If one is raised in a non-religious household, without the concept of a creator, then it's possible. Obviously you don't know what it's like to live without believing in God. Many people, however, were not raised with this belief, so something that's second nature to you doesn't neccessarily occur to someone without a religion.
User Detail :
Name : SarahC28157, Gender : F, Race : Asian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 24, City : San Francisco, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, Erin, the way you frame your question is somewhat ambiguous. If you are asking how an atheist can bear the thought of there not being a God, that's one question. If you are asking how an atheist can conclude that there is no God, that's another. Those are questions that each person would have to answer for himself, if he can. You are presuming that something you have (faith) is so essential to everyone that those who do not have it feel its absence. That's a little like a bird asking a squirrel how it can bear not to fly. On the other hand if you are asking how anyone, atheist or not, can believe in evolution that's yet a different question which I'll try to answer. Evolution, whether of the human being or of the universe as a whole, is not incompatible with the belief in God; it is only incompatible with your beliefs, presumably your literal interpretation of the Bible. There are other interpretations of the Bible, and other beliefs which don't include the Bible. There are plenty of people who believe in both a Divine Creator and evolution, and to presume that those two are incompatible is to deny God the privilege and power of creating the universe any way He chose.
User Detail :
Name : JerryS, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 52, City : New Britain, State : CT Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, If 'He' is the creator, Erin, then who created the concept of gender to which your God conforms ? Another thing. There is plenty of evidence in nature, all around us, that shows how complex organisms and other phenomena such as the moon and the stars develop from simpler organisms and phenomena. No, we weren't there from the beginning. We developed over time. There is far more empirical evidence for this than there is evidence of any 'God' in the sense that you appear to use the word. I guess *I* am surprised that you wake up every day and feel able to ignore the evidence that your fellow human beings have found in relation to these matters, instead preferring to believe in a personal, anthropomorphic God, for which we have found no evidence. That's what really surprises me about creationists.
User Detail :
Name : Ben S., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : New Age/Metaphysical, Age : 35, City : Melbourne, State : NA Country : Australia, Occupation : corrections officer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, I am an Atheist and find it difficult to believe that anyone in this day and age DOES believe in God. Thousands of years ago tribes believed that eclipses were caused by a dragon eating the sun. Now science has taught us better! Creationists are just as wrong yet cannot even claim the facts aren't available to them. To continue to rely on superstitious or supernatural ideas of how you came into existence seems childish or perverse. Evolution may be a 'phenomena' but it is also scientific fact. Read Richard Dawkins' book 'The Blind Watchmaker' if you don't understand how evolution works.
User Detail :
Name : Andrew Ryan, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 26, City : London, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : Administrator, Social class : Middle class, It is not that I do not believe in God, just the way in which the Bible presents the way the earth and universe were formed. Scientific evidence proves that the earth, man, and all that surrounds us is much older than the bible preaches it to be. Like I said, it is not the belief/denial of a God to me, just the way religion in general presents it.
User Detail :
Name : Robert29547, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 33, City : Vancouver, State : NA Country : Canada, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, There is an excellent book: _The_Blind_Watchmaker_ by Richard Dawkins that explains very well why he believes that there was no 'intelligent design' in creating the universe. His style is simple and direct and puts evolutionary science in an understandable perspective. I suggest you read it before dismissing evolution.
User Detail :
Name : Karl G. Siewert, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 30, City : Tulsa, State : OK Country : United States, Occupation : Librarian, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, While i don't believe in any specific god, I have a funny feeling our lives are not an 'accident.' And so I am agnostic. To your point, though, I find it hard to fathom how so many people can be so sure that their 'god' is 'the god,' and then feel truly sorry for the rest of us. You're all just so darn sure that you've got it right. I, as well as millions of others, need a little more proof than the myths and heresay put forth in your 'holy books' to swallow. If only the clouds parted tomorrow, and Jesus poked his head out and set the record straight. But as it is, I don't think that when I die, and if there are 'Pearly gates,' that I will be kicked out. I have a feeling that 'god,' whoever that is, would understand my reluctance. In fact, everything I've heard about 'god' ( the Christian version in particular) indicates he/she forgives that sort of thing. But here's the catch: I really don't feel any need to 'save' you, or other pious people, from what I consider to be, frankly, kind of creepy. I don't need to believe in Jesus or Brahma to get through the day. I don't need them to be a good person, or to be true. But some people do. And a famous person once said (about organized religion): 'any excuse to do good is a good excuse.' So by all means, believe what you want. But please let me believe what I want. I know you're genuine in your concern, but unfortunately this kind of 'misunderstanding' is the root of a lot of the evil in the world today.
User Detail :
Name : Ed S., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 29, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : misc, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, You said that there is more evidence supporting evolution than Christianity. Prove it.
