Do atheists exist?

Question

In order to know that God doesn't exist, you have to be all-knowing. But if you're all knowing, that would make you a deity yourself. And so you have to be the very thing that you claim doesn't exist.

Answer 1

Do atheists exist?



Your question is a perfect example of why people get suckered into remaining in religion.



It is not true that a person has to know EVERYTHING in order to be certain that gods do not exist.



All an atheist has to know for certain is that humans made up the idea of gods and this we do know for a FACT.



Even YOU as a Christian acknowledges that all the other gods but your own is imaginary. Atheists have no MOTIVATION to think your made up god is any different than the others.



It is really that simple! We don't need the omniscient power of an imaginary god to know that humans lie.



Look at it like this: There would be absolutely no discernible difference in your life if your god did not exist. Your prayers would still be answered with the exact success rate as they are now. The social control that your religion has over people would be equally effective as it is now.



Sorry, but no gods are real - - they don't have to be and can achieve the exact same results!

Answer 2

Reasons why your argument fails.



Reason #1 Your initial premise about atheism is incorrect.

Every 12 seconds an atheist is born. Then depending on the culture they are indoctrinated into the local religion. If they reach a certain level of intelligence, they put aside fairy tale beliefs -- most realize something is not quite right about religion at the age of 10.



Reason #2 The problem with personal (unverifiable) gods -- you've created an avatar.

Did it ever occur to you that the limits of your personal god's knowledge is the same as yours? Let's rephrase your statement. (Note how many times the word "you" is used) "In order to know that you don't exist, you have to be all-knowing. But if you're all knowing, that would make you yourself. And so you have to be the very thing that you claim doesn't exist."



Reason #3 Your argument is logically fallacious (shifting the burden of proof / proving a negative).

"In order to know that a [pink unicorn in a teapot orbiting a star in Pegasus] doesn't exist, you have to be all-knowing. But if you're all knowing, that would make you a [pink unicorn] yourself. And so you have to be the very thing that you claim doesn't exist."

Answer 3

Mankind of one sort or another is over 2.8 MILLION years old, modern man 250,000 years old, Christianity just 2,000 years old with Islam an even younger 1,400 years old!



If it was not for man god would not have been invented!



The only way primitive religion exists today is through the child abuse of forcing it into very, very young children but thanks to better education and growing intellects so many teens are able to discover the truth, throw off the indoctrination and step into the real world!



Atheism is not a conscious decision or a belief but a realisation, those that cannot escape remain prisoners of their conditioning!



The first person to produce a single tiny little piece of verifiable evidence for any god will become world famous and mega rich!



Academia states that in the absence of any sort of evidence of the existence of something it must be deemed not to exist until verifiable evidence is found - thus god is held not to exist pending some sort of verifiable evidence.

Answer 4

Based on your reasoning you have also proven that Christians do not exist. In order to know that a god exists you have to be all-knowing (especially if you can identify the specific god and detail his personality traits), but according to Christianity there is no god but Yahweh. How could you be Christian (or Muslim or Jewish or really any monotheistic religion) if by your own claim being omniscient would make you a god as well?



I posit that if it were actually possible for anybody to be omniscient it would not necessitate that they were a god (although "supernatural entity" would be likely). Also, the vast majority of atheists do not claim to know that no gods exist, for this very reason. We live on a tiny little speck of a planet within a vast universe and we can only study a very tiny fraction of it, not to mention existing in this brief window of time when the universe has been around for billions of years. So it is illogical to claim absolute certainty in something which we cannot possibly know for certain, however the currently available evidence (and countless debunked god claims) does suggest a likelihood that gods do not exist. Ultimately though for many modern atheists the reasoning behind their lack of belief is because Theists have been unable to provide sufficient evidence to warrant belief in their various god claims.

Answer 5

Yes, Nathan, I am certain that atheists exist, because I know that I exist, and I do not believe in deities.



