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Agreed. I'm just confused why so many people are pre-facing their comments with some version of "I'm a life-long atheist but I can relate to this story somehow"

Agreed. I'm just confused why so many people are pre-facing their comments with some version of "I'm a life-long atheist but I can relate to this story somehow" as if there is a discrepancy between atheism and the article. For the record, I think strong atheism, or the confidence that there is no god or after-life, is just as wrong as being confident that there is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_and_positive_atheism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_and_positive_atheism

elzbardico 4y ago
Oh, thanks for that! As an atheist I always wondered what annoyed me so much in other more vocal and militant atheists. I'd love to believe in God, a superior power, benevolent aliens, re-incarnation, anything! The problem is that I just can't, no matter how much I try.
- pazimzadeh 4y ago
  And there have probably been people who think like you since the beginning, otherwise the bible wouldn't have to go out of its way to say: > The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good Psalms 14:1
- XorNot 4y ago
  "strong" atheists are asking you to treat your lack of belief like you'd treat any other thing you don't believe in - i.e. faires, fae, ogres, trolls, Babayanka etc. I don't preface a comment on "those don't exist" by saying "well there's no evidence but..." because very obviously I don't live my life as though there's any probability they exist. "I don't know god exists" is a meaningless statement because the alternative is not binary. You don't believe 'god' exists when you do, you believe a rather specific God exists.
- dctoedt 4y ago
  > I'd love to believe in God, a superior power, benevolent aliens, re-incarnation, anything! The problem is that I just can't, no matter how much I try. I hope people here don't get tired of my self-cite about how I came around to a sort of agnosto-theism: https://www.questioningchristian.org/2005/05/why_i_call_myse.html https://www.questioningchristian.org/2005/05/why_i_call_myse...
andrepd 4y ago
Of course it isn't. Believing there's a kettle orbiting Neptune is infinitely more implausible that believing there isn't, even though there is zero empirical evidence to either position.

elzbardico 4y ago

Oh, thanks for that! As an atheist I always wondered what annoyed me so much in other more vocal and militant atheists. I'd love to believe in God, a superior power, benevolent aliens, re-incarnation, anything! The problem is that I just can't, no matter how much I try.

pazimzadeh 4y ago
And there have probably been people who think like you since the beginning, otherwise the bible wouldn't have to go out of its way to say: > The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good Psalms 14:1
XorNot 4y ago
"strong" atheists are asking you to treat your lack of belief like you'd treat any other thing you don't believe in - i.e. faires, fae, ogres, trolls, Babayanka etc. I don't preface a comment on "those don't exist" by saying "well there's no evidence but..." because very obviously I don't live my life as though there's any probability they exist. "I don't know god exists" is a meaningless statement because the alternative is not binary. You don't believe 'god' exists when you do, you believe a rather specific God exists.
dctoedt 4y ago
> I'd love to believe in God, a superior power, benevolent aliens, re-incarnation, anything! The problem is that I just can't, no matter how much I try. I hope people here don't get tired of my self-cite about how I came around to a sort of agnosto-theism: https://www.questioningchristian.org/2005/05/why_i_call_myse.html https://www.questioningchristian.org/2005/05/why_i_call_myse...

andrepd 4y ago

Of course it isn't. Believing there's a kettle orbiting Neptune is infinitely more implausible that believing there isn't, even though there is zero empirical evidence to either position.