I 'came out' as an atheist.

[GhostStar]

I didn't know heists could teach.

shh!! I ninja'd that out!

[Ad Bot]

[Headcrab Zombie]

Like that one Furry father who home-schools his son because he wants his son to be a furry.

This post was a joke. At least if I'm thinking of the same one, but I'm pretty sure I am because of how often it's thrown around

so you are going to teach your children that the earth is round, because thats what you believe.

No, you teach your kids the earth is round because it can be directly observed to be round

It is commonly accepted, but we only know that because of eyewitness accounts of astronauts and photographs.

The earth was known to be round long before the space-age, because there are multiple experiments that can be done, several of which can be performed without any special equipment whatsoever, whose results would only make sense on a round earth. Hell, the curcumference of the Earth was calculated (remarkably accuractly given the time period) over two thousand years ago

my parents didnt force we. They raised me to be a christian. They didnt sit me down at a table and say "You wil be a christian!" They sat me down and said "God is great! He is an incredible being who loves you!" They showed me how amazing godd was, and I chose to believe in him.

You didn't "choose" to believe them. You were taught to believe it at an age where you lack critical thinking skills, and believe anything a trusted adult tells you. You (most likely) where not taught that there were differing views, and a choice made from only one option isn't truly a choice, now is it?
Now true, this still isn't being "forced" to believe, but it isn't a true choice, either

just to be nitpicky the big bang is presented as a theory (suggested as true) and while it is commonly accepted it isn't taught as a fact.

gravity would be better

You're not being "nitpicky," you're being intellectually dishonest. A theory, in the context of the scientific method, is a unifying explanation for a large amount of repeatable observations and data gatherings; It's more than "suggested as true"; with a very large amount of evidence behind it, it pretty much is fact. If you don't believe the evidence, then (attempt to) refute the evidence, instead of spreading intellectually dishonest definitions of the word 'theory'

A theory explains why something happens, whereas a law explains what happens. There is both a law of gravity, and a theory of gravity (technically the "theory of gravity" is actually the theory of general relativity, but the point still stands as it describes gravity)

[XR-7]

How do secular scientists explain where the first mass came from?  If there was not a "First mass", then they must believe in eternity, right?

[Bisjac]

you guys have it all backwards.

real atheists have no problem at all not knowing the answers to everything.
its people of religion that feel the need to have an instant answer, no matter how ridiculous it may be.

[Headcrab Zombie]

you guys have it all backwards.

real atheists have no problem at all not knowing the answers to everything.
its people of religion that feel the need to have an instant answer, no matter how ridiculous it may be.

I wouldn't say "no problem at all" otherwise they (they meaning the scientists who actually do the work) wouldn't be putting so much work into finding them. Definitely less of a problem, but not absolutely nothing
They just don't want that easy, instant answer and would rather figure it out

[GhostStar]

you guys have it all backwards.

real atheists have no problem at all not knowing the answers to everything.
its people of religion that feel the need to have an instant answer, no matter how ridiculous it may be.

actually, atheists want an answer just as much as religious people do. We all just believe in a different answer.

I wouldn't say "no problem at all" otherwise they wouldn't be putting so much work into finding them. Definitely less of a problem, but not absolutely nothing
They just don't want that easy, instant answer and would rather figure it out

they do want an insta answer. Its just you cant get one when you try to use science.

[Bisjac]

actually, atheists want an answer just as much as religious people do. We all just believe in a different answer.

no. there are many things that have no answer. thats why atheists tend to support science so much. to find out.

rather then the simple "god did it"

[GhostStar]

no. there are many things that have no answer. thats why atheists tend to support science so much. to find out.

rather then the simple "god did it"

the only thing I can think of that would be answered with "god did it" would be creation and the flood, maybe a few other things too but mostly just the creation.

