A Quick Poll About Doubt

[AncientToaster]

Hey,

Just to get all the necessary caveats out of the way: Yes, I'm a Christian. Yes, I tend more towards the conservative end of the spectrum theologically (if not politically). Yes, I accept that the theory of evolution is just that--a theory, i.e. something generally accepted because it has sufficient evidence to move beyond a speculation stage into something more along the lines of fact.

Kay, now all that's over with.

I've been forced once again to confront my own doubts about my faith (Terry Pratchett's Carpe Jugulum was the motivator, in case you're curious). As I was thinking about all this--God, and morality, and whether I believe this because I believe it or because my parents believed it--I was suddenly struck by a question: Do atheists ever doubt their atheism?

So, without further ado, I'd like to present a quick poll:

1) I doubt my disbelief in a divine force
a) never
b) infrequently (once a month to once a year)
c) fairly frequently (several times a month)
d) frequently (several times a week)
2) I doubt my disbelief in the historicity of the Bible
a) never
b) infrequently (once a month to once a year)
c) fairly frequently (several times a month)
d) frequently (several times a week)
3) I doubt my disbelief in an afterlife
a) never
b) infrequently (once a month to once a year)
c) fairly frequently (several times a month)
d) frequently (several times a week)
4) I believe that morality is absolute
a) Yes
b) No
c) Sometimes I think it is, sometimes I think it isn't

And, a quick followup question to 4): If I believe morality to be absolute, I believe this on the basis of _____.

I realize the follow-up mirrors a traditional theist argument, but I'm not trying to stir up trouble here. Just curious how you guys feel about your disbelief. (In case your wondering, my answers are: I doubt God's existence fairly frequently; I doubt the historicity of the Bible frequently; I doubt my belief in the afterlife fairly frequently; and I usually believe that morality is absolute, though my basis outside of Scripture is slight).

Austin Schaefer

[Will]

1) I doubt my disbelief in a divine force
a) never
2) I doubt my disbelief in the historicity of the Bible
b) infrequently (once a month to once a year)
3) I doubt my disbelief in an afterlife
a) never
4) I believe that morality is absolute
b) No

An asterisk for 2, I do look into some of the non-supernatural events in the Bible and have found that some may be historically accurate.

[Asmodean]

1) I doubt my disbelief in a divine force

a) never (This question is poorly formulated. You can't doubt a disbelief, but you can doubt the existence of a divine force. The proper question would be (How strongly) do you believe in god(s)?)

2) I doubt my disbelief in the historicity of the Bible

a) never (Again, this question is somewhat fishy. I don't accept the Bible as a history book, no. Again, it should have been (how strongly) do you believe the Bible to be historically correct? )

3) I doubt my disbelief in an afterlife

a) never (I do not believe in afterlife. The proper question would be: (How stronly) do you believe in the afterlife? ... ... Ok, no more semantics   )

4) I believe that morality is absolute

d) I don't really care, but lean towards b) no.

[AncientToaster]

Sorry for the awkward wording--it sounded stupid to me when I posted it.

However, I'm not really intending to ask how strongly someone disagrees/agrees with these positions; rather, I'm curious as to how frequently people doubt their positions on it. I know what many of my Christian friends experience, but I have little to go on for how frequently atheists doubt their lack of faith. Hence my curiosity on that specific element.

Austin Schaefer

EDIT: Added "lack of" before "faith".

[Asmodean]

Sorry for the awkward wording--it sounded stupid to me when I posted it.

However, I'm not really intending to ask how strongly someone disagrees/agrees with these positions; rather, I'm curious as to how frequently people doubt their positions on it. I know what many of my Christian friends experience, but I have little to go on for how frequently atheists doubt their faith. Hence my curiosity on that specific element.

Austin Schaefer

Hehe... don't mind me. The questions were understandable and that's what matters.

As for how often atheists doubt their lack of faith... I think most of us rarely do. You see, we tend to require solid evidence before we accept such concepts as gods or afterlife and thus, until presented with such evidence, we don't usually find ourselves questioning our lack of belief, except in some special cases (take a look at the "How many atheists convert to theism" - or something like it - thread. Some such reasons are listed there.)

( viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1558 <<here is the link to the thread I mentioned)

I think I speak for the vast majority of atheists when I state that.

[Loffler]

I'm not listing letters and numbers, as that's the most boring way possible to run this thread and it's not like you're aggregating them anyway. If you are, you'll have no trouble decyphering my answers.

I doubt my disbelief all the time. Why wouldn't I? That's the mentality that got me here in the first place. There is no harm in doubting disbelief. Most of us got here by reasoning that there's no evidence in God or the supernatural, and that reasoning does not require declaring anything impossible or 100% nonexistent. Most atheists consider God extremely unlikely, which is enough not to believe in him.

So do I wonder about God? Yes, but not often.
Do I wonder about the Bible? Very, very rarely.
Do I wonder about the afterlife? Often.
Do I consider morality absolute? I don't know how to answer that question. I definitely don't think we've figured out absolute morality, but there's a possibility we might figure it out someday.

