Quick responses to common

theist arguments
1. The Biblical God is real.

There is no evidence to support any of the claims made in the Bible

concerning the existence of a god. Any ‗evidence‘ used by theists
to support the Bible‘s various historical and supernatural claims is non-
existent at best,manufactured at worst.

The Bible is not self-authenticating. It is simply one of many religious

texts and, like them, it itself constitutes no evidence for the existence of a
god.

The Bible is historically inaccurate [2], factually incorrect, inconsistent [2]

andcontradictory. It was put together by a bunch of men in antiquity and
is poorly translated, heavily altered and selectively interpreted.

See also: Argument from the Bible, Criticisms of the Bible, Consistency of
the Bible.

Origins of the Bible: PBS Buried Secrets, BBC Who wrote the Bible? (a
must watch).

2. Biblical Jesus was real.

There is no contemporary evidence for Jesus‘ existence or the Bible‘s

account of his life.

All historical references to Jesus derive from hersay accounts written

decades or centuries after his supposed death. These historical references
generally refer to early Christians rather than a historical Jesus and, in
some cases, directly contradict the gospels or are
deliberately manufactured.

The story of Jesus has striking similarities with other mythologies and
textsand many of his supposed teachings existed prior to his time.

Even if Jesus‘ existence could be established, this would in no way validate

any element of the story portrayed in the Bible, such as the performance of
miracles or the resurrection.

The motivation for belief in a divine Jesus breaks down when you accept
evolution:

―Now, if the book of Genesis is an allegory, then sin is an allegory, the

Fall is an allegory and the need for a Savior is an allegory – but if we are
all descendants of an allegory, where does that leave us? It destroys the
foundation of all Christian doctrine—it destroys the foundation of the
gospel.‖- Ken Ham

See also: Evidence for Jesus, Did Jesus Exist?, the Christological
Argument, Hitchens – Core of the Jesus myth and Christianity is
Immoral (both must watch), BBC – A History of Christianity (a must
watch).

―Christianity: The belief that a cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own
father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and
telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove
an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-
woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree.‖ –
Anonymous
3. Miracles prove god exists.

Miracles have not been demonstrated to occur, and the existence of a

miracle would pose logical problems for belief in a god which can
supposedly see the future and began the universe with a set of predefined
laws.

Most alleged miracles can be explained as statistically unlikely

occurrences. For example, one child surviving a plane crash that kills two
hundred others is not a miracle, just as one person winning the lottery is
not.

Theists fail to adequately apportion blame when claims of their god‘s

infinite mercy involve sparing a few lives in a disaster, or recovery from a
debilitating disease, all of which their god would ultimately be responsible
for inflicting if it existed.
 See also: Argument from Miracles, Why won‘t god heal amputees? [Video]

―Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence‖ - Carl Sagan

4. God is the source of morality.

Morality is a cultural concept with a basis in evolutionary

psychology andgame theory [2]. Species whose members were
predisposed to cooperate were more likely to survive and pass on their
genes. Reciprocacy, altruism and other ‗moral‘ characteristics are evident
in many species.

Religious texts are merely one of many early attempts to codify moral
precepts. Secular law, flexible with the moving moral zeitgeist, has long
since superseded religion as a source of moral directives for the majority
of developed nations.

See also: Dawkins – Source of Morality, Babies can tell right from wrong.
Animals Cooperating: Monkeys, Birds, Chimps. Evolution of
Cooperation,Science of Morality.

The god of the Bible is a misogynistic tyrant who regularly orders

the raping of women and killing of children. The moment you disagree
with a single instruction of the Bible (such as the command to kill any
bride who is not a virgin, or any child who disrespects his parents) then
you acknowledge that there exists a superior standard by which to judge
moral action, and there is no need to rely on a bunch of primitive, ancient
and barbaric fairy tales.

See also: the Euthyphro dilemma, Epicurus Trilemma, Problem of

Evil andThe West Wing (A must watch).
 ―Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?‖ – Epicurus

5. People need to believe in god / Without god people will

do bad things.

Argument from adverse consequences [2]. Just because something is

perceived as having good consequences if it is true, such as belief in god,
does not actually make it true.

