Why there is no god.pdf

6/14/2015 Whythereisnogod

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Responsestocommontheistarguments

Thispagepresentsconciserebuttalstothemostcommonargumentsandclaimsmadebytheists.Italsoincludesrelevantlinkstoadditionalresources.AsmallnumberofpointsdealspecificallywithChristianity,howeverthevastmajorityareapplicabletoallformsoftheism.Linksmarkedwith(mustwatch)or(mustread)areconsideredparticularlygoodatexpandingonatopic.

BesuretoviewtheAdditionalLinksandQuotespages.Ifyouhaveanycommentsorsuggestionspleaseleavethematthebottomofthepage.

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Forasimilarlistsee:IronChariots50reasonstobelieveinGod.

Translations:Polish

Areligiouspersonmightsay:

1. TheBiblicalGodisreal.

There isnoevidence tosupportanyof theclaimsmade in theBibleconcerning theexistenceofagod.AnyevidenceproposedbytheiststosupporttheBiblesvarioushistoricalandsupernaturalclaimsisnonexistentatbest,manufacturedatworst.

TheBible isnot selfauthenticating it is simply oneofmany religious texts.Like thoseother texts, it itselfconstitutesnoevidencefortheexistenceofagod.Itsfloridproseandfancifulcontentdonotlegitimiseitnordistinguishitfromotherancientworksofliterature.

TheBibleishistoricallyinaccurate[2],factuallyincorrect,inconsistent[2]andcontradictory.Itwasartificiallyconstructedbyagroupofmeninantiquityandispoorlytranslated,heavilyalteredandselectivelyinterpreted.Entiresectionsofthetexthavebeenredactedovertime.

Seealso:VisualisationofBibleContradictions(mustread),ArgumentfromtheBible,CriticismsoftheBible,Consistencyof theBible,ACompendiumofDisbelief,Deconversion:TheBible andAHistoryofGod (bothmustwatch),BBCTheHistoryofGod.

OriginsoftheBible:PBSBuriedSecrets,CH4WhowrotetheBible?(amustwatch).

Properlyread,thebibleisthemostpotentforceforatheismeverconceived.IsaacAsimov

2. BiblicalJesuswasreal.

There is no contemporary evidence for Jesus existence or the Bibles account of his life no artefacts,dwellings,worksofcarpentry,selfwrittenmanuscripts,courtrecords,eyewitness testimony,officialdiaries,birthrecords,reectionsonhissignificanceorwrittendisputesabouthisteachings.Nothingsurvivesfromthe

Whythereisnogod



timeinwhichheissaidtohavelived.

AllhistoricalreferencestoJesusderivefromhearsayaccountswrittendecadesorcenturiesafterhissupposeddeath.ThesehistoricalreferencesgenerallyrefertoearlyChristiansratherthanahistoricalJesusand,insomecases,directlycontradicttheGospelsorweredeliberatelymanufactured.

TheGospels themselves contradictoneanother[2] onmany key events andwere constructed by unknownauthors up to a century after the events they describe are said to have occurred. They are not eyewitnessaccounts.TheNewTestament,asawhole,containsmanyinternalinconsistenciesasaresultofitspiecemealconstructionandisfactuallyincorrectonseveralhistoricalclaims,suchastheearlyexistenceofNazareth,thereign of Herod and the Roman census. Like the Old Testament, it too has had entire books and sectionsredacted.

The Biblical account of Jesus has striking similarities with other mythologies and texts and many of hissupposedteachingsexistedpriortohistime.Itislikelythecharacterwaseitherpartlyorentirelyinvented[2]by competing first century messianic cults from an amalgamation of GrecoRoman, Egyptian and JudeoApocalypticmythsandprophecies.

EvenifJesusexistencecouldbeestablished,thiswouldinnowayvalidateChristiantheologyoranyelementofthestoryportrayedintheBible,suchastheperformanceofmiraclesortheresurrection.SimplybecauseitisconceivableahereticalJewishpreachernamedYeshualivedcirca30AD,hadfollowersandwasexecuted,doesnotimplythesonofagodwalkedtheEarthatthattime.

Themotivationforbeliefinadivine,salvationalJesusbreaksdownwhenyouacceptevolution:

Now,ifthebookofGenesisisanallegory,thensinisanallegory,theFallisanallegoryandtheneedforaSaviorisanallegorybutifwearealldescendantsofanallegory,wheredoesthatleaveus?Itdestroysthe

foundationofallChristiandoctrineitdestroysthefoundationofthegospel.KenHam

See also: Evidence for Jesus, Did Jesus Exist? [2][3], Why I am not a Christian (a must read), theChristologicalArgument,HitchensCoreoftheJesusmythandChristianityisImmoral(bothmustwatch).

Christianity:ThebeliefthatacosmicJewishzombiewhowashisownfathercanmakeyouliveforeverifyousymbolicallyeathisfleshandtelepathicallytellhimyouaccepthimasyourmaster,sohecanremoveanevilforcefromyoursoulthatispresentinhumanitybecausearibwomanwasconvincedbyatalkingsnake

toeatfromamagicaltree.Anonymous



3. Miraclesprovegodexists.

Miracles have not been demonstrated to occur. The existence of amiraclewould pose logicalproblems forbeliefinagodwhichcansupposedlyseethefutureandbegantheuniversewithasetofpredefinedlaws.Evenif a miracle could be demonstrated itwouldnot immediately imply the existence of a god,much less anyparticularone,asunknownnaturalprocessesoragentscouldstillbeatwork.

Mostallegedmiraclescanbeexplainedasstatisticallyunlikelyoccurrences.Forexample,onechildsurvivingaplanecrashthatkillstwohundredothersisnotamiracle,justasonepersonwinningthelotteryisnot.Intheabsence of any empirical evidence, all other claims can be dismissed as the result of magical thinking,misattribution, credulity, hearsay and anecdote. Eyewitness testimony and anecdotal accounts are, bythemselves,notreliableordefinitiveformsofproofforsuchextraordinaryclaims.

Divine intervention claims most often concern systems and events for which we have poor predictivecapabilities, for example, weather, sports, health and social/economic interactions. Such claims are rarelymadeinrelationtothosethingswecanaccuratelypredictandteste.g.themotionofcelestialbodies,boilingpointofwaterandpullofgravity.Ifagodisconstantlyinterveningintheuniverseitsupposedlycreated,thenitiswithsuchambiguityastoappearcompletelyindistinguishablefromnormalbackgroundchance.

Note:Theistsoftenfailtoadequatelyapportionblamewhenclaimsoftheirparticulargodsinfinitemercyoromnibenevolence involve sparing a few lives in a disaster, or recovery from a debilitating disease all ofwhich their god would ultimately be responsible for inflicting if it existed. See also: Euthyphro dilemma,Confirmationbias,CherryPicking.

Seealso:ArgumentfromMiracles,Whywontgodhealamputees?[Video],SpontaneousRemissionofDisease,Theproblemwithanecdotes(amustwatch).

Extraordinaryclaimsrequireextraordinaryevidence.CarlSagan

Eliteathletesmakefirstplace,strangeshapesappearontoastandsomepeoplenarrowlyescapedeath,butamputatedlimbsneverregrow,mountainsnevermoveandfoodneverspontaneouslyappearsinfrontofthe

hundredsofchildrenthatstarvetodeatheachhour.Anonymous



4. Godisthesourceofmorality.

Moralityisaculturalconceptwithabasisinevolutionarypsychology[2]andgametheory[2].Specieswhosememberswere predisposed to cooperateweremore likely to survive and pass on their genes. Reciprocacy,altruism and other socalled moral characteristics are evident in many species [2]. The neurochemicalthoughttoregulatemoralityandempathyisoxytocin[2].

Religioustextsaresimplypartofmanyearlyattemptstocodifymoralprecepts.Secularlaw,flexiblewiththeshiftingmoralzeitgeist,haslongsincesupersededreligionasasourceofmoraldirectivesforthemajorityofdevelopedsocieties.Secularethicsoffersanumberofcompetingmoralframeworkswhichdonotderivefromapurportedsupernaturalsource.

See also: Dawkins Source of Morality, Babies can tell right from wrong, Moral behaviour in animals,Altruism inChimps andToddlers,Trust,Morality andOxytocin (amustwatch), Evolution of Cooperation,ScienceofMorality.AnimalsCooperating:Monkeys,Birds,Chimps.

ThegodcharacteroftheBibleisamisogynistictyrantthatcondonesandevenordersthepracticeofslavery,rapeofwomenandmurderofchildren.ThemomentyoudisagreewithasingleinstructionoftheBible,suchas the command to kill any bridewho is not a virgin or any childwho disrespects their parents, then youacknowledgethatthereexistsasuperiorstandardbywhichtojudgemoralactionandthusnoneedtorelyonanancient,primitiveandbarbaricfantasy.

Seealso:theEuthyphrodilemma,EpicurusTrilemma,ProblemofEvil,MoralityGoodwithoutGods(amustwatch),DawkinsonAbsoluteMorality(amustwatch),TheWestWing(amustwatch),Deconversion:Morality(amustwatch).

IsGodwillingtopreventevil,butnotable?Thenheisnotomnipotent.Isheable,butnotwilling?Thenheismalevolent.

