Now that the pejorative title has attracted you perhaps because you think atheism is wrong from a religious perspective or maybe you’re an atheist expecting some religion-based diatribe on the evils of atheism, I’ll ask you to read on because this statement comes from neither perspective.
The first draft of this entry had an extensive first-person narrative of a recent event that seemed to be the catalyst for this entry. Suffice to say, I’ll record it at some point but I’ll summarize by saying it was an instance of aggressive panhandling for jesus. This event sparked an emotional response from me that I was unprepared for when being damned to hell by the panhandler when he asked if I was “saved.” Normally, I would have replied atheist. But in a flash of, perhaps, insight? It occurred to me that while being an atheist (one who does not believe in god) is completely valid, a notion of atheism is not the answer.
Here’s the reasoning behind that statement. Do you believe in the Tooth Fairy? How about the boogeyman? Unicorns? Compassionate Conservatism? (couldn’t resist, sorry) Dragons? The Great Pumpkin? Or, the piece de resistance, Santa Claus? Chances are, if you’re reading this, you don’t believe any of these myths, though they are pervasive in our societies and perfectly normal to really, deeply believe as children. At some point, it becomes clear to children that the wool is being pulled over their eyes and the belief stops. When children come to this conclusion, are they penalized for the discovery? To the children than ban together to form clubs of anti-Santa-ism? Are the anti-Santa-ites individually? Of course not, they’ve simply grown up and recognized the reality of the situation.
That’s because it is simply rational to not believe the myths when sufficient observable evidence appears to make a judgment. As humans, we work under this assumption in virtually every aspect of our lives except one, religion. To be fair, most people simply have no chance. They’re indoctrinated into a particular sect of a particular religion at birth and are so steeped in the myth and so consistently and constantly reminded of the validity of the myth it never occurs to question what’s happening until much later in life. In fact, this practice is brainwashing and it’s an abhorrent practice that is akin to child abuse, but that’s another entry.
Getting back to the thesis at hand, the notion that there is an “atheism” is like establishing the “anti-flat-earth society” – it doesn’t make sense. There is no national movement, there is no membership, there are no dues, and there is no hierarchy. I believe we would advance rational thought as a practice simply by treating religion like any other myth. The antidote for belief is rational thought made on the basis of observation, hypothesis, and testing.
The intent of this entry is not to convert people of myth, that’s ultimately up to them as individuals. This is more to convert people of thought to ditch the label atheism and simply revert to rational thought as the distinction between themselves and people of myths. After all, when there is a label it makes it easier to lump people into a category and spread false information about them. How many of you believe Hitler was an atheist after all? I bet many do because that’s what you were taught. He was a staunch Catholic and his secret police, the SS, had “god with us” as a patch sewn into their uniforms.
The punch line to this entry? Debunk any myth you like and believe what you like. But if you happen to fall into the side of the argument that says there is no god, you might think twice about saying you’re an atheist because it’s simply another “church” so to speak and will ultimately be treated that way. It’s fine to not believe, but it’s much more effective to be for something, like “rational thought” than against something, like gods and churches.
In closing this morning’s sermon, I leave you with a cartoon from the book of humor:
Cartoon Credit: Don Addis via Friendly Atheist
Label not, lest you be labeled.
We do have an anti flat earth society. It is called (deep, booming voice) “The Scientific Establishment”. Since they won’t touch theism it is up to atheists. And Grammer Nazis. I know those people are on our side- the evangelicals capitalize everything!
I dislike religions for their claim of moral fortitude. If it were true, we should already have World Peace since most of the world is religious. So religion is nothing more than a show.
George, whilst I expect most religions may feel that taking their path may help improve the morality of people (whatever that means) I think a lot of them don’t begin to claim that their followers are anything near perfect.
Some would say that a lot of religions shine a light on how imperfect morally we humans are and that we can just keep trying to do better (like catholicism with it confession and its presumption of original and recurring sin).
You have a point, I just dislike generalisation. In general.
