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Does an atheist have to believe in evolution?

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Author Topic:   Does an atheist have to believe in evolution?
riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 437 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004

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Message 38 of 64 (310638)
05-09-2006 11:21 PM 		Reply to: Message 2 by jar
05-07-2006 7:01 PM

but the Atheist could also believe that things just happened without evolution or Goddit.
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Athiest don't "believe" in anything, that is why they are athiest, come on now.
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They only go by the observable world around them.
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 Message 41 by ohnhai, posted 05-10-2006 1:34 AM riVeRraT has replied
  
riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 437 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004

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Message 42 of 64 (310668)
05-10-2006 6:44 AM 		Reply to: Message 41 by ohnhai
05-10-2006 1:34 AM

That atheists ”don’t believe in anything’ is a fallacy created to try and discredit their credibility.
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OK fine, by definition you are correct. But 19 times out of 20 (or whatever #)you ask an atheist why they don't believe, you know what answer you'll get.
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 Message 43 by Quetzal, posted 05-10-2006 8:10 AM riVeRraT has replied
 Message 45 by nator, posted 05-10-2006 8:03 PM riVeRraT has replied
 Message 47 by ohnhai, posted 05-10-2006 10:14 PM riVeRraT has replied
  
riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 437 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004

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Message 48 of 64 (310965)
05-11-2006 8:02 AM 		Reply to: Message 43 by Quetzal
05-10-2006 8:10 AM

Re: To Believe or Not Believe - That is the Question
Really? I'm curious: what answer is that?
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You can read through these forums, or just go ask 20 athiests.
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riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 437 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004

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Message 49 of 64 (310966)
05-11-2006 8:04 AM 		Reply to: Message 45 by nator
05-10-2006 8:03 PM

If you follow the conversation backwards by clicking on the little links that say replys to this message, or this message is in reply too, you can find out.
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riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 437 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004

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Message 50 of 64 (310969)
05-11-2006 8:21 AM 		Reply to: Message 47 by ohnhai
05-10-2006 10:14 PM

I personally believe in the scientific method, I have a lot of faith in it and its ability to hone in on a solid explanation of that we see around us.
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Honesty, I really respect you for putting it that way.
No joke.
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Also its wrong to assume that an Atheist has any rational reason for his lack of belief in the divine.
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Well, I am not assuming, just going by what I used to think, and by what others tell me. I am not making anything up.
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For instance if an Atheist doesn’t believe in God because “the pixie under the potting shed said God doesn’t exist” then he is as much an Atheist as the one that discounts God because of the lack of empirical data.
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Right, that is why I siad technically you are correct, but we both know that is the exception not the rule.
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However, you are right in saying that vast majority of Atheists will cite the lack of empirical data as the overriding reason for their lack of belief, but that does not mean that this worldview is actually required to be an Atheist.
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I agree.
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Therefore, to reiterate the only thing that defines an Atheist as such is the lack of belief in the divine. He may hold this view for any rational or irrational reason he chooses, and lack of belief in the divine does not exclude the possibility that he may believe in many other things.
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Technically yes. But by your own admission, most athiest use the reason of lack of empirical evidence. This is the logic that governs their lives, or way of thinking. Unless the logical ones are hypocrites, then it is safe to assume that they apply this logic to eveything. I bet if we took a survey, we would find this to be true, and after over 3000 posts in here and talking to athiests, this is the general line of thinking that an athiests has. To deny it, is almost a lie.
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I am starting another thread in the coffee house to get some answers, I am curious.
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riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 437 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004

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Message 52 of 64 (310977)
05-11-2006 8:43 AM 		Reply to: Message 51 by Quetzal
05-11-2006 8:40 AM

Re: To Believe or Not Believe - That is the Question
I started another thread in the coffee house, and we can see.
I believe I stated what an athiests answer would be, even though my answer is technically incorrect.
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riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 437 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004

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Message 55 of 64 (311135)
05-11-2006 6:19 PM 		Reply to: Message 54 by nator
05-11-2006 5:16 PM

so, you mean, don't believe in the supernatiral?
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supernatiral, chuckle.
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The definition of an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in a divine being, god/gods. That is what we are talking about. The reasons why. Also if they "believe" in anything at all.
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riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 437 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004

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Message 57 of 64 (311347)
05-12-2006 7:44 AM 		Reply to: Message 56 by robinrohan
05-12-2006 1:03 AM

Everybody believes in something. I, for example, believe in Logic.
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Why do people always take things out of context?
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Sure you could say that we all believe in something, since nothing is ever proven. But you know if I used that statement in the wrong thread, people would jump all over it.
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You could say you have faith in science.
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But not without evidence, that's my point.
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riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 437 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004

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Message 60 of 64 (311787)
05-14-2006 5:29 PM 		Reply to: Message 59 by robinrohan
05-12-2006 6:20 PM

In other words, one could say that you "believe in gravity" since nothing is ever proven.
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But jump off a bridge and you know what will "probably happen".
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riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 437 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004

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Message 62 of 64 (311880)
05-15-2006 6:23 AM 		Reply to: Message 61 by kuresu
05-14-2006 9:35 PM

Treating them badly would be quite illogical, especially if they were a gang of murderers, for example.
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Unless you thought you were a bigger, better, murderer or gang.
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Either way, in your own mind, you think, you are thinking logical.
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