Scientists (one science-researching opinion blogger) discovers that atheists might not exist - Polidicks

[QUOTE]Metaphysical thought processes are more deeply wired than hitherto suspected WHILE MILITANT ATHEISTS like Richard Dawkins may be convinced God doesn’t exist, God, if he is around, may be amused to find that atheists might not exist. Cognitive scientists are becoming increasingly aware that a metaphysical outlook may be so deeply ingrained in human thought processes that it cannot be expunged. While this idea may seem outlandish—after all, it seems easy to decide not to believe in God—evidence from several disciplines indicates that what you actually believe is not a decision you make for yourself. Your fundamental beliefs are decided by much deeper levels of consciousness, and some may well be more or less set in stone. This line of thought has led to some scientists claiming that “[B]atheism is psychologically impossible[/B] because of the way humans think,” says Graham Lawton, an avowed atheist himself, writing in the New Scientist. “They point to studies showing, for example, that even people who claim to be committed atheists tacitly hold religious beliefs, such as the [B]existence of an immortal soul[/B].” [B]This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since we are born believers, not atheists, scientists say[/B]. [/QUOTE] Source: [url]http://www.science20.com/writer_on_the_edge/blog/scientists_discover_that_atheists_might_not_exist_and_thats_not_a_joke-139982[/url] [thumb]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Cliff_edge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1426716.jpg[/thumb] [highlight](User was permabanned for this post ("link spam service" - dai))[/highlight]

[QUOTE=Posmaritsja;45347413][B]since we are born believers, not atheists, scientists say.[/B][/QUOTE]yeah well screw you i converted checkmate scientists

I belive in science, This is a paradox

This is sort of a heinous claim, but all the same I have known many atheists who seem to acknowledge only one deity, as if to say that they know he [i]does[/i] exist, but stubbornly refuse to acknowledge his "divinity". Of course, that could just be the inverse of the multitudes of "Christians" I know who know nothing of their religion other than "Yeah I believe in God." /Rant

I think this more likely implies that we are born with a certain affinity towards a certain belief system. Depending on your genes it may be impossible for you to be an athiest or it may be impossible for you NOT to be an atheist because you are subconsciously drawn towards a certain conclusion. This coincides with case studies of people born in highly catholic/christian families who convert to islam and become religious extremists or cases of children who, from a young age, question their family's belief system or at least find it hard to believe without any sort of prior real world interference.

political ideologies have taken up the mantle of religion these days

The only "religion" I deign to follow is the faith of Science!, using logic and study to figure out the true workings of the universe. THAT is the true path to enlightenment, even if enlightenment leads to discovering the true dark horrors that dwell in the unswept corners and voids beneath the carpets.

Used to believe in souls, not anymore. With no rules about what has a soul and what doesn't, and if the souls of different creatures are equal in nature, I just couldn't really work with the idea.

[quote]While the UK is often defined as an irreligious place, a recent survey by Theos, a think tank, found that very few people—only 13 per cent of adults—agreed with the statement “humans are purely material beings with no spiritual element”. For the vast majority of us, unseen realities are very present. [/quote] oh come the fuck on

This is the most childish slapfight ever. "God doesn't exist!" "No, YOU don't exist!"

scientists don't exist

this article/guy who wrote the blog/'scientists' who did the 'study' might not understand the concept of atheism? it's a lack of belief in a higher power, not necessarily the lack of belief in 'souls' or other forms of spirituality

mother is the name of god on the lips of children

scientists have found that a lot of atheists have some sort of basic metaphysical belief > atheism psychologically impossible [editline]10th July 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Lachz0r;45347529]this article/guy who wrote the blog/'scientists' who did the 'study' might not understand the concept of atheism? it's a lack of belief in a higher power, not necessarily the lack of belief in 'souls' or other forms of spirituality[/QUOTE] yeah it's just clickbait

hey uh garry could you make so people's first post isn't some batshit in SH. this has been going on for weeks now

There's always doubt in my beliefs, but those seeds are planted in both the religious and non-religious.

The general message of the article combined with stuff like [quote]MILITANT ATHEISTS[/quote] and the website posting articles like [url]http://www.science20.com/cool-links/atheism_unscientific-97284[/url] and [url]http://www.science20.com/gadfly/blog/richard_dawkins_dilemma_illusions_natural_selection-32425[/url] makes me think this is a troll.

[QUOTE=ScottyWired;45347544]hey uh garry could you make so people's first post isn't some batshit in SH. this has been going on for weeks now[/QUOTE] Reinstate invites to Facepunch.

Oh dear, I hadn't thought of that. *puff*

[quote]“They point to studies showing, for example, that even people who claim to be committed atheists tacitly hold religious beliefs, such as the existence of an immortal soul.”[/quote] this is fucking stupid

I don't believe in gods, spirits, the concept of the soul, or anything one may consider supernatural. This article is complete bullshit.

I'm agnostic with christian leanings, but I don't believe in souls.

There's a difference between knowing something intellectually and believing it. Just because I don't want to walk on that one building's glass balcony doesn't mean I don't know it's perfectly safe. We might be wired to believe something, but we can still understand that it is false.

Various notes by the research team have been released, some holding insight into the methods that were used to make this conclusion. The scientists had to tackle the big questions, such as; "Dude, like, what if we don't exist" and "Man, where are the Cheetos?"

I don't even believe in souls what now

[QUOTE=Kahgarak;45347977]I don't even believe in souls what now[/QUOTE] Now nobody believes in you. Just like it has always been.

[quote]While this idea may seem outlandish—after all, it seems easy to decide not to believe in God—evidence from several disciplines indicates that what you actually believe is not a decision you make for yourself. Your fundamental beliefs are decided by much deeper levels of consciousness, and some may well be more or less set in stone. [/quote] It's called brainwashing. You're fed a lot of bullshit while you're a kid and that bullshit will be resonating in your brainwaves for the rest of your life no matter if you choose not to believe it. Does not mean you're born with it.

If I believe in Apatheism, wouldn't that just be a paradox?

Well to be fair spirituality has been a part of Humanity since the very beginning. Hell, we were burying our dead with valuables before AMH (anatomically modern humans) even existed.

[quote]This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since we are born believers, not atheists, scientists say.[/quote] why does this just reek of "yeah I'm totally a scientist, and we are actually religious- you can't deny god because the bible says we're all his children" we're born not knowing anything, meaning everything we take in comes at face value with no prior knowledge to grant disbelief of the way things happen like the entire implication here is that we're born stupid, emotional, and easily manipulated, and it's an insult to good religious people