Do Atheist have faith? Does it take faith to believe that there is no God? If Atheist do have faith, what do they have faith in? Does it take more or less faith to believe that there is no God? Are you an Atheist? If so, why?
posted by preacherman @ 8:45:00 AM
I was born and raised in Abilene, Tx. Graduated from Abilene High. Woodlawn Church of Christ is my home congregation, where my dad serves as an elder. I am a graduate of Lubbock Christian University. I have a wonderful loving wife and boys who are the greatest blessing and joy in my life. My favorite scripture is: 1 Timothy 4:12 "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young but set an example to the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." GBS
21 Comments:
Not sure if they have faith but I find atheism to be the most narrow minded ideology. To absolutely deny the existence of God is something very illogical. It absolutely denies all reason.
i like this idea of blogs. i think atheist have faith they just dont think its from the lord or they just do not want to confess that it is true... my mother and i have one friend who believes but not in the one and only God. that friend believes in something. i have talked with her abt who made the trees and most i got out of her was evoution! lol so it took me a year to think on that and now i am careful to talk to a non believer. my mother is one of the best mother's that the Lord has given me.
I have several friends who are atheists, though I am not. They have faith in the world and universe around them. Sometimes they have a huge amount of faith in humanity, other times not so much. Faith, for me, is not adherence to a certain set of principles (i.e., the virgin birth, bodily resurrection, literal miracles, etc.) which I do not but, my faith is an underlying trust, deep, deep, underlying trust, in the Order of the universe. That Source of Life, Ground of Being, is what I call God. Jesus of Nazareth, whom I call Christ, I believe, lived in deep communion with God, closely enough that those around him perceived that he and God are One. For my atheistic friends, there is no Ground of Being, the source of life is the universe itself.
I have several atheist friends and I would have to say that it does take faith to believe in no God. I know that they do believe in themselves, science, humanity. At least my friends do. I have found that they are open to discuss their beliefs on morality, politics, and social issues. I think your post is great. Thanks for asking these questions. I enjoy your blog.
I think faith is something that only Christians have and obtain.
Bob,
Thanks for you comments and thoughts on this subject brother.
Anonymous,
Thanks for sharing.I wouldn't stop. Don't give up. Logical conversations mean alot to agnostics and atheists.
Sharon,
So they do have faith just not in God but is acknowledging no God, infact a faith or belief? I agree many have faith in science, the universe, humanity, themselves. I have one friend who is an atheist an even helps people because he believes it is the right thing for humanity to do.
Becky,
I have found many atheist open to discuss why the believe what they believe and that can be a good quality or opportunity for deeper discussions on theism.
Jerry,
Is there different kinds of faith and levels of faith? Maybe some faith that doesn't come from God?
I think that they have their own kind of beliefs. I think they are more worldly in there thoughts. I think for the most part they are to lazy to put much thought in it. I also think they don't see another life after this one. As for us christians we look forward to.
I enjoy your thought provoking questions ... keep it up.
Shalom,
Bobby Valentine
My atheistic friends do spend a lot of time and money on things charitable and philanthropic because it is good and right. They are very much involved in humanitarian and environmental efforts. I think that most of these arguments are just semantics. There are times, even in the life of atheists, when we (everyone, no matter your tradition) can do nothing more than stand in awe of the Mystery. Atheists just don't name it "God." There are many names for and paths of exploring this Source, Ground or Mystery. Some seek quiet contemplation, some ecstatic outcries of emotion, and some (atheists) science and mathematical equations. There are those of us who walk several paths, as there are many paths up the mountain. God speaks not only, maybe not even primarily, through the Bible and doctrines, but also through philosophy, physics, biology, mathematics, meditation, nature, all of life! There are stories of people in remote corners of the world, who upon hearing the missionaries speak, replied, "Oh! So, that's his name? We've been talking about that for years."
"Do not say, 'I have found the Spirit walking on the one true path.' Say instead, 'I have found the One True Spirit walking on my path.' For the Spirit walks all paths." ~Kahlil Gibran
@ Kansas Bob, I have heard so many of my atheistic friends say, "I find christianity to be the most narrow minded ideology. To absolutely believe in the existence of a god somewhere 'up there' is something very illogical. It absolutely denies all reason."
@Sharon Bohn - Understand that some strands of faith are very narrow and perhaps the belief in any sort of God is narrow in itself. Even so, people of faith are often marginalized with names like extremist or fundamentalist when atheists are just as extreme and fundamental in what they "believe" to be true. The problem is that these present themselves as intellectuals when their ideology is no more intellectual than the ideology of people of faith.
As for Christianity, it is an ideology of the heart and not the head. It is not about following rules but about following Christ. It is not about externals but internals. Some hold to a cerebral form of it but the message from the very beginning has been one of relationship with God - one of walking with Him in the proverbial garden of life.
@ Kansas Bob, agreed. There are, however, both open-minded and narrow-minded in all traditions, including athiesm and Christianity.
@Sharon Bohn - You are right. In the purest sense only agnostics are not narrow minded. :)
:-)
Faith in God, no, or they wouldn't be atheists. ;)
But yes, I think they can have faith in other things, like people. Not believing there is a God doesn't mean they don't have faith in something.
Just sayin'. :)
To be an Atheist i believe you have to fall into one of two categories: either you are an absolute fool, or you have an incredible confidence in yourself. If they have faith, it must be on their own abilities, but I´ve several atheist that have felt really sick and once that happens, they change really fast, but only as long as they recover. Once recovered, they forget.
Be Jesus us the best way to reach the lost.
Post a Comment
<< Home