A question for atheists (its nothing bad)?

Question

I went on to a path of thinking why does an atheist not believe in g-d? And thats because there is no proof that he exists, and so it leads me to think what proof do you have that an atom exists? Have you actually seen one? How do you know it does exist? Is it because someone told you? What about evolution? Have you ever seen something evole? Explain why you would believe in a molecule so small that you can't see but you won't believe in a force that guides your life. (also keep in mind that we have genes which guide our life, so if you go by this arguement have you every seen these genes?)

But how do you know they exist?

Answer 1

Scientists don't "believe" in atoms, evolution, molecules, genes, or any other such invisible things. Those things are not objects of faith.

They're not things that anyone has to sing songs about in special buildings or burn incense about, or spin prayer wheels, or do chants about, to maintain their faith.

They are only hypothetical constructs, to be maintained as long as they seem to be the best explanations of natural phenomena, and only until they are replaced by other constructs that agree better with logic, experiments, and observations.

It's good that you're thinking about such things, but what you need even more is a basic education in the human achievements of the past 400 years, since the development of scientific method.

Answer 2

It is really a question about empirical data and a body of evidence. When talking science such as evolution or chemistry etc, an investigation is initiated into the question of why something is what it is or the way it is. Only empirical data is acceptable as an explanation and it must perforce be verifiable. While it is true that this approach has yet to explain everything, it does however create a growing picture of the way things really are. In the context of spirituality, there is no empirical data whatsoever. There are no facts, verifiable or otherwise that would lead one to the conclusion that a particular belief has any validity at all. All belief systems require 'Faith" for the simple reason that there is nothing to substantiate them. An easier way to view this is with a metaphor. Lets say religion and science both represent shirts. While it is true there are holes in the shirt of science, it is also true that they are being knitted shut every day with new information and technology and someday, probably soon, it will be a whole shirt. Religion, on the other hand, simply asks that you believe a shirt is there. If your intellectually cold, which will you choose to protect you?

Answer 3

Actually, I've seen dilutions of enzymes such that there may be zero, one, two or more molecules in each tube and you can tell how many by their activity. Single atoms can be detected by an atomic force microscope. I've done chemostat experiment and watched bacteria evolve. We know things are there because we can find them reproducibly even though we cannot see them directly.

Cite a reproducible technique which will demonstrate the "force that guides your life" you are claiming. You can't. You can detect the genes even if they are too small to see.

Answer 4

Neither an atheist nor an "theist" believes what they do because they have perfect proof. They do so because the have a preponderance of proof. And the intellects of both sides are always seeking to increase their knowledge of their belief, through testing of theories and examination of the conceptual roots. And to each his own regarding what constitutes "preponderance".

Granted, if there were a God, he'd sure make it easier for the atheist to believe he existed if he actively made his presence known through science-defying feats like he he did in the Old Testament: i.e. Manna from Heaven, A flying Ark of the Covenant, or a parting of the Red Sea in front of an entire population. Evolution, genetics, and atomic theory provide ample evidence of their existence, to the point that atheists (and in many cases, theists) believe them to exist, and do so through physical properties, not spiritual manifestation.

Answer 5

Because you can see it with an electron microscope. We can verify their existence with scientific scrutiny. A nuke works because atoms exists and behave in ways we can understand and predict, thus it is verifiable. Likewise with evolution; many experiments have been done that do in fact show evolution in process, bacteria evolves in response to new anti-biotics, fruit-flies evolve new traits in a matter of weeks if not days.

Everyone who has gone looking to verify the hydrogen atom has found it and can show how it is verifiable. God, on the other hand, cannot be directly, or even indirectly, proven as the Bible. I do not think that any copy of the bible read today can be claimed to be written (or dictated) by God. All Bibles are copied just as they have been for 2,000 years; by man (who is fallible). Unlike the atom, you cannot verify the authenticity of the Bible, or how it has changed in 2,000 years in man's care. Certainly it is proclaimed authentic by those to whom you write your checks and agree to vote as they say, but that proves only that Churches are the gatekeepers of your religious perceptions, and not you.

Answer 6

Have you ever seen gravity? Should we not believe in gravity because we can't see it.

Though evolution can't be observed through slow growing organisms, such as fish, trees, or humans; mutations can be observed in bacteria and viruses.

And yes we have seen genes.

Do you believe in atoms? If so, why? If not, why?

Your question assumes that an aethiest does believe in something that exists.

Answer 7

Of course, it's not because we can't prove God exists that it doesn't exist. But why do u think God exists, you??