The fact that religiously free societies with a proportionally large number
atheists are generally more peaceful [2] than otherwise is evidence this
perception is incorrect (Note: this does not mean atheists are implicitly
peaceful).

―With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things
and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things,
that takes religion. ― – Steven Weinberg
6. Atheists can‟t know the difference between right and
wrong.

Note: The following answer is a generalisation. Atheists are not a

homogeneous group. There is no formal moral code resulting from a lack
of belief. Atheists can and do subscribe to any number of ethical systems,
or none at all.

Atheists generally derive their sense of right and wrong from

an innate andreasoned understanding of which actions contribute towards
a society most hospitable to continual well-being and personal fulfilment.

Atheists are attuned to the here and now. Their ethics are not derived
from some consequence after death, but from a rational consideration of
the consequences in this life.
 As social creatures that have evolved to want and give love, to have
freedom and security, we have learned that we are safer, stronger and
more prosperous in a successful group. Crimes are inherently anti-social
behaviours that introduce needless risk and are antithetical to the long-
term needs and goals of a happy, stable society.

Note: Almost all theists exercise their innate morality or conscience by

picking and choosing which parts of their scripture to follow.

See also: Secular Humanism, Empathy, Conscience, Sam Harris – Science

and Morality (A must watch).

―I have no need for religion, I have a conscience.‖ – Anonymous

7. Lots of people believe in a God.

Argumentum ad populum. The popularity of an idea says nothing of its

veracity (geocentrism was once pervasive). Also, all cultures have religions
and for the most part they are inconsistent and mutually exclusive.

―I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible
gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.‖ – Stephen F Roberts

―A lie is a lie even if everyone believes it. The truth is the truth even if
nobody believes it.‖ – David Stevens

8. God created/caused the universe.

First Cause Argument, also known as the Cosmological Argument. Who

created god? Why is it your god? Why rule out possible scientific
explanations?

Fundamentally a ‗God of the Gaps‘ argument.

 See also: Carl Sagan on the topic. BBC Horizon – What happened before
the big bang?

―Some would ask, how could a perfect God create a universe filled with so
much that is evil. They have missed a greater conundrum: why would a
perfect God create a universe at all?‖ – Sister Miriam Godwinson

9. God answers prayers.

So does a milk jug. The only thing worse than sitting idle as someone
suffers is to do absolutely nothing yet think you‘re actually helping; in
other words, praying.

For the conceivably large number of prayers that occur over time there are
relatively few miracles acknowledged by churches and none that are
demonstrable, such as the healing of amputees or moving of mountains.

See also: Prayer as a superstition.

Studies have failed to find any strong/repeatable evidence for benefits

from prayer that cannot be ruled out as either the placebo effect or a form
ofcognitive behavioural therapy. Infact, the most comprehensive
studyperformed thus far found that patients who were prayed for suffered
more complications than otherwise.

See also: The MATRA Study.

―If god is the alpha and the omega. The beginning and the end, knows
what has passed and what is to come, like it states in the bible, why do
people pray and think it will make any difference?‖ – Mark Fairclough

―Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer.‖ –

Unknown
10. I feel a personal relationship with god.

Argument from personal experience [2]. A result of yournaturally

evolved neurology, made hypersensitive to purpose (an ‗unseen actor‘)
because of the large social groups humans have and the way the brain
associates pattern with intent.

See also: NPR Your brain on god?, Hardwired for religion?,The

Economist, BBC Doco, PBS Doco and Dawkins on the topic.

―You can tell you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out
that God hates all the same people you do.‖ – Anne Lamott
11. People who believe in god are happier.

The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point
than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. Atheism is
correlated with better science education, higher intelligence, lower poverty
rates, higher literacy rates, higher average incomes, lower divorce rates,
lower teen pregnancy rates, lower STD infection rates, lower crime rates
and lower homicide rates.

Atheists can be spiritual.

Studies on happiness outside of predominantly religious countries (eg. the

US) find little to no correlation between happiness and religious belief.
This corresponds with evidence that shows social and community
bonding, rather than spiritual engagement, explains why religious people
report greater satisfaction with life. Atheists, by comparison, may also
simply be unhappy with the level of distrust and persecution they receive
from their compatriots.
12. The world is beautiful.

The Argument from Beauty fails to explain why some things are beautiful
to some and not to others and also fails to establish beauty as something
immaterial instead of being a subjective neurological response to stimuli.

