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‘The Atheist Challenge’

Posted on June 7th, 2012 by Staks

The Christian blog, “The BitterSweet End” has posted an atheist challenge of ten questions. Okay, I’ll bite. Thanks to VJack over at Atheist Revolution for making me aware of this.

1. If there is NO God, then their is no Measurement or Standard for morality? Then what will define morality?

Well, I think you are wrong to say that there cannot be a moral standard without a deity. In fact, I see it the exact opposite way; with a God, there can be no moral standard since morality would become God’s whim and anything would be permissible as long as you believe that your God commanded it. Morality is about our sense of empathy and compassion. The measurement of a moral proposition is grounded in human well-being (both societal and individual). For more on this, see my Atheism 101 article: Is there moral grounding without God?

2. If there is NO God, then there is NO meaning or purpose to Life; So not everything meaningless since there is no God? So what will the purpose of living? Without God, does the Atheist have purpose?

Again, I think you are projecting your opinion into the question. I don’t think you are asking the question honestly. But I want to answer it anyway. Why bother going to see a movie if you know that the movie will be over in two hours? What is the purpose in going? Life is like a movie. The purpose comes in experiencing it, not in dwelling on the fact that it will end. Also, by pretending that the movie will never end and sitting there watching a blank screen after the two hours are up, you are missing out on other movies and wasting what little time you have to live life. For more on this, see my Atheism 101 article: The Purpose of Life.

3. Are you an advocate of New Atheism and Darwinism? If so then the most extreme and logical form of Darwinism is Eugenics, Survival of the fittest. Would you support this? Why or Why Not?

Again, you are projection your opinion into the question and this is dishonest. If you genuinely care about the answer, then you should ask the question honestly. “New Atheism” isn’t new. I have been a vocal atheist long before the media started labeling people “New Atheists.” This label is simply a way to discount atheist criticisms of religion by implying that it is just a fad.

“Darwinism” is a similar type label invented by Christians to try to equate science with religion. Evolution is not a faith based belief; it is a science based observation of the facts. Evolutions isn’t about the survival of the fittest, it is about the survival of the best able to adapt. It isn’t a prescription, it is a description.

Are you a Newtonist? Because if you believe in gravity, then you most realize that the most extreme and logical form of Newtonism is throwing babies out a window, right? Obviously, your argument is invalid. Just because something is a certain way doesn’t mean that it ought to be a certain way. Just because people do evolve doesn’t mean that we have to kill those who we believe to be inferior.

Throwing eugenics into the conversation is simply an attempt to avoid dealing with reality. It amounts to an ad hominem attack.

4. If we are ancesoters/descentdents of Apes, then why are there no transitional fossils or species to support this theory?

The fact is that we aren’t descendants of apes, we ARE apes! All fossils are transitional fossils. Now here is a question for you. If Christianity came from Judaism, why are there still Jews? Where are the transitional deities?

5. Do you believe in Human Nature? It is Human Nature to believe in God, if so, why do you go against human nature and not believe in God?

Again, you are injecting your opinions into the question. Belief in deities is not human nature. Human nature is trying to make sense of the world. When people were ignorant sheep herders, deities were the best explanation people could come up with to explain the world around them. Now we have science and it worlds much better. We know now that gods don’t cause droughts because someone in the village offended them. Curiosity and learning are also human nature, so why do you go against human nature by refusing to learn about the world around you?

6. Can Nothing come from Something? Doesn’t that violate The First Law of Thermodynamics?

As Dr. Lawrence Krauss explains in his book, “A Universe From Nothing,” nothing is the only thing that something can come from. The First Law of Thermodynamics deals with closed systems. We have no evidence that the Universe is or was a closed system. In fact, the evidence provided by Dr. Krauss suggests that the Universe is not a closed system since quantum particles are created out of nothing all the time. But while we are on the subject, doesn’t God violate the First Law of Thermodynamics?

7. It seems that a society of Atheist are immoral and self-destructing. Why would anyone want a Godless Society, just look at our examples, North Korea, Maoist China, Stalin, & Pot Pol?

First, you are mixing your countries with your dictators. In North Korea, they worship a God and his name is Kim Jong Un. The other nations and dictators you named are similar. There is also the issue that atheism isn’t a doctrine of belief. It is simply the lack of a belief in deities. So even if those dictators were atheists, it doesn’t reflect on me at all. On the other hand, Hitler was a Catholic and it goes without saying that Joseph Kony is a Christian. So where does that leave you? I should also point out that there are other atheistic nations in the world like Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden which all rank much higher than America on the quality of life markers. I’m with them. 😉

8. If you were to die, and you were before God. And he was getting ready to pass judgement on you, What would be your reaction or thoughts? What plea would you give him so he does not judge you harshly?

Well, that is a pretty far-fetched hypothetical. Let me ask you the same question. What if you were to die and were before Allah and he was getting ready to pass judgment on you? For me, I wouldn’t plead with any deities (mainly because it is doubtful any deities actually exist in reality). If it is the God of the Bible, then I would fight against such evil tyranny with my last undead breath. Any deity who demands worship and threatens those who refuse with eternal torture doesn’t deserve worship. You might as well ask if Hitler were God, how would you plead with him so he does not judge you harshly.

9. What would convince you atheism is wrong? And that Christianity is Right?

I don’t know, but I know who might know… your all-knowing God. If your God does exist, then he would know exactly what would convince me of his existence and if he wanted to convince me, he would have. He certainly wouldn’t need you to do his dirty work for him… unless he is a pretty impotent deity. Maybe your God is just an incompetent buffoon. One thing is certain and that is that if your God does exist, he knows how to convince me and hasn’t. So the fault of my atheism doesn’t lie with me, but with him.

10. Why are you an Atheist? Why do you NOT believe in God? Why do you reject God? (You can be as detailed as you want.)

The simple answer is that the God of the Bible is ridiculous. I grew up believing in such a deity, but after reading the Bible cover-to-cover, I realized just how silly the stories were and how petty and evil the character of God was. When I started learning about the world around me (i.e. science and history) it became clear that the Bible is a fictional book. Other deities just haven’t convinced me of their existence either, so I’m not just picking on Christianity. I was like you once, believing ancient stories were real no matter how ridiculous and nonsensical they might be. But somewhere in my heart of hearts and my brain of brains, I knew something was off. I had doubts. I was told that doubting was evil so I kept my doubts hidden from the world and even tried to fool myself into thinking that I was absolutely certain of my beliefs. But how can any of us really be certain of anything? You believe that humans are flawed right from the start, so how can you be certain of anything when you know you are flawed?