Why does atheism require a defense. A fool against reason we won't be able to tell the difference will we?
366360
Simply put, it doesn't.\n\nTheists often cite their faith as the only thing necessary to justify their position. I simply use the same method. They have faith in the existence of a god; I have faith that they are wrong.\n\nTheists have spent centuries stocking up their tool box of instant put-downs for various atheistic views. I refuse to let them get their foot in the door. I've heard (almost all of) it all before. And it bores me.\n\nSecretly, I go through life seeing what happens every day as proof that no god could possibly exist. I have many personal 'proofs' that are either scientific, statistical, or logic proof to me. But the key is that I don't feel the need to get into a standing argument. In fact I flat out refuse to. I say, "I am an atheist, that's all there is to it."\n\nUltimately, it is the theists that must prove their god to me. As an atheist I don't have faith, so why should theirs concern me?\n\n---\n\nSo I see the various attempts to bring the question of a 'moral compass' into this arena. I believe everything has been said before but I'll repeat it...\n\nTheists require a god to direct them to do good deeds (lest the wrath of god be upon them), to be morally correct, or at least try. I have no god and yet I am an upstanding citizen who does good every day without prompting. So who is the more righteous?
742688
You are right, you are confused about atheists, you also have a very funny idea about what belief entails... \n\nAtheists have belief in evidenced things with proof, however blind faith of the religious kind requires no proof or evidence that is why it is called faith, if there was evidence for God it wouldn't require faith to believe in God. \n\nOne of the problems with blind faith is that you can believe almost anything through it, God, The Celestial Teapot, The Flying Spaghetti Monster, Vanilla Flavoured Fairies or anything that cannot be proved or disproved, this invalidates blind faith as a tool of knowledge.\n\nThe onus is always on the person or organisation making a claim to provide proof or evidence for it. When there is no way to test the truth of the claim because of a lack of proof or evidence it is called unfalsifiable.\n\nI have no beliefs about God I simply do not share the theists belief in the existence of God/Gods, I have no reason to think that a God exists and it is not hypocritical for me as an atheist to say so. Hope this explains it a bit better for you.
1146721
Your assumption is incorrect. Atheism does *not* mean that you know for a fact that there is no God without a possibility of being mistaken. Atheism is simply a belief that there is no God.
786964
There is no reason for thumbs down, that is a valid question.\n\nIf an atheist is arguing that atheism will necessarily make one a better person, then those would be good examples to show to contradict their argument. \n\nBut most atheists aren't really arguing that, though I suppose some do. I think what most atheists are arguing is that religion does not necessarily make you a better person, which is why they bring up the examples of religious extremists, the Inquisition, etc. Remember, a common charge against atheists is that without God they necessarily must not have any morals, and thereby by implication that morals come from religion alone. It is that which atheists are arguing against. \n\nBut there can be no question that many have killed in the names of all sorts of ideas, whether they be religious ones, or atheistic ones.
404375
There are two reasons people defend their beliefs so strongly.  \n\n1) Fear of being wrong, and doubt in their own hearts.  Faith in God is truly that.... Faith.  If you are unsure about your own Faith, because we can not see him we have to believe that he exists.  A strong argument makes them feel more steadfast and sure about what is in there own hearts.\n\n2) The other is because they lack the verbal ability to truly communicate what they believe in a calm manner.  They want you to know the same joy of salvation and service but are unable to convey that.\n\nThe Bible says....... Always be ready to give an explanation for your hope to anyone who asks you, but do it with gentleness and reverence.  I Peter 3:15-16.
1082940
The faithful don't believe without proof. They do not run out and buy every product they see advertised. They read Consumer Reports just like the rest of us. If I tried to sell a theist a "magic potion" that would turn him invisible, or told him that his wife was cheating on him, he would ask for proof.\n\nWe only extend our need for proof one step further. We don't see why proof is needed in every aspect of existence except one.
890386
Finally a decent out of the box agnostic thinker.  I personally am atheist, because the creation of a creator is just as probable as us being created in the first place.  But the creation of the two are that much more improbable.  \n\nHowever, on your theory, why do you propose that we are mistakes rather than a side effect...
637883
God doesn't hold the patent to those i'm afraid.\n\nMany atheists are moral & ethical people, so get off cloud 9.\n\nI can do whatever I want, but you know what, I choose not to.  Not out of fear, or god's retribution, but because I don't want to do harmful things.  Isn't that better, I'm not doing it for some distant reward, but simply because I want to.
1013007
We can protect ourselves with sanity towards other people and things we do not understand.  Curiosity and caution trumps fear of the unkown - or a rampant imagination - any day.\n\nWe can shelter ourselves with a rational regard for the universe and a respect for science.  Better that than give in to those who give away fear freely, and then demand blind faith in return.\n\nWe can trust in numbers havng meaning, but only in what they stand for - not as entities in and of themselves.\n\nIf the universe does _not_ create boogymen for us, _we_ should not create them ourselves to address a perceived shortage of wrongness.
