What Do Atheists Believe In?

I believe in myself, family, friends, and the power of science, education and reason to move humanity forward. I may get disappointed from time to time, but am optimistic in the future.

I believe there is no greater power than the Human Mind.

I like to say I believe in most of the ideas theists believe in–but with lower case letters. They talk of Meaning, Significance, Goodness, Hope, Love, etc. The capital letters indicate how everything has to be Ultimate and Universal. I talk instead of meaning, significance, goodness, hope, love, etc. Who needs Meaning (ultimate significance in the scope of the universe) when you can have meaning (for life’s not a paragraph and death I think is no parenthesis–eec).

We all know the answer to that question.

We believe that babies taste better fried than roasted.

I always thought that question reflected more on the person asking the question than the person answering it. To me it signifies that the person asking it is probably one of the following things (not a complete list): naive, non-introspective, lacking of imagination.

That question is a big signal that my line of thinking is very different from theirs.

Generally, when I am asked that question I just give a little head tilt and say: ahh reality.

And I think reality pretty much covers it all. If its not part of reality, I don’t believe in it.

The Future,
That most people are pretty good,
Free speech,
Human life should be preserved,
That genocide, slavery, rape and torture are all inherently wrong.

I don’t believe, I think.

I think it’s helpful to answer that question by reminding people that many of us free-thinkers don’t necessarily rule out a God *prior* to the Big Bang. We need to win hearts and minds by delineating the evolution of our reality in the closed system that began with the Big Bang. But believers I’ve met rarely also understand that I at least am completely silent on the question of whether there is a God prior to the origin of the Universe. The question doesn’t particularly interest me – but leaving the door open seems to mean a lot to them.

I always ask them to define what they mean by “believe in”.

Things that I think are important? Freedom, equality, fairness, etc.

Things that I think are true without any evidence? Nothing.

I believe in things that are believable.

I find it impossible to give a specific answer because it is a non-specific question. Their question may as well be, what do you eat?

That said, I really like TalentedChimp’s answer: “I don’t believe, I think.”

I believe that children are our future
treat them well and let them lead well…

i always loved that song.

The problem is that believing in the goodness of people, love, the beauty of the universe, etc, is not the same kind of belief as believing in god. It’s the same word, but it doesn’t mean the same thing (as so often happens in these kinds of conversations).

There is no one thing to say, because a lot of us don’t have a replacement belief. I don’t have some hole in my mind where god-belief is “supposed to be”, that needs to be filled up with something else.

I believe in ice cream. And I’ve actually seen it.

I believe in the fundamental interconnectedness of all things.

(Oops, no I don’t. That was somebody else….)

I believe it’s NOT butter.

The short answer: I believe in those things which I have good evidence and/or arguments for believing, and not in those things which I do not have good evidence and/or arguments for believing.

The long answer requires a long conversation.

I usually avoid the question because everytime I have it, it goes into “Well my pastor said that you have no reason to be good, so obviously you’re not”. However, one time I was with someone who simply wouldn’t drop it so I gave them this little speech.

I do believe in something greater then myself. I believe in the power of 6 billion human beings. I believe in something much greater then the human construct of “God”. God is only a machine that we invented to seperate ourselves based on fear and hatred. God only provides us with another excuse to divide ourselves and prevents us from reaching the true potential of the human mind. So yes I do believe in a higher power, and when I wrong somebody it only puts up more walls.

It’s a bogus question that doesn’t deserve an answer! Just because other people believe in something, so freaking what!?

I believe in the truth.

Hemant, the way I usually hear the question is “What, you don’t believe in anything?” to which I reply, “No, I believe in lots of things, like human rights, equality of the sexes, that we have the ability to better ourselves etc.”

I’ve never been personally asked this question, but I think I would answer first with “What do you mean?” to get them to clarify. If no clarification is forthcoming, I’d answer with a question such as, “Do you believe in anything other than God? Why does belief in God preclude the belief in anything else?” (giving an example if necessary).

Someday I’ll get a chance to put my answer to the test.

I believe that’s a stupid question.

If I were to answer seriously I would say that I believe in the power of the scientific method. Unfortunately this would be completely misunderstood as a belief that science has all the answers which of course would be something different.

Something like this (I’m still not sure who wrote it):

An atheist’s creed

I believe in time,
matter, and energy,
which make up the whole of the world.

