Are atheists afraid of God?

Paul of Tarsus · Post by **Paul of Tarsus** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 6:33 pm

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.

Kylie · Post by **Kylie** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 2:44 am

Paul of Tarsus wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 9:19 pm
Tcg wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 7:12 pmNo, this is an example of misrepresenting what another has posted:

"I don't fear God..."
The misrepresentation is yours. Here's what blackstart actually said back in post 47:

blackstart wrote: ↑Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:11 am...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.
blackstart later contradicted himself when he said he can understand how an atheist can be afraid of God.

Just because he can understand how an atheist can fear God doesn't mean he needs to have such a fear.

Paul of Tarsus · Post by **Paul of Tarsus** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:12 pm

Kylie wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 2:43 amBlackstart said that they do not fear God, yet they can understand why someone (even an atheist) might feel fear when considering God.

Actually blackstart said that he didn't understand why he can fear God only to later say he can understand how/why people can fear God. So the discrepancy revolves around blackstart's ability to understand why or how he can fear God. If he can understand how an atheist can fear God, then it cannot logically follow that he does not understand why or how an atheist can fear God.

In outline we have:

1. Joe can understand how he can do A and therefore does understand how he can do A.
2. Joe does not understand how he can do A.

These two statements cannot be simultaneously true. If Joe can understand how he can do A, then he does understand how he can do A.

RJG · Post by **RJG** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:28 pm

How can you be afraid of something in which you have no belief?

Dimmesdale · Post by **Dimmesdale** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:33 pm

RJG wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:28 pm How can you be afraid of something in which you have no belief?

One can be afraid of a heart attack, yet live her whole life thinking "it can never happen to me."

William · Post by **William** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 4:15 pm

Dimmesdale wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:33 pm
RJG wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:28 pm How can you be afraid of something in which you have no belief?
One can be afraid of a heart attack, yet live her whole life thinking "it can never happen to me."

Perhaps it is the concern of having a heart attack which might also lead to one having a heart attack?

I have not meet anyone who fears having a heart attack while claiming that it could never happen to them.

But I do know of at least one person who knows it could happen to him, but does not fear it happening to him.

Perhaps the OP argument that Atheists are somehow secretly afraid of "God" [as per Christian] is more the projection of the Christians own fear of said God, which compelled the Christian to worship image of said God and thus the Christian cannot understand how anyone could NOT be afraid and thus concludes that Atheists must be in denial about their lack of fear in this God?

Diagoras · Post by **Diagoras** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 4:41 pm

[Replying to William in post #106]

That (projection) certainly can’t be ruled out - perceptive point, thanks.

Post by **Tcg** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 8:05 pm

Dimmesdale wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:33 pm
RJG wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:28 pm How can you be afraid of something in which you have no belief?
One can be afraid of a heart attack, yet live her whole life thinking "it can never happen to me."

That's a different situation. Thinking, "it can never happen to me.", is logically different than lacking belief in heart attacks. That's the position of one who believes in heart attacks, but for some reason consider themselves immune from the danger they present. Atheists don't think that god/gods exist but won't harm them, they lack belief in the existence of god/gods.

Tcg

JoeyKnothead · Post by **JoeyKnothead** » Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:57 pm

From the OP:

OP wrote: Do atheists fear God?
...

Not near as much as I fear his adherents.

When folks believe they speak and act for God, watch out, that God hates him the same folks the proponent does.

Kylie · Post by **Kylie** » Tue Apr 13, 2021 10:12 pm

Paul of Tarsus wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:12 pm
Kylie wrote: ↑Tue Apr 06, 2021 2:43 amBlackstart said that they do not fear God, yet they can understand why someone (even an atheist) might feel fear when considering God.
Actually blackstart said that he didn't understand why he can fear God only to later say he can understand how/why people can fear God. So the discrepancy revolves around blackstart's ability to understand why or how he can fear God. If he can understand how an atheist can fear God, then it cannot logically follow that he does not understand why or how an atheist can fear God.

In outline we have:

1. Joe can understand how he can do A and therefore does understand how he can do A.
2. Joe does not understand how he can do A.

These two statements cannot be simultaneously true. If Joe can understand how he can do A, then he does understand how he can do A.

If you are referring to what Blackstart said in post 47, he said he didn't understand why he should be afraid of God.

Since he views God as imaginary, that is a perfectly understandable position to take. He can, I assume, also understand that not everyone shares his "God is imaginary" position, and that there are some people who do believe in God who would fear him. And he can also see that atheists could find the character of God fearful as well.

Kind of like how I don't believe that Darth Vader exists, but if there was a person out there who thought Vader did exist, then I can see why they would be pretty scared of him. And I'd be pretty scared of Vader too.

Kylie · Post by **Kylie** » Tue Apr 13, 2021 10:16 pm

Paul of Tarsus wrote: ↑Thu Apr 01, 2021 11:11 pmWe then have evidence that atheism does not rule out negative feelings toward God.

Yet the two are entirely unconnected.

One can believe a certain figure is fictional or real.

One can like or dislike that particular figure.

Liking or disliking does not depend on whether the person believes the figure is real or fictional, and vice versa.

There are many real people I live, and many real people I dislike.

There are many fictional figures I like, and many fictional figures I dislike.

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