What if  you don't believe that atheists exist?
409324
then you may be onto something.  I thought i was a atheist for a while but i think i knew their was a god i was just mad at him.
927627
There is one simple question that you must ask yourself and give yourself an honest answer to: "Do I believe there is a god?"\n\nIf your answer is no, then you are an atheist. If your answer is yes, then you are a theist (regardless of whether you follow an organized religion or not). If you aren't sure, you're agnostic.\n\nBelieve whatever makes the most sense to you. If you aren't sure what that is, read more about science and various religions until you find something that makes sense to you.\n\nI didn't "become" an atheist, I always was one. I have never believed in god, simply because I have never seen any sign of him and have no reason to believe he exist elsewhere than in some people's imagination.
848400
I disbelieve on the grounds of lack of evidence so short of proof being forthcoming I couldn't say I believed God existed. Convictions or subjective opinions don't come into it-it's purely down to a lack of valid evidence.
866913
We are ALL born atheist, that is "without belief in gods".  That's called "implicit atheism".  Even if we're programmed to "search" for something to worship (which I highly doubt, by the way), we BEGIN without any actual knowledge of deities.  We are, by default, without belief and therefore atheistic.
1186256
You compare different issues:\nSince god does not really exist, except in the minds of believers, god can't be anything, including fool!\nMan, believing something non existing is an idiot!
1172685
A lot, actually.  (but then they weren't atheists anymore after that).\n\nI think for some people, they don't believe in God until something happens in their life that puts it all in perspective.  You might walk away unscathed from a bad car accident that killed everyone else in the car, or something along those lines.  Or, you may just have a moment of extreme weakness and beg for help, from anyone or anything.  There are a lot of ways for that to happen.
1033165
An atheist doesn't believe in a deity. An agnostic doubts the existence of a deity. A deist, on the other hand, believes them both to be wrong. It's beginning to sound like a 'shell game' doesn't it?
313575
Atheists do not dispute his existance simply his divinity. All you did was prove to Atheists something they already agree to.\n\nSilly Rabbitt
1054744
Atheists just don't believe at all. Good, bad or indifferent it's irrelevant.
1042924
An atheist does not believe in God.\nAn agnostic assumes that there is not enough evidence in either direction to make a clear decision on believing or not.\n\nAgnosticism can also be defined in these ways:\n\nThe view that the existence of any god is unknown at present. \nThe view that any god's existence is unknowable. \nThe view that theism is incoherent (see ignosticism.)
85236
You've got the job of science reversed in your mind.  Science cannot state that something doesn't exist, just like an atheist cannot state that they know that God doesn't exist.  All science or an atheist can state is that they don't have any imperical evidence of something, therefore until that evidence is produced it must be assumed that it does not exist.  As of today's date (February 19,2006) there is no hard evidence that UFOs exist.  NONE.  Every single claim that purports to be hard evidence always melts under close scrutiny.  We have no hard evidence to support the belief in UFOs.  Of course some think they know they exist because they saw something they cannot explain but that is not hard evidence.  Until something tangible, weighable, measurable, dissectable is brought forth science will have to hold the skeptical view that until you can prove it, we will assume it is false.
736572
Agnosticism is a philosophy about knowledge. An agnostic says that the question of the existence of a god is unknown and unknowable. \n\nAn atheist does not believe in a god or gods. They do not have to say, "There is no possible way that there's a god," they simply have to not believe there is.\n\nThey can lack a belief in a god or gods as well. Babies, for instance, have no belief until they are taught to believe. \n\nI am an agnostic atheist. I say, "that the question of the existence of a god is unknown and unknowable," but I also say, "Even so, I have no belief in a god or gods," reason being that just because you can't know whether something exists doesn't mean you have to believe in it. \n\nPossibility of existence does not = likelihood of existence.\n\nThere are people that call themselves agnostic, and that is their right. It is not for me to say what they are or how they think. But in my own journey, I find that you either believe or you don't. If you believe, you are a theist/deist/etc. If you do not believe, you are an atheist. You can be either and be agnostic too.
301563
An atheist can very well have a belief system.  Being an atheist just means that you lack belief in a god or gods.  An atheist could believe in UFOs, alien abductions, Santa Claus, etc.  \n\nI, however, am a skeptic, an Objectivist, a Bright (depending on the nomenclature you are using).\n\nI try to have as few belief as possible.  I try to hold a scientific worldview.  I take in data/information and try to understand what I am learning.  I make guesses/theories about how the data relate.  When I make up a guess, I then test it to make sure it's correct.  If it fails, then I continue to use that theory until a better one comes along.  If a better one comes along, then I reject the old one.\n\nA good example of this is the sunrise.  Do you believe that the sun rises in the East?  I don't.  I have a scientific theory that the earth rotates and revolves around the sun.  I test my theory every day because my theory PREDICTS the sun will appear on the eastern horizon.  \n\nYou might say that a scientific worldview cannot account for everything in reality.  Really?  Like what?  A soul?  I don't believe that exists either.\n\nI could be wrong.  Before bacteria were seen under a microscope, people believed that disease was  caused by disruptions of the 4 humours.  If I was a skeptic back then, I would have denied the existence of bacteria... until a scientific theory could come about and explain and predict their existence.  So if someone were to present to me concrete evidence of a god... then I would admit that I am wrong and become a believer.\n\n-------------------------------\nAgnosticism and atheism are kissing cousins.  Still, does a agnostic believe in Santa Claus?  Why or why not?  There is no evidence for Santa to exist... but there is always the possibility.  I deny Santa's existence, while a true agnostic could never say yes or no.\n\nBasically, there is a ton of bullhsit out there.  There are hundreds, if not thousands, of religions in the world.  This doesn't include ones that have died out or ones that have yet to be created.  I withhold belief until I find evidence for one that is correct.  Sure I could sometimes be wrong with my worldview/philosophy... but science/logic/rational thought has a far better track record in only a few hundred years than all of the history of religions.\n---------\nAlso, I think you have a misunderstanding on what a "freethinker" is.  A freethinker is someone who looks at life/reality without superstition... someone who uses rational thought.  There is no evidence for a supernatural being... so that falls outside of "freethinker".
11806
If showing them that it is impossible for us to be alive without God, and that God's creation obviously points to a Creator doesn't work, then all you can really do is pray for God to open their eyes. Keep working on them until they either completely refuse to listen, or until they finally realize there is a God. Just keep praying! \n\nAlso keep reading God's Word. Sometimes when you are reading the Bible, God will show something to you that you never noticed before. If you pray about it, He may show you a new way to prove that He exists to that atheist. Just do right, read your Bible, and pray!\n\nI hope God opens the door to lead that atheist to Him. When he finally realizes that God exists, then you should be able to lead him to Christ. God bless!
563230
I don't have a religion...I see no proof that a god does exist so until I see proof I choose to not believe...There are way too many bad things happening in the world to think that somewhere there is a god/higher being that could make it be better and just chooses to do nothing.
418103
No, I don't believe in any gods. I have never experienced or perceived anything at all that makes me think a god exists. It isn't possible for me to believe in something that has no evidence for it, that would be like me believing there is a flying cow in this room with me now.\n\nI'm perfectly satisfied with my lack of belief because it isn't contradicted by anything that I've come across. It wouldn't bother me if a god did exist, I would be quite satisfied with that too if that was where the evidence took me. It isn't though, so I continue lacking belief.
457365
If you don't believe in Life after Death then I would pick up the Bible. Especially if you are an atheist, how do you know what you don't believe if you haven't done your homework.