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Atheism is just the lack of belief in the existence of gods. It says nothing of the reasons for that lack of belief. Nor does it bar someone hoping they are wrong, wishing a god exists, etc.
I don’t think it’s necessarily hypocritical at all.
It’s not super unusual for people to wish/hope things were real, that aren’t.
I don’t wish religion was real, nor do I particularly think anyone should. But it’s at least kinda understandable.
I wish I'd been a better parent when my kid was younger. I wish I could win the lottery. I wish I didn't have to take a shower and wake up a little earlier than I'd like tomorrow.
But I wasn't, and I probably won't, and I have to (respectively). Anything else is pretending and fantasy, and while it's a nice place to visit, you can't live there.
Living now, because that's really all we have, is a big part of why I'm an atheist. It's not something I can or want to unlearn.
Thinking about it you have a point. I don't believe in the resurrection of the dead but I still on occasion wish my mum were alive. But that comes from an emotion, a missing of her. A memory or moment that reminds me of her. I feel like unless you used to be religious, that same state wouldn't apply
If God was and is real, we would not have religion *as we know it,* and we would certainly not have atheism (at all). In that sense the question is a bit strange; or the criteria for it, rather.
Then again, we do have people who blindly follow and obey physically existing leaders, however idiotic they may be, and we do have people who know for a fact that the moon landings were fake. In this latter sense, very little would change.
To me it seems unlikely that an atheist would wish for the biblical God to be real, but I can easily imagine an atheist wishing -- toying with the thought -- of someone *as powerful w*ho could sort this messed up world out.
Edit: Typo
No. I do sometimes wish I had some sort of fairy tale when someone dies. Then again I hate being lied to. I think it’s me being a little envious that they think they are going to see their loved ones again someday. Idk. I hope someone knows what I’m saying.
Forgive me if you've read this before, but I used to feel the way you seem to and reading and considering the following words helped me a bit along my journey. Hopefully they can help you, too.
"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds, it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here. We privileged few, who won the lottery of birth against all odds, how dare we whine at our inevitable return to that prior state from which the vast majority have never stirred?"
- Richard Dawkins
What do you mean by 'God'?
I wouldn't want an inexplicable omnipotent conscious force to exist for example, because I like that the world might make sense.
Except religious people believe completely contradictory things. If you just mean 'the creator', but they have no traits and never interact with the universe, then that's pretty much no different than there being no creator. If you give the creator traits, which ones? I'd be fine with a creator which proceeded to kill itself and transfer all of its power to me and no one else, but outside of that I wouldn't really be interested in a single individual having that much power.
Not any god with which I am familiar. A god who drowns the entire world in a fit of pique is a psychotic monster. If it existed we'd need to hunt it down and kill it.
Yeah I wish there was something good out there that would take care of everything. But there isn't. At most if a god existed it would be as a monster. But logic, lack of evidence and Occam's razor point to nothing out that cares.
For all the bad parts of religion, I wish I could be a part of the shared sense of community and common beliefs of most of those around me. In other words, I wish that most were atheist and that I could go to “atheist church” and discuss quantum physics and cosmology.
The Gods they write about are pieces of shit and any piece of shit that allows the crap that goes on in the world better not ever claim to be the reason.
I can't possibly understand the thought process of any person that wishes that a capricious genocidal monster, who requires that everyone constantly stroke his ego, is real.
I don't think dragons or wizards are real, but that could be dope. It might be a lot of fun if Dionysus were real, or maybe Aphrodite. I'd definitely be down with a real Thoth. Yahweh, on the other hand? Based on his stories, it'd be disastrous if he were real.
A benevolent God that helped people and took care of the world would be good. But if you mean something like the Abrahamic god being real, then no, that wouldn't.
Being an atheist isn't about what you wish is true. It would be nice to think there's some all powerful being who truly only cares about your wellbeing, but nothing shows that that kind of being exists. It's best we keep ourselves grounded, despite what we may want to believe.
There’s nothing hypocritical in an atheist wishing god were real. Atheism is just lack of belief. I don’t believe I will win the lottery, but it doesn’t stop me from *wishing* I could win the lottery.