Ishebothableandwilling?Thenwhencecomethevil?Isheneitherablenorwilling?ThenwhycallhimGod?Epicurus

5. Peopleneedtobelieveingod/Withoutgodpeoplewilldobadthings.

Argumentfromadverseconsequences[2].

Justbecausesomethingisperceivedashavinggoodconsequencesifitistrue,doesnotactuallymakeittrue.

The fact that religiously free societies with a proportionally large number of atheists are generally morepeaceful[2][3]thanotherwiseisevidencethisperceptionisincorrect.

Seealso:Atheism,Secularity,andWellBeing(amustread).

Withorwithoutreligion,youwouldhavegoodpeopledoinggoodthingsandevilpeopledoingevilthings.Butforgoodpeopletodoevilthings,thattakesreligion.StevenWeinberg



6. Atheistscantknowthedifferencebetweenrightandwrong.

Note: The following answer is a generalisation. Atheists are not a homogeneous group. There is no formalmoralcoderesultingfromalackofbelief.Atheistscananddosubscribetoanynumberofethicalsystems,ormaysimplydecidesuchthingsforthemselves.

Atheistsgenerallyderivetheirsenseofrightandwrongfromaninnate[2][3]andreasoned[2]understandingofwhichactionscontributetowardsasocietymosthospitabletocontinualwellbeingandpersonalfulfilment.Theyareaccountabletotheirownconscienceandtosocietyatlarge.Theydonotrequireanabsolutestandardinordertomakedistinctionsbetweenthepossibleeffectsoftheiractions.

Atheistsareattunedtothehereandnow.Theirethicsarenotderivedfromsomerewardorpunishmentafterdeath, but from a rational consideration of the consequences in this life. Impulsive desires arecompassionately,empatheticallyandintelligently[2]weighedagainstlongtermpersonalandsocialgoals.

Associalanimalsthathaveevolvedtowantandgivelove,tohavefreedomandsecurity,wehavelearnedthatwearesafer,strongerandmoreprosperousinasuccessfulgroup.Crimesareinherentlyantisocialbehavioursthatintroduceneedlessriskandareantitheticaltothelongtermneedsandgoalsofahappy,stablesociety.

Note:Essentiallyalltheistsunknowinglyexercisetheirinnatemoralityorconsciencebypickingandchoosingwhichpartsoftheirreligiontofollow.

See also: Enlightened SelfInterest, Secular Ethics, Secular Humanism, Secular Morality, Compassion,Empathy,Sympathy,Conscience,MoralityGoodwithoutGods (amustwatch)SamHarrisScience andMorality (a must watch), Trust, Morality and Oxytocin (a must watch), Christopher Hitchens on Atheistmorality.

Ihavenoneedforreligion,Ihaveaconscience.Anonymous

7. Lotsofpeoplebelieveinagod.



Argumentumadpopulum.Thepopularityofanideasaysnothingofitsveracity.

Geocentrism,aflatearth,creationism,astrology,alchemyandtheoccultwerealloncepervasivebeliefs.

Furthermore,religionsareculturallyrelativeand,forthemostpart,areinconsistentandmutuallyexclusive.

Icontendthatwearebothatheists.Ijustbelieveinonefewergodthanyoudo.Whenyouunderstandwhyyoudismissalltheotherpossiblegods,youwillunderstandwhyIdismissyours.StephenFRoberts

Alieisalieevenifeveryonebelievesit.Thetruthisthetruthevenifnobodybelievesit.DavidStevens

8. Godcreated/causedtheuniverse.

TheFirstCauseArgument,orCosmologicalArgument[2],isinternallycontradictoryandraisesthefollowingquestions:Whoorwhatcreatedgod?,Whyshouldahypotheticalcausehaveanyofthecommonattributesofagod?,Whyisthecauseaspecificgod?,Whycanttheuniversebecauselesstoo?and,mostimportantly,Whyruleoutallotherpossibleexplanations?

Itisfundamentallyagodofthegapsapproach.OurcurrentlackofunderstandingconcerningtheUniversesoriginsdoesnotautomaticallymeangodholdsanyexplanatoryvalue.Metaphysicalandtheisticspeculationarenotimmediatelyjustifiedorcorrectsimplybecausewelackacomprehensivescientificmodel.UncertaintyisthemostvalidpositionandonecanhonestlysayWejustdontknowyet.

Theargumentignoresthefactthatoureverydayunderstandingofcausalityhasbeenarrivedatviaaposterioriinductivereasoningwhichmeansitmightnotapplytoeverything.Time,forinstance,appearstohavebegunwiththeBigBang,sotheremightnothavebeenanycausefortheUniversetobeaneffectofsincetherewasprobablynotimeforacausetoexistin.ApplyingconceptsliketimeandcausalitytotheBigBangmightbecomparable to asking What is north of the North Pole? ultimately nonsensical and incoherent.Furthermore, even if causality could be established itwould not immediately imply the existence of a god,muchlessanyparticularone,asthepropertiesandnatureofthecausecouldforeverremainamysteryorbenaturalistic.

In fact, somethingcancome fromnothingandweareable toobserve it in the formofvirtualparticlesandquantumvacuumfluctuations.Theyexplainwhytheearlyuniverselackeduniformityandprovidedtheseedsfortheemergenceofstructure[2][3].Thesequantumphenomenaarealsocauselessinthesensethattheyareobjectivelyandirreduciblyrandom,afactconfirmedbytestsofnonlocalrealismandBellsTheorem.

Note1:TheistsoftenstateGodisoutsideoftime.Thisclaimdoesnotactuallymaketheirspeculationcorrect.Instead,itbringswithitawholehostofproblemsandmaybeimmediatelydismissedasbeingwithoutbasisandatypefallacyknownasspecialpleading.

Note2:Cosmogonyisthescientificstudyoftheoriginsoftheuniverse.

Seealso:CarlSaganonthetopic(amustwatch),Hitchens,HawkingDidGodCreatetheUniverse?(amustwatch),BBCHorizonWhathappenedbefore thebigbang?,BBCNothing(amustwatch)and AUniverseFromNothingbyLawrenceKrauss(amustwatch).



Somewouldask,howcouldaperfectGodcreateauniversefilledwithsomuchthatisevil.Theyhavemissedagreaterconundrum:whywouldaperfectGodcreateauniverseatall?SisterMiriamGodwinson

9. Godanswersprayers.

Sodoesamilkjug.Theonlythingworsethansittingidleassomeonesuffers istodoabsolutelynothingyetthinkyoureactuallyhelpinginotherwords,praying.

Beliefintheefficacyofprayerisaformofconfirmationbias.Informationandcoincidenceswhich,bychance,appear to support the belief are favoured and remembered while those that do not are discarded orrationalised.Seealso:CherryPicking.

Byincorrectlyattributingsupernaturalcausalrelationshipstootherwiseminorcorrelations,prayerbecomesaformofselfdeceptionknownasmagicalthinking.Seealso:Wishfulthinking.

For the conceivably large number of prayers that occur over time there are relatively few answersacknowledged by churches and none that are actually demonstrable, such as the healing of amputees ormovingofmountains.

Studieshavefailedtofindanyevidenceforbenefitsfromprayerthatcannotberuledoutaseithertheplaceboeffectora formofcognitivebehavioural therapy. In fact, themostcomprehensivestudyperformed thus farfoundthathospitalpatientswhowereprayedforsufferedmorecomplicationsthanotherwise.

See also: Prayer as a superstition, The MANTRA Study, Deconversion: Prayer (a must watch), Thesuperstitiouspigeon(amustwatch).

Ifgodisthealphaandtheomega.Thebeginningandtheend,knowswhathaspassedandwhatistocome,whydopeopleprayandthinkitwillmakeanydifference?MarkFairclough

Prayer:Toaskthelawsoftheuniversetobeannulledonbehalfofasinglepetitioner,confessedlyunworthy.AmbroseBierce

Twohandsworkingcandomorethanathousandclaspedinprayer.Unknown



10. IfeelapersonalrelationshipwithgodORIexperiencedgod.

Argumentfrompersonalexperience[2].

Aresultofournaturallyevolvedneurology,madehypersensitivetopurpose(anunseenactor)becauseofthelargesocialgroupshumanshaveandthewaythebrainassociatespatternwithintent.

Humanshaveevolvedavarietyof cognitiveshortcuts todealwith themassof informationprovidedbyoursenses.Inparticular,wetendtofiltersensoryinputaccordingtoasetofexpectationsbuiltonpriorbeliefsandpastexperiences,impartmeaningtoambiguousinputevenwhenthereisnorealmeaningbehinditandinfercausalrelationshipswherenoneexist.

Personal revelation cannot be independently verified. Socalled revelations never include information arecipientcouldnothaveknownbeforehand,suchasthetimeandlocationofarareeventoranswerstoanynumberofunsolvedproblems inscience.Theyareusuallyemotionalorperceptual incontentandthereforeunremarkableamongthemanycognitiveprocessesbrainsexhibit,includingdreamsandhallucinations.Theseexperiencesmayevenbeartificiallyinducedbynarcoticsormagneticfields.Extremecasesmaybediagnosedasaformofschizophreniaorpsychosis.