Human beauty is physical and psychological attractiveness, it helps us

choose a healthy partner with whom to reproduce. Abstract beauty, like
art or pictures of space, are an artefact of culture and the way our brain
interprets shapes, sound and colour.

See also: TED Video – A Darwinian theory of beauty (A must watch).

―Isn’t it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe

that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?‖ – Douglas Adams

13. Smart person believes in god or „You are not

qualified‟.

Ad hominem + Argument from Authority.

Flying pink unicorns exist. You‘re not an expert in them, so you can‘t say
they don‘t.
14. The universe is fine tuned.

Of course it seems fine tuned to us, we evolved in it. We cannot prove that
some other form of life is or isn‘t feasible with a different set of conditions
or constants. Anyone who insists that our form of life is the only one
conceivable is making a claim based on no evidence and no theory.
Without actual proof of creation, naturalistic explanations for the
properties of this universe cannot be wholly ruled out.

Most of the universe is hostile to life (Neil deGrasse Tyson).

See also: The Copernican principle. Dawkins on Fine-tuning (a must

watch),Formal Objection.

15. Complexity/Order suggests god exists.

The Teleological argument [2] is non sequitur. Complexity does not imply
design and does not prove the existence of a god. Even if design could be
established we cannot conclude anything about the nature of the designer
(Aliens?). Additionally, many systems have obvious defects consistent
with the predictions of evolution by means of natural selection.
 See also: Evolution [2], The Watchmaker Analogy and BBC Horizon – The
Secret Life of Chaos (a must watch) for an introduction to how complexity
and order arise naturally.

Additionally: The laryngeal nerve of the giraffe, Evolution of the

Eye,Chromosome 2, Bacterial Flagellum.

16. Love exists.

Oxytocin. Affection, empathy and peer bonding increase social cohesion

and lead to higher survival chances for offspring.

See also: Chemical Basis for Love, How Love Works.

―You do not need the Bible to justify love, but no better tool has been
invented to justify hate.‖ – Richard A. Weatherwax

17. God is the universe/love/laws of physics.

We already have names for these things. Redefining something as ‗god‘

tells us nothing. To use the word ‗god‘ implies a host of other attributes
and if you don‘t intend to apply those attributes, using the word is
intentionally misleading.

18. Science can‟t explain X.

God of the gaps.

Have you read and understood peer reviewed information on the topic?
Keep in mind, science only gives us a best fit model from which we can
make predictions. Even if there was some topic on which science could
never speak, that doesn‘t immediately imply that a theistic explanation
carries any value at all.
 See also: The God of the Gaps (by Neil deGrasse Tyson), Skewed views of
science.

―I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not

understanding the world.‖ – Richard Dawkins

―Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is

those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert
that this or that problem will never be solved by science.‖ – Charles
Darwin

19. Phenomenon X has a non-physical component.

Baseless assertion. Unfalsifiable.

―What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.‖ –

Christopher Hitchens

20. Materialists/Evidentialists/Science cannot recognise

supernatural phenomena.

Distortion of reality. Lack of Critical thinking. The Dragon in my

Garage by Carl Sagan. What is real? How do you define real? What
constitutes knowledge? Are all supernatural claims implicitly true?
Why/Why not?

A person who disbelieves for poor reasons is no better off than someone
who believes for poor reasons. Disbelieving in astrology because a priest
tells you to is no better than believing in a god because the same priest
tells you to do so.

Relying on supernatural explanations is a cop-out or a dead-end to

deepening our understanding of reality. If a natural cause for something is
 not known, the scientific approach is to say ―I don‘t know yet‖ and keep on
looking, not to presume an answer which makes us comfortable.

―Science adjusts it’s understanding based on what’s observed. Faith is the

denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved.‖ – Tim Minchin

21. I can‟t believe/understand a world without God OR No

god is too unlikely.

Argument from incredulity / Lack of imagination. Ignores and does not

eliminate the fact that something can seem incredible and still be true, or
appear to be obvious and yet still be false.

22. There is no evidence god doesn’t exist.

Argument from ignorance.

