What Does Atheism Profit Atheists?

[just a believing guy]

Any thoughts?

 

[Radrook]

An thoughts?

Atheists are a very diverse lot both culturally and professionally:

Here is one example focusing on scientists:

Atheist scientists gain economic security and professional prestige far more easily and avoid the academic stigma which hovers over those scientists who disagree by holding theistic views.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

that they are the cool ones swimming upstream?
that they at least have stayed true to their "commonsense"?
that they are not addicted to opium "religion as opiate for the masses"
that they haven't fallen for a"malicious God who allows or even supports suffering"
"show me the evidence babe!"

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

that they are the cool ones swimming upstream?
that they at least have stayed true to their "commonsense"?
that they are not addicted to opium "religion as opiate for the masses"
that they haven't fallen for a"malicious God who allows or even supports suffering"
"show me the evidence babe!"

sorry the answer being
"we can remain the cool ones"

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

I sometimes wonder with a guy like Stephen Fry. Brilliant guy but bores me because he doesn't look up to anyone except himself. Is the UK totally Godless? I wonder sometimes with the TV we get in Australia from there.

 

[Nithavela]

Wealth in this life, afforded by the dark lord they all secretly worship, if they know it or not.

 

[quatona]

Any thoughts?

Nothing. It´s not supposed to profit me. It´s my beliefs that profit me, not my non-beliefs.
(But I am happy to see how many theists are willing and eager to tell me what my thoughts and feelings are, so far.)

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

Nothing. It´s not supposed to profit me. It´s my beliefs that profit me, not my non-beliefs.
(But I am happy to see how many theists are willing and eager to tell me what my thoughts and feelings are, so far.)

Ok now what you're thinking right now is this......

 

[quatona]

Ok now what you're thinking right now is this......

Thank you!

I think the most simple answer is: When you don´t believe in Gods not being a theist helps you avoiding cognitive dissonance. (I wouldn´t call that a "profit", exactly. I rather think of it as banal and self-suggesting.)

 

[CrystalDragon]

Wealth in this life, afforded by the dark lord they all secretly worship, if they know it or not.

It frustrates me that many other theists will say "Anything I don't agree with is of the devil!"

1. That's insulting
2. It's bigoted
3. In the Bible the devil barely explicitly did anything.
4. People have different opinions
5. People automatically seem to fear or hate what's strange to them

 

[PloverWing]

Intellectual integrity: The atheists I have spoken with believe that there is not enough evidence to justify a belief in God, and they do not want to believe something that does not have adequate justification.

 

[cloudyday2]

Intellectual integrity: The atheists I have spoken with believe that there is not enough evidence to justify a belief in God, and they do not want to believe something that does not have adequate justification.

Also, one definition of a true belief might be: a belief that is most likely to predict outcomes from decisions. Having true beliefs gives a better chance of desired outcomes. Similarly having false beliefs gives a better change of undesirable outcomes. Atheists carefully restrict their beliefs to those that can be tested and confirmed scientifically, therefore they are more likely to make decisions that yield the outcomes they desire.

 

[Shemjaza]

Any thoughts?

Personally, settling on atheism as a description of my belief system was an intellectual relief. As I grew and learned I found my beliefs about the supernatural bother harder to justify or even keep coherent.

 

[just a believing guy]

Personally, settling on atheism as a description of my belief system was an intellectual relief. As I grew and learned I found my beliefs about the supernatural bother harder to justify or even keep coherent.

You know, common sense is a savage's metaphysics...

 

[section9+1]

It gives them what they love ----- darkness.

 

[quatona]

Also, one definition of a true belief might be: a belief that is most likely to predict outcomes from decisions. Having true beliefs gives a better chance of desired outcomes. Similarly having false beliefs gives a better change of undesirable outcomes.

That´s certainly correct for the physical, testable world.
I do not really see how this is applicable to the creative fantasy world of metaphysics.

Atheists carefully restrict their beliefs to those that can be tested and confirmed scientifically, therefore they are more likely to make decisions that yield the outcomes they desire.

This may be an accurate description of some or many atheists. For me, it could hardly be further from how I actually roll.

 

[quatona]

Personally, settling on atheism as a description of my belief system was an intellectual relief.

Just on a sidenote:
I don´t agree that atheism is a belief system.
Actually, it´s neither a belief nor a system of beliefs.

 

[quatona]

You know, common sense is a savage's metaphysics...

Even if that were true, it wouldn´t be that different from your standard justification: "I am convinced...." or "It´s an obvious truth...".

 

[just a believing guy]

Even if that were true, it wouldn´t be that different from your standard justification: "I am convinced...." or "It´s an obvious truth...".

To some it isn't conviction, to some it is personal conviction. To some it isn't an obvious truth, to some it is an obvious, personal truth.

 

[Mountain_Girl406]

To some it isn't conviction, to some it is personal conviction. To some it isn't an obvious truth, to some it is an obvious, personal truth.

Why does God not make it obvious for everyone? To those who have a personal conviction, where does that come from?