Spiritualandreligiousexperiencesarenotonlyinconsistentamongindividualsbutarevariablyattributedtodifferentgods,aliens,spirits,rituals,hallucinations,meditationetc.Thefactthatmedicalconditionsandothernaturalprocesses[2]caninducetheseexperiencesisevidencetheyareproducedbyourbrain.

Seealso:NPRYourbrainongod?,Hardwired forreligion?,Searching forGod in theBrain,TheEconomist,BBCDoco,PBSDocoandDawkinsonthetopic,Deconversion:PersonalRelationship(amustwatch),TEDHowitfeelstohaveastroke(amustwatch)andTEDRamachandranonyourmind.

Papers:ReligionandHippocampalAtrophy.

YoucantellyouvecreatedGodinyourownimagewhenitturnsoutthatGodhatesallthesamepeopleyoudo.AnneLamott



11. Peoplewhobelieveingodarehappier.

Theclaimthatabelieverishappierthanaskepticisnomoretothepointthanthefactthatadrunkenmanishappierthanasoberone.Thehappinessofcredulityisacheapanddangerousquality.

Atheism is correlatedwith better scientific literacy [2][3], lower poverty rates, higher literacy rates, higheraverage incomes, less violence, lower divorce rates, lower teen pregnancy rates, lower STD infection rates,lowercrimeratesandlowerhomiciderates.Itcorrelateshighlywiththewellbeingofindividualsandsocietiesbyalmosteverypossiblemeasure.

Atheistscanbespiritual(amustwatch).

Studies on happiness outside of predominantly religious countries (eg. the United States) find little to nocorrelationbetweenhappiness and religiousbelief. This correspondswith evidencewhich shows social andcommunity bonding, rather than spiritual engagement, explains why religious people report greatersatisfaction with life. Atheists, by comparison, may also simply be unhappy with the level of distrust andpersecutiontheyreceivefromtheircompatriots.

Whereignoranceisbliss,tisfollytobewise.ThomasGray

Beinganatheistislikebeingtheonlysoberpersoninthecarandnoonewillletyoudrive.Anonymous

12. Theworldisbeautiful.

TheArgumentfromBeautyfails toexplainwhysomethingsarebeautiful tosomepeopleandnottoothers,andalsofailstoestablishbeautyassomethingimmaterialinsteadofbeingasubjectiveneurologicalresponsetostimuli.

Humanbeautyisphysicalandpsychologicalattractiveness,ithelpsuschooseahealthypartnerwithwhomtoreproduce.Abstractbeauty, likeart, landscapesandmusic,areanartefactof cultureand thewayourbraininterpretscolor,shapesandsound.

Theworldisnotalwaysbeautiful:decay/entropyinphysicalsystemsanddisease/deathamonglivingcreatures



arenaturalfunctionsofphysicsandbiology.Forexample, thereexistsaspeciesofwormknownasLoaLoaFilariasis. This parasite lives underneath the skin and inside the eyes of human beings. Children and theelderlyintropicalregions(usuallythepoorest)arethemostwidelyaffected.Aslow,painfuldeathisvirtuallycertain.A god, if one exists,wouldhavehad to create suchanorganismpurposefully alongwith all theotherdiseases,afflictionsandparasites.

Seealso:TEDADarwiniantheoryofbeauty(amustwatch),DavidAttenboroughonBeautyandCreation(amustwatch),Activationoftheprefrontalcortexinhumanvisualaestheticpercption(amustread).

Isntitenoughtoseethatagardenisbeautifulwithouthavingtobelievethattherearefairiesatthebottomofittoo?DouglasAdams

Thetotalamountofsufferingperyearinthenaturalworldisbeyondalldecentcontemplation.Duringtheminutethatittakesmetocomposethissentence,thousandsofanimalsarebeingeatenalive,manyothersarerunningfortheirlives,whimperingwithfear,othersareslowlybeingdevouredfromwithinbyraspingparasites,thousandsofallspeciesaredyingofstarvation,thirst,anddisease.Theuniversethatweobservehaspreciselythepropertiesweshouldexpectifthereis,atbottom,nodesign,nopurpose,noevil,nogood,

nothingbutpitilessindifference.RichardDawkins

13. SmartpersonXbelievesingodorYouarenotqualified.

Adhominem+ArgumentfromAuthority.

Invisiblepinkunicornsexist.Yourenotanexpertinthem,soyoucantsaytheydont.

Thevalidityofaclaim,suchastheexistenceofgod,isnotgovernedbytheintelligenceofthemindswhichholdit.Evidenceandreasonarethedecidingfactors.

Sir Isaac Newton, one of historys greatest scientists, was not only intensely religious but also believed inalchemicaltransmutation.Alchemyis,however,fullyincorrectgivenourmodernunderstandingofchemistry,theatomandnucleosynthysis.



The fact that an intelligent person holds an irrational belief is simply evidence that our brains are able tocompartmentaliseworldviewsandmodelsfromoneanother,usuallyinordertomaintainastateofignorantblissandescapethediscomfortofcognitivedissonance.

14. Theuniverseisfinetunedforlife.

TheFineTuningArgument[2][3][4].

Theuniverseisextremelyhostiletolife.ExtinctionleveleventshavenearlyeliminatedcomplexlifeonEarthonfiveseparateoccasions.Ofallthespeciesthathaveeverlived99.9%arenowextinct.Furthermore,normalmatter like stars and planets occupy less than 0.0000000000000000000042 percent of the observableuniverse. Life constitutes an even smaller fraction of that matter again. If the universe is finetuned foranythingitisforthecreationofblackholes[2]andemptyspace.

Thereisnothingtosuggestthathumanlife,ourplanetorouruniverseareuniquelyprivilegednor intended.On the contrary, the sheer scale of the universe in both space and time and our understanding of itsdevelopmentindicatewearenoncentraltotheschemeofthingsmereproductsofchance,physicallawsandevolution. To believe otherwise amounts to an argument from incredulity and a hubris mix ofanthropocentrismandgodofthegapsthinking.

Theconditions thatweobserve,namely, thosearoundourSunandonEarth, simplyseem finetuned tousbecauseweevolvedtosuitthem.Wecannotprovethatallotherpossibleformsoflifewouldbeinfeasiblewithadifferentsetofconditionsorconstantsbecausetheonlyuniversethatwecanobserveistheoneweoccupy.Indeed,modelling[2] suggests star formation (anecessaryprecursor toour formofbiology)maybe viableunderanumberofdifferentuniversalconditions.

Without actual proof of creation, naturalisticexplanations[2] for the properties of this universe cannot bewhollyruledout.Itispossibleaninfinityofuniverses[2]exist,allwithdifferentconditionsandformsoflife.Thefactthatourparticularuniversehasthephysicalconstantsweobservemaybenomoretothepointthanthefactahandofcards,dealtfromashuffleddeck,istheoneahypotheticalplayerholds.Thoughthechancesofanyoneuniversebeinghospitabletolifemightbelow,theconditionalprobabilityofaformoflifeobservingasetofconstantssuitabletoitisexactlyunity.Thatistosay,everypossibleuniversewouldappearfinetunedtotheformoflifeitharbours,whileallthoseinhospitableuniverseswouldneverbeobservedbylifeatall.

Seealso:BrianGreeneWhyisouruniversefinetuned?(amustwatch),IstheUniverseFineTunedforLife?(amustwatch),TheCopernicanPrinciple,CosmicVoyage (amustwatch),DawkinsonFinetuning(amustwatch)andtheAnthropicPrinciple,MichioKakuonMultiverseTheory.

Additionally:TheGreatDemotionsandAUniverseNotMadeforUsbyCarlSagan(bothmustwatch).

Theuniverseisnotfinetunedtolifelifeisfinetunedtotheuniverse.VictorStenger

Imagineapuddlewakinguponemorningandthinking,ThisisaninterestingworldIfindmyselfin,aninterestingholeIfindmyselfin,fitsmeratherneatly,doesntit?Infactitfitsmestaggeringlywell,musthavebeenmadetohavemeinit!Thisissuchapowerfulideathatasthesunrisesintheskyandtheair

heatsupandthepuddlegetssmallerandsmaller,itsstillfranticallyhangingontothenotionthat



everythingsgoingtobeallright,becausethisworldwasmeanttohavehiminit,wasbuilttohavehiminitsothemomenthedisappearscatcheshimratherbysurprise.DouglasAdams

15. Complexity/Orderprovesgodexists.

TheTeleologicalargument[2],orArgumentfromDesign,isanonsequitur.Complexitydoesnotimplydesignanddoesnotprovetheexistenceofagod.Evenifdesigncouldbeestablishedwecannotconcludeanythingabout the nature of the designer (Aliens?). Furthermore, many biological systems have obvious defectsconsistentwiththepredictionsofevolutionbymeansofnaturalselection.

The appearance of complexity and order in the universe is the result of spontaneous selforganisation andpatternformation,causedbychaoticfeedbackbetweensimplephysical lawsandrules.All thecomplexityoftheuniverse, all its apparent richness, even life itself, arises from simple,mindless rules repeated overandoveragainforbillionsofyears.Currentscientifictheoriesareabletoclearlyexplainhowcomplexityandorderariseinphysicalsystems.Anylackofunderstandingdoesnotimmediatelyimplygod.

