Concerning reasons to believe - part 1.

There are plenty of people out there who think that they have irrefutably solid arguments for the existence of a god. Usually, if you live in the U.S. as I do, they are arguing for the existence of the god of the Christian religion. This god gets the “g” capitalized so that God becomes a proper name. And for some reason, Christians seem to think that if they “prove” a god exists, the only one that could mean is their god. The big G god. I'm not sold on that particular notion, but then, I'm am an atheist, so there you go.

Here are some arguments borrowed from P.Z. Meyer's site from a letter he received listing 50 proofs for god. I am going to present a few at a time just for fun.

"Atheism is a faith in that which has not been proved. The disbelievers have not witnessed anything to not believe in, whereas the believers believe because they have witnessed. There is no 'good news' to preach in atheism."

Actually, the disbelievers have not witnessed anything that would compel them to believe, so they do not. Had I witnessed something that truly proved there was a god, I would be silly to continue to disbelieve, now wouldn't I? Also, I know many people who believe in a god that have not witnessed anything that could be considered godish in nature, yet still believe because of childhood training, fear, rigidity, or just a desire to think there is something out there greater than themselves that is in charge of all of this. There may be other reasons as well. And lastly, I see lots of 'good news' in science, living, love, play, work and other human endeavors.

"How much of the atheist's faith relies on anger with God as opposed to genuine disbelief in God?"

"Why do many atheists shake their fists & spend so much time ranting & raving about something they don't believe in? If they are no more than a fizzled out battery at the end of the day, then why don't they spend their lives partying, or getting a hobby?! Why don't they leave this 'God nonsense' alone?"

Two for the price of one. Atheism is not a faith. It is a rejection of a belief. I know people who have been angry with god. They are called Christians, Jews, Muslims, and many other names, but not atheist. See, an atheist does not believe in a god, and so, wastes little time being angry with it. And most all of the atheists I have met and read over the years have all held a genuine lack of belief in gods.


As to fist shaking, ranting and raving, this is usually aimed at believers who feel that laws based on their version of god (the Christian one as a rule) and it's rules as they have been interpreted from some religious book, should be applied to everyones lives, and not just their own. Also, you will find that there is much less of the fist shaking, ranting and raving than just simple, truthful and un-gilded statements that put our ideas and feeling about gods in words that are not sufficiently PC or reverential for the believer. See I don't believe in gods, I don't worship them, I don't revere them, and I don't worry about saying that this god is evil, or that one a tyrant, he is vain, and she is not so pretty as she believes. They don't exist. But as long as people out there believe that they can make me live by laws that have only a religious basis, or accept the teaching of religious nonsense as scientific fact, then there will be times when I shake a fist, rant and rave a little. But I will try to be calm and not so ranty first. If they would just keep their religiousness to themselves, I could ignore this whole god nonsense.

And about that “fizzled out battery at the end of the day”, line...

It's all about the journey for me, I have more than one hobby, and living is the party.