How does one "not believe in anything?"

1. 89

   Bubblegum Senpaiposted 10 years ago

   How does one "not believe in anything?"
   
   I am an agnostic, and here on hubpages and other forum/question & answer groups I often hear atheists defending atheism as not being a religion because they don't believe in anything or they have a lack of believe.
   
   As a philosopher, I cannot wrap my head around this concept? Do you (if you're an atheist) truly not believe in both science and theology? Do you truly reject both chaos theory and divine intervention? Do you reject both evolution and creationism? I do not mean to sound condescending, I'm just trying to understand your viewpoint from your own words. Please help me!

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2. 60

   Soldieringonposted 10 years ago

   Okay.... when an atheist (and I am one) says that they don't believe in anything, generally speaking, they are saying that they don't believe in anything religious. For anyone to say that they don't believe in ANYTHING is ridiculous.
   
   I believe that the earth is going to keep turning while I sleep. Why? because it has for billions of years.
   
   I believe that my wife is going to wake up next to me. Why? Because if she never woke up again, it would be surprising.
   
   When someone insists that they believe in NOTHING, they are taking a hardline ridiculous no-compromise stance simply because they want to put their fut down and be obstinate.
   
   Everyone has a little faith, even if it is simply faith that things will continue on while they sleep.

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3. 60

   Extinct Soulposted 10 years ago

   As I have observed, an atheist don't believe in anything cause they only believe in one thing - themselves.
   (but maybe I was wrong, just sharing)

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   1. 78

      jlparkposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I think you might be thinking of LeVayan Satanism - you treat yourself as a God....I could also be wrong.  Interesting thought though.

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4. 71

   nikki_mposted 10 years ago

   Believing is different than knowing. We know science exists, we can measure, observe, test, and easily share findings obtained from science.
   
   Believing is a little bit different. Believing usually involves an element of "faith" that something exists, even despite lack of evidence, or even counter-evidence.
   
   Atheism is not a religion because it is not a "disbelief" but simply a lack of belief entirely. Saying that atheism is a religion is like saying lack of belief in Zeus is a religion.
   
   That's my personal take on things anyway. I, of course, cannot speak for anyone else

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5. 59

   Shahid Bukhariposted 10 years ago

   Bubblegum Senpai
   
   Why ask ... You've already answered the question ... and that makes your question, an Agnostic's soliloquy ... one who may not believe in Stories ... for any, or many reasons ... but one, who would certainly like to know, The Truth.
   
   Remember ... Humans must Believe ... while 'living' ...
   
   Because, Not to Believe, in Anything, as in your, and other extreme cases ... is also a religious sort of "Belief" ...
   
   You gave up early ... try again ...
   
   For those, nursing such a Belief, are very certainly, most religiously, following a Religion ... Proclaiming, they do not Believe ... call themselves Atheists, Agnostics or pure Heretics ...
   
   Its an Identity Crisis ... perhaps that has  to do with your Philosophies ...
   
   shahidbukhari.hubpages.com

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6. 59

   LegendaryN8posted 10 years ago

   Everyone has a belief in something.  Some belief in things that are intangible, some believe in things that are tangible.  Some believe in both.
   
   To say that you do not believe in *anything* would be contradictory: saying you believe in nothing is still a belief - it is a belief that you believe in nothing.

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7. 61

   cooldadposted 10 years ago

   I am an atheist.  I don't believe in any god or gods.  I do believe in evolution and the big bang.  I came to my belief and non-belief system based on what I feel is compelling scientific theories and evidence.  I also believe that we are but a small speck in this gigantic universe and we still have so much yet to learn and discover.  That's one reason why I am open minded. 
   
   I have difficulty with religion and Christianity because I do not feel that they encourage anyone to be open minded, but rather encourage people to only believe in the words of one book.  One book that was written thousands of years ago.  That doesn't make sense to me.
   
   Good question

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8. 89

   Bubblegum Senpaiposted 10 years ago

   I appreciate the answers so far, thank you very much all. As for agnosticism, I consider it myself a religion. It's kind of simple: I believe there is no evidence there is a god, and I believe there is no evidence there is not a god. I believe it is impossible to absolutely prove either case.
   
   Even though I don't consider agnosticism to have a "theological" outline, or to be organized, I still consider it a religion because it is about the existence or non-existence of a deity.
   
   please keep the answers coming, It might just be my personal philosphy that keeps me from understanding, but I would like to hear more!

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9. 78

   jlparkposted 8 years ago

   The definition of the word "atheist" is "without God" (atheos - Without Gods).
   It does not necessarily mean believing in nothing.  I'm agnostic so I can't really explain further.
   
   Belief does not require a god, or many gods. It requires a mind.

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