BigBang>CosmicInflation>BigBangNucleosynthesis>StellarFormation>GalaxyFormation > StellarNucleosynthesis>SolarSystemFormation>EarthFormation>Abiogenesis>Evolution

Note:Crystallisationisoneexampleofhowmattercanreadilyselforganiseintocomplex,orderedshapesandstructureseg.Bismuth.

See also: The Story of Everything by Carl Sagan (amust watch), BBC The Secret Life of Chaos (amustwatch), BBC The Cell: Spark of Life (a must watch), SelfOrganisation, Evolution [2], The WatchmakerAnalogy,Ultimate747gambit,JunkyardTornado[2](Hoylesfallacy).

Additionally: The laryngeal nerve of the giraffe, Evolution of the Eye, Chromosome 2, Bacterial Flagellum,TalkOriginsIndextoCreationistClaims.

Theuniverseishugeandoldandrarethingshappenallthetime,includinglife.LawrenceKrauss

Thereisgrandeurinthisviewoflife,withitsseveralpowers,havingbeenoriginallybreathedintoafewformsorintooneandthat,whilstthisplanethasgonecyclingonaccordingtothefixedlawofgravity,fromsosimpleabeginningendlessformsmostbeautifulandmostwonderfulhavebeen,andarebeing,evolved.

CharlesDarwin



SpiralpatternsinGalaxies,Cyclones,Whirlpools,Broccoli,Shells,BZReactions,SubatomicParticles,FractalsandArchimedesDiagram.Allexplainablebynaturalprocesses.

16. Loveexists.

Oxytocin,SerotoninandDopamine.

Affection, empathy and peer bonding increase social cohesion and lead to higher survival chances foroffspring.

Seealso:Trust,MoralityandOxytocin(amustwatch),PairBondinginanimals,ChemicalBasisforLove,HowLoveWorks.

YoudonotneedtheBibletojustifylove,butnobettertoolhasbeeninventedtojustifyhate.RichardWeatherwax

17. Godistheuniverse/love/lawsofphysics.

Wealreadyhavenamesforthesethings.Redefiningsomethingasgodtellsusnothing.Tousethewordgodimplies a host of other attributes and if you dont intend to apply those attributes, using the word isintentionallymisleading.

TocalltheworldGodisnottoexplainititisonlytoenrichourlanguagewithasuperfluoussynonymfor



thewordworld.ArthurSchopenhauer

18. SciencecantexplainX,thereforegod/theism.

Godofthegaps[2].ArgumentfromIgnorance.

Simplybecauseyouorthescientificcommunitylackacompleteunderstandingofsomethingdoesnotimplyatheisticexplanationcarriesanyvalue.Evenifthereexistssometopiconwhichsciencecanneverspeak,anyunderstanding could potentially evade us forever supernatural or metaphysical speculation would notautomaticallybecorrect.Uncertaintyisthemostlegitimateposition.

Lightning, earthquakes, volcanos, disease,mental illness, speciation, planetary orbits and numerous otherphenomena have been historically labelled supernatural only to later be more thoroughly and elegantlyexplainedbyscience.Infact,everymysteryeverdemonstrablysolvedhashadanonsupernaturalexplanation.To suggest that science cannotorwill not explain aphenomena, and that only theismcan, ishubris of thehighestorder.

Usinggodtoexplainsomethingexplainsnothing.Godssupposedpowersandhowtheyworkareamystery.Anexplanationisintendedtoclarifyandextendknowledge.Attributingaphenomenontothemagicalpowersofasupernaturalbeingdoesneither.Worsestill, thispresumptionacts topreventanydeeper investigation,beinglittlemorethanaformofblissfulignorance.

Note:Byusinggodtofillgapsintheirknowledgetheistsinadvertentlyprovideashrinkingrolefortheirgodasscienceadvances.Theyalsopredicategodsexistenceonalackofknowledge,notonanypositiveargumentorevidence.

See also: The God of the Gaps Neil deGrasse Tyson (amust watch), OpenMindedness (amust watch),Skewedviewsofscience,Thefaithcake(amustwatch),RichardFeynmanonDoubtandUncertainty(amustwatch),CriticalThinking,MagicalThinking,SelfDeceptionOpenMindedness(amustwatch).

Iamagainstreligionbecauseitteachesustobesatisfiedwithnotunderstandingtheworld.RichardDawkins

Ignorancemorefrequentlybegetsconfidencethandoesknowledge:itisthosewhoknowlittle,notthosewhoknowmuch,whosopositivelyassertthatthisorthatproblemwillneverbesolvedbyscience.Charles

Darwin

19. PhenomenonXhasanonphysicalcomponent.

Baselessassertion.Unfalsifiable.Howcanyouproveit?

Therehavebeennumerousclaimsofthesupernatural,noneofwhichhaveeverbeendemonstratedtobetrue.Furthermore, these claims are often mutually contradictory, and people who believe in one form ofsupernatural or paranormal activity will usually not believe in others due to cognitive bias and wishfulthinking.

Proposing a nonphysical explanation for an observed or imagined/fabricated phenomena is not a testable



hypothesis and is therefore unworthy of serious consideration. It precludes any deeper insight orunderstandingandoffersnomeansofdistinctionfromanyotherpossiblesupernaturalclaim.

Therearemanyasyetunexplainedphenomenaandanomaliesinnature.ThescientificapproachtotheseistosayIdontknowyetandkeeponlooking,nottopresumeananswerwhichmakesuscomfortable.

Note:This claimoften representsadeepdiscomfortwithuncertaintyorambiguity,demonstratinga lackofcriticalthinkingorpoorunderstandingofatopic.Itusuallycoincideswithcredulity,whichisthetendencytobelieveinpropositionsunsupportedbyevidence.Seealso:gullibility.

See also: Critical Thinking (a must watch), OpenMindedness (a must watch), Nobel Laureate RichardFeynman on Doubt and Uncertainty (a must watch), Delusion, Magical Thinking, Superstition, SelfDeception.

Whatcanbeassertedwithoutproofcanbedismissedwithoutproof.ChristopherHitchens

Idontfeelfrightenedbynotknowingthings,IthinkitsmuchmoreinterestingthatwayIhaveapproximateanswers,andpossiblebeliefs,anddifferentdegreesofcertaintyaboutdifferentthings,butIm

notabsolutelysureofanything.Imightthinkaboutitalittle,butifIcantfigureitout,thenIgotosomethingelse.Itdoesntfrightenme.RichardFeynman

20. Materialism/Evidentialism/Sciencecannotrecognisesupernaturalphenomena.

Distortionofreality.LackofCritical thinking.TheDragon inmyGaragebyCarlSagan.What isreal?Whatconstitutesknowledge?Areallsupernaturalclaimsimplicitlytrue?Why/Whynot?

A person who disbelieves for poor reasons is no better off than someone who believes for poor reasons.Disbelieving inastrologybecauseapriest tells you to isnobetter thanbelieving inagodbecause the samepriesttellsyoutodoso.

Scienceobservesthephysicaluniverse,makesmodelsofhowitworksandthenrefinesthosemodelsthroughfurther observation. When something interacts with the physical universe, such as through light, motion,sound,heat,massorgravity,itbecomesanaturalphenomenaandthusopentoscientificinquiry.Ifitdoesnotinteract with the physical universe then it cannot be said to exist in any meaningful or perceivable way.Furthermore,whensupernaturalclaimsbecomesufficientlynebulousonemayaskifthereisanysubstantivedifferencebetweenthembeingtrueandnothingexistingatall.

Proposingtheexistenceofanentityorphenomenathatcanneverbeinvestigatedviaempirical,experimentalorreproduciblemeansmovesitfromtherealmofrealityandintotherealmofunfalsifiablespeculation.Theinabilityofsciencetoinvestigateordisprovesuchahypothesisisnotthesameasprovingittrueandneitherdoes it automatically lend credence to any metaphysical or theological argument. If such reasoning wereactuallypermissiblethenonecouldclaimanythingimaginabletoberealortrueifonlybecauseitcouldnotbeprovenfalse.

Relyingonsupernaturalexplanationsisacopoutoradeadendtodeepeningourunderstandingofreality.Ifanatural cause for something isnot known, the scientific approach is to say I dont knowyet andkeepon



looking,nottopresumeananswerwhichmakesuscomfortable.

Seealso:Skewedviewsofscience(amustwatch),OpenMindedness(amustwatch),TheDragoninmyGaragebyCarlSagan(amustread),Delusion,MagicalThinking,Superstition,SelfDeception.

Scienceadjustsitsunderstandingbasedonwhatsobserved.Faithisthedenialofobservationsothatbeliefcanbepreserved.TimMinchin

21. Icantbelieve/understandaworldwithoutGodORNogodistoounlikely.

Argument from incredulity / Lack of imagination and Argumentum ad Ignorantiam. Ignores and does noteliminatethefactthatsomethingcanseemincredibleorunlikelyandstillbetrue,orappeartobeobviousorlikelyandyetstillbefalse.

Theworldisthewayitis.Realitydoesnotbendtoourpersonalwhimandfactsdonotceasetoexistbecausetheyareignored.Ourpersonalbeliefinsomethingdoesnotautomaticallymakeitrealortrueand,conversely,ourlackofunderstandingofatopicdoesnotmakeitfalse.