I believe in reason, evidence and the human mind,
the only tools we have;
they are the product of natural forces
in a majestic but impersonal universe,
grander and richer than we can imagine,
a source of endless opportunities for discovery.

I believe in the power of doubt;
I do not seek out reassurances,
but embrace the question,
and strive to challenge my own beliefs.

I accept human mortality.

We have but one life,
brief and full of struggle,
leavened with love and community,
learning and exploration,
beauty and the creation of
new life, new art, and new ideas.

I rejoice in this life that I have,
and in the grandeur of a world that preceded me,
and an earth that will abide without me.

I believe in reality.

The wonderful thing is that atheists DON’T, as a collective, believe in anything.
The individual chooses what to believe.

We don’t NEED a breathless answer, we need an honest one.
And that’s it.

I believe that this life is all that we are promised.
I believe that supernatural answers are not answers.
I believe that war, torture, child abuse, rape and murder are the closest things to evil that we can find in this world. Theft, lying, and adultery are simply unfair by comparison.
And, I believe that rational skepticism is a virtue. Denial and ignorance are not. The goal of the thinking human being is to try to discern one from the other, with minimal existential crises in the process.

Do I expect anyone else to agree with any of that? Not really (though I would think most atheists would agree with the first two). Herding cats, and all that.

It is my firm belief that it is a mistake to hold firm beliefs.

I look them right in the eye and say, “I believe in you.”

That is kind of a silly question; like someone said before, it assumes that there’s some singular “God Substitute” that the atheist believes in in place of God.

I’ve gotten into many irritable discussions to that end, trying to explain to people that, in some views, there simply isn’t a God. Nothing that substitutes for God, nothing that does what God is supposed to do. I don’t believe in God; that doesn’t mean I believe in something else in place of God that serves the exact same purpose. It means I don’t believe the world works the way that you — as a follower of this God — believe it does; and thus, I don’t think your explanation is necessary at all, in any form. That’s what it means.

Take Frank Turek, for example; he and his supporters are constantly blogging about “what atheists worship instead of God,” etc. etc. People just don’t seem to understand exactly what it means to not believe in God, to the point that I tend to question whether it’s truly ignorance, or just malicious stupidity.

Atheism doesn’t define what a person DOES believe. Not all atheists are going to believe in the same things just because they happen to share a lack of belief in a god or gods. Conversely, atheists also often happen to be secularists, humanists, naturalists, materialists, etc… stances that do profess and/or offer something. These stances are separate from atheism. They are just stances that happen to portray what some people that may also happen to be atheists do believe in.

Read More – http://www.travisjmorgan.com/blog/2009/03/19/atheism-and-hope/

I believe in reason, liberty, justice, and humanity’s will to better itself.

What do theists really mean when they say God gives their lives meaning? Is it the same feelings and thoughts with the supernatural facade?

I generally attempt to clarify the question. I might respond by reference to causing harm: Do you believe that suffering is a bad thing? Or perhaps I’ll reference killing: Is it ethically wrong to kill an innocent?

People generally respond affirmatively to these clarifying questions. When they do so, I agree with them and follow-up.

I don’t murder or rape, for example, regardless of the non-existence of a deity. Therefore, doesn’t this suggest that I am as moral or perhaps more moral than someone who refrains from causing unnecessary suffering for fear of divine retribution or desire for divine praise?

From this line of reasoning I make it clear that I generally hold similar beliefs as they do save for the supernatural assumption.

The problem is that believing in the goodness of people, love, the beauty of the universe, etc, is not the same kind of belief as believing in god. It’s the same word, but it doesn’t mean the same thing (as so often happens in these kinds of conversations).

There is no one thing to say, because a lot of us don’t have a replacement belief. I don’t have some hole in my mind where god-belief is “supposed to be”, that needs to be filled up with something else.

That nails the issue for me. I guess a better question would be; How do you quickly and clearly make a theist understand that atheists don’t have a “God hole” they need to fill with something the way tofu burguers cover for beef burguers?

The whole point of the confusion is that any answer given without making this clear will sound silly. I believe in the power of human inquiry, but I sure don’t believe in it like a theist believes in god.

I don’t believe, I think.

That’s a really good one when dealing with annoying fundies (who are thankfully entirely absent in my life). However I think that it doesn’t much help our reputation with people who could potentially have their preacher-instilled bigotry defused.