Most atheists are agnostic, and don't claim to "know God doesn't exist". I'm not all-knowing. I just don't believe your god claim. What evidence is there?

Answer 6

You've got yourself all of a tither haven't you.



To know something does exist is to have no verifiable or observational contemporary proof that it exists.

As there is none of this proof at all and yet proof of many things relating to a god or gods shown to be made up, then logically a god or any of the thousands of gods throughout history do not exist. Common sense is so rare nowadays.

Answer 7

Do atheists exist?



--- Yes.



In order to know that God doesn't exist, you have to be all-knowing.



--- I am all-knowing. And, if you claim that I am not...then how do you know? (You'd have to be all-knowing or telepathic. Which are you? )



But if you're all knowing, that would make you a deity yourself.



--- Wrong. Some deities are NOT all knowing. Odin, Ares, Ameratsu, Modimo, Perun, etc. And those that are, never have ONLY omniscience as a characteristic.

Answer 8

Do atheists exist? - Yes.



In order to know that God doesn't exist, you have to be all-knowing. - No, you don't. A logically contradictory god can not exist. So bye bye Anselm's most perfect god, bye bye the Trinitarian god, bye bye most of Christianity. And a most complex, intelligent special pleading fallacy god who just happened to exist for no reason whatsoever is so unlikely as to be as good as impossible.



But if you're all knowing, that would make you a deity yourself. And so you have to be the very thing that you claim doesn't exist. - As your premise is false, so is your conclusion.

Answer 9

of course we exist.

But we're not saying that at all.

All we're saying is that we do not believe that a god exists.



Only Christians and Muslims are so arrogant that they claim to 'know' that a god exists, which would fit the basis for your question.

Answer 10

Few atheists claim with a certainty that there are no gods. Most of us merely claim to not believe in any gods.



But let me turn it around: In order to know that your god exists,you have to be all-knowing. But if you're all knowing, that would make you a deity yourself. And that would be tricky as you would be a deity worshiping another deity, which doesn't make sense.

Answer 11

Sh*t that's a good question. For all I know this life is a hologram, or a computer simulation, or a dream of some assh*le that just got done f*cking his wive on Valentine's Day. I honestly don't know anymore.

Answer 12

You don't understand a very simple point.



Atheists do not believe God exists. We don't say he does not exist, we simply don't believe he exists.



If God exists, prove it.

If you can't or won't prove it, leave atheists alone.

Answer 13

Quite a lot of wild leaps here in your argument. I studied the subject thoroughly and became an atheist. It is my belief just as others believe in gods.



Mo University Lecturer Atheist with degrees in Theology, Comparative Religious Studies and Philosophy of Religion.

Answer 14

Atheism is impossible to exist.

Truth is written on all mankinds heart.

Truth is the word of God.

The only reason they think they're atheist is the same reason Muslims or Jews believe they worship the God of Abraham , they are full of arrogance.

Answer 15

"In order to know that God doesn't exist, you have to be all-knowing."

No. This is not so.

In order to know that leprechauns do not exist you do not have to be all knowing. You just need to be able to tell the difference between fiction and reality.

Same thing with gods. Gods exist only in stories.

Answer 16

I know of no atheist that claims to "know" that God does not exist. Atheists merely state that they have seen no verifiable or indisputable proof that a God exists. Provide some and you will convert the world.

Answer 17

Do people who don't believe in the Tooth Fairy exist? In order to know the Tooth Fairy (or Odin, of Zeus, or Sasquatch, for that matter) doesn't exist, you have to be all-knowing, right?



Or, is the fact that there is absolutely no credible evidence for any of those ridiculous fairy tales more than enough for you to rationally conclude that they do not exist?

Answer 18

Atheists don't believe that any God exists, the same way that religious people believe their chosen God does exist.

Answer 19

Then wouldn't you have to be all knowing to know God does exist? Why would you have to be all knowing to know any one thing? And atheists don't know that God doesn't exist. They just don't believe that he does.

Answer 20

Up until recently I would have said no. It's preposterous to believe we all originated from nothing conscious.. however, now I believe some people really are that stupid. Recently I found myself in a situation where I was facing death. Several bus passengers were also facing death with me. I found myself to be the only one who turned to God. It seemed that those ignorant fools on the bus with me were genuinely oblivious to the fact they were but minutes away from eternal damnation, had we not been so lucky.

Answer 21

In order to know that leprechauns don't exist, you have to be all-knowing. But if you're all knowing, that would make you a deity yourself. And so you have to be an all-knowing deity to know that leprechauns don't exist.



I assume you don't believe in leprechauns. The point?...you don't have to know everything to know anything!

Answer 22

I don't know god doesn't exist but so far nobody has provided any reasonable proof that any god exists

therefore I treat you claim according

Answer 23

Not at all. Well, of course we exist. It is that your last sentence is false. You are ascribing the quality of omnipotence to deities. That is a man-made construct, not a concrete truth. In short, just because you say something is so, that does not make it so.

Answer 24

Yes of course we do. Just because you don't know what an atheist is doesn't mean other people share your mistake.

Answer 25

In order to know that God doesn't exist, you have to be all-knowing.



- How cute, a jelly fish brain fundie trying to sound intelligent. ONLY brain dead fundies ever say - god doesn't exist - trying to project their ignorance onto other people.

Answer 26

Do you have to be all-knowing to know that unicorns and leprechauns don't exist? You're just sad.

Answer 27

You keep making this claim and it keeps making you look stupid.



To know your god doesn't exist I only have to know your god doesn't exist. Nothing more.

Answer 28

As an atheist, I don't claim to know god doesn't exist, I don't believe that a god exists.

Answer 29

Everyone is born an atheist.

Answer 30

Almost not. If a person wants to be atheist she must not think in God, not talk about God etc.

Answer 31

Same can be said for leprechauns and I feel just as confident they do not exist.

Answer 32

They won't exist in the afterlife

Answer 33

"In order to know that God doesn't exist, you have to be all-knowing." If that's so, then does that mean you have to be brain-dead to believe in God?

Answer 34

atheists don't believe that any god exists, the same way that religious people believe their chosen god does exist...

Answer 35

A person can know with certainty there is a God by practicing true devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

Answer 36

Do Atheist Exist ? to "KNOW" that God does NOT exist one would have to be ALL Knowing



WOW . lets see is the QUESTIONER ALL KNOWING ? so one has taken a SINGLE TOPIC or issue GOD and then address human Beings about what they ACCEPT as TRUE which is now ATHEIST and THEIST



if we use your argument for theist they claim they KNOW a god exist . so now the claim is if one accepts a GOD as in a Theist that makes THEIST ALL KNOWING .then by that same argument you would consider yourself a DEITY



.so one is a bit CONFUSED about what relationship one is trying to infer or project .... One is aware that there are different USES of the word "KNOW" as in language I can say I "KNOW " JO KING as in I am antiquated or familiar or have met with the person who has the name JO KING .



then as in language the word KNOWING as in # 1 HAVING or Reflecting KNOWLEDGE information or intelligence # 2 Shrewdly or Keenly alert or indicating procession of exclusive inside knowledge or information # 3 Cognitive # 4 Deliberate interfering in the affairs of others .



...the problem is the word ALL I never claimed I have Knowledge of Everything or every subject so i have NEVER claimed to be ALL Knowing on ALL Subjects .



... God is a CONCEPT a Idea notion or thought asserted by CERTAIN Humans they are called THEIST ....