A common attempt to shift the burden of proof or ‗make room‘ for a god.
Represents a type of false dichotomy that excludes the fact that there is
insufficient investigation and the proposition has not yet been proven
either true or false.
 The failure to disprove the existence of something does not constitute
proof of it‘s existence. Existence and non-existence are not equally
probable outcomes. The majority of things we can possibly imagine do not
exist. Thus, belief is not as valid a position as skepticism when dealing
with unsupported or unfalsifiable claims. Agnostic atheism is the most
rational position.

Note: It is possible to gather evidence of absence and disprove specific

claims about and definitions of god. [Video]

23. Atheists should prove god doesn‟t exist.

Russell‘s teapot.

The burden of proof is on the person or party asserting the claim; in this
case, the theist.

See also: The Dragon in my Garage by Carl Sagan.

24. Atheism is a belief/religion.

Calling Atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair color, or not collecting
stamps a hobby.

Atheism is the lack of belief in a god or gods, nothing more. It is an

expression of being unconvinced by the evidence provided by theists for
the claims they make. Atheism is not a claim to knowledge. Atheists may
subscribe to additional ideologies and belief systems. Watch this.

―To say that atheism requires faith is as dim-witted as saying that

disbelief in pixies or leprechauns takes faith. Even if Einstein himself told
me there was an elf on my shoulder, I would still ask for proof and I
wouldn’t be wrong to ask.‖ – Geoff Mather
25. What about agnosticism?

Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims is unknown
or unknowable.

Most atheists, including famous ones such as Richard Dawkins, fall into
the category of ‗Agnostic Atheism‘; they don‘t claim to know god does not
exist with absolute certainty. Conversely, most theists are ‗Gnostic
Theists‘; they claim to know with absolute certainty that their particular
god exists.

When atheists say ‗God does not exist‘, they are generally speaking in the
same manner as when people say ‗Leprechauns/Santa/Fairies/Unicorns
don‘t exist‘.

There are, however, atheists who are absolutely certain no god exists, and
they generally point to logical problems that would arise from said
existence or evidence this universe is inconsistent with a god, for
example: Infinite Regression, Poor Design, the Nonbelief
Paradox, Omnipotence Paradox andFree Will Paradox.

26. I don‟t want to go to hell.

Pascal‘s Wager.

o Multiple inconsistent and contradictory revelations (Which

god/hell?).
o A god could reward reasoning/skepticism.
o An omniscient god would see through feigned belief as a result of
coercion.
o Is god unable to prevent transgression of his will?
o Most people adhere to the religion they were born into, have you
examined all other religions?
See also: What if you‘re wrong? (a must watch), Hell: An excessive
punishment.

―Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not
care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the
virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should
not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but
will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved
ones.‖ — Anonymous

―We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing all-powerful

God, who creates faulty Humans, and then blames them for his own
mistakes.‖ – Gene Roddenberry
27. I want to go to heaven.

Argument from wishful thinking. The primary psychological role of

traditional religion is deathist rationalisation, that is, rationalising the
tragedy of death as a good thing to alleviate the anxiety of mortality.

See also: Nobody can get into heaven

―I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some
thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But much as I
want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural
traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is
more than wishful thinking. The world is so exquisite with so much love
and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty
stories for which there’s little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in
our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day
for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides.‖ – Carl Sagan

―I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years
before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from
it.‖ - Mark Twain

28. I want to believe in God OR I just have faith.

There is a truth and reality independent of our desires. Faith simply

reinforces your belief in what you would like to be true, rather than what
really is.

In order to better under understand this reality and discover the truth we
must look for evidence outside ourselves. Faith isn‘t a virtue; it is the
glorification of voluntary ignorance.
 ―Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the
atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than your
right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about physics: You
are stardust. You couldn’t be here if stars hadn’t exploded, because the
elements – the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, all the things that matter
for evolution and for life – weren’t created at the beginning of time. They
were created in the nuclear furnaces of stars, and the only way for them
to get into your body is if those stars were kind enough to explode. So,
forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be today.‖ – Lawrence
Krauss

29. Believers are persecuted by atheists.

Blue Laws. Anti-atheist laws. Discrimination against atheists.

The written penalty for apostasy in most religions is death.

Believers claim the victim and imply that non-theists gang up on them, or
rally against them. No, we just look at you the same way we look at
someone who claims the earth is flat, or that the Earth is the centre of the
universe: delusional.

