When I am in a danger or in such a situation that there is no one to help me or when all the circumstances are to my opposition, even then I feel a strength in my heart. I feel my God is with me as I am in truth. In such a situation what is the feelings of a atheist?
Do you atheists feel safety and happiness when ...
- Thread starter arifulislam
- Start date
This is actually a good question.
I recall, when I was a believer, that I would often rely on my belief in a God in a time of a crisis.
I often felt as though I could feel he was there- with me.
Now, I'm a die hard atheist. And I've not thought of it much. In a time of Crisis, I don't think of any kind of comforting option, like a deity, I think only of what can be done about the situation at hand and if there is nothing that can be done at all, I accept that as a probability...
But often I tend to be stubborn and think about what I can try anyway.
In the end, situations tend to work out pretty much the same as when I was a believer.
I've had a few close calls since I've been an atheist, that had I been a believer at the time, I may have attributed my survival to divine intervention.
But as it is, I really don't think of such things other than the situation anymore... I do not feel any kind of divine presence anymore. I don't feel any more afraid or lost than I ever may have as a believer either. Can't really say anything changed at all except for a lack of appealing to a deity.:shrug:
I don't think about asking for some supernatural being to help me but instead just try to do the best I can in the situation that I find myself. I once was in a situation where my life was in danger and I never once thought about asking for help, I just did what I thought best at the time and took the risk to save another person without any fear of death but only with the feeling that I have at least tried to help even if I should perish doing so.
A situation is. We cope with it, or not, according to our ability and resolve - exactly as a theist does. The difference is largely in the placement of responsibility.
Will God cure my cancer? If not - which in most cases, he doesn't - how come, when i prayed so hard and everybody in my congregation burned candles'n'snuff? Why did God give me cancer in the first place?
Reliance on a supernatural entity may keep a believer from seeking mundane help, or solving his own problem, until too late. If science comes to the rescue, misplaced gratitude. (Allah guided the surgeon's hand!) If help doesn't come, there is frustration, disappointment, despair - for the zealous, self-flagellation (actual or psychic: i'm such a dirty sinner!); for the meek, acceptance of divine malice: i must deserve this, even though i tried so hard to please the deity.
Such questions are futile and a drain on limited emotional resources.
Not believing in anything supernatural saves a lot of wear and tear on the emotions and lets us get on with a practical response.
Will God cure my cancer? If not - which in most cases, he doesn't - how come, when i prayed so hard and everybody in my congregation burned candles'n'snuff? Why did God give me cancer in the first place?
Reliance on a supernatural entity may keep a believer from seeking mundane help, or solving his own problem, until too late. If science comes to the rescue, misplaced gratitude. (Allah guided the surgeon's hand!) If help doesn't come, there is frustration, disappointment, despair - for the zealous, self-flagellation (actual or psychic: i'm such a dirty sinner!); for the meek, acceptance of divine malice: i must deserve this, even though i tried so hard to please the deity.
Such questions are futile and a drain on limited emotional resources.
Not believing in anything supernatural saves a lot of wear and tear on the emotions and lets us get on with a practical response.
elte
Valued Senior Member
This opening post inquiry reminds me of what I was wondering about this morning. Is God tied up enough with problems of his own so as not to feel motivation to help us human people? We have been compared to God as ants would be compared to humans. Maybe how we think little of ants is how God thinks of us.
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When I'm in danger I feel appropriate fear.
"There are no atheists in foxholes".
Look, this situation can be used as an argument on either side.
If you're a theist, you can argue that it constitutes a subliminal belief in all humanity that god actually exists, only some deny it until they need him. If you're an atheist, you can use it to illustrate the extremes humanity can go to when faced with the fear resulting from imminent death.
Bah.
Look, this situation can be used as an argument on either side.
If you're a theist, you can argue that it constitutes a subliminal belief in all humanity that god actually exists, only some deny it until they need him. If you're an atheist, you can use it to illustrate the extremes humanity can go to when faced with the fear resulting from imminent death.
Bah.
Speak for yourself...
Yes, I feel the same.
Take heart - you're stronger than you think.
The strength you feel comes from yourself.
K
keith1
Guest
It's gas. Yeah gas. Definitely gas you're feeling. Definitely gas.
My question is whether there are any permanently disabled veterans coming out of those foxholes. I notice all of these guys still have all their limbs. There are widely differing levels of threat of death, with permanently disabling wounds definitely being much closer.
Whether there is or isn't does it matter?
I've known several, but it's anecdotal and I won't bother.
Simply put, just because someone has a harrowing psychological experience and decides he wants to believe in something doesn't make that something real.
That's a straw man, as I never said, nor implied, anything about the validity of the belief itself. At least you seem to understand the uselessness of anecdotal evidence. But try to refrain from wielding logical fallacies just because someone makes a point you cannot otherwise refute.
Hmmm... Nice try, but actually, it was The Marquis red herring.
You did not state it, but don't think I'm a fool, Syne... The intent of pointing it out is to validate the idea.
Since you agree with Neverfly's anecdotal evidence being useless, your anecdote stating that you don't see any limbs missing from this sample of a few men and implied anecdote that you haven't noticed limbs missing from any other foxhole atheists is equally USELESS. Try something else.
Look up "straw man". You attributed an argument to me that I never made, and no amount of psychic divining of my "intent" will change that. And if you know anything about logical fallacies, you should know that a straw man argument is a class of red herring. But nice of you to freely admit to employing fallacious arguments.
If I wished to validate the idea, I would be very much more direct about it.
I guess you missed where I didn't make an assertion. Attentional bias can do that. I clearly said "My question is...", which makes your criticism yet another straw man. The picture posted is a common meme used to refute "there are no atheists in foxholes". I am merely questioning its validity, as it may constitute cherry-picking or be entirely unrepresentative (as being in the military doesn't ensure life-threatening experience).
I am open to significant evidence that those who have obviously experienced the very imminent threat of death (evidenced by permanent disability) do remain atheists. If the evidence is only anecdotal then it is not statistically significant enough, in itself, to make a valid argument.
Very well- I apologize.
Well, I can offer myself up- but only anecdotal. But you do realize that ANY evidence presented for this one must be anecdotal, right?
No one can validate whether or not the soldier who faced imminent death is lying when he says he remained an atheist.
DaveC426913
Valued Senior Member
Depends on the atheist.
In my humble opinion (i.e. I speak only for myself), I believe that it is human nature to wish for a higher power (that is not to say all do, I'm simply asserting that it is human nature, like sleeping when you're tired). Even an atheist might call for his mommy when lost in the woods. I believe this is what drives the belief in God in humanity.
However, human nature != truth.
Because a human wants to believe there is a higher power does not mean there is one.
Even when the weakest atheist who, when the chips are down, prays for rescue, does not actually bring into existence something that does not exist.
Atheists merely recognize that reality does not conform to the needs of human nature.