Why does not believing in any god mean that atheists don't believe in anything?

[cynatnite]

I've wondered this whenever I hear Christians say that. I believe in my marriage, my husband, science, and loads of other things. I don't believe in them in the same way as Christians believe in their god. It seems like they're saying that atheists are devoid of depth and have no substance. In their eyes we're empty shells.

Am I off?

[ChadwickHenryWard]

1. My friend's sister once asked me if I believed in nothing.

I immediately went on about my strong dedication to the end of capitalism. I recently expounded on the importance of labor struggles in our nation's history relative to the wars that seem to be the darling of textbook writers. I think the struggles of labor throughout our history much more directly affected the rights we enjoy than any single military struggle we have engaged in. In the 1840s, were Mexicans threatening the eight-hour day, or were they inconveniently living (sharing with the Indians, mind you) in space we had claimed for ourselves? And so on with every war.

And science. I love me some science. Just last week I totally bored her talking about transformers. On a totally unrelated note, isn't modern science's ability to manipulate electricity positively god-like?

[awoke_in_2003]

10. "talking about transformers"

more than meets the eye (just kidding)

[DavidDvorkin]

2. I strongly believe that people who say such things about atheists are brainwashed idiots.

[amyrose2712]

4. +1

[skepticscott]

3. It doesn't

Ignorant fundies just like to paint it that way and hope that their even more ignorant and thoughtless followers will swallow it whole.

[onager]

5. Those two slippery words...

"Faith" and "believe."

No, you're not off. Spot on, I'd say.

Over and over again in R/T, I see religiosos trying to get us to admit that we "have faith" or "believe in" something - like the sun coming up in the morning.

From that, it's just a minor leap to believing in a non-corporeal entity who might have created the universe, or maybe is just looking out for each and every one of us 'cause we're so gosh-darn special.

I've fallen into that endless rhetorical trap many times myself, and try to make sure we both understand what we mean by "faith" or "belief." Even that isn't easy, especially with the amateur philosophy windbags.

I've noticed they often steal an approach from the movie Contact. Where that slimy New Age guru demands: "Did you love your father? Prove it!"

Urk. If we're going to take our philosophies from movies, I will - thank you very much - take mine from The Spy Who Came In From The Cold:

"I believe a Number 9 bus will take me to Hammersmith. I do not believe it will be driven by Father Christmas."

[MrModerate]

6. I recommend biting your tongue when people who you'd like to retain as friends . . .

Say something moronic along that line. The ones you don't care about maintaining relationships with you can flame to a cinder if you've a mind to.

On the other hand you could ignore 'em.

[realisticphish]

7. by this religious logic

wouldn't believing in something necessitate believing in EVERYTHING?

[Warpy]

8. They also believe we have no disincentive to murdering them

or stealing their property or being sexually promiscuous and all the other laughable things they think only the fear of gawd prevents them from doing.

They have no concept of thinking things through and acting the way we'd like the whole world to be. They have no concept of personal ethics, most of which are far superior to the list of rules and taboos they've been handed.

I have to feel a little sorry for people who are that limited and the worse they behave, the sorrier I feel for them.

[laconicsax]

9. +1

[BlueJazz]

19. Damn....After reading your post..I realize you drove home a thought...

...to me...that I've tried to believe was not true.
I mean, they truly are lost souls who have no inner guidance.

Scary.

[Mojambo]

11. There's a difference between faith and belief that they don't understand. n/t

[TZ]

12. I believe that...

those people are ignorant idiots.

[meeshrox]

13. god is everything to them...

so, the opposite, to them, is nothing...

That's the kind of vapid line of 'thought' I have come to expect!

[beam me up scottie]

14. I heard another common meme just the other day,

You HAVE to believe in something. EVERYBODY believes in something. :banghead:

[FiveGoodMen]

15. The answer to that is usually, "I believe I'll have another drink."

[beam me up scottie]

16. A classic!

I just realized I'm out of gin, be right back...

[Odin2005]

17. Some people just seem incapable of comprehending non-belief.

It's not just typical theists, but political ideologues and some (usually Postmodern) intellectuals that have the same mindset. Basically the deep underlying mindset is that ALL worldviews are "totalistic ideologies" and thus one can only choose between dogmatism and nihilism. One often sees this mindset in stupid PoMo attacks on science.

This mindset is precisely why they equate belief in, say, the sun coming up in the morning with religious belief.

[charlie]

18. You've probably heard this, too

When a Man stops believing in God he doesn't then believe in nothing, he believes anything.

Of course, believing in nothing and anything at once probably makes you a 7th Level Mystic Poobah, but they don't mean it that way.

Hunker down and be small and quiet, and someone will eventually notice the God-shaped hole in your heart.

They get you coming and going.