to drink their Koolaid deserves eternal torment and will get it. And again, as stated above, they often want their supernatural beliefs to be funded by taxpayers and enacted into laws. Why should I subsidize their church buildings, their clergy's housing expenses, their religious schools? Why must I countenance their discrimination against the "out" groups -- take your pick -- as long as the discriminators can point to a deity who tells them to discriminate? IMHO, there can't be enough snarky deconstruction of daft religious beliefs. And the 'daft' is redundant.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

I guess I'm snarkier than the other atheist posters above. I can't "leave it at that" because following some 'smutty orthodoxy' (an Orwell coinage that I love) looks fucking stupid. And it leads to insufferable attitudes in the believers (I know, I'm insufferable to them; I get it.) And their attempts to make their primitive scriptures somehow not atrocious fly in the face of reason. And so many of them believe that whoever refuses to drink their Koolaid deserves eternal torment and will get it. And again, as stated above, they often want their supernatural beliefs to be funded by taxpayers and enacted into laws. Why should I subsidize their church buildings, their clergy's housing expenses, their religious schools? Why must I countenance their discrimination against the "out" groups -- take your pick -- as long as the discriminators can point to a deity who tells them to discriminate? IMHO, there can't be enough snarky deconstruction of daft religious beliefs. And the 'daft' is redundant.

I like the coffee analogy. The reason I used the Tooth Fairy analogy is because it truly is harmless and people outgrow it. They gain knowledge and awareness about where the money actually comes from.

But a strong case can still be made that the reason millions and millions of Tooth Fairy adherents exist is because there really is a Tooth Fairy, which created the practice and which sustains it. Otherwise it would simply disappear.

No, clueless adults don't try to shove Tooth Fairy nonsense down your throat, simply because there isn't any money or fear involved, unlike god nonsense. But nor do adults teach their toddlers that there is no Tooth Fairy. The kids just grow up and learn it on their own, then pass it along. It's okay because people who practice Tooth Fairy veneration leave everyone else alone. No one will ever accuse you of being ungrateful and walking in the Tooth Fairy's blood.

 

[bilby]

Non-stamp collectors spend a lot of time talking about stamps.

WAIT - no they don't!

Atheists don't spend a lot of time talking about gods or religion.

But if you constantly bang on about your stamp collection, you can expect to hear a greater than average amount of non-stamp collectors talking about stamps.

"Oh for fucks sake, shut up about stamps"

"Stamps are boring and pointless"

"Oh no, here comes another stamp collector"

"Not everyone wants to hear about your stamps"

They claim not to, but people who talk about stamps so much must secretly be stamp collectors.

Because the alternative is that stamp collectors really are tedious obsessives who impose constantly where they are not wanted. And surely that's not right. I mean, stamps bring great pleasure to life. Everyone must want to hear the Good News about the latest commemorative release by the Ghanaian General Post Office.

 

[another1]

No one will ever accuse you of being ungrateful and walking in the Tooth Fairy's blood.

Try refusing to teach a child about the tooth fairy. It can't be done. Same with Santa. They will hear it from their friends. I think The tooth fair has wormed into things for one of the same reasons Santa has. Teaching ugly lessons, that aren't necessarily true.

1: Nothing is free
2: Everyone is a liar
3: There is no magic

Kids may be better off without those harsh and false lessons, but like I said, you can't escape it. Maybe if you have them completely isolated, you can spare them, but nah, out in the real world, nah. The blood of the Tooth Fairy is on YOUR hands if you screw up the (ideally avoided) lie too early.

 

[Keith&Co.]

But if you constantly bang on about your stamp collection, you can expect to hear a greater than average amount of non-stamp collectors talking about stamps.

Similarly, Pro-life people spend a LOT of time talking about abortions.
Does that suggest the're secretly fascinated with abortions? That they actually want to experience an abortion?
Can we infer any sort of dishonesty in their stated position, based on the frequency that it appears in their conversations?
Or would that, in itself, be a dishonest interpretation?

 

[Lion IRC]

Talking about abortion is to pro-life as talking about God is to theism.
There's absolutely no inconsistency in talking about abortion if you want to talk about abortion (for or against).

But if you think there is no God, and yet want to keep talking about your view that He doesn't exist, then you are proselytizing just as much as your theist counterpart.

Enough of this lame analogy about atheism and non-stamp collecting.

 

[James Brown]

When people won't take their kids to the doctor because they believe God will heal them...

When people carve away pieces of their kids' genitals because they believe it will make their God happy...

When people kill someone because he printed a picture of a long-dead Arabian prophet...

When people kill themselves by playing with snakes because someone promised that God would protect them from snakes...

When people go to war because someone else disagrees about the status of a cracker...

When kids are taught that genocide is acceptable if God gives the go-ahead...

When people argue that slavery is okay so long as long as a religious text shows it can be well-regulated ...

When people refuse to do their job because it might help the wrong sort of people get married...

...then other people are going to talk about it.

 

[Lion IRC]

When people do whatever they effing well like because they say there is no God/afterlife.

 

[DBT]

Why is it so important for atheists that God does not exist?

Which God? Considering the claims, there are so many of them. If the clams of believers are anything to go by, there is practically a different version for each believer.

 

[bilby]

When people do whatever they effing well like because they say there is no God/afterlife.

Refusal to recognise the authority of a church or other religious organisation is NOT the same as doing whatever I fucking well like.

There are no gods. There is no afterlife. There are still rules, laws, ethics and morals.

Your small-minded insistence that such things must somehow depend upon the existence of gods, and of life after death, doesn't change those facts one iota. You are simply wrong in your conjecture.

Ethics cannot be derived from an authority.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthyphro_dilemma