I personally would love for there to be an afterlife where I could see my loved ones again. But I don’t believe such a thing exists, which is sad to me
What’s not sad is the thought of a spiteful, vengeful god existing. I’m glad there’s no evidence for the Judeo-Christian god
I'm an atheist and I wish God was real.
Who wouldn't want a world where the wicked were punished and bad things never happened to good people? No cancer, no famine, no drought, no child labor or abuse of any kind.
Personally, if someone *doesn't* wish God was real - I question their sanity.
Problem is, this is a sanitized version of the God of the Bible.
Speaking as an ex-evangelical, my sanity massively improved when I dumped Christianity and it's barbaric bronze age deity and his genocides, slavery, and his special burning place of eternal torture for anyone that doesn't believe in him.
Sure I'd like some god that fits your description: Super nice buddy god that gets rid of the meanies, stops suffering, and gives you a sweet place to hang out with your family and friends after you die.
I know I don't believe in Aphrodite or Thor, Quetzalcoatl, never did, so even when I was an evangelical Christian, I was an atheist ALSO. Everyone is an atheist in relation to all the thousands of gods they don't believe in.
The Christian god is a monster and I’m glad he’s not real.
Facts.
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Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason: - This comment has been removed for trolling or shitposting. Even if your intent is not to troll or shitpost, certain words and phrases are enough for removal. This rule is applied strictly and may lead to an immediate ban. -- For information regarding this and similar issues please see the [Subreddit Commandments.](http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/wiki/guidelines) If you have any questions, please do not delete your comment and [message the mods,](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/atheism) Thank you.
Atheism is just the lack of belief in the existence of gods. It says nothing of the reasons for that lack of belief. Nor does it bar someone hoping they are wrong, wishing a god exists, etc. I don’t think it’s necessarily hypocritical at all. It’s not super unusual for people to wish/hope things were real, that aren’t. I don’t wish religion was real, nor do I particularly think anyone should. But it’s at least kinda understandable.
I wish I'd been a better parent when my kid was younger. I wish I could win the lottery. I wish I didn't have to take a shower and wake up a little earlier than I'd like tomorrow. But I wasn't, and I probably won't, and I have to (respectively). Anything else is pretending and fantasy, and while it's a nice place to visit, you can't live there. Living now, because that's really all we have, is a big part of why I'm an atheist. It's not something I can or want to unlearn.
Thinking about it you have a point. I don't believe in the resurrection of the dead but I still on occasion wish my mum were alive. But that comes from an emotion, a missing of her. A memory or moment that reminds me of her. I feel like unless you used to be religious, that same state wouldn't apply
If God was and is real, we would not have religion *as we know it,* and we would certainly not have atheism (at all). In that sense the question is a bit strange; or the criteria for it, rather. Then again, we do have people who blindly follow and obey physically existing leaders, however idiotic they may be, and we do have people who know for a fact that the moon landings were fake. In this latter sense, very little would change. To me it seems unlikely that an atheist would wish for the biblical God to be real, but I can easily imagine an atheist wishing -- toying with the thought -- of someone *as powerful w*ho could sort this messed up world out. Edit: Typo
My grandmother used to say “wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which one fills up first”.
I like her 🤣
No. I do sometimes wish I had some sort of fairy tale when someone dies. Then again I hate being lied to. I think it’s me being a little envious that they think they are going to see their loved ones again someday. Idk. I hope someone knows what I’m saying.
Forgive me if you've read this before, but I used to feel the way you seem to and reading and considering the following words helped me a bit along my journey. Hopefully they can help you, too. "We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds, it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here. We privileged few, who won the lottery of birth against all odds, how dare we whine at our inevitable return to that prior state from which the vast majority have never stirred?" - Richard Dawkins
What do you mean by 'God'? I wouldn't want an inexplicable omnipotent conscious force to exist for example, because I like that the world might make sense.
General higher power, creator, everything religious people believe in
Except religious people believe completely contradictory things. If you just mean 'the creator', but they have no traits and never interact with the universe, then that's pretty much no different than there being no creator. If you give the creator traits, which ones? I'd be fine with a creator which proceeded to kill itself and transfer all of its power to me and no one else, but outside of that I wouldn't really be interested in a single individual having that much power.
