Atheists -what makes you so sure?

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I often wonder what makes atheists so sure that there isn’t a god. I’m not talking a particular iteration of the Divine, eg it’s easy to say I can’t believe there is a God because of childhood cancer, but that is predicated on the concept of a God who is only good and considers childhood cancer as bad and further is capable and willing to stop all bad things. I’m talking gods not religions here which a very different things.

Most cultures throughout time have have gods so it’s somewhat of an anomaly to not believe. I just wonder why people don’t believe. (And can we try and keep this a decent debate rather than any of the sky fairy shit those with an inability to debate a point beyond regurgitated social media soundbites seem limited to)

Talk for yourself. Not believing is not an anomaly.

A god that created the world and everything in it just doesn’t make logical sense. Scientifically, obviously there are gaps in our knowledge but more complex things evolving from simpler things is logical. Where did the creator god come from?

Gods in the Greek sense - supernatural beings who live out their own lives and battles and occasionally take a capricious interest in humanity - there’s not such a fundamental logical objection to that in principle but I’ve never seen any evidence they exist!

Because there is zero evidence of any god.

I often wonder what makes atheists so sure that there isn’t a god

It’s interesting that you say this Op, as an atheist I often wonder how religious people know there is a god or if they are just pretending because that’s what they were brought up to do?

I just don’t believe there is a higher power watching down on us. I believe we are a slightly evolved species of animal, living on a rock in space that just happened to have the right conditions for life to grow.

When I hear people talk about god or any of the prophets / messiahs / holy figures, I am internally cringing for them talking about what I perceive to be imaginary beings. Absolutely no disrespect intended, this is just my belief.

Because there is no evidence.

I’m atheist and it doesn’t jar with me that most cultures believe in some sort of god - the belief makes sense to me, but I personally don’t believe. I am also not arrogant enough to think this gives me superior logic skills or anything, and I realise that I myself hold what another person would regard as illogical or irrational beliefs.

You know, I'd like to have a faith. I've met many people for whom having an active religious faith can be a great comfort in many ways.

But back here IRL, I just can't suspend disbelief enough to actually believe in any of the stories we are supposed to swallow.

(I also think that organised religion is the cause of a huge amount of poverty and suffering, both currently and in the past; but that's religion as opposed to personal theistic belief).

Because there appears to be too many of them - all with their own agendas. bit like politics!

gods & religion (prepared to accept there is a difference) all seem to preach a way of life and the rules to live by, and to me, the first form of politics, people control & power grabbing. Buddhists for example believe that the human life is one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behaviour are the ways to achieve enlightenment, or nirvana.

There has also been a long link between church, royalty & politics which I struggle with. They are all as bad as each other.

It's not about being sure really, it's about just not believing it. I would genuinely like to believe in a god, and I think (some) churches can provide a really important sense of community and belonging that actually does appeal to me, but I just can't believe in it. It's like trying to believe in Santa, or the tooth fairy, which would also be nice if they were true but are clearly not.

So I don't think it's about being 'so sure' as such, it's just that deep down the concept of god is no more real to me than fairies at the bottom of the garden.

We have good scientific explanations for how the world around us is at it is, in which gods play no part.

We have good psychological and social explanations for why religions would be popular in human society, even if there were no factual basis at all.

We've also got several pretty good documented examples of new religions being formed, including in cases where most people agree there's no factual basis to the belief.

Lastly, the available religions are mostly nonsensical, much though people try to pretend otherwise.

I quite like deism, i.e. the belief that there is a powerful creator god, but it has no interest in humans whatsoever. I don't think it will catch on though.

Most cultures throughout time have have gods

I think we have a drive to find explanations. Now our scientific discoveries have given us better explanations.

Most cultures throughout time have have gods so it’s somewhat of an anomaly to not believe

How d'you make that out? Most cultures have women, but it doesn't make it an anomaly to be a man.

Belief in god is just that: a belief. Some have it, some don't. There's no proof either way. Neither believers nor non believers are an anomaly.

You're right. I think it's just become more socially acceptable to be a non believer and atheists have become more vocal as we find more scientific evidence for things.

I am an atheist having grown up religious. I don't believe in God because it was merely a belief early humans had as a way to explain the unknown - science now fills those gaps. Religion and God are now used to control
people.

i just don't believe in god. If god exists she should send a sign and not give us all that "oh you don't get to demand proof of my existance I'm sending the 4 horsemen in now"

Because there is no evidence and it doesn't make logical sense to me.
It seems obvious to me that the idea of God is something humans have invented to explain what they don't understand.

That's 'agnostic'. Atheist is the prefix 'a' (without) and 'the-' (pertaining to god)

I have a faith and I believe in God.

As I got older (and older and older and OLDER) I thought more and more that, well, it doesn't make sense and it's clearly all just made up.
Jonathan Edwards put it well in his interview about how he stopped believing: (link to archive of Times article)
https://archive.is/VV29R

Three wide-ranging reasons for me:
1 There is zero evidence of the existence of any god, not Zeus, not Thor, not Jahweh, not Hanuman. No one god has more plausible background than any other. Atheists simply believe in one fewer god than the typical believer.
2 There is reasonable settled scientific evidence about the underpinnings of the universe and the evolution of life on this particular planet.
3 There is all-too-abundant evidence throughout history that human beings will concoct fanciful stories to explain something they don't yet understand and then cling onto deluded fantasies in the face of reality.

Then why are you posting on a thread asking atheists why they think the way they do?

I used to believe and was confirmed as a child, but as I learnt more about science and the awful things done in the name of religion, it killed any faith I had.

Now I just don't see any evidence for there being a god. I can see why people want to believe and how it is a useful tool to control a people, but that doesn't mean that any gods exist, or have ever existed.

For me, it’s because I am so utterly, overwhelmingly scared of death. My death, and the death of those around me. It makes me understand, I mean, be utterly convinced, that this fear is what drove man to create ‘something’. We couldn’t bear the thought of the alternative.
I do, however, have different tiers of disbelief. For me, non belief in God is my personal belief and I don’t judge others for believing in him. I’m almost jealous that they don’t have the fear that I do.
Belief in a religion, though, is something completely different. How anyone can put their faith in such organisations of thieving, grabbing, openly power-hungry organised corruption is beyond me and I judge

Most cultures throughout time have have gods so it’s somewhat of an anomaly to not believe

Ditto witches. Do you believe in witches?

I would also question your assumption that most people in the past believed. We don't know that, because most people could not write, so have left no record, and because participation in religion was socially - and sometimes legally - enforced. Declaring yourself an atheist could get you killed at various points.