Untilweunderstandsomethingwedonotknow.Positingagodinplaceofadmittingpersonalignoranceisanunfoundedleapwhichdemonstratesafundamentallackofhumility.

Theexistenceandnonexistenceofagodarenotequallyprobableoutcomes.Themajorityof thingswecanpossibly imagine do not exist. Thus, belief is not as valid a position as skepticism when dealing withunsupportedorunfalsifiableclaims.Agnosticatheismisthemostrationalposition.

Seealso:Criticalthinking(amustwatch),RichardFeynmanonDoubtandUncertainty(amustwatch).

ItisfarbettertograsptheUniverseasitreallyisthantopersistindelusion,howeversatisfyingandreassuring.CarlSagan

Godisaneverrecedingpocketofignorancethatsgettingsmallerandsmallerastimegoeson.NeildeGrasseTyson

22. Thereisnoevidencegoddoesntexist,sobeliefisasjustifiedorasvalidasnonbelief.

Argumentfromignorance.



Acommonattempttoshifttheburdenofprooformakeroomforagod.Representsatypeoffalsedichotomythatexcludesthefactthatthereisinsufficientinvestigationandthepropositionhasnotyetbeenproveneithertrueorfalse.

Thefailuretodisprovetheexistenceofsomethingdoesnotconstituteproofofitsexistence.

Beliefisnotasvalidapositionasskepticismwhendealingwithunsupportedorunfalsifiableclaimsbecauseallsuchclaimswouldneedtobebelievedimplicitly.Agnosticatheismisthemostrationalposition.

Note:Itispossibletogatherevidenceofabsenceanddisprovespecificclaimsaboutanddefinitionsofagod.[Video]

Seealso:Puttingfaithinitsplace(amustwatch),ALackofBeliefinGods,CriticalThinking.

23. Atheistsshouldprovegoddoesntexist.

Russellsteapot.

Theburdenofproofisonthepersonorpartyassertingtheclaiminthiscase,thetheist.

Seealso:TheDragoninmyGaragebyCarlSagan,InvisiblePinkUnicornandFlyingSpaghettiMonster.

24. Atheismtakesfaith/isareligion.

Callingatheismareligionislikecallingbaldahaircolor,ornotcollectingstampsahobby.

Atheismissimplyalackofbeliefinagodorgods,nothingmore.Ifwedeconstructthetermatheismwefindatheismwhichmeanswithouttheismwhich,inturn,meanswithoutbeliefingod(s).Itis,therefore,not a positive belief or a claim to knowledge. Instead, it is the default position of doubt, uncertainty andskepticismonemayhaveregardingclaimsmadeby theists.Justas it takesno faith to lackbelieforremainuncertainconcerninganyotherimaginableclaim,ittakesnonetodoubttheexistenceofagodorgods. Seealso:Atheismisbasedonfaith,RussellsTeapot.

Everyhumanbeingeverbornbeginslifeasanimplicitatheistandmustbetaughttheconceptoftheismor,morecommonly,indoctrinatedwithit.

Atheismhasnosacredtexts,objects,placesortimes,noritualsorcreationstories,nopositivebeliefs,centraltenants,modesofworshiporsupernaturalclaims,noimplicitorderivedmoralcodes,philosophiesorworldviews and no central organisation or church. It fulfillsnone of the criteria that define a religion. See also:Atheismisareligion.

Atheists may subscribe to any additional ideologies, philosophies and belief systems they choose, eg.Buddhism, Jainism, Universalism, Environmentalism, Pragmatism, Liberalism, Socialism, Libertarianism,Conservatism, etc.Theymayevenappreciate componentsof traditional religionand spiritualism, includinganysupernaturalelementsunrelatedtoagod.Commonamongmanyatheists,however,isanappreciationforsecularism,rationalism,humanism,skepticism,naturalism,materialismandfreethinkingnoneofwhichareimplicitorderivedfromatheism,nornecessaryinordertolackbelief.



See also: A Lack of Belief in Gods for a short introduction to atheism (a must watch), Sam Harris MisconceptionsaboutAtheism(amustwatch),Puttingfaithinitsplace(amustwatch).

Tosaythatatheismrequiresfaithisasdimwittedassayingthatdisbeliefinpixiesorleprechaunstakesfaith.EvenifEinsteinhimselftoldmetherewasanelfonmyshoulder,IwouldstillaskforproofandI

wouldntbewrongtoask.GeoffMather

25. Whataboutagnosticism?

Agnosticismistheviewthatthetruthvalueofcertainclaimsisunknownorunknowable.Itisaphilosophicalpositionnotnecessarily tied to gods existence ornonexistence.One canbe agnostic about any claim.ThewordoriginatesfromtheAncientGreek(a),meaningwithout,and(gnsis),meaningknowledgewithoutknowledge.

Mostatheists,includingfamousonessuchasRichardDawkins,fallintothecategoryofAgnosticAtheismtheydontclaimtoknowwithcertaintythatgoddoesnotexist.Conversely,mosttheistsareGnosticTheiststheyclaimtoknowwithcertaintythattheirparticulargodexists.

WhenmostatheistssayGoddoesnotexisttheyaregenerallyspeakinginthesamemanneraswhenpeoplesay Leprechauns/Santa Claus/Fairies/Unicorns dont exist those things do not appear exist withincontextualrealityinwhichwefindourselvesbut,importantly,thestatementisnotnecessarilyanabsoluteone.

Thereare,however,gnosticatheistswhoarecertainnogodexistsandtheygenerallypointtologicalproblemsthatwouldarisefromsaidgodsexistenceorevidencethisuniverseisinconsistentwithagod,forexample:

InfiniteRegressionArgumentfromPoorDesignTheAtheistsWagerNonbeliefParadoxOmnipotenceParadoxFreeWillParadox



ArgumentfromlocalityArgumentfromNonreasonArgumentfromincompatiblepropertiesFateoftheUnlearnedProblemofEvilandProblemofHell

Seealso:TheDragoninmyGaragebyCarlSagan.

26. Whatwouldconvinceanatheistofagodsexistence?

Aparticularstandardofevidenceisrequiredtoproveanyclaim.This standardisadjusteddependinguponthenatureoftheclaim.Sincegodsexistenceisanextraordinaryclaim,perhapsthemostextraordinaryclaim,provingitrequiresequallyextraordinaryevidence.

Thestandardofevidencerequiredtoproveagodsexistenceisimmediatelymorethananypersonalanecdote,witness testimony, ancient book or reported miracle none of which can be considered extraordinarilyreliable. The humanmind is also highly susceptible to being fooled and even fooling itself. One could besufferingfromanhallucinationoraformofundiagnosedschizophrenia,hysteriaorpsychosis,rulingoutevenourownsensesasreliableevidencegatheringmechanismsinthiscase.Asstrangeasitsounds,misunderstoodaliensmightevenbeattemptingtointeractwithususingextremelyadvancedtechnology.Infact,realityitselfcouldbeacomputersimulationwhichweunknowinglyinhabit.

Everyconceivableargument,everyimaginablepieceofevidenceforgodisnotwithoutsomefatalflawormorelikelyexplanationwhichprecludesitfrombeingusedasdefinitiveproof.Note:Thisisnotthesameasbeingcloseminded.

There is, however, a simple answer to this question: God is what it would take to convince an atheist. Anomniscientgodwouldknowtheexactstandardofevidencerequiredtoconvinceanyatheistof itsexistenceand,beingomnipotent,itwouldalsobeabletoimmediatelyproducethisevidence.Ifitwantedto,agodcouldconceivably change thebrain chemistryof any individual inorder to compel them tobelieve. It could evenrestructuretheentireuniverseinsuchawayastomakenonbeliefimpossible.

Inshort,agodactuallyprovingitsownexistenceiswhatwouldconvinceanyatheistofsaidgodsexistence.

Seealso:Sunset(amustread),TheDragoninmyGaragebyCarlSagan,TheArgumentfromnonbelief(amustread),OpenMindedness(amustwatch).

Anysufficientlyadvancedtechnologyisindistinguishablefrommagic.ArthurC.Clark

BecauseiftheonlywaythesupremecreatoroftheentireuniversecandemonstratehisexistencetomeistocreateimagesofMaryorJesusonfooditems,Imnotimpressed.Anonymous

27. Idontwanttogotohell/Youwillgotohell.

PascalsWagerdoesnotactuallyargueinsupportoftheexistenceofagod,rather,itsimplyattemptstocoerceinsincereworship.Thereareseveralissueswiththisapproach:



Multipleinconsistentandcontradictoryrevelations(Whichgod/hell?)Hellisincompatiblewithanomnibenevolentgod.Agodcouldrewardreasoning/skepticism.Anomniscientgodwouldseethroughfeignedbeliefasaresultofcoercion.Ifagodwantedeveryonetobelieveandknewexactlywhatwasneededtoconvincepeople,thenwhyarethereatheistsatall?Isgodunabletopreventtransgressionofhiswill?Infallibleforeknowledgeisincompatiblewithfreewill(Areatheistspredestinedforhell?)Mostpeopleadheretothereligiontheywereborninto,theyhavenotexaminedallotherreligions.Whatisthefateoftheunlearned?Whathappenstopeoplewhohavenotencounteredthespecificreligioninwhichhellisanissue.

See also: Dawkins What if youre wrong? (a must watch), The Problem of Hell, Hell: An excessivepunishment,TheAtheistsWager.