User Detail :
Name : Summer, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 19, City : David City, State : NE Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, If you placed one male and one female child born of parents of all races and creeds in one area and raised them with no knowledge of god, sexism, racism and all other ism's would they learn it naturally? The answer is no. They would not know that there are any differences in people besides the obvoius physical differences (sex, skin color, eye color, etc...) It seems that the name of God is used to explain anything and everything which does not (and sometimes does) have a blatant logical reason. I am not one to tell someone what to or not to think or believe, but common sense says that a diety did not wave a magic wand to create people, the world, the sky, space, etc... Evolution has bonafide proof. Dr. Stanley Miller in the mid-1950's created enzymes in a laboratory from the same elements and atmospheric conditions that existed in the earth's primordial atmosphere. What proof does God have?
User Detail :
Name : N.H., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, City : Jacksonville, State : FL Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, The reason i can live with my non-believing ways is that I'm not afraid of the after life. I don't need an assurance to my soul. Years ago people wondered why it rained, why was fire so powerful, and why did wars occur? So they decided that certain gods were responsible for those and many other things they could not explain. After years of practicing polytheism BRAVE people decided in believing in just one god and now that even BRAVER people stand up to the notion of 'god' in general, people like you try to ruin their perceptions and realisms. I am often ridiculed for my daring believes but i never try to rub my beliefs onto others, while 'loving Chritians' judge me for my beliefs. Religion is just a Fad, get over it!
User Detail :
Name : m.y., Gender : F, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Atheist, Age : 16, City : freeport, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : student, Social class : Middle class, Are you saying that you can intellectually comprehend everything you see in nature? Do you have these answers? Why do you think that deists just *have* to apply God for that reason alone, that we are just insecure people who *must* have an answer in some form? Now, I wonder this: What led you here, to the religious section on Y forum? You are 35 years old and have likely 'researched' your defense for not believing in God very thoroughly. What further questions do you have if your mind is so made up? Something led you here. Do you just enjoy stirring up dissention? THink about it, something made you curious enough to come to this part of the website.
User Detail :
Name : Cheryl32329, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 30, City : Fayetteville, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Nursing student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, My views about the creation story in Genesis (which both Jews and Christains claim is true) is that it is just total nonsense. The story claims that the Earth was here from the beginning (before the supposed six days of creation)and that on the fourth day god created two big lights, the sun and moon and then a bunch of stars. But Genesis fails to make ANY mention of the planets in our solar system being created. (i.e. Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune, Venus, etc, etc) It's clearly evident from this simple observation that who ever made up the creation story in Genesis was totally clueless about our universe and its complexities. They only wrote about what they could observe with the naked eye- ONE sun, ONE moon and a bunch of stars. (incidently, our sun is a star) So this is the primary reason why I personally except the big bang theory and evolution as the explaination of our existance here on earth. But if religion is something that brings you comfort, I guess that's OK, as long as you resperst other's opinions and ideas.
User Detail :
Name : Robert, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 18, City : Springfield, State : MA Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, Do a websearch for something called 'the chaos game.' It's an example of a system, defined entirely randomly, which has been proven always to result in a highly intricate structure known as Sierpinski's triangle, or Sierpinski's gasket. This is how I can believe evolution to be true. For more information, I would recommend A First Course in Chaotic Dynamical Systems by Robert L. Devaney, Ph.D., ISBN 0-201-55406-2. Warning: Don't know your level of math education, but parts of the book require familiarity with differentiation (from calculus), and with complex numbers.
User Detail :
Name : Michael20694, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : bi-curious (mostly straight), Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 20, City : Livingston, State : LA Country : United States, Occupation : undergrad, Education level : 2 Years of College, As pointed out already in other responses, I feel that scientific theories, like cosmology & evolution, can explain why I have come to be existing here on Earth. This is not a belief - evolution is not a religion, but based on observable reality. You, on the other hand, look at the universe and think 'it must be God's work'. OK, fair enough. But which God? Why do you think the Christian God created it? Why not the Islamic God, or Shiva, or Amon-Ra, or Zoroaster, or one of the other thousands of Gods that people have made up over the years? They all have their documented miracles, holy books and superstitous rituals, and I've never seen anything special about one 'brand' of religion over another. How do I know (how do YOU know) that your God is the real one?
User Detail :
Name : PW30324, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 33, City : Sydney, State : NA Country : Australia, Occupation : I.T., Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Personally, I believe that the only truth out there is that things change. But to answer you ask yourself, what is a greater example of the powers of your God: to constantly create and change things every day to keep it all 'perfect' or a being that can set off the Big Bang and just let things develop into what we see today? In my view, everything (even the birth and life of Jesus) could have been predetermined before we were even considered (confused?) Why is our self confidence and esteem so low that we have to believe this parent figure has to hold our hand. Can't we accept that while He Loves us, He's very busy and just looks in on us once in a while? The rest of the time we're just coasting along the path to the Big Crunch and making the best of our time here (in theory).
User Detail :
Name : Jim, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 32, City : West Palm Beach, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : US Army, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 
Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences .
