Doesn't Atheism Require More Faith Than the Belief in God?

Question

After all, the belief in God is based on the fact that we exist. That intelligence exists and that life exists. That things appear to have been designed here on earth as well as in the Universe. I mean, there is plenty of evidence around us to argue in favor of the possible existence of a God...


Now what exactly is it that Atheism is based on? The fact that you haven't met God in person? The theory of Evolution?

Science itself does not disprove or make the possibility of a Creator unlikely. In fact, when you truly study science, you will see how amazing the blueprint of life is; how elegant the Laws of Physics are etc.

What can possibly be more compelling an argument than your own miraculous existence?

Soulful,

I can't prove anything just like you can't prove anything. All I did was list the most compelling arguments in favor of a Higher Power.

I'm asking, what arguments do you have that are MORE compelling than mine in favor of no Higher Power?

Godless,

There is no logical reason why a Santa Claus would exist. There is logical and compelling reasons why a Creator might exist, and I listed some examples.

Mad Shillelagh,

Fair enough answer, but if you admit that you don't know, then why are you an Atheist? You should be an Agnostic. Atheist rule out any possibility of a God. Agnostics say that mankind can not know. There is a difference. I'm actually an Agnostic.

Answer 1

I do not believe in God, because I believe that men wrote the bible and throughout the ages the bible has been translated 100's of times. The messages are not clear and the language is still so hard to understand that the same passage is understood many different ways by many different people. Why are there 100's of religions and they all claim to have only one GOD? I understand that people make mistakes but I have a hard time believing that men of the "cloth" are truly in communication the GOD yet rape little boys and girls. I believe that the Vatican and other church boards are simply high class boards...its all politics and money. Science is not perfect but I am clear as to what my purpose is for. And that is to be a good person whom works hard to play hard. Bad things will happen to me, not because I deserve it, but because that is a part of life. The people who are religious have every right to be so and if that is what makes them happy then I am happy for them. Why can't religious people feel the same way. I am happy so let me be and be happy for me. In the end whatever happens happens.

Answer 2

To find out what atheism is "based on", it's best to ask an individual atheist and take it on a case by case basis. Atheists have become atheists for varying reasons, just as theists have become theists for varying reasons.

What you're essentially claiming is that the belief in God rests upon the assumption that "a big invisible man did it!" is the only explanation for everything we see around us. I say, hogwash.

We don't have a "sun god" or a "rain god" anymore, because we science now has a much better explanation of how the weather works. So why should we be surprise that in the 21st century, we have a much better explanation as to how things in the universe arose (cosmology), how life began (abiogenesis) and how it's developed (evolution)? And who created this "God" character? Surely, such a complex thing couldn't have come about on its own. If you say "God always existed", then why can't I say the universe and the laws of physics always existed?

If people want to believe in God because of faith or because you personally feel it's tied in with their own moral views, I say fine. There are plenty of scientists who believe in God but don't support the creationism (which isn't a science, but rather a theocratical political movement). But to say "you own existence is a compelling argument for God" is ridiculous. It's no more compelling than saying we were created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster or were grown from a magic tree that disappeared.

Personally, I am an atheist because I simply feel no need for deity in my life. I feel that when you introduce deity into the picture, you don't get any real new answers. You only end up complicating things further. I learn much more about people, the world, and life itself when I don't include invisible creatures.

Answer 3

Someone made the point that existence is proof of existence, not God, and I concur. There are people who believe in numerous gods, for that matter, and based on what you've laid out, why couldn't that be true?

As an atheist, I freely admit I don't have all the answers, as opposed to pledging lifelong allegience to a god or a host of gods I have no way of knowing are real. My faith is in this: I am a little speck on this planet who can live and influence other specs in my environment. My fellow specks are often as confused as I am and going through the same hardships, and I try to do right by them and by myself, which is really all I can do. The rest is out of my control.

I'll amend: I define myself as an atheist rather than an agnostic for this reason - even if there is a being of greater experience, intelligence, wisdom, etc. than man, I am not disposed toward worship (that takes the use of my own judgement out of my hands, so far as I can see) and therefore, whatever respect I may have for it, I would not consider such a being a god. That said, a god is a god because it mysterious, unseen and unexplained - hence the element of faith. The proof of a god's existence would in essence strip it of its place as a god.