I just get sick of having religion forced on to everyday at college. I thought people were supposed to have a choice and that God created man to have ‘free will’…
Kali, I have to agree. However, I’m not sure Atheists do themselves any favors by allowing themselves to be labeled and categorized to appear like just another belief….
ok, first off ill be pissed if im sent junk mail. 2nd off (on a much more serious note), as an atheist myself i do argue with theists. but, i also argued about the existence of santa when i was 5. im not saying this is an excuse, but i am the person to respond with anger when people start telling me im wrong. and i am never the one to start a debate unless insulted. but when i argued against the existance of santa. also, i simply did not call myself an anti-santa-ist merely because the belief is not widespread enough. for instance, i could also be called an adeist (im assuming someone as educated as yourself knows what that is, if not google it) or an anti-FSM-ist (FSM=flying spaghetti monster) but since deism is not as widespread (and FSMism is not believed anywhere as far as i know), i use the term atheist simply because it is easier than explaining my beliefs every time someone asks me about religion (since the majority of people are theists). so, the term “atheism” is basically an abbreviation for “i dont believe in god, i believe in evolution, i dont believe jesus was a messiah, and i believe in the big bang theory”. in short, atheism is just an easy word for “i dont believe in god”
Thanks for your comment Benjamin, atheist as short hand makes sense to me. But somehow, it still bothers me that it can become like a religion itself. In reality, it’s nothing more than using your own mind and common sense. Somehow, we’ve got to introduce a bit more of that in the world…
God is real. it’s not brainwash. you guys are brainwashing each other not to believe in anything. The Big Bang holds no scientific explanation, because the premise is that some form of energy in a cosmic bowl of soup had to exist in order for the Bang to bang. And the notion that human nature is the outcome of nothing but a series of random mutations is ludicrous. how could infinite randomness lead us, of all things, to the cognitive and emotional beings that we are, who like to ask complex questions about life, existence, and God? we could just as easily have ‘randomly’ evolved into mush suited to the environment. that probably would have been a lot easier considering that Earth is not dynamic and does not have a brain and does not have the comprehension that a fish needs fins to swim and needs to grow legs in order to walk on land. and at what point does the genetic structure of a creature change? whenever one of them makes the conscious decision that their species isn’t doing so hot and they need to do something about it? i am a proponent of theistic evolution. you get pissed off when you’re told that you’re wrong. well, the majority of the population of Earth (theists) get irritated by atheists saying that they’re wrong because of the atheist argument that faith is illogical. you can try and calculate life using mathematical formulas and the scientific method from breath to breath. but those are man’s creations. the mystery of the universe is over humanity’s head, not in it. and that’s the beauty of God, who is partially explained and does reveal Himself to you through everyday circumstances. take a load off and go with the flow and quit trying to explain everything with logic. because logic is based upon nothing but probabilities- predictions stemmed from observations by humans. no other animal has the capacity to do that on the scale we do. (ie: chimpanzees don’t build skyscrapers even though our genetic structure is about a 98% match). why? because we chose to be the creative species that we are and made ourselves evolve into this? God isn’t made up. why would anyone make up God? Are you really going to compare God to Santa? Santa Claus is a different matter entirely. He was a Christian philanthropist and patron saint who would deliver gifts to children. The story of Santa Claus was created to carry on his legacy after his death because he was an incredibly kind human being during his life. people wanted to remember him. no one calls him a deity, which brings me back to God. the only math problem that humans need to seek to understand is 50/50. that’s a fairly simple division problem that symbolizes the chances of God existing. by the way, i’m one of those born-again Christians. nineteen years old. non-believer from the time i was five until i was about eighteen. it’s your choice. but i’ve decided to give due credit where credit is due. and ‘nothing’ has no value to me anymore. what led me to believe? experiences that can’t be related to your life and something that i can no longer question because our perception of reality is a divine fabrication. you can call me stupid and ignorant for having beliefs; i don’t care. atheist argument makes no sense at all. that’s my say.
Chris, fantastic claims require evidence. It’s not up to atheists to disprove the existence of a “god” – it’s up to theists to prove there is one (or many.) Your comment leads me to believe you’re fantastically confused and partially educated. I suggest engaging the real world and using facts to attempt to understand what’s around you first. If you can master that, then perhaps a discussion on theology would be of use.
Good luck and I wish you a good life, in this world. Who really knows if there is another, I don’t. But the odds say it’s unlikely. If I’m wrong, I’ll suffer the consequences. If you’re wrong, you’ve wasted the only life you know you have deceiving yourself. That’s a chance I’m willing to take.
You know how we know there’s a God because the bible SAYS SO. If their was no God than the Gays would take over the entertainment industry and turn our kids into Gay Zombies. And soon they’d be stealing Speedos from sports stores and fashion would become tight and Spandex. Only Our Lord Father is the one to be hithered.