The bar theists set for perceived atheist hostility appears to be

anyone simply voicing a dissenting opinion or mentioning an inclination
towards non-belief. Claiming ‗persecution‘ is simply a deflection for theists
who are unwilling or unable to rationalise open criticism.

When Atheists aren‘t considered the least trustworthy [PDF] group and
comprise more than 70% of the population, then we‘ll talk about
persecution.
30. Why can‟t atheists just leave us alone?

o Because religion has been, and continues to

be, responsiblefor countless horrorsthroughout human history. See
also: Religiously motivatedanimosity, violence andoppression and
discrimination
o For all the problems we face as a society, many theists choose not only
to do nothing to help, but actually engage in sabotage by actively
preventing solutions from being instigated, usually by supporting
irrational political positions eg. stem-cell research, contraception,
women‘s rights, sexual equality and even global warming.
 o Because belief in God taps into mankind‘s natural tendency to defer
moral decision making to authority figures (including priests,
prophets, holy books, popes, ayatollahs and imams). Acting out ‗God‘s
plan‘ or ‗God‘s will‘ is a sure-fire way to absolve one‘s-self of
responsibility for one‘s actions. See also: Cituke.
o Because as a functional member of society it benefits everyone if your
decision making process is founded on evidence and reason, not
superstition. Faith isn‘t a virtue; it is the glorification of voluntary
ignorance.
o Because religious superstition erects an absolute monarchy in a
person‘s mind. It teaches us to be satisfied with with not
understanding the world and represents a surrendering to ignorance
under the pretension of ‗devine knowledge‘. Many of the greatest
thinkers in human history have been repressed, sometimes forcefully,
by those with faith. It is not skeptics or explorers but fanatics and
ideologues who menace decency and progress. See
also: Hypatia, Galileo Galilei, Giordano Bruno, The relationship
between science and religion.

Note: The common theist response ―They aren‘t really [my religion]‖ is an
example of the No True Scotsman fallacy. ―If all the Christians who have
called other Christians ‗not really a Christian‘ were to vanish, there‘d be no
Christians left.‖

―Men never commit evil so fully and joyfully as when they do it for
religious convictions.‖ – Blaise Pascal

31. Militant atheists are just as bad as religious ones.

No, they‘re not. There are no calls for slavery, rape and murder in the
atheist bible.
 An atheist could only be ‗militant‘ in that they fiercely defend reason. That
being said, atheism does not preclude one from being a dick; it is merely
preferable to killing one another over an imaginary friend.

A ‗militant‘ atheist will debate in a University theatre or ask for ‗god‘ to be

removed from currency. A militant Christian will kill abortion doctors,
restrict the rights of homosexuals and convince children they are flawed
and worthless.

See also: The Ethics of Belief (a must read), Christian Terrorism, Islamic
Terrorism, Atheist Terrorism (no link available)

32. Where is god? (Interjection)

Argument from nonbelief. Why is it now that we have rational inquiry we

hear only a deafening silence from a god who supposedly once engaged
regularly in human affairs? Why does god not simply speak to us or
appear before us as he supposedly used to? Why are we the losers in the
 dice roll of time? If god places such a high value on us worshipping and
believing in him then why not simply make his existence obvious to us?

―If God had wanted us to believe in Him, He would have existed.‖ – Linda
Smith

33. The Logical problem of Jesus. (Interjection)

If Jesus is God then presumably he is omniscient. If this is true, then when

he allowed himself to be sacrificed, didn‘t he do this with the knowledge
that he was immortal? If so, then how exactly was it a sacrifice for him?
What did he sacrifice?

34. Jesus was wholly good and moral.

 Assuming the figure even existed, this position is incorrect.

―There’s no hell mentioned in the Old Testament. The punishment of the

dead is not specified there. It’s only with gentle Jesus, meek and mild,
that the idea of eternal torture for minor transgressions is introduced.‖ –
Christopher Hitchens

35. Atheists are closed minded.

Incorrect.

36. Atheism leads to a worse society.

Atheism is correlated with better science education, lower poverty

rates,higher literacy rates, higher average incomes, less violence, lower
divorce rates, lower teen pregnancy rates, lower STD infection rates, lower
crime rates and lower homicide rates. Atheists also have the highest
reading/writing proficiency on average. Irreligion by Country, Democracy
Index, Education Index, Economic freedom, Overall Human
Development.

