Are atheists afraid of God?

[Paul of Tarsus]

In response to Stephen Hawking's quip, "Religion is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark," apologist John Lennox said, "And atheism is a fairy story for those afraid of the light."

Do atheists fear that light aka God? I would answer no assuming I knew atheists to be completely sensible and rational in their rejection of theism, but they very often aren't sensible and rational in their unbelief. In this forum, for example, an atheist said he lost his belief in God when he realized that there are different religions. When I tried to explain to him that those conflicting faiths can be explained as some of them getting a real God wrong, well, it did me no good! It's simply illogical to conclude that God doesn't exist because some people disagree about him. His atheism is obviously based on faulty logic. What's odd about these cases involving atheists using poor reasoning to reject God is that those atheists seem quite reasonable otherwise. My guess is that they fear God and wish that he doesn't exist. Atheism is for them a sanctuary from theism and a hope that reality harbors no scary God.

[William]

[Replying to Paul of Tarsus in post #1]
Christianity has shown, historically, to support both mental and physical health so there is no problem there...

True that...oh wait, what?

[Paul of Tarsus]

[Replying to Paul of Tarsus in post #1]
Christianity has shown, historically, to support both mental and physical health so there is no problem there...

True that...oh wait, what?

Let's be fair and tell the whole truth.

[William]

[Replying to Paul of Tarsus in post #43]

[William]

[Replying to William in post #44]

[brunumb]

Let me conclude this post by pointing out that these terrible arguments from atheists indicate that there is indeed something going on underneath the surface. It's hard for me to believe people could honestly use such fallacious reasoning.

The only people who truly fear god are those who believe in its existence. Christians have the most to fear if the Bible is any indicator of its actual nature. Capricious and deadly. But then again the only case for its existence is fallacious reasoning. We have no empirical evidence, just unsupported claims and hearsay. Why some Christians are so intent on convincing atheists that they do actually believe in God is something of a mystery. I think there is something going on beneath the surface. Cognitive dissonance rearing its ugly head perhaps.

[Diagoras]

Do atheists fear that light aka God? I would answer no assuming I knew atheists to be completely sensible and rational in their rejection of theism, but they very often aren't sensible and rational in their unbelief.

<bolding mine>

My reading of the first part of your opening argument is that you agree rational atheists don’t fear God. Perhaps winning the prize for quickest debate resolution ever!

To then accuse irrational atheists (or anyone) of inconsistencies is, IMHO, a bit of a waste of time. They’re irrational. This debate position then, runs the risk of treating all atheists the same, when they’re not.

In this forum, for example, an atheist said he lost his belief in God when he realized that there are different religions. When I tried to explain to him that those conflicting faiths can be explained as some of them getting a real God wrong, well, it did me no good!

Why didn’t it do you any good? Was it because no-one can prove through logic alone which god or gods happen to be the correct one ?

It's simply illogical to conclude that God doesn't exist because some people disagree about him.

Agreed. And the corollary applies: “it's simply illogical to conclude that God exists because some people agree about him”.

[blackstart]

Presently I don't have any belief in God. As far back as I can remember I never had. That doesn't mean that I state categorically that God doesn't exist. Of course the existence of such an entity is possible and I am quite willing to change my mind in the light of evidence to the contrary. So far I see no evidence of such evidence, hence I count myself an atheist.

While quite accepting of the fact that plenty of people find the idea of God to be significant in their lives, I don't. Hence I find it hard to understand why I am supposed to be afraid of a God which a) I have no belief in, and b) plays no significant part in my life(apart from cultural influences, that is). I can only state that I don't have any feelings of fear at all as regards God. I can't see why I should.

[Paul of Tarsus]

Do atheists fear that light aka God? I would answer no assuming I knew atheists to be completely sensible and rational in their rejection of theism, but they very often aren't sensible and rational in their unbelief.

<bolding mine>

My reading of the first part of your opening argument is that you agree rational atheists don’t fear God. Perhaps winning the prize for quickest debate resolution ever! some people agree about him”.

What I said in the OP was just my own point of view. The length of the thread should indicate that other people on the board have their opinions.

To then accuse irrational atheists (or anyone) of inconsistencies is, IMHO, a bit of a waste of time. They’re irrational.

I don't know if any of those issues have been settled. I also doubt that any atheist will readily admit that she or he is irrational fearing a God she or he presumably doesn't believe in. Besides, we run into the difficulty of categorizing people as "irrational." As I've explained, even supposedly rational people can at times act on their emotions rather than their thinking. So even very "rational" atheists might mentally break down under extreme stress and fear God.

This debate position then, runs the risk of treating all atheists the same, when they’re not.

I see you object to the insult of being lumped in with all other atheists. Your terror of such a fate is unnecessary because I think most members here are smart enough to realize that not all atheists are the same.

In this forum, for example, an atheist said he lost his belief in God when he realized that there are different religions. When I tried to explain to him that those conflicting faiths can be explained as some of them getting a real God wrong, well, it did me no good!

Why didn’t it do you any good? Was it because no-one can prove through logic alone which god or gods happen to be the correct one ?

You force me to speculate about that not-so-rational atheist, but at least in principle logic might well decide the real God which is a possibility he would not entertain. In any case, I'm pointing out that it's illogical to conclude God doesn't exist because some people disagree about God. Even if logic could not indicate the true God, it would still be illogical to conclude God doesn't exist based on the fact that people hold differing theologies.

...the corollary applies: “it's simply illogical to conclude that God exists because some people agree about him”.

Who said that?

[brunumb]

The "logic" in the arguments against God (at least in this forum) is as bad or worse than the reasoning employed by your "village Christian." I have trouble believing that anybody can be that stupid as to use such twisted and easily refuted arguments against God.

What logic and arguments that can so easily be refuted are you referring to?

The one concluding that God doesn't exist because we supposedly have no evidence for him is a real howler.

Can we now look forward to your easy refutation? By the way, arguments are not evidence.

I'm guessing that the answer to my question is a resounding NO.

[Paul of Tarsus]

...I find it hard to understand why I am supposed to be afraid of a God which a) I have no belief in, and b) plays no significant part in my life(apart from cultural influences, that is). I can only state that I don't have any feelings of fear at all as regards God. I can't see why I should.

I suppose where I differ with a lot of the atheists on this thread is regarding the relationship between an absence of belief in God and fear of God. You, like most of the other atheists on this board, think that the two are mutually exclusive. Since you don't believe in God, then you conclude you cannot fear God. I'm not so sure that's true. I think some atheists can be afraid of God. Psychologists know that the human psyche can harbor conflicting thoughts and feelings, so a person can fear a God she doesn't believe in.

Here's a quotation from Steven Weinberg, an atheist who avows that he doesn't like God:

Maybe at the very bottom of it... I really don't like God. You know, it's silly to say I don't like God because I don't believe in God, but in the same sense that I don't like Iago, or the Reverend Slope or any of the other villains of literature, the god of traditional Judaism and Christianity and Islam seems to me a terrible character. He's a god who will... who obsessed the degree to which people worship him and anxious to punish with the most awful torments those who don't worship him in the right way. Now I realise that many people don't believe in that any more who call themselves Muslims or Jews or Christians, but that is the traditional God and he's a terrible character. I don't like him.

We then have evidence that atheism does not rule out negative feelings toward God.