Are Atheists Free Thinkers?

[editec]

"FREE THINKER" was a 19th century term coined to describe atheists.

But free thought or being a free thinker has a long long history

Freethought - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[DriftingSand]

in my experience, atheists are not thinkers.....

They're thinkers but only to a very shallow degree. Belief in God opens the door to His infinite presence, power, and knowledge (science). He actually brings folks to a greater understanding of life and the Universe than they could ever understand based on their own, limited resources (finite mind).

yes shallow thinkers!! LOL Get out of the gene pool !!

List of atheists in science and technology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 50 Most Brilliant Atheists of All Time

Actually, Gene's pool is really cool. Perfect temperature, light on the chlorine, and surround sound stereo. I think I'll stay.

 

[Darkwind]

They're free thinkers in so much as any mammal on the planet can be said to be free thinking. Lemur monkey's are not burdened with thoughts of a god, they simply exist for the sake of existing. Clearly, the beasts of the forests, deserts, jungles, and oceans are free thinkers too. It takes little to no intelligence to think there is no god.

Evolved man however, understands the role of God and has the ability to think clearly on the purpose of life. Make no mistake, the ability to clearly think of God in terms of a creator in no way means we have every answer, or any answers. After all, its the seeking of God that is the real purpose, not the defining of God.

 

[rightwinger]

Free thinkers from the standpoint that they expect reasonable evidence before they believe something to be true

Yea, they are free thinkers

 

[PostmodernProph]

in my experience, atheists are not thinkers.....

They're thinkers but only to a very shallow degree. Belief in God opens the door to His infinite presence, power, and knowledge (science). He actually brings folks to a greater understanding of life and the Universe than they could ever understand based on their own, limited resources (finite mind).

yes shallow thinkers!! LOL Get out of the gene pool !!

List of atheists in science and technology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 50 Most Brilliant Atheists of All Time

they aren't thinkers, but they excel at cut-n-paste.....

the funny thing is, if you read some of the "most brilliant atheists of all time" you'll see comments like "he self identified as an agnostic"........atheists don't understand the difference.....

 

[PostmodernProph]

Being a free thinker would not include believing everything an ancient book says but questioning every word of it and applying objective critical analysis to all of your own presuppositions.

would believing it make you a free will-er?......

 

[PostmodernProph]

Free thinkers from the standpoint that they expect reasonable evidence before they believe something to be true

Yea, they are free thinkers

odd....waiting until there is only one available choice implies to me that they want to avoid any necessity of thinking.......

 

[rightwinger]

Free thinkers from the standpoint that they expect reasonable evidence before they believe something to be true

Yea, they are free thinkers

odd....waiting until there is only one available choice implies to me that they want to avoid any necessity of thinking.......

Who waits?

Who do you think is compiling the available choices while Christians cover their ears and say....God did it

 

[PostmodernProph]

Free thinkers from the standpoint that they expect reasonable evidence before they believe something to be true

Yea, they are free thinkers

odd....waiting until there is only one available choice implies to me that they want to avoid any necessity of thinking.......

Who waits?

the person anticipating reasonable evidence.....

 

[thebrucebeat]

They're free thinkers in so much as any mammal on the planet can be said to be free thinking. Lemur monkey's are not burdened with thoughts of a god, they simply exist for the sake of existing. Clearly, the beasts of the forests, deserts, jungles, and oceans are free thinkers too. It takes little to no intelligence to think there is no god.

Evolved man however, understands the role of God and has the ability to think clearly on the purpose of life. Make no mistake, the ability to clearly think of God in terms of a creator in no way means we have every answer, or any answers. After all, its the seeking of God that is the real purpose, not the defining of God.

So, does man"understand the role of God" or is it "seeking of God that is the real purpose, not the defining of God".
I think you need to think this through some more.

 

[thebrucebeat]

They're thinkers but only to a very shallow degree. Belief in God opens the door to His infinite presence, power, and knowledge (science). He actually brings folks to a greater understanding of life and the Universe than they could ever understand based on their own, limited resources (finite mind).

yes shallow thinkers!! LOL Get out of the gene pool !!

List of atheists in science and technology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 50 Most Brilliant Atheists of All Time

they aren't thinkers, but they excel at cut-n-paste.....

the funny thing is, if you read some of the "most brilliant atheists of all time" you'll see comments like "he self identified as an agnostic"........atheists don't understand the difference.....

The funny thing is you find the two terms exclusive to each other.
They expressly are not.
It may be you who doesn't understand the difference.

 

[rightwinger]

odd....waiting until there is only one available choice implies to me that they want to avoid any necessity of thinking.......

