Just because you attribute countless "complexities" to one thing (god), doesn't magically make them a single complexity.
Prayer is needed for [slutty] women to be "born again" to restore their innocence and save face from being judged when its time to find a full time partner. See: Palin, Bristol. Kardashian, Kim And why men put up with the God & religion stuff.
When it comes to assuming everybody prays when they are in trouble, it doesn't necessarily have to be to formally pray in any particular kind of way, but to call out to a higher power, especially when there is no one around or capable of assisting them etc. Like for instance, if there was a sailboat or ship that began going through dangerously turbulent weather. The boat is being just plastered with waves and the operator is unable to take control and it seems like they're heading for a catastrophe. Occasions like this a person would hope, wish or call for help and may even reach out to a higher power to let the turbulence subside or to just hope that somehow, someway they make it through alive. This doesnt have to be outwardly but internally through the subconscious, out of desperation, calling out to God, whether one believes in Him or not, to get them out of such a predicament. This whole example is even mentioned in the Qur'an several times, most notably "And when harm touches you upon the sea, those who you call out to will vanish except Him (God Alone). But when He brings you safe to land, you turn away (from God). Man is ever ungrateful" (Quran 17:67) You say that you assure people (atheists,non-religious people) do not or would not pray in such a situation. Again, prayer doesn't necessarily have to be some formal ritual but just some type of communication with a higher power or God especially when a well-known trait of God is all knowing, all-hearing. I can assure you that in such a situation there would be something in the subconscious, something inside a person saying "Oh God/If there is a God/ if theres someone out there that is listening etc. if only I can live through this/ let me live through this, save me etc." About the learning things as babies, that can be a subject of dispute. Of course we're brought up by our parents according to the beliefs they pass down to us so it would become a habit. One could believe it that its intrinsic or not. This would involve getting into religious texts and details such as disputing legitimacy/validity of religious texts would arise so, it'd be muddy. On your point of free will with disbelief involving punishment/torture this could also get very deep in content. Comparing yourself being followed by people to God's relationship to human beings is not the same because Human beings dont have traits of infinite wisdom, being without flaw, having total knowledge and reasoning etc so you cant really make that generalization. In Your point where you say basically if you were in the shoes of God and allowed free will for people to follow you, you said you would make it so there's an overwhelmingly abundant amount of evidence that you exist. If that was the case, then there would be no reason for us to go through these divisions or this test of life and everyone would or should follow God in totality, especially if you had Godly traits and knowing that as God you created them, are all-powerful, and if you very well wanted could easily destroy them if they acted ungrateful, unappreciative and out of line. And God isn't one sided. Some of his other attributes, at least according to Muslim belief, is that he is the Most Just, The Most-Forgiving, The Most-Merciful, the Generous among others. Those attributes let you know that despite human flaws, mistakes and such, he is a Forgiving God but only to those that are deserving of such and ask to be forgiven. He is capable of showing more mercy then the most merciful of beings. The Most Just, meaning he is the best of all judges. With God, you won't get screwed over, everything you get from God is exactly what you deserve. If you get put in Hell, you put in work to earn it. If you get Heaven/Paradise, you put in work to earn that. Him giving us free-will and the opportunity to believe or disbelieve is part of his infinite justice. If you wanna reject his existence and go through your whole life making your "God" your own desires and wishes, not showing gratefulness for all the good you just "happened" to receive in life, He's not going to shoot down a thunderbolt and kill you. But after this temporal life, you'll be put before Him and be judged accordingly and will get what you deserve, whatever that may be. God knows what's in our heart and we will be judged properly and won't be cheated out of the final verdict. Whatever the verdict is, it was earned. A punishment of damnation sounds harsh or evil, but if one treats someone that gave them everything and showered them with gifts and talents and useful tools in life and in return they are shown no kind of gratitude and are actually completely and thoroughly ignored what would someone like that deserve? If a son/daughter had a parent that showed them so much love, took care of them, helped them whenever they needed it, responded to their beck and call, but in return the son/daughter treated the mom like utter shizz, ignored them, didnt thank them even once, shunned them etc. What would someone like that deserve? A smack on the wrist, a "talking to" then go on their merry way? That type of retaliation would be injustice. They should be given a proper form of consequence for their ingratitude. And God knows Best.
Weird comparison. A child might doubt Santa Claus exists, but does an adult ever doubt he doesn't exist? C'mon. Be serious. By the way, keep in mind what it means to be an atheist.
It has to do with your response, of course. You don't believe but you get some benefit from suspending dis-belief, so that would seem to posit some de facto real benefit to belief-- but you deny or diminish the possibility.
That makes no sense in relation to your OP. And I'm curious what definition of atheist you're using. Based on your previous posts on this subject, I'm guessing it's the popular definition and not the technical one.
An atheist by definition would never pray to a god since that's a direct contradiction. Not sure what doesn't make sense. Atheism means not believing in a deity or god. There is only one definition.
It doesn't make sense to call somebody "not an atheist" because they prayed one time. Not according to this BBS, apparently. Lots of people like to think, falsely, that atheism is the belief that there is no god(s).
I don't believe there is a god as there is no evidence to support that there is and I kinda find it like believing in Santa Claus. To mean there is no doubt. I am an atheist. The idea of praying to something that doesn't exist is simply not possible for me. To do that would imply that I had DOUBT. And if I have doubt, than by definition not an atheist, I am agnostic. If you are a theist and you have doubts, it is considered part of a theist. Heck, you are believing in something that you can not touch, sense, see, hear or anything. Of course theists have doubts. But to be an atheist there is no doubt. Or you really are agnostic and are pretending to be an atheist.
This is actually a salient point. Many people have faith in some religion/God of some sort because the alternative is often too complex for them to (want to) grasp. Because reality is more complex than the religious explanation, they take comfort in the latter. I see that as the easy way out personally; the willfully blind way of living. Don't be afraid of things you don't understand or that are complex; instead, try to understand them. That's my philosophy. That doesn't seem to be shared around the world, however.
I'm sure for some that's the case. But my faith doesn't stop me from seeking answers to questions of how our universe works, etc. I know some extremely smart folks (brilliant science minds, included) that share faith, and still are able to ask questions about those issues. Most of the people I know who have come to faith from a place of non-belief aren't doing so because they see it as an answer to those sorts of science text questions. For most I know, it's about how their faith impacts them today..right now. Not because all of a sudden they see God in the Big Bang or something in that line.
Why do they need it, then? Why was reality not enough? (serious question; not trying to provoke anything here, I'm actually really curious how these people think, especially those that come "from a place of non-belief") [Edit] Sorry if "reality" seems combative as if to say your belief is not reality (it's not to me, but it may be to you). By "reality," I just mean things you can see, know, and prove... things that don't require such faith, in other words.
