Are People Born Atheist?

The only thing children are born with is ignorance of the world they live in. The closest a child can come to believing in a god is a growing mind trying to make sense of things. A mind without the capacity of an adult brain is one of the reasons why kids have such great imaginations. For instance, just because you used to think a giant hamster used to power your car doesnt mean there wasn't an engine in there alll along.


And your playing around with words and definitions will not change that fact.

A childs' god is named 'Mother.'

Your post is pure pedantry.

Unrelated but I think atheic would be a better word than atheist.

there is no difference between the atheist and the theist. they're just pretending to be different. a child doesn't have an opinion before the concept and impressions are layed on him. before then he is neither, no beliefs no disbeliefs.

If you lack the capability to know a god exists then i cannot see how
you could possibly believe in one. It seems pretty cut and dry to me,
the only argument that can be made is one of semantics.....

Religion is trying very hard to remain relevant in the information
age, it will become more and more difficult as knowledge is
proliferated around the world and truths about the efficacy of
prayer, miracles and religious texts becomes common knowledge.

As they say, the truth will set you free.

Originally posted by jiggerj

Originally posted by TheSubversiveOne
reply to post by H1ght3chHippie

 

Are you saying atheism is in our genetic makeup? If it isn't, how is one born atheist?

Atheism isn't the belief that there is no god. Atheism is the LACK of belief that there ARE gods. Babies have a lack of belief in gods.

If I have never heard of fire-breathing dragons, how can I be a believer in them? But, by never hearing of them I would consider myself a non-believer.

edit on 8/31/2013 by jiggerj because: (no reason given)

Actually, agnosticism is the lack of belief, Atheism is the belief that there are no Gods.

Regardless, I've seen enough evidence for me to be convinced that spirituality exists in various forms, so I guess that makes me a Scientific Theist.

I think it is silly to disbelieve something that, in fact, exists and can be measured -

Which is religion.

reply to post by TheSubversiveOne


It is claimed by atheists that babies are born atheist. Well, that pretty much make sense. Since, babies don't know anything and atheists don't know anything, I can see the connection.

We are born with no opinions on anything. We had a free, open mind.
Opinions and beliefs are taught or 'shown' . What you can't see, you don't know about.

Yes of course all children are born atheist, the problems start when the parents of the child start to indoctrinate and brainwash them with their beliefs instead of allowing the child to grow up and find out things for themselves....that's where the problem lies, I have been through it and so have millions of others, unfortunately........

Depends. Is athiesm the absense of any belief or the rejection of worshipping Gods or deities? If its the latter, the answer is no you can't be born athiest.

I think I figured out the answer to your question, children are probably born into the nationality or religion of which they are marked - for example with a baptismal mark, or a nationalist birth certificate. I think it is a fairly decent prediction of their affiliation at birth, although they can hopefully switch if they wish later on.

That sounds entirely sketchy though, like the babies are some kind of commodity.

They're born not knowing and not having an understanding of where they or things came from. But that certainly doesn't make the atheist. If anything they are very receptive of the idea of a God. Not like an Atheist who's who's basically a complete spiritually dead fracking moron.

reply to post by spartacus699


A baby is receptive to pretty much any concept. They're just as receptive to the concept of no god as they are to a god existing.

Is it only a coincidence that babies in the Middle East are more likely to end up believing in Allah, babies in India in Krishna, babies in Sweden in no god, or babies in the U.S. in Jesus? No, it all depends on what environment you grow up in and what your parents teach you.

Babies are ripe for the picking when it comes to religion, which is why they catch them so early. It is easier to indoctrinate children than it is an adult because they are 100x more receptive to ridiculous ideas and concepts, they don't know any better.

reply to post by TheSubversiveOne


Surely, out of any of the labels that could be applied to a child, it would be neither believer or atheist - it would be agnostic? (although even that isn't a particularly good fit!).

reply to post by TheSubversiveOne

What are your opinions?

Interesting...


In my opinion,

I think people are born aware,

Then we are programed by our influences to be less aware and and to believe there are boundaries.

Like atheism, I see as a boundary holding out any belief of a deity.

All concepts designed to keep us trapped and unaware that awareness or a consciousness is all that we are,

A part of the whole experiencing itself from an external view point, through our eyes.

I do not know what a baby knows. I was once a baby, but I do not remember that specific stage.

It's interesting to see that the maximum brain growth occurs at around age 3 where neurons are making connections...

I would like to see through the eyes of an infant at that stage.

reply to post by DelayedChristmas

I do not know what a baby knows. I was once a baby, but I do not remember that specific stage.

Because then you still had some awareness,

Then the programming to forget and learn the new ways of the material world we enter kick in and hence you forget.

Originally posted by InhaleExhale
reply to post by DelayedChristmas

 

I do not know what a baby knows. I was once a baby, but I do not remember that specific stage.

Because then you had still had some awareness,

Then the programming to forget and learn the new ways of the material world we enter kick in and hence you forget.

How can you say this is of absolute truth? How do you know I still had some awareness? Were you inside my body, my soul, when this all happened? Were you watching me with the ability to quantify the inner workings of my being?

Although I am inclined to agree with you, I have to ask for purposes of truth: How did you come to your conclusion?

OP. We are all groomed to become athiests.

When we are borne we are born neutral. But as we grow up, the first thing we are tought are the house roles.

After we master the house roles we become introduced to the Public laws.

It doesent matter what religion you preach, it dosent matter if you pray to God or Jesus, beacuse we all fallow the laws of man. If we fallow the laws of man, we are not fallowing Gods laws.

We dont fallow the God that we pray to when we fallow the laws of man.

If People had very strong faith in the God that they pray to and worship. They would never fallow the laws of man.

reply to post by jiggerj

You are really splitting hairs here.

In other words, you made up the definition?

To add: you were absolutely certain of your definition, and then are unable to produce your definition. If my pointing out your inaccuracies is splitting hairs, then I would point out your inaccuracies and convictions in them are quite lazy if not dishonest. If saying I'm splitting hairs and being pedantic is your attempt at ad hominem, I'd say you're guilty of quite a few fallacies. How christian.