Comments on: “I Tried To Be An Atheist”

By: Brian

Brian — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:49:01 +0000

Check out my Atheist / rational thinker store. I keep all of the prices as low as possible through zazzle in order to get as much out there as possible and help spread the word that we’re not going to take this shit anymore. :-) http://www.zazzle.com/briman232*

By: Frohergeist

Frohergeist — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:46:17 +0000

Where did blue come from? /koan

By: rgz

rgz — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:35:02 +0000

The reason is hard not to believe either in gods or conspiracies, is because we are naturally adapted to foresee agency, as soon as something happens to us we want to know who did it, and often end up inventing that who. Love is an adaptation that favors the transmission of genes of a kin. Humans have it, monkeys have it, even rats have it, we know it is the same feeling because we observe the same chemical reactions in their brains in experiments. Monogamy is an adaptation from territorial banding (one male many females) to a hunting nomad banding (many males and females). And you really have to prove God first, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

By: Adrian Hayter

Adrian Hayter — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:52:06 +0000

Surely that would be "Believe or not believe; no try there is" :D

By: Nemo

Nemo — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 11:38:57 +0000

As Yoda would put it, "Believe, or believe not; there is no try."

By: ChallengeGodOpenly

ChallengeGodOpenly — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:13:49 +0000

Its hard to not believe in something…wonder why that is? We're born with to many traits, feelings and desires that couldn't have evolved from an explosion or an original cell, that has no logic to it at all! The biggest argument for a God is LOVE. Why do we naturally draw to another? Why do we care for each other? Why do we choose to be with one person for the rest of our lives? Some say we are cultured that way, but who put that thought in the original guys head? Love can't be created from basic matter of cells and evolution. Disprove that and you will disprove God.

By: Susan B.

Susan B. — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 07:15:42 +0000

I've heard this sort of claim a few times, and it always strikes me as strange. To "try to be a Christian" at least has some motivation–Christians consider faith to be a virtue, and so one should try to be a person of faith. I guess they assume we atheists feel the same way, that atheism is a virtue and one should strive to not believe in god. But I don't feel that way at all–critical thinking is a virtue, and atheism is just one effect of that.

By: Mark Pogue

Mark Pogue — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:44:47 +0000

And "I tried to be a Christian", but common sense wouldn't allow me to believe.

By: Andrew S

Andrew S — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:00:42 +0000

I love the response to your friend on the logical fallacy of claiming that failing at trying is a "disproof" of atheism in anyway and especially the part that trying to believe/disbelieve is doomed to fail except for certain conditions.

For me, I'm in a precarious position because my church (should probably start saying ex-church, but I have reasons) believes that a valid position to take is to merely desire to believe, even if you can't actually believe. I think this is a bankrupt kind of idea that defeats itself (after all…if you can justify faith in a church's claims by simply "desiring" to believe in something you really don't, what's to stop you from "desiring" to believe in anything?)

I think the interesting question is…how do people become more inclined to believe or doubt? Since I recognize that if I were inclined to believe as many others I know are, then I'd be somewhat powerless to that faith (as your friend says, he certainly has "tried"). Calvinism has this concept of irresistible grace, and although they would like to attribute it as a proof of their God (as your friend probably also might)…what *really* causes this tendency for some to irresistibly be drawn to believing?

By: PhillyChief

PhillyChief — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 05:57:45 +0000

I'm more intrigued by how a Christian "tries" to be an atheist. What, he started improving his spelling and grammar and turned off his caps lock key? ;)

Seriously though, "tried to be an atheist"? Does he understand what it means?