Why I am an atheist

Awakened at Gilead

Someone (a born-again exJW) on YouTube asked me why I was an atheist... I crafted a brief response... it follows:

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1. Religious reason: There is no proof for God outside of the bible. Once I dropped my belief in the Bible, the Judeo-Christian concept of god fell apart like a house of cards.

2. Scientific reason: I went to a natural history musem and learned about the earth's history. This confirmed my lack of belief in a god. Think about how long the earth has existed (4.5 billion years). Life's emergence (3 billion years ago), the pattern of life developing matches evolutionary theory; 5 mass destructions have caused the death and extinction of most of the species that have ever existed (i.e. ice ages; asteroids; massive volcanic activity, etc); so...

If there was a creator god, there would be many unanswered questions:

a. Why would he create life forms only to destroy almost all of them by hurling asteroids (or other disasters) at the earth?

b. Why do ancient life forms differ so much from modern ones if each species is specially created, instead of evolved?

c. Why would god wait 4.5 billion years to create humanity, and wait 3000 years to communicate with them (meanwhile, all sorts of other belief systems pop up), then communicate with them for about 1000 years (from Moses to Ezra), then be silent or 500 years, then communicate with humans for 100 years (birth of Jesus to John), then be silent again for 2000 years. Does that timeline make any sense?

d. Why do scientists claim that hominids have been around for about 600,000 years, yet the Bible says only 6,000? Who is wrong? Why do you answer?

e. If evolution is not true, why is neanderthal DNA different from homo sapiens, so that neanderthals are an extinct separate spcies? even their genome has been mapped: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/090212-neanderthal-genome.html?source=rss

f. My disbelief in god is not absolute. In oher words, I do not deny that a creator god may exist. However, if he/she/it does exist, why not make it clear? Why not carve a message on Mt. Rushmore? Why not have the rocks speak out and tell us? Why not have some sort of supernatural displays so that his existence is clear to all, and people of different religions will stop killing or hating one another?

g. If you say that a creator must exist, due to the existence of matter, then you have answered nothing, as you must explain how the creator came to exist. Ad infinitum.

These are my prinicipal reasons. Do they make sense? If you have valid answers for me, let me know. I am constantly learning more and more, but each new piece of knowledge generally pushes me farther away from belief in "god'.
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Comments?

Robert7

I agree with everything above, except that since we cannot disprove God, I'm Agnostic and not Atheist. Just terminology I guess :)

aSphereisnotaCircle

Your reasoning makes sense to me.

Particularly point C

Awakened at Gilead

Robert:

I don't say we can disprove god, which is why I am open. But we definitely cannot prove him. If new evidence for God pops up, or if he turns up (cuz he's definitely MIA) I will be first in line to believe (and ask a few questions)

Sphere:

Point C is what sealed God's coffin IMHO

Alpaca

Hi Lance,

I went through a similar epiphany of thought. Actually, I got so intrigued with the story of the earth and life on it that when I went back to school did my undergraduate degree in geology. Then went on to the masters... just graduated with a geology M.S. in Decemeber.

One of the recurring lessons of geology and paleontology is that no species is special. Humans have a tendency to think we are special, but we are not. Species appear and disappear in the geologic record. Some persist for a long time, while others are a "flash-in-the-pan." Some species develop, evolve, radiate and exploit all of the genetic potential they have. Others find their niches and there they remain for hundreds of millions of years.

I have my doubts about the long term prospects for humans, but that doesn't diminish my fascination with the "ultimate story" that the study of geology offers.

You are definitely on the right track by embracing the truth of what science has revealed to us.

All the best and ROCK ON!

Alex

BurnTheShips

Hello A&G

Several of your points do not engage reasons to not believe in God specifically*, but rather engage a particular idea of what God is (as generally believed in fundamentalist Christianity.)

*1, 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G

Actually, that is all of the points enumerated.

Cheers,

BTS

Awakened at Gilead

Burn,

This is because my inquisitor is a born-again and thus fundy Xian.

Do you have an alternate god-concept you would like to share?

However, I think 2G would address a deist's beliefs.

A@G

BurnTheShips

However, I think 2G would address a deist's beliefs.

Not necessarily. An uncaused cause would be an exception to the rule because it would be uncaused by definition. As far as we know, all existent matter and energy is caused, so to ask the question "what caused it" is logical, but to not ask the same of an uncaused thing is not special pleading as some assert. It is uncaused by definition and not part of the "set".

Referring to some of the other points, assuming an omnibelevolent/scient/potent cause, a being lacking these attributes could not know whether or not the world-as-it-is-and-has-been represents the best possible state of affairs.

BTS

megs

Lance,

As usual, you present logical arguments. Unless you suffer from cognitive dissonance (which most of us have at some point) one can't refute what you are saying. Sometimes I think it was easier believing in God, but it was blind-faith, it's not like God ever spoke to me, or showed me his presence... Those who say they've experienced God are, in my mind, projecting their desires as opposed to accepting their realities.

besty

c. Why would god wait 4.5 billion years to create humanity, and wait 3000 years to communicate with them (meanwhile, all sorts of other belief systems pop up), then communicate with them for about 1000 years (from Moses to Ezra), then be silent or 500 years, then communicate with humans for 100 years (birth of Jesus to John), then be silent again for 2000 years. Does that timeline make any sense

"Rev 8:3. And another angel. - Not the "voice of the Lord," mentioned in the preceding chapter, but the corporate body - the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, which Pastor Russell formed to finish his work. This verse shows that, though Pastor Russell has passed beyond the veil, he is still managing every feature of the Harvest work "The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is the greatest corporation in the world, because from the time of its organization until now the Lord has used it as His channel through which to make known the Glad Tidings."The Finished Mystery, 1917, - p. 144.

The WTS have been 'evidently' channeling God since 1879 - just a sidepoint.

All the above are excellent points to reason with a JW on.

Why I am an atheist

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