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Edited by Choopie: 7/15/2014 3:44:20 PM
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Scientists: Atheists May Not Exist

How do you feel about this? [quote]For some, “God doesn’t believe in atheists” is just a clever (nor not-so-clever) jab directed against the faithless in our culture. But based on the findings of secular researchers, the statement may not be so far from reality. That is because multidisciplinary research is increasingly backing the idea that human beings are hard-wired to believe in God, according to Science 2.0 writer Nury Vittachi in an article titled, “Scientists discover that atheists might not exist, and that’s not a joke.” “[A]theism is psychologically impossible because of the way humans think,” Vittachi cites avowed atheist Graham Lawton as writing in New Scientist. “They point to studies showing, for example, that even people who claim to be committed atheists tacitly hold religious beliefs, such as the existence of an immortal soul.” Even atheists hold to several tacitly religious concepts, including the existence of an immortal soul, according to Lawton. The article also cites another atheist researcher who demonstrated that all people engage in internal monologue, regardless of whether the person to whom their thoughts are directed is actually present. Equally demonstrable is the intrinsic human tendency to believe in divine justice. Vittachi describes both religious and non-religious persons as possessing the innate sense that “If I commit a sin, it is not an isolated event but will have appropriate repercussions.” This sense of cosmic justice is credited for the popular belief in “karma.” This idea, he writes, is played out on a number of differently levels—including narrative literature, where even atheist authors invariably write stories that “exist to establish that there exists a mechanism or a person—cosmic destiny, karma, God, fate, Mother Nature—to make sure the right thing happens to the right person.” Even the staunchest nontheists are not exempted from such habits, according to the writer. “If a loved one dies, even many anti-religious people usually feel a need for a farewell ritual, complete with readings from old books and intoned declarations that are not unlike prayers,” Vittachi writes. “In war situations, commanders frequently comment that atheist soldiers pray far more than they think they do.” According to the writer, atheists tend to exhibit the same sociological, psychological dependence on the intangible as religious folk do, even if the former reject the existence of anything supernatural. “Statistics show that the majority of people who stop being part of organized religious groups don’t become committed atheists, but retain a mental model in which ‘The Universe’ somehow has a purpose for humanity,” says Vittachi. While Vittachi attempts to connect all these theistic proclivities to an evolutionary source, missing one key bit of evidence: it is the biblical Christian worldview, not the secular humanist worldview, which accurately predicts a human bent towards belief in God. In Romans 1:18-23, the apostle Paul writes that “what can be known about God is plain to them”—that is, all men—and that “his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” He then goes so far as to state that all such people “knew God” (v. 21). The implication, thus, is that man innately assumes the existence of his Creator until he convinces himself to think otherwise. This biblical teaching is not unique to Paul. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding,” echoing the same sentiment of other Old Testament passages. In essence, one cannot truly possess wisdom and knowledge if one denies the essential fact of existence: that the transcendent God is the ultimate measure of reality. While Vittachi may be a few steps short of walking down the aisle at the next altar call, the findings he describes lead to one critical conclusion: perhaps it is atheists, not God, who truly do not exist.[/quote] [url=http://www.science20.com/writer_on_the_edge/blog/scientists_discover_that_atheists_might_not_exist_and_thats_not_a_joke-139982#.U77neYQckwA.facebook]Where they got their information from.[/url] TLDR: Human minds are psychologically built to believe in a God.

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  • I'd like to believe design can be changed, but then again, what do I know? I'm just a feeble human making up things as I go! For all I know, I'm just imagining some guy sitting up in the clouds, imagining he impregnated a woman withou... Well actually I'd know a lot about that from writing fan fiction. :\

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  • Mountain Dew Baja blast is back in stores. Christians: 1 Atheists: 0

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  • Well there's a difference between spirituality and believing god. An atheist can still have spirituality and not believe in god. And also I don't think humans are hard wired to believe in god, it's more like society hard wires us to believe in one.

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  • 1
    Checkmate feminists

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  • Edited by Forge Fan92: 7/15/2014 3:44:33 PM
    Sounds like something Jaden Smith would tweet. But yeah, a quick google search provides that the idea of humans being wired to believe in a deity has been recognized for a while.

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    2 Replies
    • Scientist: "Atheists are not found in the fossil record."

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    • Sciensts: 1 Atheists: 0 Where is your science now atheists? Checkmate.

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    • This isn't a disproval of atheism itself. Its a comment on how much social etiquette and ideology is hard wired into us. If we do something wrong, and feel guilt and fear repercussion even though no one is around, its like the ghost of a society haunting us. Same with the recent death of a loved one, these ceremonies are all an attempt by the grieving people to say goodbye and gain closure in a somehow meaningful way. We are social creatures, so much of our thoughts and actions are based on the contributing to a greater whole that we perceive to be part of.

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    • Edited by SexyPiranha: 7/15/2014 3:50:54 PM
      OP be trollin'. I like how neither the article that you linked nor the article it cited provided a link to the paper it was based off of. I can only guess the actual paper didn't really support the conclusions reached by either author(that atheists don't exist). The innate human need for spirituality and connectedness is not lost on atheists(atheists don't believe in god, that's it; doesn't mean they can't have spiritual thoughts) or scientists. In fact anyone that has studied the overview effect experienced by astronauts in Earth orbit would find this obvious. Combine that basic need with humanity's capacity to create and maintain complicated memeplexes and you can see where religion comes in. However that fact does not mean a human being has to believe in god, and it certainly does not imply that one must exist. [b][i]Also, the implication made in the original article that spirituality/religion are naturally selected for due to their ability to counteract existential dread should fill everyone with more existential dread.[/i][/b]

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    • I'm not sure which is funnier. The Christians trolling in the article or the ones in the comments below.

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    • Still trying to figure out, it is quite obvious he posted this to make people upset, he said it himself, but you people, you people still reply... Why?

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      • >todaychristian.net laughingdawkins.gif

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      • #edgyatheists

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      • >MFW Atheists say they don't talk to themselves now >MFW I have no face

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      • Drama-bomb. I always laugh when atheists start referencing "the universe" like it's some omnipotent being. This thread is gold, but I suggest you get ready for a massive shitstorm.

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        • How can our atheists be real if our minds aren't real?

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        • Hmm...

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        • That was the most badly reasoned thing I've ever seen.

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        • I do find this interesting as I have met atheists who say they believe in Order and Purpose... Yet continue to believe themselves atheists. Anyhow, I'm not going to get too involved in this thread, as I can sense rustling without even scrolling down. Time to go make a sandwich and play The Witcher.

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          • Or maybe society hard wires it into us? Wonder if Tarzan believes in god

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          • Proof that all atheists are edgy teens

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          • This won't rustle jimmies. It will just prompt all the atheist posters here to come in and give long ass explanations of how karma doesn't exist and people who do bad things are generally disliked and so people do bad things to them and there are still bad people who live great lives such as Castro and blah blah blah.

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            • Apparently being able to predict repercussions from events is something strictly available to religious people? Ok... As is internal monologue, apparently

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            • Edited by Dragonmourne: 7/15/2014 2:34:22 PM
              Sure is a lot of presumptions and assumptions being made by these "researchers". I had no idea I believed in an immortal soul (even though I don't and never have)! Thanks random Christian research guy! Pfffffftttttt.

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            • What if I said Im not a atheist but Im not religious because I don't believe in any god but I disagree with the was of a atheist. Like how a some atheist are trying to getting rid of god by spreading their views on religion but really it sounds like they're are spreading a religion. Really I hate religion it feels like a giant distraction, no offense to anyone its just my view on it.

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            • Lol what the hell is this?

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