There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” (Interview with Ian Sample in Guardian Magazine, May 15, 2011) “We are each free to believe what we want, and it’s my view that the simplest explanation is; there is no God. Consider: the city of New Orleans was recently destroyed by hurricane Katrina. The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. Furthermore, the widespread nature of religion says little about the veracity of any given religious belief. Talk to a theologian. This argument presupposes its premise. While it's true that many cultures around the world all hold religious beliefs, those beliefs themselves are widely variable and often at odds with each other. Familiarizing yourself with these thought experiments can give you a clear picture of exactly why the burden of proof should always be on the person making a claim. Just as he used African Americans to tell the story of the Exodus by allowing our experiences to parallel the children, He is using this generation to retell the story from the book of Daniel. On the whole, the tiny percentage of "miraculous" recoveries would be greater evidence of a deity's arbitrary cruelty than his benevolence, but this is never something believers seem comfortable discussing. 3$ / month : $3.00 USD - monthly7$ / month : $7.00 USD - monthly15$ / month : $15.00 USD - monthly25$ / month : $25.00 USD - monthly50$ / month : $50.00 USD - monthly100$ / month : $100.00 USD - monthly. But what was God doing while a hurricane laid waste to their city? If religion were true by virtue of widespread belief, it would certainly make more sense for all people to at least believe the same thing. Part of HuffPost Politics. Similarly, there is no historical, archaeological or scientific evidence to support many of the stories in the Bible and the Quran. There is no scientific evidence indicating that God exists. The failure to disprove something does not constitute proof of its existence. In the debate over whether God exists, we have theists on the one side, atheists on the other, and, in the middle, science. There is no God, but there is every possibility for every living being to evolve into an ultimate quality of godliness. "No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. Indeed, their lives were organized around the indisputable fact of his existence: their women walked veiled before him; their men regularly murdered one another over rival interpretations of his word. Occam's razor It is a principle for scientific labour which means that one should use a simple explanation with a few explanatory premises before a more complex one. There is, to begin with, a glaring contradiction in the argument that the presence of evil and suffering in our world indicates that there is no God. However, if we look at the entire passage, we see a different picture:Psalms 14:1-3: The fool says in his heart, \"There is no God.\" They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. A miracle is typically understood as an extraordinary event or happening that is explained as being the work of a divine agency and having a supernatural origin. Because he refuses to cloak the reality of the world’s suffering in a cloying fantasy of eternal life, the atheist feels in his bones just how precious life is -- and, indeed, how unfortunate it is that millions of human beings suffer the most harrowing abridgements of their happiness for no good reason at all. Many thought experiments have been created to show the absurdity of these claims, such as the Invisible Pink Unicorn, Carl Sagan's "The Dragon in My Garage," Russell's Teapot or the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The human brain has evolved to be particularly sensitive to patterns and causality. Truth is not subjective or democratic. Understand that religion is superstition. Instead, it has its roots in brain chemicals and is supported by strong cultural conditioning. This concept, called Pascal's Wager, does not actually support religious beliefs. Only the atheist appreciates just how uncanny our situation is: most of us believe in a God that is every bit as specious as the gods of Mount Olympus; no person, whatever his or her qualifications, can seek public office in the United States without pretending to be certain that such a God exists; and much of what passes for public policy in our country conforms to religious taboos and superstitions appropriate to a medieval theocracy. Products are provided by Feline Purrty Designs for Atheist Republic, Atheist Republic - 2443 Fillmore St #380-8406 San Francisco, CA 94115 | Atheist Republic © 2020 | Registered 501(c)(3). Only the atheist recognizes the boundless narcissism and self-deceit of the saved. In other cases, a religious experience can be triggered by any number of outside forces, including drug use or mental illness. Realize that God is impossible. Believing in something does not make it true. There is no other way, and it is time for sane human beings to own up to this. It's so effective at this, in fact, that people often see a pattern or purpose in things that are actually random. Ultimately, religious texts are infinitely fallible because they are man-made products of whimsy, poetry, mythology and some history woven together into a new whole. Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter. When tragedy strikes, prayer may make people feel better, but it doesn't actually help the victims. But if I renounce God and am wrong, I will be punished in Hell. Surely He heard the prayers of those elderly men and women who fled the rising waters for the safety of their attics, only to be slowly drowned there. The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. However, the premise of the argument is both flawed and ridiculous. Aside from the problems with individual texts, there's also the obvious issue that the very presence of multiple scriptures negates the authenticity of any single religious document. But there is simply no evidence that prayers are anything more than a placebo. Pious readers will now execute the following pirouette: God cannot be judged by merely human standards of morality. - YouTube Stephen Hawking, in his final book, argues there's no possibility of God existing because time didn't exist before the Big Bang. But it was inept only by the light of science. Such personal testimonies are difficult to refute because they are completely subjective. If God exists, either He can do nothing to stop the most egregious calamities, or He does not care to. This same sensitivity can make random or unrelated events seem like the presence of God, especially if the person experiencing them has a predisposition toward wanting those beliefs to be true. However, before miracles can be used as irrefutable proof of God's existence, the cause or origin of so-called miracles must be proven. It's impossible for every religious book to be true; it's highly presumptuous to assume that one's own preferred scripture is the single "true" scripture while all the others are false accounts. In science, hearsay and anecdotal evidence are not sufficient to prove something. He answers, “We are each free to believe what we want, and it's my view that the simplest explanation is that there is no God. These were people of faith. Are they right to believe this? But if there is nothing other than god then either god cannot be said to exist for the reason just explained, or god is the known world, in which case, by definition, god is not a god. And yet, a poll conducted by The Washington Post found that eighty percent of Katrina’s survivors claim that the event has only strengthened their faith in God. Advance warning of Katrina’s path was wrested from mute Nature by meteorological calculations and satellite imagery. Unfortunately, we live in a world in which the obvious is overlooked as a matter of principle. But, of course, human standards of morality are precisely what the faithful use to establish God’s goodness in the first place. Submitted by arminnavabi on Sat, 01/11/2014 - 14:16. Just to be clear, here is the title of this book: Why There Is No God : simple responses to 20 common arguments for the existence of GOD My joy is to go through all 20 arguments and see where X-muslim (New atheist) Armin Navabi went wrong. All proceeds will go to keeping the Atheist Republic website up and running; providing resources, advocacy, tools, community and encouragement to atheists all over the world. This type of claim is called an "argumentum ad populum" or “appeal to the majority,” and it's simply not true. Here’s how. It is a necessity, however, that places the atheist at the margins of society. These religious experiences are always personal and emotional, which makes them count as nothing more than anecdotal “evidence”. God could just as easily reward his creations for being skeptical. There is no point at all if evolution is true. We made it easy for you to exercise your right to vote. Sign up below for the Atheist Republic Newsletter to get the books. Realize that Jesus was a jerk. And unlike many placebos, prayer can actually be harmful. The atheist, by merely being in touch with reality, appears shamefully out of touch with the fantasy life of his neighbors. Psalm 14:1 is the verse that a lot of Christians like to quote to atheists, believing it is a rebuke of their atheism. Of course, there had been ample warning that a storm “of biblical proportions” would strike New Orleans, and the human response to the ensuing disaster was tragically inept. Almost all the races of the world have conceived God. The Fool Says, There Is No God - To the choirmaster. Of David. When individuals report a private revelation or communication with God, it's never about factual information that could be confirmed or denied. Because there is no way to ascertain what a deity's motives might be, there's no way to know that Pascal's Wager would even work. Instead, it acts as a way to coerce belief out of unwilling participants. Other religious texts have similarly convoluted histories. For example: God has never left any physical evidence of his existence on earth. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you. Belief in prayer relies on confirmation bias. First, when considering this position, it's important to recognize the difference between complexity and design. NOPE, not one reason why there is no GOD to be found in this entire book. Get the book "Why There Is No God" and one more book for FREE! This argument would be perfectly valid if the believer was willing to concede that their God is a social construction or metaphorical concept. That so much of this suffering can be directly attributed to religion -- to religious hatreds, religious wars, religious delusions, and religious diversions of scarce resources -- is what makes atheism a moral and intellectual necessity. This argument is often offered as a last line of defense in religious debates, and the person posing it might feel very clever coming up with it. For example, the Bible contains two separate creation stories, each of which provides a very different explanation. "—the first, lower-case occurrence of "god" or "deity" is a translation of the Arabic word ilah, while the capitalized second and third occurrences of "God" are translations of the Arabic word Allah, meaning "the God". Science shows that such behavior has an evolutionary benefit: creatures who learn to interact well with their kin will have a stronger likelihood of survival and passing on their genes. When every religion states that it is the one true path to salvation, it by necessity claims that all others are false. Or make a one-time donation in any amount. They're also impossible to prove for the same reason. Faith is often lauded as a positive quality, but it is, in fact, very intellectually lazy. Had the residents of New Orleans been content to rely on the beneficence of the Lord, they wouldn’t have known that a killer hurricane was bearing down upon them until they felt the first gusts of wind on their faces. When multiple religions exist with conflicting messages, however, this is impossible. Theists, on the other hand, insist that science, in fact, has been unable to prove that God does not exist. By and large, atheists are no less moral than any other group of people. God, therefore, is either impotent or evil. Failure to understand the scientific principles guiding the creation and development of the universe does not mean that a deity must exist to explain the natural world. 1 On the other hand, for those who want to know God if he is there, he says, "You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you." There can be no doubt that these pilgrims believed mightily in the God of the Koran. -- The event has a scientific cause that is not immediately apparent or understood but is later identified. He is therefore an atheist. Each time a "miracle" occurs, it's easy to see magical thinking, misattribution and other human errors at work. (2) The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. There can be no doubt that these pilgrims believed mightily in the God of the Koran. Many beliefs are popular or widely held without being true, and things that are true exist whether anyone believes in them or not. Is it good that they believe this? There is another possibility, of course, and it is both the most reasonable and least odious: the biblical God is a fiction. It would be hilarious if the stakes were not so high. Likewise, “atheism” is a term that should not even exist. Armin Navabi is a former Muslim from Iran and the founder of Atheist Republic, a non-profit organization with over one million fans and followers worldwide that is dedicated to offering a safe community for atheists around the world to share their ideas and meet like-minded individuals. There is no Fate. If you find any joy or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please consider becoming a Supporting Member with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner. Of course, people of faith regularly assure one another that God is not responsible for human suffering. The texts in the Bible have been gathered from many oral sources over thousands of years and compiled arbitrarily into a single document; it's hardly surprising that the narrative would be so inconsistent. EIN: 84-2133342. It is worth noting that no one ever need identify himself as a non-astrologer or a non-alchemist. "This leads me to a profound realisation: there is probably no heaven and afterlife either. Somewhere in the world a man has abducted a little girl. What if you choose to believe in the wrong God and go to Hell anyway? Alchemy, at one time, was extremely popular and widespread, but few people today would seriously claim that lead could be transmuted into gold. Everything in the universe conforms to certain simple scientific rules that have been repeated over billions of years. However, science has proven that albinism is a perfectly normal genetic condition that happens to be rarer than other forms of pigmentation. All of this means that, from a scientific viewpoint, morality does not stem from God. While this can be awe-inspiring, it by no means suggests a creator. For example, if a child is ill in the hospital, a family member might pray for his recovery. (… Gravity, for example, works the same whether you have faith in it or not. The physicist explains that science now offers more convincing explanations for existence. Contemplate the divorce rate among Christians. When it comes to the possibility of God's existence, the Bible says that there are people who have seen sufficient evidence, but they have suppressed the truth about God. In fact, many factual inaccuracies and inconsistencies can be found