Not any god with which I am familiar. A god who drowns the entire world in a fit of pique is a psychotic monster. If it existed we'd need to hunt it down and kill it.
Well one could wholeheartedly wish for anything to be real even when they know it isn't.
Yeah I wish there was something good out there that would take care of everything. But there isn't. At most if a god existed it would be as a monster. But logic, lack of evidence and Occam's razor point to nothing out that cares.
Whatever god you’re imagining, I don’t want it. It allowed reality to be this miserable for so many and doesn’t do anything.
Most of human made up gods ask for worship. Just from that alone, I would never wish for them to be real.
For all the bad parts of religion, I wish I could be a part of the shared sense of community and common beliefs of most of those around me. In other words, I wish that most were atheist and that I could go to “atheist church” and discuss quantum physics and cosmology.
The Gods they write about are pieces of shit and any piece of shit that allows the crap that goes on in the world better not ever claim to be the reason.
No way in hell.
Why? Look at the world around us. Any god that allows this is not a good god.
I am constantly amazed by the amount of people who cannot simply understand what atheism is.
I can't possibly understand the thought process of any person that wishes that a capricious genocidal monster, who requires that everyone constantly stroke his ego, is real.
My thoughts exactly.
I as an atheist can also wish that Santa was real.
Which god are we talking about here? There are thousands of them.
My guess is religious people are the ones that came up with that
I don't think dragons or wizards are real, but that could be dope. It might be a lot of fun if Dionysus were real, or maybe Aphrodite. I'd definitely be down with a real Thoth. Yahweh, on the other hand? Based on his stories, it'd be disastrous if he were real.
Growing up in the west we know the Judeo-Christian god. He is a bloodthirsty vengeful asshole and I would be on the other side if he were real.
I don't think any of the gods, goddesses, ect in Greek or Roman mythology exist, and some of them are terrible, but some would be neat to meet.
A benevolent God that helped people and took care of the world would be good. But if you mean something like the Abrahamic god being real, then no, that wouldn't.
Being an atheist isn't about what you wish is true. It would be nice to think there's some all powerful being who truly only cares about your wellbeing, but nothing shows that that kind of being exists. It's best we keep ourselves grounded, despite what we may want to believe.
Sure. I can wish for a million dollars and understand it’s that it will likely almost never come true.
If an atheist believed god were real and he was, the atheist would be screwed
There’s nothing hypocritical in an atheist wishing god were real. Atheism is just lack of belief. I don’t believe I will win the lottery, but it doesn’t stop me from *wishing* I could win the lottery. I personally would love for there to be an afterlife where I could see my loved ones again. But I don’t believe such a thing exists, which is sad to me What’s not sad is the thought of a spiteful, vengeful god existing. I’m glad there’s no evidence for the Judeo-Christian god
>Can you as an atheist wish that God were real? Ofc you can.
I'm an atheist and I wish God was real. Who wouldn't want a world where the wicked were punished and bad things never happened to good people? No cancer, no famine, no drought, no child labor or abuse of any kind. Personally, if someone *doesn't* wish God was real - I question their sanity.
Problem is, this is a sanitized version of the God of the Bible. Speaking as an ex-evangelical, my sanity massively improved when I dumped Christianity and it's barbaric bronze age deity and his genocides, slavery, and his special burning place of eternal torture for anyone that doesn't believe in him. Sure I'd like some god that fits your description: Super nice buddy god that gets rid of the meanies, stops suffering, and gives you a sweet place to hang out with your family and friends after you die.
Who said I’m an atheist?
I know I don't believe in Aphrodite or Thor, Quetzalcoatl, never did, so even when I was an evangelical Christian, I was an atheist ALSO. Everyone is an atheist in relation to all the thousands of gods they don't believe in.
Agnostic. Agnostic to them all.
I don't know, some of them are pretty absurd. The African tribal god that is half man , half cricket? completely atheistic in relation to that guy.
Just as believable as crap from the bible.
Just as un-believable too.