Marc, your comments represent the very reason religion should be eradicated from the face of the earth. I’m very sorry you’re wasting your life living a lie because you are unable or unwilling to face the truth, we’re meat. This is the life we have, you’re not using it wisely. Wake up.
Think about God and His power. In his might he directs evolution, creating us humans. And every day His work goes on, the latest known creation “SwineFlu”. This marvelous God makes at least one new version of this flu each year to kill hundreds of thousands of people that live in areas without good health care. He has power over the weather creating droughts and floods causing people to drown, starve, and die of thirst. This omnipotent being if a leader would be seen as the most uncaring and cruel leader. This God justifies killing those who do not believe in Him. And then fabricating lies to deceive those who would try to understand how God created the world and how He governs it. I am an agnostic that hopes this God of lies, deception, hate, and murder does not exist.
-All it takes for evil to triumph is for God to do nothing.
Mark do you believes in spider man, or batman, or superman, or Poseidon because there are books that say they exist? And would you be gay if that was an option, I wouldn’t because I am not gay. If you are not sure if you are gay I can assure you that without God you would KNOW that you are NOT gay. In which case it is God that is creating confusion in your life.
Well atheism makes as much sense to me as religion, not at all. Religion is just blind and atheism is too quick to jump to conclusions and think just because we figured out science and disapprove brainless cults, like Christianity (which obviously isn’t hard to do) that we HAVE to assume this is our only experience with any type of exsistence. I have a hard time believing everything (the universe) was created from nothing, it’s illogical. The truth is, we DO NOT know if this is our only experience with exsistence and if atheists say they do have the answer that’s just as bad a theology. Atheism basically says life gave us all these body parts, emotions and a thought process over time just for the hell of it? Life itself obviously wants us to move and think for some type of reason, otherwise evolution wouldn’t have happened, evolution is proof there’s something (I don’t know what) but something has designed life, I don’t think we just evolved into these thinking biological computers by chance. Another thing, atheism has almost got as formed as religion has, what happen to it just being an opinion? I saw a group of atheists talking amongst eachother and saying “Welcome my fellow atheist brothers and sisters.” Sound familiar? They’ve also been quick to bash on agnostic people just because “you need to make up you’re mind, you’re an atheist or theist, no in between” Now doesn’t that sound familiar? “You don’t believe what we believe so you’re with us or against us.” Now you can sit here and tell me “O, you’re just afraid of death, so you choose to come up with reasons not to except you’re ultimate fate of eternal obvlivion, blah blah blah” That psychology doesn’t work on me. Anyway, I’m done ranting, there’s something to think about.
Michael, that’s quite a comment. The atheists I’ve associated with don’t have any particular creed (in fact, they’re reasonably unagreed about everything else.) Literally, atheism means “no belief in god.” That’s pretty much where it should start and end – it’s not a club and it’s surely not another religion. The tag is problematic however, because then it becomes a brand and starts to accrue meaning – often the wrong meaning as you enumerate above.
Come to think of it, I’ve never heard an atheist claim to “know” how life began, but hey, maybe I hang out with less certain and skeptical people overall.
True, I too believe religion is a show. there is know “relationship” they claim to have with God. I wih people can see through that. I think religion is what really seperates people from coming to together. Religion is not faith. Faith, hope, love is what makes us human. And if you don’t believe that does that make us….animals? how can you say that? That we’re just evolved animals? Think about it next time you look at New York, LA, europe, and next time you say you love someone, next time you read a book, or enjoy some form of art – music, literature, dance, theatre, or paintings. That is what makes us human.
(I’m a christian not religiuos)
Why do people do animalistic things? I belive sin to be the culprit.
I just had to comment on the individual who said there should be world peace if religion is true. First off, its not only religious people causing problems in the world, the same can be said for atheists. Not every atheist is a perfect nice person. Second, just because religions promote peace and unity doesn’t mean everyone follows it. There are sins we aren’t supposed to commit, yet we still do. The sins are what causes problems. So if no sins are commited then we would have a peaceful world, but we all know that ain’t true. And we commit these sins because God created us with free will, its just unfortunate that some chose to do harm. Lastly, not all religions are peaceful, there are some that support death of non-believers. So not all religions are peaceful.
Thanks for your comment Frank.
The Problem with that cartoon is that there are many times when the situation is reversed. Atheists have called religious people stupid just because they choose to be religious, telling people they are wrong and stupid because they believe differently than you is bigotry and radical. Radical Atheism is just as bad as radical religions. So it works both ways. Leave them alone, and maybe they’ll leave you alone.