Atheism is correlated with higher intelligence: Source 1 Source 2 Source

3Source 4 Source 5 Source 6 Source 7 Source 8.

See also: Epiphenom – The Science of Religion and Non-Belief

37. Atheism inspired Nazism/Communism/Social
Darwinism.
An ad hominem deflection which fails to understand that atheism is
simply a lack of belief, with no inherit moral or philosophical baggage, and
thus no line can be drawn from it to the aforementioned ideologies. In the
same vein democracy could also be called atheistic. See also: Association
fallacy, appeal to emotion and irrelevant thesis.

Hitler was religious and publicly decried atheism. See also: Nazism and
Religion, Reductio ad Hitlerum.

Stalinism and Communism exercised gosateizm (state atheism) based on

the ideology of Marxism-Leninism. Atheism was a means to an end, not a
cause. See also: Soviet Union and Religion.

Social Darwinism and Eugenics supplant actual natural selection with an

unobjective personal perception of ‗fitness‘. They are based on bad biology
(genetic variability is actually very good for a species) and are completely
independent of atheism.

See also: Early Critics of Eugenics were biologists. Natualistic

Fallacy.Evolution and Philosophy. Talkorigins: Hitler, Stalin, Social
Darwinism.

―We were convinced that the people need and require this faith. We have
therefore undertaken the fight against the atheistic movement, and that
not merely with a few theoretical declarations: we have stamped it
out.‖ – Adolf Hitler
38. Belief gives life meaning/purpose OR Atheism is
nihilistic.

The question of life‘s meaning and purpose is made no less important to

an individual by not believing in a god. However, instead of asking ―What
is the meaning of life?‖ (which is begging the question) an atheist may ask:
―What meaning, if any, can I give to my life?‖.

Ultimately, life‘s purpose is what you make of it, and nihilism is simply
one ofmany possible approaches. For instance, Naturalism would suggest
that one‘s purpose is to ‗foster an environment in which a species can
survive, either by passing on genes or memes‘. Humanism suggests that it
is to ‗promote human flourishing‘. Postmodernism suggests: ‗To create
complex structures and interactions for the purpose of joy and
understanding‘.

Perspective is important, within each of our trillion cells we carry a genetic

heritage, unbroken, stretching back 4 billion years.
 The universe, in it‘s silent, dwarfing beauty, may not care about human
life, but we do, and our brief improbable time here may best be spent
experiencing it‘s wonders together, not in indentured servitude to an
imaginary celestial dictator.

See also: Richard Feynman on science and purpose [shorter] (A must

watch), Dawkins – We are going to die… and we are the lucky ones.

―If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do.‖ – Joss
Whedon

―The significance of our lives and our fragile planet is determined only by
our own wisdom and courage. We are the custodians of life’s meaning.
We long for a Parent to care for us, to forgive us our errors, to save us
from our childish mistakes. But knowledge is preferable to ignorance.
Better by far to embrace the hard truth than a reassuring fable. If we
crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal.‖ –
Carl Sagan

39. Science keeps changing, it isn‟t reliable.

Incorrect.

The suggestion that science is unreliable because it changes is akin to

believing new maps are unreliable because cartography is improving.

Science keeps changing because the tools used to perform science keep
improving. When the universe of available evidence changes, scientific
theories must be re-evaluated. There are no absolute truths in science; all
laws, theories and conclusions ―can become obsolete if they are found in
contradiction with new data‖.

Science is an exercise in falsifiability.

 Unlike religious dogma, which presumes the truth, the scientific method is
a self correcting process, an ever sharpening blade. The models used by
science to explain observations and make predictions are simply the ‗most
correct‘ at that time. The greatest skepticism should always be reserved for
inflexible positions whose proponents insist that they and their assertions
are above question and examination.

See also: The nature of science (Chess analogy) by Richard Feynman (a

must watch), The ability of science to change is its strength.

40. Science is a belief/religion.

Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning ―knowledge‖) is an enterprise

that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations
and predictions about the world.

Scientific theories are falsifiable, meaning they can be proven wrong.

