to believe that beyond all reasonable doubt

[OurBetty]

there is no god?

hmmmmm. There are valid arguments for and against that one. Will lurk with interest

I can't think of a genuinely valid reason for their being a god. Honestly, I can't!

Well I'm with you, but you'll never convince a believer, so whats the point in arguing about it?

I'm with you on this but you can't prove a negative, so absolute knowledge of this is impossible.

My sister is a born-again christian. You can imagine the family rows parties we have...

I'm not a believer, honest! I just don't disbelieve. I do think religion should be taught in schools, but not imposed though.

Surely it's not about "proving a negative" though. If I said I'd seen a flying saucer, it'd be up to me to prove it rather than everyone else having to disprove it, wouldn't it?

I'm the same, I just cannot feel that there is anything there. Don't believe anything happens when you die, either.

'That which is asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence'

SugarPasteFroge, but why do want to believe in God? How can you worship something that you don't actually believe in?

What about something else, not a "god" but some other sort of universal force? Somedays I wholeheartedly believe in that.

well, believers could cite many many daily 'miracles' that they believe their God has performed so that is their proof, surely?

This is my favourite argument for the existence of God.

1. It is a conceptual truth (or, so to speak, true by definition) that God is a being than which none greater can be imagined (that is, the greatest possible being that can be imagined).

2. God exists as an idea in the mind. 3. A being that exists as an idea in the mind and in reality is, other things being equal, greater than a being that exists only as an idea in the mind. 4. Thus, if God exists only as an idea in the mind, then we can imagine something that is greater than God (that is, a greatest possible being that does exist). 5. But we cannot imagine something that is greater than God (for it is a contradiction to suppose that we can imagine a being greater than the greatest possible being that can be imagined.) 6. Therefore, God exists.

I'm an atheist, btw (wrote it on the census and everything ), I just like thinking about things.

You are perfectly entitled to believe whatever you want to.

And others are also.

What you don't have the right to do is to sneer at others because they believe in something you don't, just as they don't have the right to attack you for not believing.

So as long as you just have your personal belief and it doesn't come with a side serving of sneer, then YANBU

i dont think there's a god either but i think there is a higher state of being

You just haven't been 'chosen' OP

Only 16% of the world are athesits, but half of these are thestic but not of any reilgion.

So there must be something in it... don't you think?

Exactly, SueWhite!

I don't believe in life after death either. Why would/should something happen to us? Why can't people appreciate nature for what it is, rather than having to attribute it to some greater human-like being?

I have a friend who's a vicar and TBH there's no point discussing his faith with him, as he's just so blinkered to the idea of there being God.

It seems to odd and (and I hesitate as I know I'll be in trouble with this one) like a fairytale that some people just don't seem to want to outgrow.

He (my vicar friend) argues that Christian teachings are good and without them there'd be chaos, killings, cheating etc, etc, but that's a ridiculous argument - most people are brought up with those values, whether they're religious or not.

From the snippets of the Old Testament I've read, old God doesn't seem like a nice chap anyway!

Its not really about belief though, is it?

Its about faith.

You can have faith in lots of things, not just a deity.

Surely it's not about "proving a negative" though. If I said I'd seen a flying saucer, it'd be up to me to prove it rather than everyone else having to disprove it, wouldn't it?

Not for me or you, Betty, because we are sure as can be that there is no god, but you could never come out on top in an argument with my sister because her answer to the statement "there is no god" is "prove it" and of course you cant...

You can't prove a negative, only a positive.

Gapbear, but surely that relies on everyone imaginging exactly the same thing. Impossible.

lovecorrie, how does that prove god exists? If I told you that my cat had faith that the weather today would be fine, and it was. I believe that - so that makes it true? Your argument is nonsensical. What defines a miracle? Surely we're surrounded by miracles - natural miracles.

Roseflower, no I don't. Think of how many different religions there are in the world and the varying degress of people's faiths in these religions. If anything it argues towards the absence of a god.