When asked that question by someone whose intent is “Well if you don’t believe in God what do you believe in” I usually just start singing Don Williams’ I believe in you.

I don’t think the question requires a simple answer. God creates a simple answer for his “followers”. The stance I have chosen in life requires thought, evaluation and determination. What do I believe? I believe that I am still figuring that out completely and I believe that I am lucky to have that option. What I don’t believe in is “The simple answer”

I think the answer to the question is to clarify the question.

To me, statements of belief aren’t very useful as they don’t often are lacking in completeness and correctness. I strongly prefer value statements.

For example. The statement, “Blue is the best colour in the world,” is an identity statement. However, since it is clearly cannot be objectively demonstrated to be true, it is actually a belief statement. How many religious people incorrectly apply beliefs about something to identity? “God created the earth,” etc. I’m sure many of us fall into the same trap.

So the statement, “I believe that blue is the best colour in the world” is more precise. However the claim that is believed can still be debated. It is also somewhat trite. So what, I believe that red is the best colour in the world? So it can lead to needless conflict as the person is either right or wrong. And still, I have to wonder, what it is exactly this person is trying to say?

On the other hand, a value statement would look something like this: “I like blue.” This statement is not debatable or confrontational. It is also what I am trying to say and no more than that.

So I would answer with value statements:

I value science over superstition.

I trust logic over magic.

I prefer fairness over tradition for tradition’s sake.

“Our words today shape our thoughts which shape the words of tomorrow.” — Me.

This is quite easy for me since in addition to being and atheist i’m also a transhumanist.

So when asked what i believe in I can say
“I believe in the ability of humans to improve their condition. I believe this is not only possible but a moral obligation. I believe we can use science, reason and technology to improve our bodies, minds and society. I believe that we will one day change ourselves to the point when we can no longer call ourselves Homo Sapien and that this is a good thing. I believe that we are leaving behind the brutality of our past in favour of a better future but that regressive forces such as religion (to name but one) are impediments to this forward progress and should have their impact upon that progress reduced as much as is possible and ethical.”

Wow, Gribble nailed it.

To believe in something is to accept it despite any facts.
I always describe something as either being possible/impossible or probable/improbable (together with a few superlatives e.g. ‘most’, ‘very’)
By saying ‘I believe . . . ‘ you have automatically reduced yourself to the other person’s level of acceptance instead of judging matters from the available data.

I hate this question. Humans form beliefs about the world around them. To believe is to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something (dictionary.com). I believe in a lot of things, I just don’t believe in anything supernatural.

My friends respond, “How can you not believe in anything supernatural!” To which I say, “How can you?”

I believe I can fly…I believe I can touch the sky.

Nah, I’m just fucking with you. I agree that “I don’t believe, I think” is the best answer yet.

Of the several replies I’ve given to that question, the one that seems to be most readily understood is, “I probably believe in all the same things you do, except for the supernatural stuff.” I leave it to them, or any subsequent discussion on religious compartmentalism, as to how that’s possible.

My answer is simlar to the one Dan Gilbert gave above. I try to emphasize the similarities between myself and the questioner. I try to point out several things that we both share a common belief in. I then point out that we both believe many things, and some of our beliefs are the same, and some differ. Like everybody.

We’re being concrete in accepting the question as a philosophical one. Of course it’s better to know something on evidence than take a leap of faith to believe an untestable idea. Most people with religious beliefs know that (I almost said believe that.)

When a religious person thinks about giving up an irrational belief in God, they are worried about a lot more than the philosophical question.

Religions include communities, families, business relations, children and grandchildren, feelings of self-worth. To come out of the closet of agnosticism (which is very common within religionists in their heart of hearts) re-quires a big leap socially, not just philosophically.

I think we remind them of their agnosticism or out-right atheism, which they can’t imagine giving up.

Look at what Jim Haggard had to do to stay a Christian. He had to renounce homosexuality, talk the Christian Sexual Conversion stuff, that he’s really heterosexual with a problem sexualizing his poor relationships and ideas about men. Why? Because he misses the Christian community, and family, and business associates, etc. Because of the shame of rejecting his religion, and the loneliness.

It’s not a philosophical issue, it’s psychological and sociological. We shouldn’t be so concrete in accepting the question.

Short answer, “I believe there is no god.”

Long answer, written by Penn Jillette:

I believe that there is no God. I’m beyond Atheism. Atheism is not believing in God. Not believing in God is easy — you can’t prove a negative, so there’s no work to do. You can’t prove that there isn’t an elephant inside the trunk of my car. You sure? How about now? Maybe he was just hiding before. Check again. Did I mention that my personal heartfelt definition of the word “elephant” includes mystery, order, goodness, love and a spare tire?

So, anyone with a love for truth outside of herself has to start with no belief in God and then look for evidence of God. She needs to search for some objective evidence of a supernatural power. All the people I write e-mails to often are still stuck at this searching stage. The Atheism part is easy.

But, this “This I Believe” thing seems to demand something more personal, some leap of faith that helps one see life’s big picture, some rules to live by. So, I’m saying, “This I believe: I believe there is no God.”

Having taken that step, it informs every moment of my life. I’m not greedy. I have love, blue skies, rainbows and Hallmark cards, and that has to be enough. It has to be enough, but it’s everything in the world and everything in the world is plenty for me. It seems just rude to beg the invisible for more. Just the love of my family that raised me and the family I’m raising now is enough that I don’t need heaven. I won the huge genetic lottery and I get joy every day.

Believing there’s no God means I can’t really be forgiven except by kindness and faulty memories. That’s good; it makes me want to be more thoughtful. I have to try to treat people right the first time around.

Believing there’s no God stops me from being solipsistic. I can read ideas from all different people from all different cultures. Without God, we can agree on reality, and I can keep learning where I’m wrong. We can all keep adjusting, so we can really communicate. I don’t travel in circles where people say, “I have faith, I believe this in my heart and nothing you can say or do can shake my faith.” That’s just a long-winded religious way to say, “shut up,” or another two words that the FCC likes less. But all obscenity is less insulting than, “How I was brought up and my imaginary friend means more to me than anything you can ever say or do.” So, believing there is no God lets me be proven wrong and that’s always fun. It means I’m learning something.

Believing there is no God means the suffering I’ve seen in my family, and indeed all the suffering in the world, isn’t caused by an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent force that isn’t bothered to help or is just testing us, but rather something we all may be able to help others with in the future. No God means the possibility of less suffering in the future.

Believing there is no God gives me more room for belief in family, people, love, truth, beauty, sex, Jell-o and all the other things I can prove and that make this life the best life I will ever have.

[...] believe or not By liquidthinker Over at The Friendly Atheist, a probing question is pondered. What do atheists believe in?. This is a question I’ve also heard from time to time, so I thought I’d see if I could [...]

The confusion starts from not clarifying the two very different meanings of “believe in.” One is to assume the truth or reality of something in the absence of evidence. The other is to hold something in esteem, to value or support it. I do as little of the first as I possibly can, and plenty of the second.

If I’m asked by a theist, “Do you believe in anything?” they are almost always keeping the two definitions undistinguished. If I try to answer without clarifying the difference, the confusion will continue. Such clarity takes time and effort on my part, and patience on the questioner’s part, so the first thing I ask is “Do you have about 5 or 10 minutes for a clear answer?” If they don’t, I say that it wouldn’t help to give a quick, sound-byte answer.

So my clear response has to include an explanation of what skepticism is, and then a list of the values I hold. When I get to that part, the questioner and I most often have plenty in common. We mainly differ in what we need to be convinced of a claim.

To me, that question reveals a basic inability to imagine something outside the Christian’s own belief system. I used to work with a fundamentalist who found out I was agnostic and accused me of “backsliding.” They are just applying their own world upon us and expecting us to have the same basic needs, because they can’t imagine anything else–like Christians who are unable to imagine anything other than Christianity as a basis for morality, so non-believers must not be moral.

The question “but what do you believe in??” I think is not asking about your belief in rainbows or puppy dogs; instead it is the person saying they don’t understand the ability to not rely on faith, so they restate the same question, expecting some answer that is similar to a belief in god. You can’t possibly not believe in god, so you must believe in something. In this case, “believe” means religious faith. It’s like the guy in Spinal Tap showing the dial that goes to eleven. When the interviewer asks why not just label the louder point as “ten,” he can’t understand, and insists, “but this goes to eleven!” because he can’t see it any other way.

I think the correct answer is, “in the sense of believing in a higher conscious power such as god, I don’t believe in anything.” I would ask that person why they think it’s necessary to believe in something, and get around to the wisdom of accepting that there is knowledge we are not privileged to, and that’s okay.