Scientific knowledge is created by conjecture and criticism. The main role

of observations and experiments in science are to criticize and refute
existing theories.

Science is the pursuit of truth, not the presumption of it.

See also: Is Science a Religion?, Skewed views of science, If science

worked like religion.

―Faith does not give you the answers, it just stops you asking the
questions.‖- Frater Ravus
41. Science is cold/heartless/joyless.

On the beauty of a flower by Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman.

Science saved my soul.

The most astounding fact by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

The Ultimate Rube Goldberg Machine + Reverse Engineering the Universe

Earth – The Pale Blue Dot, Another Interpretation by Carl Sagan

A Universe Not Made For Us by Carl Sagan

What‘s the big idea? by Brian Greene

―Hydrogen is a light, odorless gas, which, given enough time, turns into
people.‖ – Edward R. Harrison

42. “If God is the Potter, who are we to say what he does
with his clay?”
 Why would a perfect potter create an imperfect mold, order it to be perfect
and then judge it based on the imperfections he gave it?

43. Theistic arguments which assume god‟s existence are

logically valid.

Simply because a logically valid argument can be formed, does not imply a
true premise or true conclusion.

All cups are green.

Socrates is a cup.
Therefore, Socrates is green.

Although the above argument is logically valid, neither its premise nor
conclusion is actually true. An argument is only sound if it is valid and its
premise and conclusions are true.

44. Assuming god exists, arguments against theist claims

are illogical/fallacious.
 Things can exist in different contexts: God exists, in the sense that God is
an idea that people have. Atheists can comment perfectly fine on the
implications of belief and on god as a character, without being required to
believe in god.

When atheists agree with the premise of god‘s existence for the purpose
of showing the absurdity of a theistic argument, they may still question
conclusions about god‘s nature by debating the correctness of the
inference. For example:

God exists.
Therefore, you should worship him.

Simply because god may exist, does imply said god requires worship.
Infact, a perfect god should, by definition, require nothing. This is known
as a non sequitur.

45. Atheists presuppose god‟s non-existence when

making counter arguments.

Presuppositionalism [2].

Atheists do not presuppose god‘s non-existence, atheists are simply

unconvinced of god‘s existence. Arguments made by theists can be refuted
without appealing to god‘s non existence.

Arguments made by atheists against god‘s existence, be they a priori or a

posteriori, are not invalid due to the fact that proponents of
presuppositionalism have failed to establish reason and logic as being
dependant upon the existence of god.

See also: The Transcendental argument.

When I became convinced that the universe was natural, That all the ghosts
and gods were myths, There entered into my brain, into my soul, into every
drop of my blood, The sense, the feeling, the joy of freedom. The walls of my
prison crumbled and fell. The dungeon was flooded with light And all the bolts
and bars and manacles turned to dust. I was no longer a servant, a serf, or a
slave. There was for me no master in all the wide world, not even in infinite
space.

I was free to think. Free to express my thoughts, Free to live in my own ideal.
Free to live for myself, and those I loved. Free to use all my faculties, all my
senses. Free to spread imagination‘s wings, Free to investigate, to guess, and
dream and hope. Free to judge and determine for myself. Free to reject all
ignorant and cruel creeds, All the inspired books that savages have produced,
And the barbarous legends of the past. Free from sanctified mistakes and
―holy‖ lies. Free from the fear of eternal pain, Free from the winged monsters
of the night. Free from devils, ghosts and gods. For the first time I was free.

There were no prohibited places in all of the realm of thought. No error, no

space where fancy could not spread her painted wings. No chains for my
limbs. No lashes for my back. No flames for my flesh. No Master‘s frown or
threat, No following in another‘s steps. No need to bow or cringe or crawl, or
utter lying words. I was free; I stood erect and fearlessly, joyously faced all
worlds.

My heart was filled with gratitude, with thankfulness, And went out in love to
all the heros, the thinkers who gave their lives For liberty of hand and brain,
For the freedom of labor and thought to those who fell On the fierce fields of
war. To those who died in dungeons, bound in chains, To those by fire
consumed, To all the wise, the good, the brave of every land Whose thoughts
and deeds have given freedom to the sons of men. And then, I vowed to grasp
the torch that they held, and hold it high, That light might conquer darkness
still.

-Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)