.. Now the ONLY CRITERIA for GOD CONCEPTS is Humans ASSERT the idea or Notion . even ones TEXT are Humans ASSERTING Gods and in every culture society or civilization



the ONLY Criteria for god is a Human asserting it .. so to Demonstrate that the ONLY Criteria for God is NOT merely Humans ASSERTING a God . Please Present a GOD WITHOUT Human ASSERTION as in VOID or INDEPENDENT of a HUMAN asserting it ..... because to be VOID of human assertion it would be what ? INDEPENDENT and SELF EVIDENT . Re look at the KNOWING definition THEIST ASSERT they KNOW a god exit they are the ones presenting the Claim I am only responding i do NOT accept that CLAIM words nothing more an assertion ( GODS ARE CLAIMS ABOUT A CONCEPT IDEA NOTION ) because theist have not PROVEN it to Be a TRUTH REAL or a Fact consistent with Reality not demonstrated a Independent Entity one labels a god ..



so does the SUN exit because i ASSERT it or is it SELF EVIDENT



Does my dog exit because i ASSERT it or is she SELF EVIDENT



.. to throw in some Humor



" I hold these TRUTHS to be SELF EVIDENT all humans are BORN .



Does the questioner "KNOW" ( as in Familiar with ) what a PROPOSITION is ?



it is a statement that helps us determine if something is AFFIRMED as TRUE or denies it related to FACT and Reality . an example

ALL MEN are MORTAL

Socrates is a Man ... therefore

SOCRATES is Mortal something that holds True



here is an example of something that does NOT hold TRUE



ALL BIRDS can FLY

Penguins are BIRDS ....therefore

PENGUINS can FLY well that is NOT DEMONSTRATED to be TRUE .



Lets do one for GOD



GOD is real

Thor is a GOD..... therefore

THOR is REAL Does the questioner ACCEPT THOR as REAL Its a God .. so therefore THEIST or Theism HAS NO CONSISTENCY for by definition a Theist if they BELIEVE in god should accept god and Thor is a god



but Theist ONLY WANT THEIR god to be real a bit of SPECIAL pleading



God is REAL but ONLY the GOD I ASSERT ..



.. LOL Atheism is NOT an ASSERTION or a Claim



it is a RESPONSE to THEIST CLAIM .. who is claiming a god the theist so i can only REJECT the claim if you ASSERT it but if no one ever ASSERTED a god or come up with the idea or notion or start asserting it i would not be questioning it so Theist have the burden of Proof I do not ACCEPT YOUR CLAIM because you FAIL to meet your Burden of PROOF



ones question is also a form of an attempt at Shifting the Burden of proof BELIEF is a SUBSET of KNOWLEDGE BELIEF is the mental Act of ACCEPTING something as TRUE BELIEVING it or accepting it as TRUE does not MAKE it True



only says someone has CONVINCED you to ACCEPT it or one has convinced them self



Atheist and Theist are DESCRIPTIVE labels or terms meaning WITH and Without as are the words SYMPTOMATIC and ASYMPTOMATIC with or without symptoms and about a SINGLE individual subject and Not a bout having KNOWLEDGE of everything or ALL



we as humans BELIEVE many times before we have any Knowledge or information ...... pick a subject do you BELIEVE the SUN is HOT ?



have you ever touched the SUN do you have DIRECT KNOWLEDGE the SUN is HOT ? You have ASSOCIATION that standing in Light it brings a sensation of warmth are you SURE light comes from the Sun how do you KNOW that



By testing that hypothesis is it the same WARMTH or temperature out side when it is Cloudy so testing and EVIDENCE and Consist ant Results ..



see you do SCIENCE METHODS to gain KNOWLEDGE every day and did not even THINK about it or realize it science OBSERVATION identification DESCRIPTION experimental investigation and theoretical EXPLANATION of Natural Phenomena

Answer 37

You seem to misunderstand the definition of atheist.

Answer 38

Sophistry. Again.

Answer 39

The Genesis serpent was a hoopsnake.

Answer 40

No they really don't

Answer 41

You're a moron

Answer 42

*Looks at arm*



Yep.



Hope that helps.

Answer 43

Yes, also agnostics, the true God, and the Bible.