I believe in one less thing than a theist.

I believe in people.

When pressed to explain, i go into the typical humanist refrain.

Speaking of which, I wish this “Atheist Movement” were more of a Humanist Movement. It would be more effective in showing how secularism is better, remove the myth that we have no morals, and in general me more productive to society. Instead we seem to focus on trying to reason with generally unreasonable people, fighting over complex ideas that the typical person doesn’t understand or care about. Idk, just a thought, total digression…

I usually fire back with “Why do I need to believe in something” if that doesn’t work my response is the same as many here. I believe in myself, my friends, family, science and the human drive to know more.

I believe in reality
I believe in the natural world
I believe I’ll have another beer

The question “but what do you believe in??” I think is not asking about your belief in rainbows or puppy dogs; instead it is the person saying they don’t understand the ability to not rely on faith, so they restate the same question, expecting some answer that is similar to a belief in god.

I think it’s even less of a question than that. I don’t think it’s even a question, as much as a bunch of words they parrot, reflexively.

I recognize the response well. I’m a confirmed meat-atarian, married to a vegetarian, and the “lash out first, formulate a sentence that makes sense second” was my normal MO when dealing with vegetarians before I kind of grew up in that area.

It’s an “oh yeah, well what’s your answer to this one mr. smarty-pants!!!” kind of thrust. Best to slowly, calmly work the question into a different mode.

I honestly think the best response is along the lines of Richard’s. The best thing to do is to get them to go over the question slowly, to try and get them to think about what they’re really asking.

When I’m being polite, it’s “I believe in lots of things, but I don’t worship anything”.

I think I’m gonna be borrowing the ‘reality’ or “I think instead” answers for when I’m not feeling so polite.

I believe in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; in the Constitution of the United States; in the central concept that at our hearts, all men and women are equal and most are good.

I believe in nature, sort of a philosophical paganism that acknowledges reality and humanities place in the huge systems of interconnected matter and energy.

Ethically, I believe in Superman. No, seriously. In any given circumstances, if you know sufficiently enough about Superman (modern…please ignore the ethical status of the covers of “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen” and so on) then all you have to do is ask yourself, “Assuming full information and barring kryptonite and magick, what would Superman do?” Hasn’t failed me yet, and far more realistic than Kant or Aristotle. If you are on the opposite side from Superman in an ethical issue, then you are most likely in the wrong.

I seem to recall an article cited on Daylight Atheism, featuring a 91-year old atheist woman. When they asked her what she believed, she said, “I believe in people and ideas.”

I believe in a good number of things.

I believe that the world would be a better place if everyone had reliable and up to date anti virus and anti spam software.

I believe that politicians work for us and should therefore do what is best for us. Not necessarily what we want but we should be able to trust them to do what is best. I don’t but I think I should.

I believe that war is a last resort and never the best option.

I believe in the power of goodness, niceness and happy thoughts.

I believe in science as a way of knowing.

I believe in an awful lot of things. It’s a shame that some people only believe in one thing.

Here’s a good answer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB_htqDCP-s

Storm by Tim Minchin

I love Claudia’s response, it similar to what I would say.

I feel that I do have a purpose: evolution.
I am a part of something bigger: the universe.
I believe in the wonders the universe holds. The beauty it possesses. Sure, these aren’t things I “believe in”, per se (I don’t have “faith”), but its all semantics. Nature and, on a bigger scale, the universe are amazingly beautiful things that inspire me and bring joy into my life on a continual basis.

Things just are. The world doesn’t require my belief to exist.

A good question and it’s got a lot of good responses. I run an atheist-friendly Christian website,and one of my aims is to promote the view that atheists are human beings and believe in lots of the same things that open-minded Christians believe in. Your answers prove it.
I like Seneca’s comment: “I am a human and nothing human is alien to me.” He was a pantheist, I think, but the same sentiment could be found among numerous belief systems.
My site is http://www.wesleyschair.com.

I believe in myself. And after years of being told that I’m a worthless sinner, boy does that feel great.

I believe in my capacity to think problems through and determine, if not the final truth, as reasonable an approximation as anyone else. And, I know I can get a hell of a lot closer to the truth than a book of stories.

I believe that I’m WAY better and smarter and well-informed than Jehovah, Allah, and Jesus all put together. Jesus was an asshole. It needs to be said. He was a racist who called Samaritans ignorant and Phonoecians “dogs.” He virtually introduced the concept of Hell into the global consciousness.

Batman is a way better (and cooler!) moral exemplar than Superman!

I believe that there is no final answer, but with a little cleverness, we can make a better world for us all.

Siamang Says:

Here’s a good answer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB_htqDCP-s
Storm by Tim Minchin

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I posted it on my blog as well!!!

For once I find myself in the position of being able to say what answer I did give, rather than guess what answer I might give if I were in this situation – since I responded to precisely this question only a few hours ago.

My response, after some thought, was to point out that the question assumed some kind of god-substitute, and that I couldn’t answer such a loaded question in those terms, but I offered to attempt to answer a less loaded question.

I believe that if human beings dedicated more energy to truly caring for one another, and ensuring a more ‘level playing field’ for all, then the need for the belief in some supernatural ‘God’ would (eventually) disappear.

I say this because I think that a lot of ‘God belief’ arises from the apparently inherent unfairness of the natural world….

If we successfully created a world that was more fair in terms of the most basic needs (like food, shelter and education), I think we’d see a significant drop in religious allegiance.

And despite the very real fact that such a goal is unlikely given our ‘current global situation’ I DO believe that human beings have the capacity to (ultimately) achieve this.

I believe in Crystal Light. Because I believe in me.

Do no harm

I am vegetarian and I get asked all the time: “If you don’t eat meat, what DO you eat?”

To me, this is the same stupid question from people who can’t imagine living life differently than they do.

I do not believe. I reason.

I believe in psychology. It’s the only thing that will help humanity and the problems that confront us. We put almost no funding towards psychology. If we don’t understand ourselves, our injuries, our emotions, our defenses, our subconscious, our core belief systems, our childhood…we will never make healthy decisions. Politics, chemistry, science, astrology, astronomy, sociology, are all not psychology and will not enable us to understand where we are headed and why. Especially in America the topic of psychology almost seems taboo, mostly out of pure ignorance. The advertising and war industries are the only ones interested in psychology, and that, only as a manipulating tool, not for healthy and balanced reasons. People too often rely on spirituality instead of psychology, just think of 12 step based groups to deal with addiction and other diseases. The pharmaceutical industries are merely look at the person from a purely chemical point of view. Besides the medical industry can only cure 10% of illnesses. Most every article or book I read on any topic is usually lacking psychological insight, which is the main thing of importance when it comes to the human condition. Psychology is what I believe in and what needs much more support, financing and reverence. Read any book by Alice Miller to get an insight going! Or read my manifesto and see my paintings at livejournal.com under boycott2008.

Atheist: I don’t believe in god.
Christian: You don’t believe in God? Then what do you believe in?
A: Well, do you believe in Santa?
C: No.
A: You don’t believe in Santa? Then what do you believe in?
C: That’s not the same thing.
A: You’re right, no one kills in the name of Santa.
/applause, bow to crowd

“Don’t waste my time with such an outmoded question.”

I’d like to try this:

Theist: “So, you don’t believe in God?”
Me: “No, I don’t.”
Theist: “Then what do you believe in?”
Me: “I believe that somewhere in the darkest niiight, a candle glowwwwwws.
I believe for every drop of rain that falllls, a flower growwwwwwwwws.
EVERY TIME I HEAR A NEWBORN BABY CRYYYYY, OR TOUCH A LEEEEEEAF OR SEEE THE SKYYYYYYYYYYY
THEN THAT IS WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII BEEELIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVE!!

Autumnal Harvest said:

I believe in Crystal Light. Because I believe in me.

*teehee*

Being a soldier gives me a bit of a cheat:

Duty.
Honor.
Country.

I believe in the world
I believe that you should live your life the way you want to live your life, and not by the rules of somebody else

It’s not “what I believe,” it’s what I know. I know that a man named Jesus Christ walked the earth, I know that many people saw him and witnessed his teaching and manipulations of matter (miracles), I know that he spoke about love and righteousness and explained who God is. I know that He is the word in the flesh (God). I know the Catholic church’s BS drove many people away from this.

I believe in Humanity and their ability to eventually overcome primitive superstitious beliefs in gods. They did it before, with the Greek and Roman gods. They can do it again. Just give them time.

