What atheistic philosophy, if any, do you ascribe to?

[Twiggy]

As any seasoned atheist knows, atheism is just a position on one issue, specifically the existence of gods and that position being a lack of belief in the existence of gods. However, there's also different philosophies that begin with atheism or that atheism is central to.

I personally consider myself to be an atheistic existentialist, in the sense that yes, there is no god (or at least no reason to believe that such exists) and life beyond biological imperatives is meaningless, and thus we as individuals must and are free to create our own individual meanings for our own lives. 

I believe it or not, find that to be a good thing. If we lived in a world with inherent meaning then we wouldn't be free and everyone wants to be free, also if lots of different theologies were true, we would essentially just be pawns in someone else's game, and that's not good either.

I am also a Satanist (Church of Satan, not TST) and atheistic existentialism is a core aspect of that as well, and it can be very crudely simplified to being your own "god", living your life your way and creating your own meaning, and indulging in life, instead of abstaining from it.

[Minimalist]

All gods are human inventions.

That's all atheism is.

[julep]

My position, such as it is: I'm intellectually an agnostic but I call myself an atheist because I've chosen to live as though there are no gods. 

I find the idea of a god who demands worship (or anything, frankly) of its creations implausible and immoral. If it turns out I'm wrong, so be it.

[Twiggy]

All gods are human inventions.

That's all atheism is.

Yes, both I and Anton LaVey himself would agree with that. LaVey himself in "The Satanic Bible" explains that we as humans made up the concept of god(s) using our own carnal minds.

However, what I was intending was to provoke a discussion about "Ok, there's no god, so what now?". Philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, and Jean-Paul Sartre existed for a reason.

[Minimalist]

Did they?


Or did they "reason" for existence?


( You'll find I am no fan of philosophy. )  

[Dānu]

I'm no longer a practicing Taoist, but after so many years as an active Taoist, it's basically baked into my bones.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

( You'll find I am no fan of philosophy. )  

"No philosopher ever came out of a debate with more then he went in with." Robert Anson Heinlein.

[c172]

I'm just an atheist. Nothing more to attach to that. I don't believe in God. I'm also not overly moralistic, nor anti-moralistic. Do whatever you need to to survive, but not in such a way that it's deliberately harmful to others.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I knew when I was in grade school that I wasn't into the whole "god thing". Sounded stupid to me.

[Rhythmcs]

I'm a religious naturalist.

[Twiggy]

I'm a religious naturalist.

So you're a theist, as in not an atheist?

[Dom]

I just don't believe in any gods. That's it.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I love it when "religious" people diss other peoples' gods.

[airportkid]

No pain, no pain.  Oh wait, this isn't athletic philosophy.  Sorry.

[Szuchow]

I'm Marxist-Leninist in imagination of theists believing the dumb stereotype about atheists being communists.

Seriously though I deem faith - whether religious or in invisible hand of the market - to be dangerous thing causing much misery in the world. If fideism means that reason and faith are hostile to each other and faith is superior at arriving at particular truths then I would be best described as afideist or antifideist as I think that faith is spectacularly bad at arriving at any conclusion that is of any worth.

[Rhythmcs]

I'm a religious naturalist.

So you're a theist, as in not an atheist?

lol, no.  Other side of the spectrum.  Gnostic atheist, anti-theist - and also...religious naturalist.

[Twiggy]

So you're a theist, as in not an atheist?

lol, no.  Other side of the spectrum.  Gnostic atheist, anti-theist - and also...religious naturalist.

Interesting, I've never heard of "religious naturalist" what is that?

[Rhythmcs]

The idea that all descriptions of sacred relationships were misapprehensions of natural mechanisms, themselves deserving of the credence and reputation that superstitions have grifted off their backs. In short, that fantasy borrows from reality, not the other way around. Or, in another way - that the success of christianity will not and cannot be found in the existence of a god, as an example.

[Vorpal]

I like secular humanism.

[Twiggy]

The idea that all descriptions of sacred relationships were misapprehensions of natural mechanisms, themselves deserving of the credence and reputation that superstitions have grifted off their backs.  In short, that fantasy borrows from reality, not the other way around.  Or, in another way - that the success of christianity will not and cannot be found in the existence of a god, as an example.

Oh very interesting, and good that I started this thread, I learnt something new.

[Rhythmcs]

Yeah, np. Perhaps you'd be interested in Crosby's A Religion of Nature.

[Gwaithmir]

I consider myself to be an atheist, secular humanist and philanthropist. 

[mordant]

My position, such as it is: I'm intellectually an agnostic but I call myself an atheist because I've chosen to live as though there are no gods. 

I find the idea of a god who demands worship (or anything, frankly) of its creations implausible and immoral. If it turns out I'm wrong, so be it.

More or less the same. I like to use the term "agnostic atheist" -- agnosticism being the knowledge position, atheism the belief position. It is damned hard to form a belief if you have no knowledge. I regard information about supernatural beings and realms to be unobtanium, inherently and definitionally.

[mordant]

However, what I was intending was to provoke a discussion about "Ok, there's no god, so what now?"

When I deconverted I gave some thought to that. The obvious thing at the time seemed to be to investigate possible alternatives to the Christian fundamentalism that I came out of, but I quickly decided that all religions have the same basic problem -- the failed epistemology of religious faith. Failed in the sense that god and the various asserted truths can't be evidenced and do nothing to explain or predict lived reality.

As I came up to speed on the scientific method and rational / critical thinking I found that entirely satisfactory for my needs. I left my faith because of the cognitive dissonance around what was supposed to happen to me vs what happened; now that I understand the gods, life, the universe owe me zilch and nothing is personal, that problem is solved. I don't really need to complicate it with a lot of ideology or philosophy. I can accept life as it comes to me, on its own terms, because I'm not trying to turn it into something to support my "strutting and fretting away my hour on-stage", to borrow from Shakespeare.

[GenesisNemesis]

Godless hedonism.