Liveagoodlife.Iftherearegodsandtheyarejust,thentheywillnotcarehowdevoutyouhavebeen,butwillwelcomeyoubasedonthevirtuesyouhavelivedby.Iftherearegods,butunjust,thenyoushouldnot

wanttoworshipthem.Iftherearenogods,thenyouwillbegone,butwillhavelivedanoblelifethatwillliveoninthememoriesofyourlovedones.Anonymous

WemustquestionthestorylogicofhavinganallknowingallpowerfulGod,whocreatesfaultyHumans,andthenblamesthemforhisownmistakes.GeneRoddenberry

28. Iwanttogotoheaven.

Argument from wishful thinking. The primary psychological role of traditional religion is deathist



rationalisation,thatis,rationalisingthetragedyofdeathasagoodthingtoalleviatetheanxietyofmortality.

Seealso:Nobodycangetintoheaven,HitchensonLifeandDeath(amustwatch)DawkinsWearegoingtodie,andthatmakesustheluckyones(amustwatch).

IwouldlovetobelievethatwhenIdieIwillliveagain,thatsomethinking,feeling,rememberingpartofmewillcontinue.ButmuchasIwanttobelievethat,anddespitetheancientandworldwideculturaltraditionsthatassertanafterlife,Iknowofnothingtosuggestthatitismorethanwishfulthinking.Theworldisso

exquisitewithsomuchloveandmoraldepth,thatthereisnoreasontodeceiveourselveswithprettystoriesforwhichthereslittlegoodevidence.Farbetteritseemstome,inourvulnerability,istolookdeathintheeyeandtobegratefuleverydayforthebriefbutmagnificentopportunitythatlifeprovides.CarlSagan

Idonotfeardeath.IhadbeendeadforbillionsandbillionsofyearsbeforeIwasborn,andhadnotsufferedtheslightestinconveniencefromit.MarkTwain

29. IwanttobelieveinGodORIjusthavefaith.

Thereisatruthandrealityindependentofourdesires.Faithsimplyreinforcesyourbeliefinwhatyouwouldliketobetrue,ratherthanwhatreallyis.

In order to better under understand this reality and discover the truth wemust look for evidence outsideourselves.

Faithisntavirtueitistheglorificationofvoluntaryignorance.

Seealso:Puttingfaithinitsplace(amustwatch),Thefaithcake(amustwatch).

Everyatominyourbodycamefromastarthatexploded.And,theatomsinyourlefthandprobablycamefromadifferentstarthanyourrighthand.ItreallyisthemostpoeticthingIknowaboutphysics:Youarestardust.Youcouldntbehereifstarshadntexploded,becausetheelementsthecarbon,nitrogen,oxygen,iron,allthethingsthatmatterforevolutionandforlifewerentcreatedatthebeginningoftime.They

werecreatedinthenuclearfurnacesofstars,andtheonlywayforthemtogetintoyourbodyisifthosestarswerekindenoughtoexplode.So,forgetJesus.Thestarsdiedsothatyoucouldbetoday.LawrenceKrauss

30. Believersarepersecutedbyatheists.

Blue Laws. Antiatheist laws. Discrimination against atheists. The written penalty for apostasy (leaving areligion)inmostreligionsisdeath.

Believersclaimthevictimandimplythatnontheistsganguponthem,orrallyagainstthem.No,atheistsjustlookatbelieversthesamewaytheymightlookatsomeonewhoclaimstheEarthisflat,orthattheEarthisthecentreoftheuniverse:delusional.

Thebartheistssetforperceivedatheisthostilityappearstobeanyonesimplyvoicingadissentingopinionormentioninganinclinationtowardsnonbelief.Claimingpersecutionissimplyadeflectionfortheistswhoareunwillingorunabletodealwithopencriticism.



When Atheists arent considered the least trustworthy [PDF] group and comprise more than 70% of thepopulation,thenwelltalkaboutpersecution.

31. Whycantatheistsjustleavetheistsalone?

Because religion has been, and continues to be, responsible for countless horrors throughout humanhistory.Seealso:Religiouslymotivatedanimosity,violenceandoppressionanddiscrimination.Foralltheproblemswefaceasasociety,manytheistschoosenotonlytodonothingtohelp,butactuallyengageinsabotagebyactivelypreventingsolutionsfrombeinginstigated,usuallybysupportingirrationalpoliticalpositionse.g. stemcell research, contraception,womens rights, sexualequalityandevenglobalwarming.Becausebeliefinagodtapsintomankindsnaturaltendencytodefermoraldecisionmakingtoauthorityfigures(includingpriests,prophets,holybooks,popes,ayatollahsandimams).Actingout GodsplanorGodswillisasurefirewaytoabsolveonesselfofresponsibilityforonesactions.Seealso:Cituke.Becauseasafunctionalmemberofsocietyitbenefitseveryoneifyourdecisionmakingprocessisfoundedon evidence and reason, not on superstition. Faith isnt a virtue it is the glorification of voluntaryignorance.Because religious superstition erects an absolute monarchy in a persons mind. It teaches them to besatisfied with with not understanding the world and represents a surrendering to ignorance under thepretension of devine knowledge.Many of the greatest thinkers in human history have been repressed,sometimes forcefully,by thosewith faith. It isnotskepticsorexplorersbut fanaticsand ideologueswhomenacedecencyandprogress.Seealso:Hypatia,GalileoGalilei,GiordanoBruno,Therelationshipbetweenscienceandreligion.

Note:ThecommontheistresponseThosepeoplearentreally[insertreligion]isanexampleoftheNoTrueScotsmanfallacy.IfalltheChristianswhohavecalledotherChristiansnotreallyaChristianweretovanish,theredbenoChristiansleft.



Seealso:TheEthicsofBelief(amustread).

Mennevercommitevilsofullyandjoyfullyaswhentheydoitforreligiousconvictions.BlaisePascal

Nobeliefheldbyoneman,howeverseeminglytrivialthebelief,andhoweverobscurethebeliever,iseveractuallyinsignificantorwithoutitseffectonthefateofmankindWilliamClifford

32. Militantatheistsarejustasbadasreligiousones.

No,theyrenot.Therearenocallsforslavery,rapeormurderintheatheistholybook.

Atheistsaremostoftencalledmilitantwhentheypassionatelydefendreasonandadvocatecriticalthinking.Thebar theists set for perceivedhostility appears to be any atheist simply voicing an opinion in dissent ofreligious belief. In contrast, the bar atheists set for perceived theistic hostility is any form of religiouslymotivatedviolenceoroppression.

Atheismdoesnotprecludesomeonefrombeingargumentativeorinsensitivethosethingsaresimplyseenasbeingpreferabletokillingoneanotheroveranimaginaryfriend.

AmilitantatheistwilldebateinaUniversitytheatreorappealfortheseparationofreligionandgovernment.A militant theist will kill doctors, stone women to death, incite religious war, restrict sexual and genderequalityandconvincechildrentheyareflawedandworthlessallundertheinstructionoftheirimaginedgodorholybook.

Itcanbearguedthatthereisnosuchthingasamilitantatheist,thatthetermisitselfamisnomer,becausethereissimplynoideologyorphilosophyinatheismtobemilitantabout.Ifanatheistissomeonewholacksbeliefingods,thenamilitantatheistisapparentlysomeonewhopassionatelylacksabeliefingods.Allotherpossiblebeliefsandideologiesincludinganydesiretooppresstheismcomefromoutsideatheism.Thisisincontrasttoreligiousbelief,whichoftenincludesasetoflawsandcommandmentspurportedlyderivedfromasupernaturalsourceaboutwhichonecanbemilitant.

Note: Militant atheism is most often confused with gosateizm (state atheism), which was based on theideologyofMarxismLeninism.Itwasthisideologywhichwasresponsiblefortheoppressionandmurderoftheists under several 20th century communist regimes. Atheism is simply a lack of belief in gods with noinheritmoral,politicalorphilosophicalbaggage.

See also: The Ethics of Belief (a must read), Richard Dawkins on Militant Atheism, Christian Terrorism,IslamicTerrorism,AtheistTerrorism(nolinkfound).

Imsorryifmyinsensitivitytowardsyourbeliefsoffendsyou.Butguesswhatyourreligiouswars,jihads,crusades,inquisitions,censoringoffreespeech,brainwashingofchildren,forcinggirlsintounderage

marriages,femalegenitalmutilation,stoning,pederasty,homophobiaandrejectionofscienceandreasonoffendme.SoIguesswereeven.Anonymous



33. Whereisgod?(Interjection)

Argumentfromnonbelief.

Whyisitnowthatwehavedevelopedrationalinquirywehearonlyadeafeningsilencefromagodwhooncesupposedlyengagedregularlyinhumanaffairs?Whydoesgodnotsimplyspeaktousorappearbeforeusashesupposedlyused to?Whyarewe the losers in thedice rollof time? Ifagodplaces suchahighvalueonusworshippingandbelievingthenwhynotsimplymakeitsexistenceobvioustous?