945934
Atheists have heard your opinions, jelly_bab, many times, but your opinions are not based on facts, just a book which you think is true because it says it's true!  Therefore we reject your views.\n\nChristians get offended because they are typically arrogant, such as JJ.  You don't KNOW anything, or you would be able to PROVE the existence of your God and there could be no argument from the rest of us.  You believe in creation, flying in the face of all scientific evidence which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that life evolved over a very long period of time. You can't prove anything.  If you BELIEVE that there is a God, it is up to you to prove it.  Atheism has nothing to prove; it is just the noises reasonable people make in the presence of unjustified, unprovable religious BELIEFS, not facts.
572502
You cant define atheism by terms like 'believing' or 'non believing'. That's like defining light as absence of darkness. Atheism is thought of indifference towards all religious concepts. Even A person who looks down on religion or criticizes God is also not an atheist. A true atheist is not bothered.
848953
The correct answer, of course, is that ignorant lies are necessary to the defense of the religion. \n\nWhy would you expect honesty of someone whose goal is to defend a religious belief system? Honesty is simply not a very high priority there.
1018164
You could argue that some Athiests are actually practising a sort of anti-religion. They've gone beyond simply not believing in God all the way to believing that there is no God, which in many ways is as much a leap of faith as believing in God is. Religious people have always attempted to convert their fellow man and Athiests are no different, they're all just trying to save each other, either from eternal damnation, or from the living of a life based on a lie.  It's hardly surprising that they're going to start arguing with each other, in many ways they've managed to set themselves up as mortal enemies. \n\nI personally think it's wonderful fun to have these arguments with people,I'd say that having these arguments helps people to understand the issues better, the arguments force people to think in order to defend their position and in doing so, they learn more about what their position actually is. It also forces people to learn more about each other, and understand each other, even if it is only so they can argue more effectively.
597105
In my experience it is far more likely that a religious organisation will try to persuade an atheist that they should believe in God than vice versa.\n\nAs an atheist myself I have no problem with you believing in your God. I cannot prove that your God does not exist so I have no right to deny you your right to believe.
601771
Not only that, but the FOOLS contend that they do not have to prove anything..can't. While they demand exhaustive studies which they shirk as not their cup of Science!\n "Don't have to prove a negative!" they echo in-ad-naseum!\n " Don't have to prove no god"\n Atheist, the medication you are on is from your god. Didn't pay attention to the side effects did you? \nHey Atheist, prove to me there is no wind! Call to it and see if it answers! When it doesn't answer,throw a tantrum and pretend intelligence, saying, " See! No answer!..therefore, no wind" Don't worry about looking foolish. You have no idea how you look that every day!
461080
First, tabbymomma is not making a statement or asking a question about whether or not god exists, or the veracity of atheism versus agnosticism versus Christianity.  What she is asking, is why do people call other people idiots when they are trying to convince them that their view is right?\n\nI agree with her.\n\nIt seems the "debate" in here consists of believers and non-believers calling each other idiots.  This is not a debate.  Neither is telling a non-believer he/she is going to hell, or telling a believer they are in the thrall of ignorant superstition.  Debate involves respecting your opponent, and his or her ideas, while you are pointing out what you believe are the fallacies.  In the very least, it involves a little civility.\n\n___________________________________________________________\n\nOh, and an agnostic is not a "pansy" atheist.  Agnostics hold that, ultimately, the existence or non-existence of divinity can not be proven one way or the other (and, the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence), so this is a question which is ultimately unanswerable and unknowable.  This is different from atheists, who believe there is no god at all.
22100
I know there is a God. I didn't arrive at this conclusion by my intellect, for human intelligence is limited. Give up on trying to figure everything out, for common sense itself should tell you that you can't know or understand everything. This is not a matter of the head, but of the heart. Ask yourself this: "If God is the truth, do I really want to know the truth?" Our sinfulness makes us afraid of a holy and righteous God who we feel must demand an accounting of us His creatures. Atheists say they don't believe in God, but I don't believe in atheists. If they don't believe in God, then who are they so mad at? They claim wisdom and knowledge and call believers simple, but I see atheists as being extremely smallminded and limited. Did atoms and microbes not exist until some human came along who was smart enough to detect them? How small these people's reality must be! How futile and pointless their existence! I commend you for at least being openminded enough to ask? How foolish it is to think that one's ignorance is evidence! Thanks for not being that way, wisdom is not beyond the grasp of one such as yourself. There is a God; He is beyond human comprehension; He is absolutely holy, righteous, and frightfuly just. His awesome majesty and power is terrifying and he is completely unapproachable by vile, prideful humans. Remember I said that it is our innate sense of this reality that drives some to deny His existense out of fear of the truth. They can't face themselves and their guilt, and they can't face a righteously angry, holy, and just God whom they rightly think will demand retribution of them. What they don't understand is that this same God is also infinitely loving, kind, gracious and merciful, and that He paid the penalty for their sins and removed their guilt which was keeping them from Him. How? He gave us His only begotten Son Jesus Christ who took our sins and guilt upon his holy and innocent self and was put to death so that we may go free. Believe this, make claim to it as a FREE GIFT from God, confess it to Him and to others, then walk in peace from now on with Him, always trusting Jesus' sacrifice as your justification in God's eyes, not your own merit. Then keep on learning more of Him and growing spiritually.><>Sir Brian