Is athiesm a belief? What is "God?"

[Torillian]

wfz said:

Torillian said:

 

But if you can just assign any definition to God like the laws of physics then I could say that if Atheists believe in toasters than they aren't true Atheists because what if I define God as the toaster?

That's obviously an extreme and silly case, but the idea of a god in every religion is that of a sentient being with power over human beings and that is what atheists don't believe in.  It's the same way I don't believe in fate or karma.  The laws of physics  have no sentience about them so I do not see them as a god.

Alright so a God has to be sentient. But what if there is an amazing force out there that started everything and gave order to this world, but it wasn't necessarily living?

Or what if some sentient being created the Laws of Physics and then left this dimension/space indefinitely? Atheists just believe that it is impossible for such a thing?

If we can put a name to encompass everything that governs us, like the Laws of Physics (and anything else) then would the creator of that be considered God? How about that definition? Or what if all those properties just somehow came about by their own, then is it wrong to worship inanimate things that govern us as God or Gods?

That would depend on how you qualify living, if you mean that the God created the world and then died then I would say there's no point in praying to something that can't hear you.

Same as above.

I would say that there's no point in worshipping an inanimate thing that governs you because that will have no affect on how the inanimate thing governs you.  You can thank a tree for giving you oxygen to breath but the tree doesn't really care so I as an atheist don't care to participate.  I won't scorn you for doing so if it helps you be happy, though.  Even if the tree doesn't care about you thanking it if it makes you feel better that's reason enough.

edit: the issue I think you're going to have through this discussion is that being an atheist doesn't require any specific set of beliefs so I can't talk about what all atheists believe only what I personally believe and why I personally do not pray to any god.