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Permalink Reply by Adrian Montoya on February 1, 2011 at 6:04pm

At the office a couple years ago in the breakroom. I sat at the table with some co-workers at the tail end of a conversation. They were talking about Muslim extremists and one of them said something like "As crazy as those people are at least they believe in something, Atheists can't even say that". I was shocked but I raised my hand and calmly said "Atheist, right here.". He just looked at me like I had too many holes in my head, then he got up and walked away... Awkward... I guess I was maybe expecting the chance to debate, defend, or otherwise discuss...

Anyway, his criticism was obviously flawed in that it assumes that not believing in a god means believing in nothing. Of course I have my beliefs they are just based on different books... The kind you find in the non-fiction section. Still, valid or not I think it's a criticism many flat earthers have and it did make me think... It made me think less of that co-worker but it did make me think.

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Permalink Reply by Reg The Fronkey Farmer on February 1, 2011 at 6:45pm

Yes I heard a similar thing – “at least they have a belief”. Theists have this concept that having Faith is somehow a noble or laudable trait to have. It is just some kind of confirmation bias they have acquired. But this pride in the value of Faith makes many of them so arrogant. This is another of their delusions and another reason I critizise them. I would critizise Atheists too if I found them as obnoxious in their opinions – but I seldom meet such arrogance from Atheists. We reach a consensus with our knowledge and it is always open to critizism but we do not claim to know a one and only Truth.

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Permalink Reply by Anathema6205 on February 1, 2011 at 7:45pm

This is exactly why I like atheism; because it is grounded in logic in it's 'belief.'
You can defend it with empirical evidence and pure logic.
Not many other belief systems share this quality.

I think everything that one believes in should hold up to any kind of scrutiny and STILL make sense.
It's hard to tear apart atheism; it's easy as pie to tear apart Christianity.

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Permalink Reply by T A A on February 2, 2011 at 1:59am

I'm careful about using belief and logic in the same sentence... they are fundamentally antithetical. When it comes down to evidence and scientific experiments, it's not a matter of belief, I trust (sometimes it's not the case) that the evidence and/or results were obtained honestly, without conflict of interest or bias on the part of the investigator.

 

I only use the word belief for opinion content of issues that are plausible but undecided.

 

Tearing apart Christianity is only a success in your own mind of perceptions. In the real world, one does not tear apart Christianity. Christianity finds our opinion of them quite irrelevant, except in the war for public spaces. Christianity lives on and thrives, if not in your village, then in someone else's. The best we can do is push against them, and cause them to lose ground.

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Permalink Reply by Bryan B on February 1, 2011 at 8:57pm

Don't forget everyone atheism isn't open to criticism but it can't be defended either. Atheism isn't based on anything; it's a belief that just isn't there.  Some people have said they like atheism because it’s based on reason, science and logic and so on but that's not true; theists just haven't live up to their burden of proof. Logic and science have proved this but science and reason is not the source of our unbelief but our skepticism, curiosity and resistance to suggestion is.  Most of  us are anti-religion but that's not atheism either.

Also, saying science is faulty is a red herring in this case, even if science was totally bogus who cares? Atheism itself is still not open to criticism.

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Permalink Reply by T A A on February 2, 2011 at 2:30am

Atheism is not a belief. Atheists don't rely on beliefs to construct their world vision, well at least not the ones I respect. Atheism cannot be criticised anymore than we 'criticise' god, neither exists.

However atheists can be criticised, there is plenty of bad science and un-learned self proclaimed atheists who say just as many lies as theists (albeit not too many, or so I wish). Hopefully our general scepticism keeps tabs on such folks.

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