What unique hope does atheism offer?

[Goose]

What unique hope does atheism offer?

And a follow up question. If atheism offers a unique hope, why is that hope meaningful?

[nobspeople]

What unique hope does atheism offer?

And a follow up question. If atheism offers a unique hope, why is that hope meaningful?

Not being an atheist I'm forced to wonder: who said it offers any hope, unique or otherwise?
For that matter, why does any belief system need to offer any hope?

[Miles]

What unique hope does atheism offer?

And a follow up question. If atheism offers a unique hope, why is that hope meaningful?

In as much as atheism is nothing more than a personal position on the existence of god---"I don't believe one exists"--- it's not in a position to offer any hope. No more so than the disbelief in talking trees would offer some hope.


.

[Tcg]

[Replying to Goose in post #1]

"Hey, do you believe the earth is flat?"

"No, I lack that belief."

"What unique hope does that offer you?"

"Say what now?"


Tcg

[bluegreenearth]

[Replying to Goose in post #1]

As an agnostic, the limited facts and evidence that are available do not satisfy the epistemological criteria for me to claim I know a god exists or not. As an atheist, the limited facts and evidence that are available do not satisfy the epistemological criteria for me to believe a god exists. As a Secular Humanist, I hope all theists and non-theists begin to recognize where our collective ability as humans to cooperate towards achieving our shared common and pragmatic goal of maximizing well-being and minimizing unnecessary harm for all theists and non-theists alike is sufficient regardless of whether we ever discover the necessary facts and evidence to know or believe that any of the proposed gods exist or not.

[brunumb]

In as much as atheism is nothing more than a personal position on the existence of god---"I don't believe one exists"--- it's not in a position to offer any hope. No more so than the disbelief in talking trees would offer some hope.

Precisely. One could also say that theism, the belief in gods, does not offer hope either. It is religion in all its varieties and flavours that offers hope. That hope is no different from the hope that the purchase of a lottery ticket offers. For the vast majority, that hope is not fulfilled when the draw takes place. Those that buy the hope of their religion have to die to find out if they won or not.

It is also worth noting that, unlike religion, one doesn't choose atheism because of anything it may offer. It is a position reached as a result of not being convinced by the arguments and evidence offered up for the existence of gods. Those with a different threshold for credibility may be convinced of the existence of gods and then may be influenced in their choice of religion by the offers they make like the hope of eternal life or their own planet to rule or whatever.

[Difflugia]

What unique hope does atheism offer?

And a follow up question. If atheism offers a unique hope, why is that hope meaningful?

Atheism doesn't offer any new (or "unique") hopes that I can think of, but it does remove a number of false hopes. If we extend atheism to include the general skepticism often associated with it, then it removes even more.

The fact that our shared experience includes such a concept as "false hope" is the recognition that hope, even empty hope, has an associated cost. Atheism is meaningful if those costs outweigh the value of the hope. Is a week of hoping for a half-billion dollars worth the two dollars for a lottery ticket? Is the hope that laetrile will cure cancer worth the costs (in both money and lost opportunity) of its inevitable failure? Even for those theists that sleep late on Sunday and don't bother tithing, is the hope for life after death worth believing in a corrupted form of history or science? Maybe, but I don't think so.

I hadn't thought about it this way before now, but maybe the "unique" hope offered by atheism is that the universe follows rules, is orderly, and isn't at the caprice of some magical being that's undefinable aside from its dislike of bacon, gender equality, and gay sex. Is that worth giving up the negligible possibility that such a being really does exist and is the arbiter of life after death? I think so. I have similar good days and bad days to everyone else, but I never have to worry that a flat tire, stubbed toe, illness, or even death of a loved one is because I didn't love Jesus hard enough or because I secretly thought about another man's sexy, sexy behind.

[Difflugia]

Atheism is the hope that this guy's wrong about pretty much everything.

[unknown soldier]

What unique hope does atheism offer?

And a follow up question. If atheism offers a unique hope, why is that hope meaningful?

Atheism doesn't offer any hope. We all need to find our own hope.

I'd answer your second question, but I'm not sure what a "meaningful" hope is.

[unknown soldier]

What unique hope does atheism offer?

And a follow up question. If atheism offers a unique hope, why is that hope meaningful?

...why does any belief system need to offer any hope?

Many religions, Christianity included, try to snag people offering them "hope" after telling people they have no hope otherwise. Like many businesses, Christianity creates a need for its product that way.