I do NOT believe in god

[lbeery]

ah, but he believes in you.

[mrsbluesmith]

That's ok, God believes in you!

[teflonfanatic]

Ok just for the record I'm scared to respond to this topic, but I will anyway, because I've always been curious about atheist and, so please dont get mad ok I want to ask if atheist celebrate holidays this is probably a stupid question but I honestly dont know much about atheist and I just want to learn thats all so please enlighten me about this.

Why are you scared?  Atheists are nice people, so long as whoever we're talking with isn't spewing ignorance.  If you're open-minded and eager for education, we're here to help.

In answer to your question, I would guess a lot of atheists continue to celebrate whatever holidays they did before due to family pressure, for their kids, or they personally enjoy the holiday.  They would simply celebrate whatever holiday in a more secular nature (i.e., not go to church).

I personally have stopped celebrating all holidays as of a few years ago.  I did this because: 1) all holidays are rooted in ridiculous religious traditions and contain many pagan customs (just do the research!)  2) the "major" ones like Christmas and Easter support Christianity/a belief in god  3) I don't have kids, so what's the point of celebrating something like Halloween and  4) I'm no longer a kid, and doing the same tired traditions for X number of years in a row gets old.  I don't need a routine date to look forward to on my calendar for my life to be interesting or purposeful.  I do much bigger things - like travel the world - that gives me something to look forward to.

My biggest beef is with Christmas.  I think that is the absolute worst one of them all.  The obvious Jesus factor aside, I hate how commercialized it is and the sick "obligation" everyone has for buying presents for people that they don't bother to care for with gifts any other time of the year (you know, true thoughtfulness).  I've worked at places during the holidays where I was appalled to see so many people being smug with themselves for buying the absolute cheapest sh*t they could find for someone on their list, proving they were simply going through the motions rather than genuinely caring.  Many people would also buy such cheap crap in July and tell me they're "saving" it for Christmas.

I'm not a materialistic person and can afford to get whatever I want on a daily basis.  I don't need people giving me crap I don't need or want, and I don't want to give them crap they don't need or want, which is another reason I'm glad I don't celebrate Christmas.  I am debt-, stress-, and obligation-free on a seasonal basis.  

You seem like a smart enough woman or girl or whatever age you are 0_0 to find out the info about holidays on your own. If you didn't find that info on your own or I helped you realize it a little cool

@Falconor: Throws in white towel , i'll debate you another day, hope you come around soon, oh there's been another earthquake in china seriously it's been like 5 earthquakes in like 2 months!!!!!! No significance just saying so take it easy.

[girlswin2]

Figured all these people are posting about how they think god exists and blah, blah, blah.......so I thought I'd create my own topic.
I do not believe nor will I ever.  You can preach and testimony all you want, I grew up a Catholic, and was one until about two years ago.  I have researched, studied, and believed until that point.  I know alllll about being a christian, faith, god, etc.
Personally, I don't believe anyone should rub it into anyone's face that they are goin to hell for not believing...
That they are wrong for not believing...
That the person preaching is better than the non-believers or feels sorry for the non-believers because they don't believe...

Everyone is equal.  We need to respect ourselves, respect our fellow man, and respect our earth before we give respect to some statue who we 'think' died on a piece of wood.  Doesn't the bible tell you not to worship man-made idols?  Well, were you there at the time of christ?  Isn't the bible a tool of a man-made idol IE the cross?  Isn't the figure of your christ on a cross in churches anidol?  Furthermore, how do christians believe so differently amongst themselves...IE..Baptists, Catholics, Etc....... They all condemn each other because they all interpret the bible differently.  It's all very silly to me.  I believe in equality, I belive in peace and justice and love.  I don't believe there is some evil(my definition) person waiting for me at some pearly gates telling me that I lived badly so he can send me to hell.  Too many evil doers, injustices, and just plain nastyness in this would to suggest to me that someone is watching over us. 

i believe in god he is everythig is the king

Eveyone one is entitled to there own opinions and yes I'm a believer myself.  Something has made you bitter about this and no one can change your mid except you.  Once you figure out what it is you will remember why you believed in the first place.  The reason things in this world is like they are is due to sin being introduced into the world.  I choose to believe   I love God and he loves me.  He loves you to and everyone on this earth.  And yes there are a lot of judgemental people in this world and yes alot are in the churches and a lot of them say they are christians but live differently then what a christian should be living (yet again another choice) God is real and I could not imagine my life without him leading me. 

[queenofnines]

That's ok, God believes in you!

Bleh, what a line!  Can you not feed us cliches, please?  "God" doesn't need to "believe" in me, because unlike him, people can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste me...well, only my husband for that last one. 

[queenofnines]

You seem like a smart enough woman or girl or whatever age you are 0_0 to find out the info about holidays on your own. If you didn't find that info on your own or I helped you realize it a little cool

Woman.  Although something to note in our society is even 40-year-old women refer to each other as "girls", while men are rarely labeled as "boys".  Perhaps it's fairly harmless, or maybe it's a rem-anent of women not being equal citizens.

But yeah, the info on holidays is out there, I actually first found out the pagan traditions of Christmas as a Christian.  There are some Christians who don't think it's right to celebrate Christmas in the usual sense because almost every symbol surrounding it has nothing to do with Jesus (the Christmas tree is a pagan phallic symbol, for example.  Think of that next time you hang those pagan fertility *bleep* - ornaments - on it!).

I've been gradually cutting off all holidays since I found out there is no god (past 3 years).  Only birthdays and anniversaries remain.

[queenofnines]

Something has made you bitter about this and no one can change your mid except you.  Once you figure out what it is you will remember why you believed in the first place.  The reason things in this world is like they are is due to sin being introduced into the world.  I choose to believe   I love God and he loves me.  He loves you to and everyone on this earth.  And yes there are a lot of judgemental people in this world and yes alot are in the churches and a lot of them say they are christians but live differently then what a christian should be living (yet again another choice) God is real and I could not imagine my life without him leading me. 

This is where you're wrong: no intelligent atheist is "bitter".  What you all don't understand is that it is simply an increase in knowledge, thinking, and information that "changed us"; it has nothing to do with "god killed my puppy and my mom got cancer, so I'm pissed now".

I believed in the first place because I had a lack of knowledge.  I wasn't raised religiously, and my only reason for being an atheist prior to being a Christian was that I didn't see any evidence for god in my everyday life (a very good reason, but not quite enough ammunition).  So if you walk into a religion that has a feel-good message, teaches you not to question things or THINK, teaches you to deny science and logic, it's easy to get swept away emotionally on the promise of heaven.  It's the INTELLIGENT people who can stop and go wait, there is a lot of f*cked up stuff in here, let me re-examine these claims rather than keeping my mind on lock-down and taking these far-fetched claims at face value.

If you believe there are bad things in the world because of a fruit and a talking snake...wow.  "God" does not love everyone, otherwise he would not torture the majority of them to no end when they die. 

A lot of people would be just fine learning there is no god.  Ask yourself, "Would I have to kill myself if I knew this life was all I get?"  Sure, some people would kill themselves, but thanks to our genes and evolution, we have a strong desire to survive and stay alive, so I'd suppose you'd make the best of it, eh?

[jordandog]

That's ok, God believes in you!

Bleh, what a line!  Can you not feed us cliches, please?  "God" doesn't need to "believe" in me, because unlike him, people can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste me...well, only my husband for that last one. 

You took care of the cliche remark for me, thank you. I live on this planet  each day, just like everyone else, and prefer to keep my feet planted there firmly (with my mind) regardless of what my beliefs might be.
Also got a good laugh out of the taste=husband! 

[Falconer02]

@Falconor: Throws in white towel , i'll debate you another day, hope you come around soon, oh there's been another earthquake in china seriously it's been like 5 earthquakes in like 2 months!!!!!! No significance just saying so take it easy.

