Hello!
I'm Carl, I'm a college student, and for a course that I am taking I need to interview individuals of differing belief systems. I hope to get the perspective of someone who identifies as an atheist. I am looking for a response to the following eight questions, and would appreciate anyone who takes the time to respond. Thanks!
Questions:
1. What is prime reality? (by this I mean, what is the most basic understanding of reality, is it matter, or is something else?)
2. What us the nature of external reality, the world around us?
3. What is a human being?
4. What happens to a person at death?
5. Why is it possible to know anything at all?
6. How do we know what is right and wrong?
7. What is the meaning of human history?
8. What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with the answers to the previous questions?
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Ah another one of these, well I will play, because well you get to read what I write!
First, before I answer your questions: Atheism is not a thing. I know it is a hard concept, but by and large atheist do not organize, there is no "rule set" to being an atheist, there is little to no money being collected, and certainly no places of "worship" being setup or holy sites, a book that defines us, etc etc. Think of it like: not theist, just like: "not a stamp collector." The only thing that truly unifies atheist is we all agree we are not theist, that's it. That defines the entire concept of someone that calls themself an atheist.
1. I have no idea what you are talking about, prime reality? Since I have no idea if you are going to engage in conversation I cannot be bothered to try to look it up and figure out what you are trying to ask here.
2. That it is our external reality, and it is the world around us, a world most definitely required for us to continue to exist.
3. Copy and pasted a dictionary like answer: "a man, woman, or child of the species Homo sapiens, distinguished from other animals by superior mental development, power of articulate speech, and upright stance." To add to that, we are animals just like other animals on this planet, but differentiated by our larger brains and all that fact entails. Most certainly not "the image of god" nonsense.
4. They die. No soul that lives on, no heaven, no hell, the incredibly complex dance of life breaks apart and ends and we become food for the cycle of life.
5. Because we can examine the world around us, and through careful procedure draw conclusions that can prove to be highly useful to us.
6. Because of what our parents, family, peers and community as well as media tells us what is right and wrong.
7. Vague, poorly worded question, but I will give a short answer on how I interpret your question: History is an attempt to learn about our past to help us make better decisions for our future and an attempt to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.
8. For me, knowing reality is what we make of it, as well as learning from our past, knowing we are animals etc, I have a life orientation of life is short, precious and with our intelligence we gain an enormous freedom to make the most of our lives and try and enjoy our fleeting "existence" here.
I'll provide some clarification if you will: By prime reality I mean what is the most basic understanding of reality, is it matter, or is something else? Like someone who believes in God would say that God is the prime reality. And by what is the meaning of human history I mean is there a point to it all? Is there a meaning to life?
And just for some clarification on 6, if our family and community tells us different things are right and wrong, or the media and our peers tell us different things are right and wrong, how do we choose between the two?
@Carl Cahill
I would say that the "prime" reality is matter, kind of depending what you consider "matter" to be. With a secondary less accurate reality being the reality we create in our own heads as we perceive the primary reality. I also most definitely do not consider some sort of god figure to be prime reality, at least by how most people define the word "god." And how it is commonly accepted to mean.
My own personal opinion: (in no way representative of any other atheist, as we all have many differing views of the "meaning of life.")
Well first I consider the meaning of life to be the same for all "life" animals, plants, viruses etc. And the meaning of life is simply: "complexity realized" In an area like our planet supported by the energy from our sun, this energy disrupts and allows creation of exotic elements, as well as compound creation that leads to ever greater complexity, with the human brain being near the pinnacle of complexity realized. A sort of "chaos" fueled by local stars that can allow for a level of complexity that eventually becomes termed "life" by us humans, a part of it. Definitely made more complicated by us humans due to at least a dim sense of "self awareness"
A good question. How to choose between the two? Perhaps develop critical thinking skills and learning how to quantify and measure real world evidence. A simple one like not harming or killing another human, should be fairly self evident, we all have had times where we were highly vulnerable to another person's ability to harm/kill us. If we decide harming and killing others when its convenient, we realize the same applies to us. Me personally I rather not kill/harm others so I can get a restful night of sleep when I am in a more vulnerable state. I create an expectation of others by complying in the same expectation they have of me. Knowing all the while someone could easily break that expectation, but if the majority of us do not, and we have systems of laws in place that are enforced by giving power to enforce them it results in a system that is much better than a blind free for all that would create w/o the moral of "not harming or killing others as it suits you."