This post was a joke. At least if I'm thinking of the same one, but I'm pretty sure I am because of how often it's thrown around
No, you teach your kids the earth is round because it can be directly observed to be round
The earth was known to be round long before the space-age, because there are multiple experiments that can be done, several of which can be performed without any special equipment whatsoever, whose results would only make sense on a round earth. Hell, the curcumference of the Earth was calculated (remarkably accuractly given the time period) over two thousand years ago
You didn't "choose" to believe them. You were taught to believe it at an age where you lack critical thinking skills, and believe anything a trusted adult tells you. You (most likely) where not taught that there were differing views, and a choice made from only one option isn't truly a choice, now is it?
Now true, this still isn't being "forced" to believe, but it isn't a true choice, either
You're not being "nitpicky," you're being intellectually dishonest. A theory, in the context of the scientific method, is a unifying explanation for a large amount of repeatable observations and data gatherings; It's more than "suggested as true"; with a very large amount of evidence behind it, it pretty much is fact

A theory explains why something happens, whereas a law explains what happens. There is both a law of gravity, and a theory of gravity (technically the "theory of gravity" is actually the theory of general relativity, but the point still stands as it describes gravity)

there are actually many things my parents and I have different veiws on in relig. They are against gays, I am not. They do not believe in alternative universes, I am still controversial over it, the do not believeIin extraterrestrial life in anyform (bacteria or sentient) I on the other hand do.  At that age when they sat me down, I was well aware of other religions.  I understood what an atheist was, and had been taught in school that evolution was corect. I still chose to follow christ because I trusted my parents, and I liked the idea of a creator over the idea of a random explosion.

[Headcrab Zombie]

the only thing I can think of that would be answered with "god did it" would be creation and the flood, maybe a few other things too but mostly just the creation.

What the "God of the Gaps" (which is what this is called) is used for has shrunk due to increased scientific knowledge, but previously it had be used to explain numerous things where the cause was unknown: weather, natural disasters, disease, etc.

the only thing I can think of that would be answered with "god did it" would be creation and the flood, maybe a few other things too but mostly just the creation.
there are actually many things my parents and I have different veiws on in relig. They are against gays, I am not. They do not believe in alternative universes, I am still controversial over it, the do not believeIin extraterrestrial life in anyform (bacteria or sentient) I on the other hand do.  At that age when they sat me down, I was well aware of other religions.  I understood what an atheist was, and had been taught in school that evolution was corect. I still chose to follow christ because I trusted my parents, and I liked the idea of a creator over the idea of a random explosion.

I didn't mean a formal sitting down and presenting all the options, I mean just every day things like taking you to church and brief mentionings how "god did x" and various other things like this starting from when you were born

[GhostStar]

What the "God of the Gaps" (which is what this is called) is used for has shrunk due to increased scientific knowledge, but previously it had be used to explain numerous things where the cause was unknown: weather, natural disasters, disease, etc.
I didn't mean a formal sitting down and presenting all the options, I mean just every day things like taking you to church and brief mentionings how "god did x" and various other things like this starting from when you were born

oh, well ya things like that greatly contribute to the childs desicion.  Like if OP had gone to church every sunday and stuff, he might have turned out a christian instead.  But these things are all environmental factors, and they make us who we are.

[Doomonkey]

real atheists have no problem at all not knowing the answers to everything.

The word you are looking for is scientist.

[Char]

The word you are looking for is scientist.

I dunno, a lot of atheists also happen to be rationalists.

[Doomonkey]

I dunno, a lot of atheists also happen to be rationalists.

Not having a problem not knowing the answer to everything is neither necessary nor exclusive to being an atheist. It is however, necessary toward being a good scientist.

I'm going to add some classification. Having a problem as in having a problem at the level of making something up to resolve it.

[Doom Mantis]

I don't understand why religious people think evolution is impossible, people have freedom to believe in both.

[Ipquarx]

I don't understand why religious people think evolution is impossible, people have freedom to believe in both.

Some religious people believe that the earth was created in a week or some crazy stuff like that and that humans just literally popped up out of thin air and therefore that evolution didn't actually happen. (Neither of which are true)