Who waits?

the person anticipating reasonable evidence.....

Is questioning the Bible free thinking?

 

[PostmodernProph]

yes shallow thinkers!! LOL Get out of the gene pool !!

List of atheists in science and technology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 50 Most Brilliant Atheists of All Time

they aren't thinkers, but they excel at cut-n-paste.....

the funny thing is, if you read some of the "most brilliant atheists of all time" you'll see comments like "he self identified as an agnostic"........atheists don't understand the difference.....

The funny thing is you find the two terms exclusive to each other.
They expressly are not.
It may be you who doesn't understand the difference.

???...sorry.....they are exclusive to each other.....and agnostic says they haven't made a decision, an atheist has......

 

[PostmodernProph]

Who waits?

the person anticipating reasonable evidence.....

Is questioning the Bible free thinking?

not under the definition I was responding to...."Free thinkers from the standpoint that they expect reasonable evidence before they believe something to be true"....

Muslims question the Bible, Hindus question the Bible.....that doesn't make them atheists or agnostics.....

so no.....merely questioning the Bible does not make one a Free Thinker.......asking questions without thinking might make one a Free Thinker.....

 

[thebrucebeat]

the person anticipating reasonable evidence.....

Is questioning the Bible free thinking?

not under the definition I was responding to...."Free thinkers from the standpoint that they expect reasonable evidence before they believe something to be true"....

Muslims question the Bible, Hindus question the Bible.....that doesn't make them atheists or agnostics.....

so no.....merely questioning the Bible does not make one a Free Thinker.......asking questions without thinking might make one a Free Thinker.....

How about asking questions without assuming you already have the answer?
Would that qualify?

 

[thebrucebeat]

they aren't thinkers, but they excel at cut-n-paste.....

the funny thing is, if you read some of the "most brilliant atheists of all time" you'll see comments like "he self identified as an agnostic"........atheists don't understand the difference.....

The funny thing is you find the two terms exclusive to each other.
They expressly are not.
It may be you who doesn't understand the difference.

???...sorry.....they are exclusive to each other.....and agnostic says they haven't made a decision, an atheist has......

agnostic-
1. a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience.

It does not have to do with belief. It has to do with being able to KNOW one way or the other.
The agnostic can be either a theist or an atheist, or neither.

 

[DriftingSand]

in my experience, atheists are not thinkers.....

They're thinkers but only to a very shallow degree. Belief in God opens the door to His infinite presence, power, and knowledge (science). He actually brings folks to a greater understanding of life and the Universe than they could ever understand based on their own, limited resources (finite mind).

Wow, I didn't realize there were so many benefits.

QUOTE]

See? That's my point!!

 

[DriftingSand]

The funny thing is you find the two terms exclusive to each other.
They expressly are not.
It may be you who doesn't understand the difference.

???...sorry.....they are exclusive to each other.....and agnostic says they haven't made a decision, an atheist has......

agnostic-
1. a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience.

It does not have to do with belief. It has to do with being able to KNOW one way or the other.
The agnostic can be either a theist or an atheist, or neither.

When you drive home from work using the same route as always you don't "know" that there isn't a sinkhole around the next bend but you "trust" that there isn't. You have faith that your ride home will be "business as usual."

Every day we place "trust and faith" in things that we don't know for sure.

 

[PostmodernProph]

The funny thing is you find the two terms exclusive to each other.
They expressly are not.
It may be you who doesn't understand the difference.

???...sorry.....they are exclusive to each other.....and agnostic says they haven't made a decision, an atheist has......

agnostic-
1. a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience.

It does not have to do with belief. It has to do with being able to KNOW one way or the other.
The agnostic can be either a theist or an atheist, or neither.

an atheist denies the existence of a deity.....if you do not deny the existence of a deity you are not an atheist.....that is inherent in the origin of the word....."a" no....."theist" based on root word for god
agnostic..."a" no......"gnostic" based on root word for knowledge....

 

[dblack]

???...sorry.....they are exclusive to each other.....and agnostic says they haven't made a decision, an atheist has......

agnostic-
1. a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as God, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience.

It does not have to do with belief. It has to do with being able to KNOW one way or the other.
The agnostic can be either a theist or an atheist, or neither.

an atheist denies the existence of a deity.....if you do not deny the existence of a deity you are not an atheist.....that is inherent in the origin of the word....."a" no....."theist" based on root word for god
agnostic..."a" no......"gnostic" based on root word for knowledge....

What do you call someone who believes that gods are totally real, but none the less products of human minds and not at all 'supernatural' entities?