I know what many of my Christian friends experience, but I have little to go on for how frequently atheists doubt their faith.

There's no faith involved in atheism. Atheist is what you call a person without faith.

[AncientToaster]

I know what many of my Christian friends experience, but I have little to go on for how frequently atheists doubt their faith.

There's no faith involved in atheism. Atheist is what you call a person without faith.[/quote]

D'oh. Good point. I'll fix that. XD

[rlrose328]

1) I doubt my disbelief in a divine force
a) never

2) I doubt my disbelief in the historicity of the Bible
a) never

3) I doubt my disbelief in an afterlife
a) never

4) I believe that morality is absolute
b) No

I am constantly faced with the ludicrous ideas of religion so my disbelief is constantly validated.  Not a day goes by that I'm not forced to face some aspect of the Christian god.  The bible is a book that everyone should read thoroughly, if for no other reason than it is an important aspect of our country's history.  There are some very good sense lessons therein, as well as some very mean, hurtful and dangerous ideas.  I cannot worship the god of the bible... not now, not ever.  I have no belief in an afterlife.  We die, that's that.  I try to live my life in as moral a way that I know how... and I train my son the same way.

Good luck with your soul-searching (not that I believe in a soul, you understand...   ).

[Loffler]

The bible is a book that everyone should read thoroughly, if for no other reason than it is an important aspect of our country's history.

Here's a very good venue for reading it:
http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/

We truly live in the greatest age in history.

[susangail]

Oohh I like these....

1.) I doubt my disbelief in a divine force
b) [very] infrequently (once a month to once a year) --- God was my life for a long time. It's hard to completely let go and not have doubts about my doubts.

2.) I doubt my disbelief in the historicity of the Bible
a.) never. ---The Bible is like the Odyssey to me. Only I don't read it as often    I lost my faith in the Bible before God. It was easier to let go.

3.) I doubt my disbelief in an afterlife
b.) [very, very] infrequently (once a month to once a year) ---my future career [I hope] will be in funeral services. Death (fear of "life after death") doesn't scare me. It's the just-before-death part that does... But I do sometimes think about the existence of a soul (which is usually what belief in afterlife stems from). Hell sometimes enters my mind, more in a thoughtful rather than fearful way.  

4.) I believe that morality is absolute
No. --- That pretty much speaks for itself...

* * *

This made me think, thank you! I have doubts all the time of course, which I don't think is a bad thing. I would be worried if I didn't question my views.

[Smallville]

1. never
2. never
3. never
4. no

The only one to explain further is number 2.
Learn about Bible history - who actually wrote what books, when they were written, and how the thing was put together. It's all the work of men. The majority of it doesn't even read well as fiction, much less history; the prophecies can be read into anything; the miracles and supernatural occurrences are misunderstood phenomena or just wishful thinking.

[curiosityandthecat]

1) I [strike:365gpysa]doubt[/strike:365gpysa] question my disbelief in a divine force
b) infrequently (once a month to once a year)

2) I doubt my disbelief in the historicity of the Bible
a) never

3) I doubt my disbelief in an afterlife
a) never (though I can see the appeal--seeing loved ones, leaving pain behind, etc.)

4) I believe that morality is absolute
c) Sometimes I think it is, sometimes I think it isn't (the relatively small number of absolute moral laws I do believe in are like the foundation to a house... once they're in place, any culture can build whatever they like upon them, and while they may look entirely different, they're all founded on pretty much the same thing; this is just my opinion, and I don't expect anyone to agree with me)

The way I see it, things are completely relative in the sense that everything depends on perception and position, and there is no true meaning available (which is difficult for us, as we are hard-wired to make meaning out of both consequential and inconsequential things). Guess I'm just too post-modern for my own good.

[Asmodean]

Death (fear of "life after death") doesn't scare me. It's the just-before-death part that does...

Seconded. Well, more or less. I am not scared by the prospect of not existing, but I do find some ways of dieing un-nerving.  

[mrwynd]

1) I doubt my disbelief in a divine force
a) never

2) I doubt my disbelief in the historicity of the Bible
a) never

Seriously? People lived for hundreds of years in the bible, it's pretty obvious it's writing based on stories handed down from generation to generation, like myth and legend. It should be read and understood the same as something like Aesop's Fables.

3) I doubt my disbelief in an afterlife
a) never

Why believe in something that's so outside anything you've experienced in life or that we've learned through time as a race? Oh yeah, because it sounds comforting when you're talking about death and no longer existing.

4) I believe that morality is absolute
b) No

Our morality has changed drastically in just the past 100 years it's definitely not absolute. It used to be moral to force your daughter to marry a man that raped her. It used to be moral to own slaves and treat them as property. We build and shape our morals as a society and we have seen a huge change in our morals since mankind has moved into cities and less rural populations.

[MariaEvri]

1) I doubt my disbelief in a divine force
never

2) I doubt my disbelief in the historicity of the Bible
never


3) I doubt my disbelief in an afterlife
a) never

4) I believe that morality is absolute
No