What do Atheists Believe?

   That sounds like a dumb question.  Atheists I have spoken with simply say, “I don’t believe in God.”  There is a hesitance to go any further.  Being as insensitive as I am, I will follow this up with “What does the word God mean to you?”  Those few who will answer come up with “The Creator of the Universe, as described by the bible of the religion I was raised in.”  Since historically there have probably been a thousand religions that they weren’t raised in, this is not a very logical denial.  The other concept I hear from Atheists is the Tea Cup & Saucer cliché, “Just because one can’t prove that there isn’t a tea cup and saucer orbiting the Earth, it doesn’t prove that there is one.”  Their point being, just because I have no evidence that God doesn’t exist, you certainly have no reliable evidence that He does.  I believe your books are based on symbolism and mythology, not proven data.

   I recently watched a couple of hours of discussion, on video, featuring four men of science that are leaders and authors in the Atheist persuasion.  These men have wonderful minds.  It featured Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Christopher Dennett (The Four Horsemen).  Harris mentioned that he didn’t think that “Atheism” is a very well defined belief system because it denies a belief rather than describing one.  To deny a belief (“I don’t believe in God”) leaves a lot of other possible philosophies out there.  To me, the best answer an Atheist could give to what they do believe would be, “I believe that the bibles I have read are obvious mythology.  This is easily proven with logic and science.  I would be glad to illustrate my present position.”  I don’t hear anything like this from any Atheist I have known.

  I would be happy to agree with this concept, but I don’t consider myself an Atheist.  An agnostic better describes my position.  I don’t know what or how the universe I live in came to be.  I use the acronym GOD (Grand Omnipotent Dna) to name the system or systems of the Universe being studied, but I don’t see science finishing their study and doubt they ever will … hence my questions i.e. agnosticism.   Harris faults the agnostic for simply questioning whether the god of the religion of their upbringing exists.  This would not apply to my belief of questioning how the Universe was created or its infinity, as I have never had faith in any god.  I don’t see questioning faith as offensive, but as wise.  Remember, no honest agnostic ever started a war based on religious beliefs. 

Cheers, Old Buz the agnostic          07/07/2023

“Enjoy your awareness.  It is definitely a choice and possibly a gift.” – Old Buz