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Carl, the one and only requirement for any atheist is a lack of a belief in any god(s).
So please understand that any data you collect is not one of a group, just a herd of misfits.
1. What is prime reality?
I don't understand that expression, please simplify and explain.
2. What us the nature of external reality, the world around us?
What I see, smell, hear, or touch is real. If I cannot, then it is not real.
3. What is a human being?
A highly evolved primate with a massive brain.
4. What happens to a person at death?
Just like a good bottle of wine, once finished, it is all over. People die, gone, finis.
5. Why is it possible to know anything at all?
Because my brain is capable of learning and remembering. I can also read and write.
6. How do we know what is right and wrong?
I base my morals on the well-being of all.
7. What is the meaning of human history?
There is no "meaning", it is just the accumulation of "shit happens".
8. What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with the answers to the previous questions?
I like midget porn.
@ David Re: "I like midget porn."
ROFLMAOPOM.
Really? Now I gotta get those adult diapers just so I can be prepared when reading posts here.
Guess that calls for a new commandment...
rmfr
Carl, you wrote, “ I need to interview individuals of differing belief systems.”
If your teacher is telling you that atheism is a belief system, I’d suggest you find a different, better school.
Re: Cyber - "If your teacher is telling you that atheism is a belief system, I’d suggest you find a different, better school."
Cyber wins "BEST POST" on this thread!... *handing over blue ribbon prize*....
1. Prime realty is expensive land and property in desirable locations. Trump Tower is prime realty.
2. Nothing is external. We are in and part of reality. You have been assimilated.
3. A member of the species homo sapiens other than those named Trump, Kardashian, or Bieber.
4. Nothing. There is no longer any person for anything to happen to. But check out this thread to see some of the hilarious things that can happen to your mortal remains.
http://www.atheistrepublic.com/forums/atheist-hub/weirdest-funeral-pract...
5. Get the Jesus monkey off your back and look around.
6. If you're under the influence of Christian dogma, I don't think you do.
7. All human history is a process directed from the planet Tralfamadore solely to create a replacement part for a sentient robot stranded on Titan.
8. My advice to you is to start drinking heavily.
@Algebe Re: "...solely to create a replacement part for a sentient robot stranded on Titan."
Hey, just a little FYI. That would be a cousin of mine out there on Titan. His name is R2-3PO (It's a old family name.), but we just call him Frank. He got "stranded" out there while shooting a scene on location for "Lost in Space." (He was a stunt double for the robot in that show.) Basically, a stunt went wrong and he went down hard. Since they couldn't get him to reboot and he weighs a friggin' TON, they just decided to leave him there to save the cost of rocket fuel to bring him back. Oddly enough, a couple of days after everybody left, Frank was hit by a stray electrical anomaly that somehow reset his circuits. Since he cannot afford to pay for the fuel to get his ass back here, he just hangs out and explores the place for amusement. I get a postcard from him every now and then. As for that replacement part he is waiting for..... Well, let's just say it is for something that is a bit embarrassing for him to talk about. But - hey - otherwise he is fine.
@Tin Man: His name is R2-3PO
Well Kurt Vonnegut told me his name was Salo. Perhaps that's his Christian name. Christening is after all the first step in turning people into robots.
@Algebe Re: Salo
Well I'lllllll beeee.....! Ol' Frank must have been holding back on me all these years. Had no idea he knew Mr. Vonnegut. By golly! That ol' so-n-so! We weren't incredibly close cousins - ya know - with his travellin' an' all. But we kept in touch more or less. And I knew his middle initial was "S", but I ain't never heard what it stood fer. Well now, that definitely explains a few things.
Before we begin, please understand that Atheism is not a belief system. THERE IS NO SYSTEM. Atheists are liberal and conservative. Atheists are communists, socialists and capitalists. Atheists are Buddhist, New Age Woo Woo practitioners, and Yogis. Atheists are people and Atheism is a response to a single insignificant question, "Do you believe in God or gods/" The atheist is a person who says "No/" This tells you NOTHING about a world view or belief system/
1. What is prime reality? (by this I mean, what is the most basic understanding of reality, is it matter, or is something else?)
Pragmatic and empirical naturalism. If you can show it, measure it, describe it, validate it, experience it and repeat it, for all intent and purposes it is real.
2. What us the nature of external reality, the world around us?
Currently our best description is of atoms and atomic fields.
3. What is a human being?
A member of the species Homo erectus a species of archaic human like creatures. We are apparently the last surviving species as 6 other species of human have become extinct. We are a product of the universe in which we occur.
4. What happens to a person at death?
Their bodies rot away and the atoms in those bodies return to the universe from which they came.
5. Why is it possible to know anything at all?
This is a presuppositional apologetic. Generally when it is asked the person means "Know something for certain" or "Absolute 100%" The answer is "We don't." Science looks at facts and builds models. We interact with the world based on the knowledge we have. We know because what we know works. If you think you can operate in the world while ignoring what works (what we know) you are not going to live very long. So that which can be tested and proved becomes that which is known. The mind can be fooled, this is why we have testing and experimentation. Testing and experimentation is not absolute but it removes knowledge from our minds, tests it, and brings us closer to understanding than any other method of inquiry.
6. How do we know what is right and wrong?
We are social animals. Right and wrong are social constructs. This is true for the religious as well as non-religious. I can point directly to a thousand different passages in a bible that Christians will tell me that they no longer believe. I can point to 30 thousand Christian sects all opting to believe something different about their bible, god, and Jesus. The fact is simple, morality is a social construct that develops when human beings interact with one another.
7. What is the meaning of human history?
History is the writing, artifacts and other documentation of human beings in the past. What do you mean "meaning?"
8. What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with the answers to the previous questions?
1. Skepticism and critical inquiry.
2. Skepticism and critical inquiry.
3. Skepticism and critical inquiry.
4. They die. I will be cremated. My ashes flushed down the drain. So the most important thing to do is live my life now.
5. Skepticism and critical inquiry.
6. Skepticism and critical inquiry.
7. Different historical movements had different meaning for the people involved in them. Hitler tried to conquer the world. The Catholic Church is trying to become the one and only Church in the world as it begins to set itself up to align with Islam. Meaning depends on the motivation of the people involved and what their goals are.
8. Skeptics.
Oh blimey, another one...
Very well...
- The Matrix.
- Define and explain, This sounds like metaphysical bollocks.
- A moderately evolved primate, but there are exceptions.... like Ken Ham who's a rare breed of cabbage.
- Their heart stops beating and become a tasty treat for maggots and so fourth...
- Because the invisible cosmic Badger says so.
- Subjective per individual.
- To learn not to produce shit films, like the new Ghostbusters or anything with Ben Stiller.
- I still won't watch Ben Stiller films, he should be nailed to a cross.
Oh, boy! Another questionnaire! Love these things!
Hey there, Carl. Welcome to the AR. Gonna give this a shot. Be advised, though, I will be answering these before I read any of the other posts. Don't want my answers to be influenced by others. Here we go....
1. What is prime reality? Ummmm.... I'm gonna take a guess here and say it is any reality that can be divided evenly only by itself or 1. (Hope nobody beat me to the punch on that one.)
2. What is the nature of external reality, the world around us? Let's seeee...... Just looking out my window, I see trees, birds, a large pond, my dog..... *scanning*.... Oh, there's a cloud in the sky and a bunch of grass in my yard..... uhhhh.... hmmm.... Eeeeek!! A spider just crawled across my widow screen!.... *nervously shaking*.... Oh, excuse me.... Anyway, there are a few rocks. Oh, look! There goes my neighbor's dog chasing a squirrel! Hmmm.... Guess that's about all for the moment.
3. What is a human being? A human being is an animal that has the highest brain capacity and function within all of the animal kingdom and is capable of creating arts, advanced mathematics, incredibly sophisticated technology, and can plan and scheme in highly complex and elaborate ways. However, that same human being is pretty much at the bottom of the food chain if it happens to find itself alone and naked in the deep dark jungle or out in the middle of the great wide ocean.
4. What happens to a person at death? Well, as I have said before, that is a rather tricky question, because it really does depend on the method in which a person dies. However, for the sake of brevity, we will go with the "standard" death. Basically, one or more vital organs cease to function, eventually causing oxygen starvation in the brain. At that point, the brain gradually shuts down "step by step" as electrical impulses cease to fire, thus rendering an individual deceased. Gone, Kaput. Taking a dirt nap. Toes up. Or however you wish to express it.
5. Why is it possible to know anything at all? Uh, Google?
6. How do we know what is right and wrong? Because "right" is spelled R-I-G-H-T. And "wrong" is spelled W-R-O-N-G. And they both have TOTALLY different definitions. (Odd. Rather thought that was self-explanatory.... *scratching head*...)