Blessed Be.
Thanks for your commment Chris. The observation I’d make is that atheists, even radical atheists, have no requirement to evangelize and convert. Religions, at least religions of the book, do. How many times have you had an atheist knock on your door offering to save you?
The rise of activist atheism is a direct response to the disproportionate influence religion is attempting to exert on society – in effect, forcing those views upon everyone regardless of their view. In the 1950’s the notion of “under god” was added the the Pledge of Allegiance, as an example. Are non-believers simply supposed to roll over?
Name calling isn’t helpful on either side. But when there is a takeover by force resistance to that takeover must be expected.
Mike, atheist don’t have to roll over. No one is stopping them from going door to door explaining there beliefs. But there is a difference between expressing your beliefs and disrespecting another. Putting down someones religion is not a resistance, thats just lack of evidence/confidence in your own beliefs. By all means resist the religions and proclaim Atheism as the truth but do it an respectful manner. Whats funny if an atheist reacts with name calling its fine, but if a christian does it atheist jump all over him saying things like is this what your God tells you to do. Sort of a double standard.
Frank, as you can see from my prior comment “name calling isn’t helpful on either side.” So we agree there.
Where we part company is that there is no atheist creed, therefore there is no standard by which to be measured. Take Christianity on the other side, there is a creed “Turn the other cheek” for instance, where I would expect Christians to be better behaved based upon their beliefs.
Secondarily, if you look at the religious view of atheists, there are some nasty things being said. One might go so far as to say un-Christian things. Mostly what atheists say is “there probably isn’t a god.” That’s interpreted as name calling, which it isn’t.
From a double-standard perspective, the religious take the prize. Don’t take my word for it, read about it on any religious book or site – it’s there for anyone to see.
First off, you say there’s no atheist creed so there’s no standard to which to be measured. So I’m assuming your saying it’s alright to not turn the other cheek and fight back. Let’s take that thought, in Africa many of the rebels live by there own creed, which is to kill and rape anyone who opposes what there trying to accomplish. Since thats the creed for them, does that makes it right? With that type of thinking, no wonder there is no world peace.
Second, I agree there are christians disrespecting atheist. By no means am I saying all christians are good. But to say atheist mostly say there is no God, well your clearly wrong. Atheist say more cruel things then that. Not just name calling, but things like take your God and shove it you know where. And things of that nature. Just like there are bad chrisitans there are also bad atheists.
Lastly, explain to me by what you mean “religious take the prize” for double standard. If you can give me a couple examples that would be great, thanks.
Ok, Mike, It seems that creatures like Ants and other tiny ones cannot sense more than 2 dimension( I don’t have proof ). and humans can sense only 3D and they cannot understand if some thing is revealed in 4d or 5d or 6d etc…
if “THE” proof is available in other than 3d( refer your comment “fantastic claims require evidence” ) proof even if available will be hard to understand. IMO, proof is certainly there in other dimensions, you need to wait until humanity invents a tool to browser across dimensions 🙂
For quite some time, I’ve been looking for a way to describe my position on these issues. After reading the essay and the comments, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m a “Rational-thinking, man of science.” I had been using the terms “atheist” and “agnostic,” and although these are accurate, tend to include me in the groups I try to avoid, since they could be construed as being some sort of a religion also.
First of all, the term “atheist” is simply the opposite of “theist,” meaning a disbelief of theism, or the written word. The term “agnostic” is derived from Latin or Greek (sorry, I don’t know the exact origin) meaning basically “not knowing.” Both of these describe me; completely disbelieveing the Bible (and the Koran, etc.) as a religious text, and admitting I don’t know what cannot be proven outside the bounds of science.
I don’t think the Bible is without merit. If the reader keeps the text in it’s proper place as fables handed down over two thousand years, and uses the positive messages in order to live a better life, that can’t be all bad. Surely no one will dispute that adultery and murder are disreputable acts. The concept of sex between consenting single adults being unacceptable stems from the lack of reliable birth control in ancient times. We are taught that nudity is dirty, because it can cause sexual arousal. As such, ancient religion was a means to control the behavior of the masses in the absence of any other means. In ancient times, it became the law. In those non-scientific times, almost any statement could be made, without challenge. How about Noah and the Ark, or Moses parting the sea?