[...] topic for the second installment in Atheist Week also comes via Friendly Atheist. Hemant Mehta posts a reader’s query about answering the question, “If you don’t [...]

I believe things happen randomly. Nothing revolves around this “thing” people call god…

I have come from a catholic / religious background. When i was looking for what my new beliefs related too ( i no longer believe in a God), i must admit when i came to this site i thought , im not an atheist, i believe in something, just not a god’ . But after reading all these posts about believing in humanity, truth, the mind, and the universe, it actually brought me to tears that i actually found people with the similiar views of life and death to what i have come to now live by.

I dont believe, i think!

Thank you all !

My Answer:
‘I believe in evidence’.

I believe in a properly performed scientific method.

family, friends, and the power of science, also i beleave in the power of science very strongly i beleave in evaluation

As a theist, I see the question in terms of world view/belief system. Not believing in something is ok, but it says nothing about what you do believe in. Obviously there is a great deal of diversity (as there is within theism) but are there some general tenets that are common to a reasonable percentage of atheists? There are a number of areas to discuss – origins of life, meaning of life, etc. One that probably gets more discussion is ethics and morals…are there absolute standards similar to the fundamental laws of physics or are they derived from consensus?
I enjoyed reading many of the responses to this thread…

Steve

I am not a beliver in god but that does mean i have no stand in life….i belive with the strength and power of our mind as we thats what will help us determine our life rather than putting everything of fate or god…we make our choices in life and we have to stand up to it…god does not do anyhting to us

We had an atheist at church wednesday night. we were studying the book of Daniel. It was good to have him there. He said some good things. I hope he comes back. No one tried to convert him nor did he try to convert us…we just all listened to each other.

way to Step Up, atheists! very nice thread; i’ll be stealing a lot of the good ones. titter, it would be fun to go make trouble at a religious event with some of you, i can see that.

if i like them and just don’t want to embarrass them, i say, “well, i studied comparative semitic philology and the anthropology and languages of pre-monotheistic religions in Divinity school for ten years, so it’s sort of complicated.” people’s eyes glaze over and they change the topic, quick.

if i don’t like them, i say, “i believe you’re an inferior for asking the question, but really, do you want to know?” again, i rarely get an affirmative reply.

Rofl, chicago dyke! I do the same quite often, though worded slightly differently.

I don’t think people are necessarily asking you to be rude or to be judgmental(if they are that’s a whole other story). but i think its simply human nature to feel like you should believe in something. not that all people do but but for most people its natural. please don’t believe that you are above people for there beliefs just as you wouldn’t want them to look down on you for your beliefs(or lack of).i think that you should be more open with the discussion of mind and the things you believe to be true or not. i thought this was a “friendly atheist” website?!

The funny thing is….you’re the inferior one and you don’t even know it!! I think the absence of the tube steak is making your brain soft!!

I believe in life, moral rules, happiness…
Not in religion or any kind of creature who “rules” everything.

You assume here that all believers are unintelligent.  I understand every word of your attempt to make yourself sound superior, and I’m not impressed.  I have met different “types” of people who call themselves atheists.  Some seem to be at peace, which is hard for me to understand, because my peace comes from knowing God.  However, that is not for me to judge.  Then, I see people who are angry, clearly not at peace with their anti-religious philosophy.  This makes more sense to me, but it makes me sad. 

If you have confidence in your belief system, you would have no need to make those different from you feel inferior.  I understand that people of all faiths behave this way, and it wrong on all accounts.  I can appreciate that atheists are tired of certain stereotypes, so are Christians.  It is automatically assumed, that because of my faith, I am lacking in intellectual ability.  It just isn’t true, and I hope that more people would understand this. 

That being said, as a Christian, I am not here to “fit in” with the world.  My heart is with all of those who are suffering, and I hope that you all find peace.  I just think that greeting misunderstanding with hostility is no way to treat anyone.  It will only tear down communication, and widen the gulf between people of different beliefs.

If we want to be objective, let us put away whatever prior knowledge and prejudice first. Then, let us try to read Holy Quran with our open mind. I am sure we will find a new horison of a new way of viewing our wolrd. Just try to read, Dear friends….

i belive in god the i am , he is real u all will figure that out someday … yes medical indstry can only cure !10 % of illness but my god the god that gave his only son to die on the cross for all of our sins and cure 100% of illness !  before its too late belive ! my GOD IS THE GREATEST GOD EVER !!!!