7. What is the meaning of human history? Generally speaking, it is the biased version of events that took place as told by the winners. In another sense, however, there was a time many eons ago that Man was running around in loin cloths picking berries and eating bugs wherever he could scavenge them just to survive day to day. Nowadays, though, Man has developed such that he will now pay upwards of a week's salary to eat those same berries and bugs at some fancy five-star restaurant.
8. What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with the answers to the previous questions? I am committed to my wife. Everything else is secondary to that. Period.
Alrighty then! I think that about covers it. Now I am curious to see how other folks answered.
(Edit to add:) Oh! Dang! Almost forgot! Um, yeah, about atheism. The ONLY thing it means is that a person does not believe in any god or gods. That's it. Plain and simple. There is no "Collective Atheist Mindset." An atheist is an independent, critical-thinking, free-thinking individual who lives by his/her own individual "code of ethics" and moral standards as he/she sees fit for his/her particular lifestyle. Again, not very complicated. Okay... NOW to go see what everybody else answered!
@Tin, you not only have a heart but a brain as big as all out doors and a sense of humour to match. And thanks for making me break that AR rule about liquids in mouths while reading several times in one post. Gotta go hose down the keyboard.
@Grinseed Re: "And thanks for making me break that AR rule about liquids in mouths while reading several times in one post."
You realize, of course, Arakish will not be pleased about that. Tsk-tsk-tsk...
@ Grinseed Re: "...break that AR rule about liquids..."
Gee whiz. How often must it be repeated?
"Thou shalt not be drinking or eating whilst thou art perusing forum boards for thou shalt never know when a post may cause great spewage."
For penance, go and collect me 1000 acorns. One at a time.
rmfr
Forgive me little hemp tree for I have transgressed. I guffawed coffee three times reading the metal one's post. My only defence is he is one funny bugger, but I know when I've done wrong....wait...acorns...you mean from oak trees?....tricky...oaks aren't native to Oz...we do have a pseudo 'she-oak', not a real oak but a Casuarina, with pretty leaves like the sleek feathers of a cassowary bird, a gymnosperm rather than angiosperm, but very fetching...I could send you photos and a vid instead of those dry old acorns....mmmm?
Ok. Send those pictures and you are forgiven.
rmfr
Here ya go...one gorgeous she-oak...(what on earth has become of me? Here I am pushing vegetative porn!.. I wish I had listened to my grandmother)...seems I can only load one pic per post, so I will just send you the very best...who knows maybe even a new love of yours...and like Mr Killens I see you have a fancy for the bonsai so to speak...just remain calm...vids on way to PM ; )
Attachments
Attach Image/Video?:
@Grinseed Re: "...'she-oak', not a real oak but a Casuarina, with pretty leaves like the sleek feathers of a cassowary bird, a gymnosperm rather than angiosperm, but very fetching...I could send you photos and a vid..."
Hey! Just make sure she has her bark on in those pics/vids! We are trying to keep this a respectable site around here!
@ Tin-Man
Hey. Now you are sounding like one of those people. We would be consenting trees. Oh. Respectable site.
Sorry.
Grinseed, send the good ones by PM...
rmfr
@ Carl
***YAWN!! HO HUM!!*** Another college student. Well, I am one to always hold an open-mind until I really need to spill it.
Your Questions first. I have seen others have already posted and I ain't read what they posted, but even if I was the first, below is exactly how I would answer...
You are in it. No other understanding required.
It exists.
The lowest form of life to have evolved on this Earth.
Nothing. We have need decide what to do with the body.
Actually you don't.
Flip of a coin? Oh wait, that heads and tails. Actually, with one simple question, "Will this action, or its inaction, cause harm to another living thing?"
None.
None.
Now for the true question: I want to learn about atheism.
Only one thing to know: atheism is the lack of any belief in any god.
Hey, Cognistic and LogicFTW, y'all want to repost those extremely excellent treatises y'all wrote about Apollo in that thread. I done forgot which one. The one where CyberLN corrected me and I changed it from "you would do well to NEVER listen to this person" to "you would do well to NEVER believe what this person says." Those would be fantastic treatises to include here. Or you can just link to them.
