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Responsestocommontheistarguments
Thispagepresentsconciserebuttalstothemostcommonargumentsandclaimsmadebytheists.Italsoincludesrelevantlinkstoadditionalresources.AsmallnumberofpointsdealspecificallywithChristianity,howeverthevastmajorityareapplicabletoallformsoftheism.Linksmarkedwith(mustwatch)or(mustread)areconsideredparticularlygoodatexpandingonatopic.
BesuretoviewtheAdditionalLinksandQuotespages.Ifyouhaveanycommentsorsuggestionspleaseleavethematthebottomofthepage.
AsauthorIherebyforfeitcopyrightanddeclarethecontentofthispage,excludingimagesandquotes,partofthepublicdomain.
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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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).
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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:
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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:
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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
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byfireconsumed,toallthewise,thegood,thebraveofeverylandwhosethoughtsanddeedshavegivenfreedomtothesonsofmen.Andthen,Ivowedtograspthetorchthattheyheld,andholdithigh,Thatlightmightconquerdarknessstill.
RobertGreenIngersoll(18331899)
Whatnow?
ContinuetoAdditionalLinks.
OR
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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