The problem arises when superstition rears it’s ugly head, and someone starts spewing forth opinions which have no basis in fact. Science carries the burden of having to prove a hypothesis before it can be accepted as a fact. From my experience, religion doesn’t feel this need, since virtually any statement can be supposed by merely stating, “It’s in the Bible!”
I wish I could live my daily life without encountering any form of religion, but everywhere you turn, there it is. Massive churches spanning a city block, tax-exempt. I’m careful what I say in public, lest one of my religious friends be offended if they knew I am an unbeliever.
I just try to live my life in an honest, compassionate manner, not having to worry that a large, white haired, bearded man in the heavens will strike me dead with a bolt of lightning.
As soon as someone refers to god as ‘he,’ you know his or her brain isn’t functioning. Why on earth would a god be sexed? ‘Our father which art in heaven’ can only be a male invention. Give it a rest.
I was watching President Obama’s inaugural speech on YouTube, and noticed that he acknowledged the existence of “non-believers.” Bravo, Mr. President! I think this qualifies as the most noticeable and positive statement concerning our place in society to date.
“Your lack of faith disturbs me”-Darth Vader.
That’s directed at all atheists.
If there was some character like Vader wandering around who demonstrated that he could kill with his mind, I’d be more inclined to believe. That being said, I do like your comment Freak, it made me laugh.
I think I should add a new perspective, similar to atheism. Being a Buddhist, I’ve kind of watched from the sidelines as atheists and theists argued about, but I’ve been thinking. I think both sides are being ruthless at times. I’ve been an atheist all my life. I wasn’t a Christian this whole time because of how much pain had been caused over a simple belief. I also didn’t want to be part of a religion saying “you have to believe this, you have to believe that. No questions.” I want to be able to pursue what I find to be the truth. Also along side this quibble, the Christians have said pretty disrespectful things to other religions. Cough, cough, Islam, cough. Also, Christians have been ruthless against gays. I really don’t see the problem! God was supposed to have created us as free thinking individuals, yet you’re cornering people just because they are not going mainstream. Think about what you’re doing to the families of those who are gay! I’m 12, and seeing my uncle insulted by radical Christians hurt emotionally. You are punishing people just because they happen to like people of the same sex. That’s really quite cruel. God was supposed to be the guy to pass judgment upon someone. God may have created certain people to be gay to test your tolerance. In general, I haven’t seen much tolerance anywhere. As I end my rant,I’ll talk about separation of church and state. Prayers during inauguration of a president, “One nation under God,” Boy Scouts not allowing gays? Really, people. That’s just plain capitalism.
It would be nice if people got over thinking ‘Atheism is evil’ and all that crap. Atheism is nothing to made a big deal out of. I was an Atheist since about 6th grade (I know, I know, sounds weird, but I am weird) and people started calling me ‘evil’ and ‘satanic’,which we all know Satanic is not like Atheism at all. But it was harder then that, because I live in the South…baptists aren’t as kind as they seem.
Also, do you ever see any signs on the highway saying ‘Jesus is Lord’ or something like that? You don’t see anything about Atheism. I just think they’re too surprised to see that someone isn’t conforming to them.
And last but not least, on the topic of religion, seriously, if God is real, would be so judgemental (srry, I don’t know how to spell, and it doesn’t really matter) Save the threats of going to hell for murderers and rapists instead of people who had sex before marriage.
If everybody participating in this argument had an Out of Body Experience (OBE), the argument would simply fall apart. Spiritual matters can’t be tested on a machine, run through the scientific meat grinder and produce the same reproducible results as conservation of momentum. I know a few people first hand that have gone OB. I’ve talked to them about it. Ok, so here’s how it works: You don’t have a soul, you are a soul. You have a body (C. S. Lewis). Your soul will never just slip out of existence, or the “lights go out”. The soul goes on forever. When one dies, the soul will go to heaven or hell. Both are very real. Try Bill Wiese 23 Minutes in Hell. You can watch it for free. He’s not the only one.
It’s kind of like somebody going 20 over the speed limit. Then the blue and red lights start flashing. At that point, you can pull over, or you can sit there and say, “what kind of good police officer would give me a ticket?” Or, just not believe that the officer even exists. What’s going to happen? I’ve never fled from the police, but I’ve got to think is’t not very pleasant.
So, it’s very simple: It doesn’t work the way you believe. It works the way it works. The Bible is true and Jesus is the way to heaven. You can mock on. For another 40, 50, 60 years or so.
