Question for Atheists/Naturalist

[For_The_Kingdom]

It has happened often, within the past 100 years, that if you ask an atheist if he believes in God, he will often say something like "No, I don't believe in God, but I also don't believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy". So, the belief in God is compared to the belief in fairy tales and such. My question is, do atheists really believe that belief in God is the same as believing in Santa Claus, or is such a statement just an over-the-top, facetious quip?

When you ride past a Church on Sunday, and you see dozens of cars in the parking lot as members are gathered inside for Sunday services as they worship their God...is that equivalent to riding past a dentist and seeing cars parked in the parking lot as the members inside share stories about a geniune belief that they have of the Tooth Fairy?

Now, if I saw cars outside the dentist and the people gathered inside for such...I would probably think they are crazy, or at least, childish in their thinking. Why? Because I don't think a rational adult with common sense can believe in such a thing.

BUT, is that the same way that someone with an atheist perspective will look at us (Church members) who are gathered inside a Church to talk about/worship a geninue belief in God?

Like, if you are an atheist who doesn't believe in God whatsoever...what do you think about those that do? Do you look at them as lost, crazy, duped, all of the above?

Some of you on here are probably former believers? Do you sometimes think, "Man, thank goodness I don't have that "God" umbrella over me anymore. I can't believe that I actually BELIEVED that nonsense".

I don't want to fuss or fight...I just want to see your thoughts.

[Blastcat]

[Replying to post 186 by Claire Evans]


[center]
The REAL world is awful
Part Two: Needing God due to pessimism[/center]

To only be surrounded by polite people is not natural.

Then I must be living in an unnatural part of the world.

I am not referring to close friends. I am referring to people we come into contact with everyday. Even with close friends, tiffs will arise.

When I have a "tiff" with a close friend, we resolve it, which increases the depth of our friendship. We should not shun disagreements with people but try our very best to resolve them peacefully.

Just drive in your car and you will see some atrocious behaviour, for example.

I've driven professionally about a million KMS. ( That's Canadian for "a lot" )

• 
  Do you know what I think is extremely exceptional? I think that atrocious behavior on the road is extremely exceptional, that's what I think is extremely exceptional.

It can land up killing someone. The point I'm trying to make is that one can't avoid horrible people unless one doesn't go out into the real world.

I'm sorry that you live in such a horrible part of the world.
Truly.

• My part of the world is just as real, but way nicer.

There is no evil without good.

• That could be interpreted to mean that goodness is needed for evil to happen.

But the morality of people on the whole is dwindling.

• Your assessment is pessimistic.

I believe in one knows what the extent of evil, as least know the worst that can be known, one would realize they have a need for God.

____________

Question:

• 
  
  If your assessment of the world was a bit more cheery, would you have a need of "God" so very much?
  
  

____________

[marco]

I don't want to undermine the suffering you went through, but I find it astonishing that you are surrounded by people who are all polite. I believe that is naivety. I am constantly being disappointed by the people around me because they put themselves first which can have bad consequences. Aren't you often disappointed in people you meet?

He isn't surrounded by politeness; he has the good nature to see nice things in other people, having experienced wickedness. Perhaps it is better to see God in other folk rather than to worship an entity that does nobody any good. When we see mostly bad in others we are perhaps looking at things the wrong way and we should revisit our way of seeing things. The world then might look a lot nicer.

[Bust Nak]

It is to me. But since you are the only one griping about improper placement, I figured you could just wave your magic moderator wand and get it to its proper place, if my judgment wasn't good enough.

I'll move it only if you want to, how atheists view theists doesn't have much to do with Christian theology.

Becuz we are right back to empirical evidence, aren't we?

That doesn't explain why you would shake your head. Isn't going back to empirical evidence a good thing, given the premise that empirical evidence is important to you?

Are we talking about mathematical truths, or moral relativism?

We were talking about both mathematical truths and moral relativism. Recall if you will, you claimed that "On naturalism, everything is subjective" (emphasis mine.)

Still conflating nonequivalent concepts, are we?

Loaded question cannot be answered, the premise that I conflate nonequivalent concepts, is false.