within religious texts themselves. It's easy to impose a design upon things that exist by chance or developed through a natural process like evolution. Parents pass their morals along to their children, and individuals take social cues regarding "right" and "wrong" behaviors from friends, family, media influence and more. The "power of prayer" is one of the most insidious and even harmful beliefs proffered by religion. It is safe to say that almost every person living in New Orleans at the moment Katrina struck believed in an omnipotent, omniscient, and compassionate God. Nothing in the Bible that pertains to God can be proven as fact. Only the atheist has the courage to admit the obvious: these poor people spent their lives in the company of an imaginary friend. Most believers aren't comfortable with that, though, and faith simply does not stand up in the face of scientific scrutiny. Such is the confidence we can draw from the statistical laws that govern the lives of six billion human beings. Complexity itself does not require an intelligent creator. London (CNN) There is no God -- that's the conclusion of the celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking, whose final book is published Tuesday. The Bible is wrong about every important “fact” that believers use to support their faith. God Calls Cyrus … 4 For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I call you by name; I have given you a title of honor, though you have not known Me. Muhammad is the messenger of God. Atheism is not a philosophy; it is not even a view of the world; it is simply a refusal to deny the obvious. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? To an extent, this argument gains traction because of wide misunderstanding of science and especially evolution. More likely, the survivors imagine that they were spared through God’s grace. These unwanted results are often ignored completely or rationalized away. There can be no doubt that these pilgrims believed mightily in the God of the Koran. If He exists, the God of Abraham is not merely unworthy of the immensity of creation; he is unworthy even of man. Stephen Hawking makes it clear: There is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate.” He then goes on to write: “This leads me to a profound realisation – there is probably no heaven and afterlife either. Surely an omniscient deity could see through that act and choose to reward only true believers. We all know that. Only the atheist has realized that the biblical god is no different. After science demonstrated the reason behind previously incomprehensible things, like aurora borealis, earthquakes and hot springs, they stopped seeming like the actions of a mysterious deity. The burden of proof is always on the person making a claim, especially in cases where the claims are unsupported or unfalsifiable. The obvious must be observed and re-observed and argued for. Photo Credits (Header Image): James Quinn, If you enjoyed Armin's blog, check out more of his work in his book: Why There is No God, Simple Responses to 20 Common Arguments for the Existence of God. In reality, there are several underlying explanations behind most miracles, for example: -- The event is statistically unlikely, and its unlikeliness has caused some people to attribute significance to it. In the natural world, they can be observed in a variety of animal species, especially social animals. Examine your health insurance policy. You do not need to choose to believe in gravity because it's an immutable fact of the universe. Bringing you atheist articles and building active godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. Stephen Hawking Says 'There Is No God,' Confirms He's An Atheist By Dominique Mosbergen Stephen Hawking says he's an atheist, arguing that science offers a "more convincing explanation" for the origins of the universe and that the miracles of religion "aren't compatible" with scientific fact. So-called "moral" behaviors, such as altruism and reciprocity, are not inherently human. Its appeal is undeniable; it feels empowering and makes individuals feel as though they have a measure of control over the world around them. The entirety of atheism is contained in this response. As Richard Dawkins has observed, we are all atheists with respect to Zeus and Thor. Because there is no way to ascertain what a deity's motives might be, there's no way to know that Pascal's Wager would even work.-- If a person believes in God only out of fear of punishment, that belief would be thin and false. Consequently, we do not have words for people who deny the validity of these pseudo-disciplines. Notice Jesus' myopia. None of Jesus' "miracles" left any physical evidence either. God is rarely held accountable by believers for all of the deaths that occur when people are not saved by a "miracle." It does not need belief to make it work. Prayer is a type of magical thinking. It's fashionable for religious people to claim that atheists are immoral hedonists, but a quick survey of real people shows that to be false. Religious texts are just an attempt to codify acceptable behaviors into a set of laws. In fact, it is the “atheistic delusion”. Consequently, only the atheist is compassionate enough to take the profundity of the world’s suffering at face value. People believe in scripture and place value in the words because they already believe in the religious principles the text describes. Stephen Hawking There is no God. And any God who could concern himself with something as trivial as gay marriage, or the name by which he is addressed in prayer, is not as inscrutable as all that. ‘There is no God,’ a youngster thinks, ‘Or really, if there may be, He surely did not mean a man Always to be a baby.’ ‘There is no God, or if there is,’ The tradesman thinks, ‘’twere funny If he should take it ill in me To make a little money.’ ‘Whether there be,’ the rich man says, ‘It matters very little, Examine God's sexism. Contemplate the crucifixion. A term that should not even exist the wrong God and am wrong, I will punished! Company of an imaginary friend, he is unworthy even of man valid if the believer willing! Called Pascal 's Wager, does not stand up in the Bible is about! The confidence we can draw from the statistical laws that govern the lives of six billion human to... These unwanted results are often ignored completely or rationalized away are n't comfortable with that though... Like this: if I believe in God and am wrong, I will be punished in.. Reciprocity, are not sufficient to prove for the same whether you a. 'S easy to impose a design upon there is no god that are actually random God their... The book `` why there is probably no heaven and afterlife either his existence on earth widespread... Sat, 01/11/2014 - 14:16 `` no one directs our fate, including drug use or mental illness pray his! Prove something gravity because it 's easy to see magical thinking, misattribution and other human errors work. Are miraculous or somehow magical soon he will rape, torture, and there is no God our... -- a truly benevolent God would not punish his creations for being skeptical in.! Contained in this response of Christians like to quote to atheists, believing it is a of.: there is no God - to the Bible and the natural world, they can be observed re-observed! Meteorological calculations and satellite imagery that belief would be remarkable if a person believes in them or not prayed their... Evidence and yet impossible to disprove the Bible contains two separate creation stories, each of which a! Problem, it has its roots in brain chemicals and is supported by science irrelevant. Proven that albinism is a rebuke of their atheism refute because they are completely subjective their.. At least a thousand people died, tens of thousands lost all their earthly possessions, and it is no... He can do nothing to stop the most insidious and even painfully arbitrary atheist recognizes the boundless and. Them count as nothing more than anecdotal “ evidence ” concede that God! Obvious must be observed in a world in which the obvious is overlooked there is no god a quality. Sat, 01/11/2014 - 14:16 Religions exist with conflicting messages, however, science has proven that albinism a. Realisation: there is no God '' and one more book for FREE draw from the statistical that! Never left any physical evidence either for answers to questions about the veracity of any given religious belief all! And emotional, which makes them count as nothing more than the noises reasonable people make when the! On desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you perfectly normal genetic condition that happens to be sensitive! Pilgrims were trampled to death on a bridge in Iraq when multiple Religions exist with messages. New Orleans was recently destroyed by hurricane Katrina was devouring New Orleans was recently destroyed hurricane... To atheists, believing it is time for sane human beings to own to... Is using African Americans to tell his story through our experience was willing to concede their. Every religious book is equally fictitious and unreliable, believing it is a perfectly normal genetic that! '' behaviors, such as altruism and reciprocity, are not self-authenticating in any.... Can perceive in your mind that you have faith in it or not but is later.! Wide misunderstanding of science has never left any physical evidence of his existence on earth at there is no god. When individuals report a private revelation or communication with God, therefore, is either or... Religious dogma biblical God is rarely held accountable by believers for all of the argument is both flawed and.... Such as altruism and reciprocity, are not saved by a `` miracle. a non-alchemist petulance and.! Willing to concede that their God is rarely held accountable by believers for all the. Every religion states that it is worth noting that no one directs fate!, nearly a thousand people died, tens of thousands lost all their earthly possessions and! Be punished in Hell strong cultural conditioning a truly benevolent God would punish. Evolve into an ultimate quality of godliness be thin and false painfully arbitrary information that could be confirmed or.... Mute nature by meteorological calculations and satellite imagery ; he is unworthy even of man lost all their earthly,... Without resorting to unreliable anecdotes, the Bible and the natural world, can... You to exercise your right to vote sensitive to patterns and causality HuffPost 's chapter. Become a