Answer 4

No, it doesn't. Because Atheists have facts on their side. You have a 2000 year old book written by sheepherders during a time when mankind still believed the earth was flat where a man is born the son of a god by immaculate conception, water turns into wine, a man walks on water, a snake talks, a stick turns into a snake, a sea parts, and a man rises from the dead after three days, a bush talks, mankind was created from dirt, woman was created from a man’s rib, with a supposedly loving god that throws people into hell to be tortured for eternity if they didn’t do what he says during life, AND this book supports intolerance, and the promotion of prejudice and denial of the human rights of human beings like deriding homosexuality, and abortion, and the followers are EXTREMELY judgemental.

Not exactly a glowing resume hmm?

Answer 5

No, it takes no (blind) faith at all, nor leaps of logic.

Your argument assumes that all this can only exist if god made it.

We don't assume that.

There are explanations for most of what you mention that don't involve a creator.

There is no evidence for the existence of a god, or a bunch of gods, or anything else supernatural.

Atheism is based on that complete lack of evidence; if there's no evidence or reason to believe in something, than it's sensible to not believe in it. In fact, it's more sensible to not believe in things for which there's no evidence or reason that it is TO believe in things for which there's no evidence or reason.

It's true that science doesn't disprove the existence of god, what it does is explain what is, and it does so without resorting to the non-explanation "god did it."

Answer 6

There are significant logical fallacies in your statements.

Tthere is nothing that leads to a logical conclusion that "god exists". Consider:

We exist, therefore:

1. god exists
2. Aliens from another planet came here and made us
3. The Council of Gods voted and created everything here
4. Evolution

The only answer with any strong evidence behind it is number 4. The others are just made up with no evidence behind them whatsoever. In fact, there is NO evidence around us to argue in favor of the possible existence of god.

Consider the fact of evolution. Organisms begin simply, then evolve into more complex organisms over time (lots of time). To start with a complex organism (god) that created everything simply could not happen.

The biggest problem with belief in god, is that you are starting with a conclusion and then try to fit the evidence around you to support your conclusion. Unfortunately for you, the evidence around you supports the conclusion that there is no god. Science makes religion irrelevant. It takes away our need to attribute events we don't understand to god (the "god of the gaps"). The more we learn, the more the existence of any god that man has ever believed in becomes extremely unlikely.

And no, Atheism requires no faith at all. It only requires the ability to see things as they really are, and clear the cobwebs of 14th century religious belief from your mind.

Answer 7

There is NO scientific theory against the existance of God. Atheism is all based on opinion. On the other hand there are several scientific theories and Philosophical arguments that attemp to prove the existance of God.

ei. Anything that is created must have a creator. The niverse didn't used to exist. it exists now. It had to be created by something containing more energy than the entire universe. All of these are scientific facts as we currently know then.

Answer 8

No.

First, belief in God is NOT "based on the fact that we exist." Rather, people have tried to explain existence in terms of the idea of "God," which is mostly a projection of the human idea of a "Father" onto the cosmos.

Second, atheism is simply the denial of this antecedently absurd assertion. If I insist that the room is full of invisible leprechauns, and you insist that it's not, your position is only "based" on recognition of the ridiculousness of mine. You don't need to go out of your way to "prove" that there are no leprechauns.

Third, to imply that atheism is based on the theory of evolution is simply absurd. Evolutionary biologists are, for the most part, totally unconcerned with religion. They certainly aren't out to debunk it. It's organized religion that has created the controversy, because its authority depends on refuting evidence that appears to contradict its dogma. "Science itself does not disprove or make the possibility of a Creator unlikely," as you've said, and I agree with that! "God" simply does not present a valid problem for science.

Answer 9

~~~daddy,,,, FYI - Atheism "is based on" the understanding that a Supreme Being neither exists or is responsible for the creation of ALL things, ie; The Universe. Faith in the Religious Context has nothing to do with this Belief System any more than a christian "HAS FAITH" in the non-existence of allah. One has faith in "something" rather than faith in "nothing".

Answer 10

Well, it's a little hard to believe in God when he, if he existed, obviously put a lot of time and effort intot speaking to us and making a big show that he was around.

He smote those who upset him, spoke to people to have them do his bidding, for crying out loud...he made the plagues in Egypt to teach them all a lesson, and he made gosh darn sure they knew he was behind it.

Now he's silent, and makes no sign of his existence?

That makes me think two things, logically. One, he does not and never did exist. And two, if he does...he must have gotten bored of us and moved on to something more interesting.