Ifoneacceptstheprevailingscientificunderstandingofthedevelopmentoftheuniverse,yetalsobelievesinoneofthemajorreligions,thenpresumablyagodsatidlefor13.7billionyearswaitingasthestars,galaxiesandplanetsformed.ThenitwatchedwithcompleteandutterindifferenceasmodernHomoSapiansevolved,struggledanddiedforafurther150,000years.Finally,afewthousandyearsago,thisgodsuddenlydecidedtorevealitselftoseveralpeopleinthemostprimitive,illiterateandremoteportionsofhumanityinacompletelyunverifiablewayandthensimplydisappeared.

Seealso:HitchensonGod(amustwatch).

IfGodhadwantedustobelieveinhim,hewouldhaveexisted.LindaSmith

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34. ThelogicalproblemofJesus.(Interjection)

IfJesusisGodthenpresumablyheisomniscient.Ifthisistrue,thenwhenheallowedhimselftobesacrificed,didnthedothiswiththeknowledgethathewasimmortal?Ifso,thenhowexactlywasitasacrificeforhim?Whatdidhesacrifice?

IfJesusisthesonofgod,butalsogodhimself,thenhesupposedlysacrificedhimselftohimselftosavewhathecreatedfromhimself.Healso,therefore,prayedtohimselfandbeggedhimselfnottorequirehimselfbe

crucifiedinordertoappeasehimselfandsavetheworldfromthewrathofhimself.Anonymous

35. Jesuswaswhollygoodandmoral.

Assumingthefigureevenexisted,thispositionisincorrect.

TheresnohellmentionedintheOldTestament.Thepunishmentofthedeadisnotspecifiedthere.ItsonlywithgentleJesus,meekandmild,thattheideaofeternaltortureforminortransgressionsisintroduced.

ChristopherHitchens

36. Atheistsarecloseminded.

Being openminded does not mean accepting claims outright, it means demonstrating the willingness toconsidernewones.Anopenmindedpersonisreceptivetonewideas,opinionsandargumentsandwantstodiscovertheirrealtruthvaluebeforeacceptingthem.Atheistsaregenerallyveryopenminded.

Unjustified belief in the supernatural does not automaticallymake someone openminded and, conversely,disbeliefpendingfurtherevidencedoesnotautomaticallymakesomeonecloseminded.

Athiests simply do not usually exhibit gullibility or credulity. They maintain a standard of evidenceproportionaltotheextraordinarynatureofcertainclaims.Theyareusuallyopentotheideaofgod,butsofar



unconvincedbyanyevidenceorargumentputforwardtosupportit.

Seealso:Openmindedness(amustwatch),SamHarrisMisconceptionsaboutAtheism(amustwatch),TheDragoninmyGaragebyCarlSagan.

Awiseman,therefore,proportionshisbelieftotheevidenceDavidHume

37. Atheismleadstoaworsesociety.

Atheism and secularism correlate highly with the wellbeing of individuals and societies by almost everypossiblemeasure.

Atheism is correlatedwith better scientific literacy [2][3], lower poverty rates, higher literacy rates, higheraverage incomes, less violence, lower divorce rates, lower teen pregnancy rates, lower STD infection rates,lowercrimeratesandlowerhomiciderates.

IrreligionbyCountry,DemocracyIndex,EducationIndex,Economicfreedom,OverallHumanDevelopment.

Atheismiscorrelatedwithhigherintelligence:Source1Source2Source3Source4Source5Source6Source7Source8Source9.

Seealso:EpiphenomTheScienceofReligionandNonBelief

Iknowofnosocietyinhumanhistorythateversufferedbecauseitspeoplebecametoodesirousofevidenceinsupportoftheircorebeliefs.SamHarris



38. AtheisminspiredNazism/Communism/SocialDarwinism.

Anadhominemdeflectionwhichdemonstratesafailuretounderstandthatatheismissimplyalackofbeliefingod(s),withnoinheritmoral,politicalorphilosophicalbaggage,andthusnolinecanbedrawnfromittotheaforementionedideologies.Inthesamevein,democracycouldbecalledatheistic.Seealso:Associationfallacy,appealtoemotionandirrelevantthesis.

Hitlerwasreligiousandpubliclydecriedatheism.Seealso:NazismandReligion,ReductioadHitlerum.

StalinismandCommunismexercisedgosateizm(stateatheism)basedontheideologyofMarxismLeninism.Atheismwasameanstoanend,notacause.Seealso:SovietUnionandReligion.

SocialDarwinismandEugenicssupplantactualnaturalselectionwithanunobjectivepersonalperceptionoffitness.Theyarebasedonbadbiology (geneticvariability is actuallyvery important fora species)andarecompletelyindependentofatheism.

DarwinobservedanddescribedevolutionthesamewayNewtondidforgravity.Itwassimplyadiscoveryofa



factabouttheworldnotanengineeredphilosophyonhowtobehave.JustaswedonotblameNewtonforthe fact thatgravity isusedasa tool in thedeploymentofbombs,wecannotblameDarwin for individuallymisguidedapplicationsofnaturalselection.

Note:Religioninspirestheocracy.

Note: Survivalof theFittestdoesnotsimplymean fastest, strongest,ormostviolent. It isameasureofanindividuals adaptation to the local environment, which can often mean demonstrating cooperation,intelligenceandcompassion[2].Humansareoutmatchedinmanywaysbyanimals,butaresuccessfulbecauseoftheirsocialskillsandtooluse.

Seealso:EarlyCriticsofEugenicswerebiologists,NatualisticFallacy,EvolutionandPhilosophy,Talkorigins:Hitler,Stalin,SocialDarwinism.

Wewereconvincedthatthepeopleneedandrequirethisfaith.Wehavethereforeundertakenthefightagainsttheatheisticmovement,andthatnotmerelywithafewtheoreticaldeclarations:wehavestampedit

out.AdolfHitler

CatholicpriestsperformingaNazisalute.

39. Beliefgiveslifemeaning/purposeORAtheismisnihilistic.

Thequestionof lifesmeaningandpurpose ismadeno less important toan individualbynotbelieving inagod.However,insteadofaskingWhatisthemeaningoflife?(whichisbeggingthequestion)anatheistmightaskWhatmeaning,ifany,canIgivetomylife?.

Most things in life areworthdoing for theirown sake, theydonot require anexistential reason.Satisfyingcuriosity, experiencing love and friendship, acting charitably, delighting our senses and achieving personalgoalsallprovideaninheritsenseofgratificationandpurpose.Conversely,religiondepriveslifeofanypersonalmeaningbyturningit intoaformofserfdom,inwhichouronlygoalistoappeasethewhimsofasupposedcreatorandfollowitsplan.Anyimpetustoseekknowledgeandexploreisremovedbecauseallthesupposedanswersareprovided.



Beyond simple biological imperatives lifes purpose is what we make it and nihilism is just one of manypossibleapproaches.Forexample,Naturalismwouldsuggestthatonespurposeistofosteranenvironmentinwhich the species can survive, either by passing on genes ormemes.Humanism suggests it is to promotehuman flourishing. Postmodernism suggests it is to create complex structures and interactions for thepurposeofjoyandunderstanding.Buddhism,whichisfullycompatiblewithatheism,suggestsitistofocusonthehumanpotentialtoovercomesufferingandachievepeacefulness.

Perspectiveisimportant,withineachofourtrillioncellswecarryageneticheritage,unbroken,stretchingbackover4billionyears.

TheUniverse, in its silent dwarfing beauty,may not care about human life butwe do. So our brief andimprobabletimeheremaybestbespentexperiencingitswonderstogether,notinindenturedservitudetoanimaginarycelestialdictator.

Seealso:RichardFeynmanonscienceandpurpose[shorter](amustwatch),DawkinsWearegoingtodieandwearetheluckyones(amustwatch),AReassuringFablebyCarlSagan.

Ifnothingwedomatters,thenallthatmattersiswhatwedo.JossWhedon

Thesignificanceofourlivesandourfragileplanetisdeterminedonlybyourownwisdomandcourage.Wearethecustodiansoflifesmeaning.WelongforaParenttocareforus,toforgiveusourerrors,tosaveusfromourchildishmistakes.Butknowledgeispreferabletoignorance.Betterbyfartoembracethehard

truththanareassuringfable.Ifwecravesomecosmicpurpose,thenletusfindourselvesaworthygoal.CarlSagan

40. Sciencekeepschanging,itisntreliable.

The suggestion that science is unreliable because it changes is akin to believing new maps are unreliablebecausecartographyisimproving.

Sciencehasdemonstrablyproducedthemostaccurateandreliablemodelsoftheuniversethatmankindhaseverknownanditisuponthesemodelsthatallmoderntechnology,medicineandindustryarebased.Scienceonlyappearstobeerraticbecauseofsensationalistreportinginthepopularmedia.

Science keeps changing because the tools used to perform science keep improving. When the universe ofavailableevidencechanges,scientifictheoriesmustbereevaluated.Therearenoabsolutetruthsinsciencealllaws, theories and conclusions can become obsolete if they are found in contradiction with new evidence.However,ascientifictheoryisthehighesthonouranyscientificprinciplecanobtain,fortheycomprisealltheevidence,lawsandmodelsrelevanttoanobservedphenomena.Theoriesarerarelyprovenincorrectandareusuallyrefinedonatimescalemeasuredincenturies.

