Why don't Atheist believe in the super natural?

Question

They believe in Dark Matter?
Undetectable matter which somehow gives the universe the gravity it needs to fit the observations but is undetectable because it has no interaction with regular matter.
Dark Energy?
Great energy found in empty space. Total vacuum.
Dark Flow?
Evidence of another universe because galaxies are moving quickly in one direction towards something that is outside the horizon of our universe. Somehow something that far away has more pull than the mass and dark matter of our own universe, infinitely closer. So much for closer gravity being stronger gravity.

Answer 1

Cosmology is a strange science.



But allow me to try and give you an analogous example, of how it works.



Imagine that you have a set of balances, as near perfect as human engineering can make them, with a coefficient of friction at the balance point, equal to wet ice on wet ice.



You also have two weights which have each been tested for accuracy, and both are exactly one ounce.



When you place them on your scales, you expect them to balance: Yes?



But they don't.



One, the same one, always weighs heavier than the other, yet every test that you can subject the weights to, shows them to be of identical weight.



Now you have a puzzle, :but how to solve it?



You cannot touch, only observe.



What you can do, is make models, and run computer simulations, of all the data that you have.



Eventually, you will solve the puzzle, but you will never actually see, what is making the difference.



...But you will know that it is there.

Answer 2

The only thing all atheists have in common is that they do not believe in gods. Some believe in ghosts, others in bigfoot, others in anal probing UFOs. So your blanket statement is wrong.



It is true that in practice, most atheists are also skeptical of the supernatural. And the reason that is the case is that once they are comfortable with the idea that existence of a thing requires evidence, they can see how there is no evidence for the supernatural generally.



Talking about strange physics does not make the supernatural more likely.

Answer 3

Dark matter can be seen in gravitational lensing, and it predicated by other physics theories. There's evidence it exists (we don't have to see it). It might turn out to be wrong, but there's good reason to think it's real. Same with dark energy. May tun out not to be real, but it produces effects we can measure. Something is going on. That's just the word we use.



Dark flow is not believed, it's disputed as a calculation error. Again it could turn out to be real, we need more testing. Are you seeing the words testing, measuring, evidence?



There is no verifiable evidence for the supernatural. Every time we test it, it disappears into non-existence.

Answer 4

I personally do not believe in the supernatural because I see no compelling reason to do so.



I imagine that not all atheists even know about cosmological phenomena such as dark matter, dark energy, and dark flow. Besides, none of those phenomena are supernatural. If they were they would not have be detected.

Answer 5

I think you have a fix on "believe". Atheists don't have to believe anything because they depend on knowing. Knowing is a much more reliable way of relating to the world than believing.



As far as "Dark Matter" goes no one knows what it is, all that is know is the effects that seem to indicate there is something physical there but no one "believes" in dark matter the way you are using the word.



Simply put no one needs to believe anything. But believing in something that there is no evidence for is just plain stupid. There is NO EVIDENCE for anything supernatural.

Answer 6

Dark matter is just a hypothesis. I don't think it exists until there is useable evidence rather than irregulaties in the movement of planets. I think we should refactor the theory. However, dark matter does work in our current system. God is not included in our system, which makes any believe in him a matter of religion, not of science. I have no particular reason to believe in god, so I don't.





Also, "supernatural" is just a term used by illiterate people to explain things they don't understand. If it exists, it's natural.

Answer 7

Dark matter is a hypothesis, not a well accepted theory. It has evidence in favour, but not reliable enough for any validation.



Do not confuse hypotheses with well established, well accepted theories which have high confidence.



No supernatural involved.

Answer 8

Atheists beliefs are based on facts, which are updated daily. If there aren't facts, they believe in educated predictions, ie dark matter. If dark matter is proven not to exist, we don't believe it anymore.



The supernatural was created by people who can't find legit proof for their thinking, so they create godlike beings to fill in the gaps.

Answer 9

some atheists do believe in the "supernatural"



the universe is supposed to be heavier than the visible matter, caluculations as to the weight of the universe have suggested it shoudl be about 90% heavier than it is

that is support for dark matter

Answer 10

Those that you have referenced exist within the natural laws and are even predicted by our models of the universe. The supernatural, by definition, exists outside of the natural laws. It's hard to model something that goes against all known information.

Answer 11

You use the word yourself - evidence. There is no evidence of any kind of supernatural - this cannot be said of any of the other things you mentioned.

Answer 12

Theoretical physics is far different from crap like remote viewing.



I have no good reason to believe in anything supernatural.

Answer 13

Have a look at this documentary



http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00rgg31/Horizon_20092010_Is_Everything_We_Know_About_The_Universe_Wrong/



It might make you think again, and is worth a watch.



If you are not in the UK you will have to use a VPN to access it, try Hotspot Shield.

Answer 14

You are wrong about it being 'undetectable'. It's presence can be deduced due to it's effects on other objects.

Answer 15

I just ate a dough nut full of dark matter....I think it was in the machine too long.

Answer 16

The answer is obvious from their questions.



See

what's the point of being a christians if when you die nothing happens?

Answer 17

Black holes are quantifiable entities there is no evidence for the supernatural and only lots of evidence against it

Answer 18

If an athiest did believe what you describe, it would be because it was proven to exist in nature, not "supernatural" (ie. not explainable).

Answer 19

Probably because there is no evidence for it.

Answer 20

I don't believe in god, period.

The other presuppositions you have made are just that: presuppositions.

Answer 21

why do you believe in the super natural...