Am I an athiest?

[ant]

To me, beliefs can be broken up into (at least) two categories.

Belief from confidence, and belief from faith.

Confidence being an expectation built on past experience, evidence and extrapolation to the future. Faith being an expectation held in defiance of past experience and evidence.


Here are the definitions of Confidence and Faith:

Confidence - : faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way
2
: the quality or state of being certain


Faith - firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3
: something that is believed especially with strong conviction

Given the latest scientific postulation that the Higgs Boson more than likely does not exist after years of sure footedness that it did, how much of this was "confidence" and how much of was "faith"?

What can we learn from years of scientific "fact" that scientific theories can be accepted only to be discarded as mere stories years later? Is this what's currently happening with the Higgs Boson? Was it faith that science was practicing in this example? Faith in something unseen?

Might we as human beings have a limited understanding of Nature in the sense that we are limited in our ability to ask the proper questions that will lead to an understanding of the natural world?

If science is constantly reshaping / refining its conclusions, what then is scientific truth?

[nomsisa]

Hi Katelyn... Having just arrived on these forums. perhaps it is not my place asking you to stay . No one here is right, no one here is wrong... Each is right in their "OWN" conviction, and each one of us should honor different views, different beliefs as long as we treat humanity, all of it... with respect. It really doesn't much matter if a comforting, forgiving and just god or 'own soul ( moral compass ) is in charge.

[James Vaught]

Katelyn:

You ask "why wouldn't anyone believe in Jesus"?

I certainly can't speak for others, but as for myself, it's because I have seen NO proof that he was the Son of God. But, the same goes for other claimed "Gods." I wish there were a God, but observation leads me to think otherwise. I wouldn't say I'm an atheist so much as I would say that I'm an agnostic. I don't think it is possible for any of us to truly know whether there is a god or not. If your faith comforts you, fine; it doesn't comfort me.

[ant]

. . . a tendency for people to favor information that confirms their preconceptions or hypotheses regardless of whether the information is true.

A reasonable explanation for the lunacy of the Teabaggers and UFOlogists. Would you agree?

You are speaking of human nature in general.
Your usage of "teabaggers" as a deparaging term demonstrates a childish political position.

[ant]

Hi Katelyn... Having just arrived on these forums. perhaps it is not my place to trying to lure you back . No one here is right, no one here is wrong... Each is right in their "OWN" conviction, and each one of us should honor different views, different beliefs as long as we treat humanity, all of it... with respect. It really doesn't much matter if a comforting, forgiving and just god or 'own soul ( moral compass ) is in charge.

There are no truths, only interpretations.

[geo]

Hi Katelyn... Having just arrived on these forums. perhaps it is not my place to trying to lure you back . No one here is right, no one here is wrong... Each is right in their "OWN" conviction, and each one of us should honor different views, different beliefs as long as we treat humanity, all of it... with respect. It really doesn't much matter if a comforting, forgiving and just god or 'own soul ( moral compass ) is in charge.

There are no truths, only interpretations.

I respectfully disagree. There are many objective truths supported by empirical evidence that we can accept with a high degree of confidence. Humans have made great strides in understanding the world through the scientific process. The polio vaccination, for example, has virtually eliminated the incidence of polio in the developed world. We understand the mechanism by which it works—a dose of inactivate poliovirus triggers an immuno response. This isn't anyone's subjective interpretation of the facts. Thus it is repeatable and the fact that it works demonstrates that it is objectively true.

Someone who equates the scientific validity of the polio vaccine with say a religious belief is being inherently dishonest. The two are not on equal footing, not by a long shot.

[(author) Katelyn]

As the old saying goes, "If you can't see it, I can't show you." or it goes, "If you can't see it, I can't make you see." I would never be able to help a blind man see, would I? The same here. Plz do not comment. I'm not here to judge anyone. I just wanted to make my point. You want to know the truth about me? I'm not a teen yet. I'm 12. I'm 13 on October the 11th. I am a homeschooled girl, and I've been a Baptist since my mother became a Christian when I was three. I just wanted to meet some like-minded people who love books like me. But that's not what I found. Instead, I found people who do not care for Christian books or Christians, at all. I am not judging. You will probably comment (against my will) and say, "You are judging us." I'm not. At least, I'm not intending to. The other day, me and my mother went to the library. We met a Catholic. My mother, me, and him had a FRIENDLY arguement over Creation. There was no judging, no harsh comments, no trying to talk over one another. We had a chance to explain what we believe, and he had his. That's what I wanted here, but I just felt like I was being overpowered by adults who thought that because I was a kid that I had no clue what I was talking about. When a dog's master is being attacked, the dog barks. That's what I did. Perhaps a little more harsh than I had intended. I'm sorry I was rude, and I hope you all can forgive me. But I am not sorry for stating my beliefs. God is precious to me, and I hate when people attack him. No he is not weak, but I still don't like it. He has helped me through some tough times in my life, things that I hope has made me stronger. You may wonder at that, and I hope you do. I live in the south, so women down here are opininated and I suppose I have inherited that from my mother and grandmother. God bless. I pray for everyone of you everyday. I hope oneday you come to grips with your creator. I really would appreciate if you did not comment, but do as you like. It's a free country. Funny b/c its really not.

[R. LeBeaux]

Your usage of "teabaggers" as a deparaging term demonstrates a childish political position.

The term "Teabaggers" was coined by comedian Bill Maher some time ago, and its usage is no more childish than your juvenile name calling. Also, it is not a "deparaging" term, because "deparaging" is not a word.

[Interbane]

Teabagging caught a cultural boost in video games, where crouching over a dead person's body resembled the act. It's a way to antagonize someone you've just defeated. The prank is older than that of course, but wasn't as popular. It's usually grade school kids, or immature adults, that do it often in video games. That's the association I make with the tea party.

[ant]

Your usage of "teabaggers" as a deparaging term demonstrates a childish political position.

The term "Teabaggers" was coined by comedian Bill Maher some time ago, and its usage is no more childish than your juvenile name calling. Also, it is not a "deparaging" term, because "deparaging" is not a word.

Thanks for clarifying that you are mostly a comedian, good for a few laughs and thats about it.

OH!! I made a spelling error and have thus been discredited!!!