As an atheist, am I allowed to believe that there once was a god? God or whomever once existed but now there's no reason to hold any belief in a living God. IOW is an atheist still an atheist if he/she believes God is dead? Don't know why this thought occurred to me but boing, there it was. Maybe I'm looking for something to support my exploding God hypothesis
"Atheist" in the simple word-unit sense (a + theist) has no prescribed doctrine or agenda. But thereby such a bare stance is also free to complicate itself by adopting a set of ideas and characteristics to conform to.
"God once existed but is now deceased" would certainly not be commensurable with Alex Rosenberg's appending of a formalized version of scientism to what it means to be an atheist. Unless the aforementioned god was of natural origins, and evidence suggested it had intervened in Earthly affairs in the past (i.e., otherwise there would seem little point to indulging the view). Richard Dawkins once expressed in an interview something to the effect / impression that he didn't reject the possibility of limited super-intelligence being technologically engineered into existence elsewhere in the cosmos, either in the past or in the future.
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Sorry CC, I meant to type living God instead of loving in OP. I have always been led to think that atheists hold no god beliefs and assumed this would mean a living God. I think I can understand why lack of belief in a dead God would Not change things in that regard. Dead or alive, a god is a god. .
I can relate, Z. When people think that the universe was created by God, and its existence is proof of there being a God, I get the thought that doesn't mean God still exists. The universe appears to be just operating on autopilot. Thinking the latter sense qualifies as atheistic, though maybe some say it is deistic.
(Aug 18, 2017 03:12 AM)elte Wrote: [ -> ]I can relate, Z. When people think that the universe was created by God, and its existence is proof of there being a God, I get the thought that doesn't mean God still exists. The universe appears to be just operating on autopilot. Thinking the latter sense qualifies as atheistic, though maybe some say it is deistic.
I'd be lying if I said I never got the feeling that there's something truly mysterious going on.
I haven't felt that except maybe when I was young. Since then I have had nothing but doubt since when it entered my mind that things that I thought were providence was my strong desire to see it.
(Aug 18, 2017 04:13 AM)elte Wrote: [ -> ]I haven't felt that except maybe when I was young. Since then I have had nothing but doubt since when it entered my mind that things that I thought were providence was my strong desire to see it.
I feel it but dismiss any thoughts of a god being behind everything. I said mysterious, not something based on nothing but belief
. Whatever it is I feel at times has more to do with looking at the highly improbable yet could happen nonetheless. I hate using the word 'belief'. If I do say it then it's a mistake, I prefer the words 'I think' over 'I believe'.
Thanks for esplanin. Saying "I think" rather than "I believe" seems like a good idea. I see now by "mysterious" that it wasn't implying belief in the supernatural but more like acknowledgement of the unknown.
(Aug 18, 2017 01:48 PM)elte Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for esplanin. Saying "I think" rather than "I believe" seems like a good idea.
I think you said it better than I did.