So Vic, there’s a name for out of body experience, it’s called hallucination or dreaming.
As for “that’s how it works” how do you know? Have you died for some extended length of time and spent time in the afterworld with jesus? Didn’t think so.
It’s a shame so many people simply can’t contemplate what is very likely true, but impossible to prove. We’re meat. That means make the most of your life now. Don’t behave because of a “traffic cop in the sky” behave because it’s ethical and makes life on this planet, in this life a little better for all of us. Wake up Vic, it’s not too late.
So Vic, there’s a name for out of body experience, it’s called hallucination or dreaming.
Ok, so you’re making that up because it doesn’t fit your beliefs. You don’t know the people I do or the events I’m talking about, but you’re sure I’m wrong. People don’t tell doctors what they were doing and what they were saying word-for-word while they’re unconscious on the OR table because they were “hallucinating” or “dreaming”. Little boys don’t describe features on neighbor’s roofs that they couldn’t possibly have seen by “hallucinating” or “dreaming”.
As for “that’s how it works” how do you know? Have you died for some extended length of time and spent time in the afterworld with jesus? Didn’t think so.
The same way I said I know in the post. Did you read it? Don’t believe me if you don’t want to.
It’s a shame so many people simply can’t contemplate what is very likely true, but impossible to prove. We’re meat. That means make the most of your life now. Don’t behave because of a “traffic cop in the sky” behave because it’s ethical and makes life on this planet, in this life a little better for all of us. Wake up Vic, it’s not too late.
True for you, but not true for me. There’s plenty of real evidence that what you call “very likely true” is patently false. Do I have to follow Mike’s idea of “ethical”? Or Bob’s? Or Jane’s? None of this will ever work, because we don’t have a single authoritative standard for what’s right if you follow that way of thinking. Bob will be all about greenhouse gases, but Jane will want to stop those lousy engineers from damming up rivers. I have a single standard of what’s right and you should be more tolerant of me.
We don’t have to agree, it you who are very likely wasting your life. (And don’t surface some tired argument on Pascal’s wager here as you fundies normally do.)
Where it is important there is a dialogue are the issues of ethics, standards, and tolerance.
I tolerate people of the book perfectly well. Where I lose patience is when their standards of ethics (I almost laugh when typing this – ethics, from ignorant sheepherders 2,000 years ago for instance) are inflicted upon those who do not consent to them. Which happens all too frequently. For instance, I don’t need a traffic cop to tell me not to cheat on my wife, steal, or kill fellow humans. Why is it religious people do? I particularly don’t need some set of blind lemmings dictating who can love and marry one another, that’s your ethics? Puhleeze.
Since I’m real busy in my real life, this is probably my last response. But feel free to continue to fritter away your life, just keep your ethics and standards out of mine.
Ok, I’m busy too. But hell is bad enough that I would do anything I can to keep you from going there. Even if you despise me and treat me with contempt, I don’t want anybody to go there, including you. We’re not meat, we are eternal souls trapped in meat which normally lasts about 70 years or so. I think you know that I presented sound arguments that there is a spirit world that we can’t normally see.
One really good way to get into hell is to be a religious hypocrite or live a double life. Yes, there’s plenty of “Christians” and “pastors” that end up there. That’s why Jesus said, “Don’t fear those that can kill the body but not the soul. Fear Him that can kill both the body and soul in hell.”
Unfortunately for many, not cheating on your wife, stealing or murdering is not sufficient.
Ok, I won’t keep posting ad infinitum, but if you or anybody else wants to take it off line, e-mail me at mv.kovacsbv@spamgourmet.com.
Thanks for being authentic. I appreciate your concern, but you are not your brother’s keeper in this instance. You can proceed with a clear conscience.
And while I do not agree your arguments are sound (any more than you believe mine are sound) it, in the end, doesn’t really make a difference.
Yes,. me too. Everybody HATES jews,atheist or fucteist,they are all be DEAD within twenty years,yet they still continiue to Kill,kidnap,rape,steal,lie,..
As it happens I DO believe in Santa Claus, unicorns, the Great Pumpkin etc. . I, perhaps, just picture them differently from how you do. To you atheists, thoughts and concepts don’t really exist. How you conceive of things that don’t exist remains a mystery then. And, I wonder what you make of YOUR thinking – since you don’t believe that thoughts are real! Hahahahahahahahahahahah!