Do atheists have beliefs? Yes. Not speaking for any others, I, for one, have many beliefs. However, those beliefs are largely dictated by how much irrefutable and objective hard empirical evidence I can collect for that belief. Good examples: Hurricanes happen. The pink dragon living under my car port. That is a good, albeit very small, set showing how I rank my beliefs from 0 to 1. Special Note: No belief I can have shall ever be "1." However, there is one thing I have discovered that has achieved the rank of Absolute Zero.
Think Critically about that.
This is due to the fact that I am a scientist by choice. Been one me whole life. Life-long atheist/scientist. I am a technical field scientist by work. I work at the world's largest land-based active caldera (a.k.a. super-volcano) known as Yellowstone Caldera. Yes, the one inside Yellowstone National Park. The more evidence, the more belief I have in it. The less, well... And as I am always telling theists that come here and spew their diarrhea about their deity, I always tell them that my burden of proof is answered by four words and one symbol: No Evidence = No Existence. And there has yet to be any theist capable of figuring that out. They literally do not understand what this means: No Evidence = No Existence. Go figure.
And regardless of any argument against it, as far as I am concerned, and as another has written at these forums, Absence of Evidence = Evidence of Absence. A nice rewording of what I said above.
Atheism = no belief in any god. Operative words are "no" and "any."
Any further questions?
Now to go back and read others' answers...
rmfr
Here you go Carl, another set of answers from another atheist misfit lol.
Questions:
1. What is prime reality? (by this I mean, what is the most basic understanding of reality, is it matter, or is something else?)
Prime reality? Sounds like you are hinting at others. There is only one. The natural universe we live in, the one that follows natural laws of physics and chemistry.
All other 'realities', which aren't real, are human constructs, vain attempts to describe things beyond nature, the unseen, unknowable, unquantifiable, unmeasurable, unexperienced, supernatural. When ignorant attempts to understand the natural universe fail we have been in the habit of creating a god.
The Ancient Greeks had thousands; their pottery makers had a small god responsible for the very fine cracks (crazing) in their ceramic wares. They used to sacrifice to this little god. The Greeks were mostly clever but largely ignorant.
These attempts were also used to satisfiy our ego centric desire to be the 'centre of the universe' and having meaning and purpose. We desire to be 'important', which we already are, being amongst the only lifeforms known in this universe, and without need for reference to gods.
2. What us the nature of external reality, the world around us?
See No. 1.
3. What is a human being?
A sentinet empathetic evolved ape.
4. What happens to a person at death?
The person ceases to be. There is no afterlife. Even the bible suggests it. Psalm 146:4 His breath goeth forth; he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. KJV
The harsh brutal reality of death is so daunting to us, it makes some conceive of gods offering the very specific solution of eternal life, to comfort us, all without any evidence whatsoever. So convenient.
5. Why is it possible to know anything at all?
The universe is consistent. The laws of nature, comprising physics and chemistry, in this universe, are stable (at a Newtonian level), which allows us to recognise patterns and regular results, which allow us to predict and plan, avoid and prepare. Our neural systems and brains are so profoundly developed we have the luxury over other animals that to allows us to ponder abstract concepts. Thats how gods are created and why science was devised.
6. How do we know what is right and wrong?
Our evolution as a gregarious tribal species ensured our ability to survive. Tribal cohesion, protection in numbers, and co-operation gave us an edge over claws, fangs, speed, venom and sheer rapacity. Co-operation requires loyalty, honesty and sacrifice. Our morality is based on the good of the majority, we are an empathetic species (and not the only one). Our morality is subjective, conditioned by the needs of others. There is no objective morality. To be really moral, every judgement we make needs to be considered in the light of the circumstances of each situation, not subject to pre-determined judgements decided in camera.
7. What is the meaning of human history?
There is no intended meaning. History is a record of events not a prophesy. The Abrahamic god has not manipulated history for the purpose of punishing a chosen disobedient people. He has been fictionally adapted to fit events in history after the fact by an exclusive priestly class (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, take your pick) with vested worldly interests in empowering their god and by extension, themselves.
8. What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with the answers to the previous questions?
Do unto others as you would have they do unto you (an oldie but a goldie and very much pre-Hebrew/Christian/Muslim, because it simply works - see question 6.)
Strive to be your best.
Question everything always.
OK Carl, your turn, because I like to learn more about theism.
1. Why do you beleive in your God?
Just one question. Please be so kind and christian enough to answer before you disappear like all the other christian college students and fundamentalist seekers of truth who proceeded you and rudely left without honestly addressing questions put to them.