I'll stop arguing with you as soon as you make one ounce of sense. I've countered practically every peice of information you've stated and you either stretch it to make it seem less of a priority or just plainly use stawman tactics. You're still bent on proving that all these earthquakes are a sign of the end? Do your research, dude! This is nothing new! We get a lot more than 5 eq's per month-- http://www.livescience.com/environment/recent_earthquakes_world.html We've had a slight increase in quakes this year and part of last, but nothing out of the normal range. These things happen.

You can learn a ton simply by this written by queen--

I believed in the first place because I had a lack of knowledge.  I wasn't raised religiously, and my only reason for being an atheist prior to being a Christian was that I didn't see any evidence for god in my everyday life (a very good reason, but not quite enough ammunition).  So if you walk into a religion that has a feel-good message, teaches you not to question things or THINK, teaches you to deny science and logic, it's easy to get swept away emotionally on the promise of heaven.  It's the INTELLIGENT people who can stop and go wait, there is a lot of f*cked up stuff in here, let me re-examine these claims rather than keeping my mind on lock-down and taking these far-fetched claims at face value.

If you believe there are bad things in the world because of a fruit and a talking snake...wow.

[vicerosario]

I Don't believe that u should have to go to church, but i think u should have atleast some faith in GOD or whoevers up there. someones responsible for all of these trees, h20, mass, everything!

[Falconer02]

It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them.

[queenofnines]

Also got a good laugh out of the taste=husband! 

  I try to be clever!

[Falconer02]

Falconer02......is that a picture of your wheels?   I would have thought your vehicle would be silver or maybe white (no particular reason)...but the rest of it looks about right.

It's your gods. Metaphorically speaking of course. You make god out to be some sort of creepy-stalker or some crazy ex with your previous statement.

I try to be clever!

lulz

[queenofnines]

It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them.  Does God exist? Here are six straight-forward reasons to believe that God is really there (from a former atheist).  http://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html

So...god is actively pursuing me through YOU?  Uh, no, the reality is that I'm only using this forum for the same reason every one else is ($$$).  I focus on topics such as this one because they actually promote discussion rather than ones that are a quick reply to a general question like Coke vs. Pepsi.  It's not because I'm "secretly seeking god" or he's "secretly seeking me".  It's a point-blank choice where I post, and I'm trying to sow the seeds of rational thinking in here, EVEN IF MOST OF IT'S IN VAIN.  Somewhere, at some time, efforts like mine are *not* in vain for someone who desires the real truth...

If god were truly pursuing me, why do I not have strangers coming up to me saying that I need to come back into the fold or something else that is an uncanny, spiritual coincidence?  I'll tell you why.  Because "god" isn't really there and never was; he's a figment of your imagination that was developed due to evolution, and once you let go of your imaginary friend, you'll realize that anything that happens is just life.  The only reason "god" exists is because mankind is conscious of and terrified of death.  The "god" part of the brain evolved to explain the unknown and make us feel better about the fact that we are just a blip on the screen of a cosmological timeframe.

I believe Lacey posted a similar link before.  Argument #1 about the earth being "perfect" is silly.  Just because odds may be rare for something does not make them impossible, especially considering an infinite timeframe.  Also, much of our Earth is covered by desert and therefore unsuitable for farming.  This is why we have starving people, because there is not enough fertile ground and fresh water to go around and you're telling me that god is responsible for designing such a world that cannot support our current population.  But I suppose you'll say, "oh, it's because of the Fall" - well what a sweetheart god is for stripping our Earth down to only being able to support a fraction of the population.

An argument for the brain does not mention why people who injure their brains can change religions or become different people.  And the eye DID evolve one step at a time, gradually.  In its current form, the eye is backwards, upside-down, and barely usable; what we see is thanks to our brains processing light photons, not our eyes.  And you call that "intelligent design"!

As for #2...we don't know what caused the Big Bang yet.  We do, however, know what caused "god", and that's evolution.

In opposition to the rest of the arguments, just because the complexity of things blows your mind does not mean "god did it!".

[Falconer02]

Right as always. But your facts are falling deaf on deficient ears. Remember that.