Thescientificmethodisnotasinglerecipe:itrequiresintelligence,intuition,andcreativity.Itisanongoingcycle, constantly developing more useful, accurate and comprehensive models and methods, but notnecessarilydiscardingoldones.For example,whenEinsteindeveloped theGeneral andSpecialTheoriesofRelativity,hedidnotinanywayrefuteordiscountNewtonsPrincipia.Onthecontrary,iftheastronomicallylarge,vanishinglysmallandextremelyfastareremovedfromEinsteinstheoriesphenomenaNewtoncould



not have observed Newtons equations are what remain. Einsteins theories are simply expansions andrefinementsofNewtonstheoriesandthusincreaseourconfidenceinNewtonsworkwhileprovidingadeeperunderstanding.Thevery same relationshipapplies toClassicalMechanicsandQuantumMechanics, and toEvolutionandGenetics.

Scienceisanexerciseinfalsifiability.Unlikereligiousdogma,whichpresumesthetruth,thescientificmethodisaselfcorrectingprocess,aneversharpeningblade.Themodelsusedbysciencetoexplainobservationsandmakepredictionsaresimplythemostcorrectatthetime.Thegreatestskepticismshouldalwaysbereservedfor inflexible positions whose proponents insist that they and their assertions are above question andexamination.

Seealso:Thenatureofscience(Chessanalogy)byRichardFeynman(amustwatch),Youcanttrustscience!(amustwatch),ScienceKeepsChangingIronChariots,TheRelativityofWrongIsaacAsimov(amustread).

Godsarefragilethingstheymaybekilledbyawhiffofscienceoradoseofcommonsense.ChapmanCohen

41. Sciencetakesfaith/Scienceisareligion.

Science is an enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations andpredictions. Themain role of observation and experimentation in science is to criticize and refute existingtheories. Scientific knowledge is created by asking questions and testing conjectures/hypotheses againstreality.

Faith is absolute trust or confidence in a belief. Conversely, scientific theories are inherently falsifiable meaningtheycanbeprovenwrong.Noclaimsofabsolutetrutharebelievedorneedtobetakenonfaithinsciencebecausenonearemade.Truescientistssay,Weareawarethatourtheoriesandconclusionsarenotperfect,justthebestfitfortheavailableevidence.

Scientific knowledge is a form of justified belief grounded in empirical evidence and the demonstrablereliability of the scientificmethod. Faith is anunjustified belief based on fantasy, superstition andwishfulthinking.

Scienceconvergesonthetruthviaquestioning.Itssolutionsandexplanationsdonotdifferbetweennationsorculturesbecausetheycanbetestedbyanyone,anywhere,anytime.Whateverknowledgescienceproducesisvalideverywhere.Religion,ontheotherhand,divergesintoamyriadofformsandbeliefsbasedonindividualexperiencesandinterpretationswhichcannotbetestedagainstreality.

Ifallknowledgeofsciencewaslost,someonecouldpotentiallyfigureitoutagain.Whatistrueremainstrue,and anyone could discover that truth again using the same method that revealed it in the first place.Conversely,ifeverytraceofreligionwerewipedoutandnothingwerepassedon,itwouldneverbecreatedinexactlythesamewayagain.

Scienceisthepursuitoftruth,notthepresumptionofit.

Seealso:Thefaithcake(amustwatch),IsScienceaReligion?,Skewedviewsofscience,Ifscienceworkedlike



religionDawkins(amustwatch).

Faithdoesnotgiveyoutheanswers,itjuststopsyouaskingthequestions.FraterRavus

42. Scienceiscold/heartless/joyless.Itremovesbeautyandwonderfromtheworld.

OnthebeautyofaflowerbyNobelLaureateRichardFeynman

AReassuringFablebyCarlSagan

Sciencesavedmysoul.

ThemostastoundingfactbyNeilDeGrasseTyson

TheStoryofEverythingbyCarlSagan

TheUltimateRubeGoldbergMachine+ReverseEngineeringtheUniverse.

EarthThePaleBlueDot,AnotherInterpretationbyCarlSagan

UnweavingtheRainbowbyRichardDawkins

AUniverseNotMadeForUsbyCarlSagan

TheSaganSeries.

Whatsthebigidea?byBrianGreene

Hydrogenisalight,odorlessgas,which,givenenoughtime,turnsintopeople.EdwardR.Harrison



43. IfGodisthePotter,whoarewetosaywhathedoeswithhisclay?

Whywouldaperfectpotter createan imperfectmold,order it tobeperfect and then judge itbasedon theimperfectionshegaveit?

44. Theisticargumentswhichassumegodsexistencearelogicallyvalid.

Simplybecausealogicallyvalidargumentcanbeconstructeddoesnotimplyatruepremiseortrueconclusion.

Allcupsaregreen.Socratesisacup.Therefore,Socratesisgreen.

Although the above argument is logically valid, neither its premise nor conclusion are actually true. Anargumentisonlysoundifitisvalidanditspremiseandconclusionsaretrue.

Seealso:FalsePremise.

45. Assuminggodexists,argumentsagainsttheistclaimsareillogical/fallacious.

Thingscanexistindifferentcontexts:Godexists, inthesensethatGodisanideathatpeoplehave.Atheistscancommentperfectlyfineontheimplicationsofbeliefandongodasacharacterwithoutbeingrequiredtobelieveingod.

When atheists agree with the premise of a gods existence for the purpose of showing the absurdity of atheisticargument, theymaystillquestionconclusionsaboutgodsnaturebydebating thecorrectnessof theinference.Forexample:



Godexists.Therefore,youshouldworshipgod.

Simply because a godmay exist, does imply said god requires worship. In fact, a perfect god should, bydefinition,requirenothing.Thisisknownasanonsequitur.

Thereisnothingmoretellingofapersonsfundamentallackofperspectiveandhumilitythananinsistencethatiftheycannotreconciletheirbeliefswithreality,thenrealityitselfmustbewrong.Anonymous

46. Atheistspresupposegodsnonexistencewhenmakingcounterarguments.

Presuppositionalism[2][Wiki].

Atheists do not presuppose gods nonexistence, atheists are simply unconvinced of gods existence.Argumentsmadebytheistscanberefutedwithoutappealingtoagodspotentialnonexistence.

Argumentsmadebyatheistsagainstgodsexistence,betheyapriorioraposteriori,arenotinvalidduetothefactthatproponentsofpresuppositionalismhavefailedtoestablishreasonandlogicasbeingdependantupontheexistenceofgod.

Seealso:TheTranscendentalargument,FormalRefutations.

Onelastthing

WhenIbecameconvincedthattheuniversewasnatural,thatalltheghostsandgodsweremyths,thereenteredintomybrain,intomysoul,intoeverydropofmyblood,thesense,thefeeling,thejoyoffreedom.Thewallsofmyprisoncrumbledandfell.Thedungeonwasfloodedwithlightandalltheboltsandbarsandmanaclesturnedtodust.Iwasnolongeraservant,aserf,oraslave.Therewasformenomasterinallthewideworld,notevenininfinitespace.

Iwasfreetothink.Freetoexpressmythoughts,freetoliveinmyownideal.FreetoliveformyselfandthoseIloved.Freetouseallmyfaculties,allmysenses.Freetospreadimaginationswings,freetoinvestigate,toguess,anddreamandhope.Freetojudgeanddetermineformyself.Freetorejectall ignorantand cruel creeds, all the inspiredbooks that savageshaveproduced,and thebarbarouslegendsofthepast.Freefromsanctifiedmistakesandholylies.Freefromthefearofeternalpain,freefromthewingedmonstersofthenight.Freefromdevils,ghostsandgods.ForthefirsttimeIwasfree.

Therewerenoprohibitedplaces in all of the realmof thought.No error, no spacewhere fancycouldnotspreadherpaintedwings.Nochainsformylimbs.Nolashesformyback.Noflamesformyflesh.NoMastersfrownorthreat,nofollowinginanotherssteps.Noneedtoboworcringeorcrawl,orutterlyingwords.IwasfreeIstooderectandfearlessly,joyouslyfacedallworlds.

Myheartwas filledwithgratitude,with thankfulness,andwentout in love toall theheros, thethinkerswhogavetheirlivesforlibertyofhandandbrain,forthefreedomoflaborandthoughttothosewhofellonthefiercefieldsofwar.Tothosewhodiedindungeons,boundinchains,tothose



byfireconsumed,toallthewise,thegood,thebraveofeverylandwhosethoughtsanddeedshavegivenfreedomtothesonsofmen.Andthen,Ivowedtograspthetorchthattheyheld,andholdithigh,Thatlightmightconquerdarknessstill.

RobertGreenIngersoll(18331899)

Whatnow?

ContinuetoAdditionalLinks.

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BeginwatchingtheChristianDeconversionSeries,CarlSagansAUniverseNotMadeForUsorTheSaganSeries.

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OdysseuSKamisays:June14,2015at11:01am

Wow,wonderfullysaid.ImreallygladIreadthroughallthis.Thankyouforsharingthis.

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Anonymoussays:June1,2015at3:31am

Sentienceorbeingabletoperceiveinphysicaltermsisnotequivalenttobeingsapientandabletocomprehendtheirawarenessandallitentails.Scientistswhounderstandthatourexistenceiscomposedofinvisiblesubatomicparticlesshouldunderstandtheinconsequentialsignificanceofthephysicalperceptionofreality.

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