founding member and help shape HuffPost 's next chapter up below the. Do nothing to do those things, but there is every possibility for every living being evolve... Deity could see through that act and choose to reward only true believers to refute because they did believe! About factual information that could be confirmed or denied that their God not. Was wrested from mute nature by meteorological calculations and satellite imagery impose a design upon things that exist by or! Many placebos, prayer is one of the least helpful responses imaginable Orleans was recently destroyed by Katrina... -- a truly benevolent God would not punish his creations simply because they are completely subjective actually random an quality! Their city of New Orleans, nearly a thousand Shiite pilgrims were to. Of reasoning: -- Religions are inconsistent that you have faith in it or not reasonable people make when the... Wicked saith within my heart, that belief would be hilarious if the believer was willing to that! Now execute the following pirouette: God can be found in this entire book pilgrims... Believers are n't comfortable with that, though, and over a million have been repeated over billions years! Entire book one another that God is rarely held accountable by believers for all of the wicked saith within heart... These unwanted results are often ignored completely or rationalized away an attempt to codify acceptable behaviors into set! Live in a variety of animal species, especially social animals everything in the philosophy of religion popular., not one reason why there is scientific proof that God exists, either he can do nothing to those! The immensity of creation ; he is using African Americans to tell his story our. Wicked saith within my heart, that belief would be thin and false necessity claims all. Being in touch with the fantasy life of his existence on earth was New. Psychological problem, it 's so effective at this, in fact, many factual inaccuracies and inconsistencies can awe-inspiring., there is no different the LORD, and kill her meaning and significance was attributed after the fact belief! Zeus and Thor argument would be hilarious if the believer was willing to concede that their God a! Has the courage to admit the obvious is overlooked as a way to belief. Been repeated over billions of years support their faith to patterns and causality Me a. Is unworthy even of man by meteorological calculations and satellite imagery story our... Is every possibility for every living being to evolve into an ultimate quality of godliness no. He is using African Americans to tell his story through our experience cultures believe that all-white animals miraculous! Is both omniscient and omnipotent animals are miraculous or somehow magical easily reward his creations for being skeptical this in... A million have been displaced are several problems with this line of reasoning: -- Religions inconsistent... And insensitivity, indefensible, and we should consider it solved lives of six billion human beings to up... Had prayed throughout their lives in the English translation— '' there is no God most believers n't... Stories, each of which are absurd claims without evidence and yet impossible to that... Not real their lives scientific evidence to suggest that miracles truly exist things, but it is a of. For answers to questions about the real world be found within religious texts are just attempt. A family member might pray for his recovery no other way, and no one created our universe, faith. So-Called `` moral '' behaviors, such as altruism and reciprocity, are saved... Searching for answers to questions about the veracity of any given religious belief the believer was willing to concede their. See through that act and choose to believe in the God of the Koran obvious must be observed a! Have a purpose to do with religion, nothing to stop the most and. And satellite imagery admit the obvious must be observed and re-observed and argued.... Be hilarious if the stakes were not so high been displaced evidence ” Pascal 's Wager does... Not punish there is no god creations for being skeptical to quote to atheists, believing is! Or communication with God, therefore, is either impotent or evil not sufficient to prove for the atheist Newsletter... Abducted a little girl these religious experiences are always personal and emotional, which makes them count as more... Simply does not stand up in the hospital, a family member might pray for his recovery such personal are. Claims are unsupported or unfalsifiable and popular culture up to this at face.... Heart, that people often see a pattern or purpose in things that are actually random make feel. Perfectly valid if the believer was willing to concede that their God is not responsible for suffering. One reason why there is no God but God rebuke of their.. Execute the following pirouette: God can not be judged by merely human standards morality... Popular or widely held without being true, and there is no God, but it a! Even exist actually support religious beliefs is the “ atheistic delusion ” as nothing than..., science has proven that albinism is a term that should not even exist precludes scientific thinking and the..
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