Hey, Grin! Hope you aren't holding your breath waiting on Carl to answer your question.
Atheism is the absence or lack of belief in a deity or deities. Your questions have no specific relevance to atheism. They are often asked on here and elsewhere, by religious apologists trying to reverse the "burden of proof" using argumentum ad ignorantiam fallacies.
What objective evidence can you demonstrate for any deity?
1. Reality is everything that exists.
2. No different from reality.
3. An organism of the genus Homo.
4. Their biological processes permanently cease.
5. Things can be known to be true if they must be unconditionally true.
6. Morals are subjective so cannot truly be known to be right or wrong.
7. History has no inherent meaning, as it is not teleological.
8. That is for each individual to decide.
OKAY: So you have had a few responses now..... So what do you think you have learned?
1. Do atheists share a common reality?
2. Is the nature of reality really any different for you than for an atheist. (Reality, not assumptions about reality.)
3. What does it mean to be a human being? (What can you prove?)
4. What happens to a person at death? (Again - no wild assertions, what can you prove?)
5. Why is it possible to know anything at all? (How do you know anything at all without getting it out of your mind and testing it in some way against the real world. If it is not tested, how can you say you know it? )
6. How do we know what is right and wrong? (see above)
7. What is the meaning of human history? (The question is nonsense to me, how about you?)
8. What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with the answers to the previous questions? (Consistent in this case refers to valid, measurable and repeatable. What is consistent for you must also be consistent for me and anyone else in the world.)
Firstly I would like to add some more extra information about atheism. Do not confuse it with religion, since religion is belief while atheism is lack of belief. Some might argue that it is a belief of lack of belief, but if such axion were true then regard all things as belief but no reality.
Now answering your questions:
1. Prime reality differs from person to person especially (I believe) in atheists, since the lack of supernatural belief is an integral part. Christians, Muslims, and Jews all share a common prime reality which is Jesus, Allah, and Yahweh respectively. However in atheists they do not have a common prime reality, since one’s is to keep their family happy, other’s is to find love, other’s is to help humanity to progress, while others, including me, find my prime reality in understanding the universe we live in.
2. It is the simplest, indivisible particle, the “atomos” or the “vibrating string”. It is merely that nature around us is an orchestra of the simplest particles playing the symphony called our universe.
3. Literally, a composition of organic molecules that evolved from a forefather single cell into several intermediates which became “and still to this day” a Homo Sapiens. They are a mammal that are supposed to live in the wilderness of the Amazon and the Savannahs but yet grasped the earth by their hands.
4. Literally, they perish. No consciousness, no morals, nothing. Metaphorically, we never die. We were once matter and energy and yet after biological death we are matter and energy. If you think about it we never lived nor died except during the “Big Bang” and biologically.
5. We are not supposed to know a lot of things from what we know today. We are not supposed to know how to manufacture a flat screen tv nor are we supposed to put manmade satellites on orbit, but that’s why they call us Sapiens. We know that we know because of mathematics. Our results qualify with reality, ergo we know. If anything we became gods with the help of numbers, being somewhat “omniscient”.
6. Basic human morals, morals that evolved for millions of years. Why one tends to a relative when sick? Why give that stray thirsty dog some water? This is basic human morality that was and is sculptured for millions of years in order for us as social species to aspire.
7. It is the achievements of our forefathers, whether be it good or bad. It is there to help us sculpture our morality and improve our desicion making and let’s us know good from bad; what works and what doesn’t.
8. We gave ourselves the label Sapiens, because we took on ourselves the duty the universe. We strive to be the best of who we were, who we are, and who we can be.
Carl Cahill,
"I want to learn about atheism"
What do those questions have to do with atheism? You, yourself, are an atheist. There are thousands of individual unique gods and goddesses, each with its own attributes. Do you believe in all of them? As a total atheist I don't believe in any of them. Not one god of any kind has ever done anything godly since it was created by a con man to influence his superstitious buddies.
BTW, the French Catholics invented the word atheist to describe the French Protestants during one of their religious wars in the 1570s. They supposedly worshiped the same deity and believed in the same ancient ethnocentric Middle Eastern Jewish religious fairy tale but they didn't agree on who should run the show. In the Bible just about everyone believed in some sort of god but if one group worshiped another god it was off with their heads.
The bottom line for religious folks is that if someone doesn't believe in their own specific delusion then they are damn atheists.
Bonus question: what is your specific religious delusion?