30 answers to 30 questions for athiests

On God and Knowledge

1. Are you certain that God does not exist, or that you can’t know whether He exists?

I am confident in my conclusion that your god, or any other gods, do not exist.

2. How do you know that?

My certainty comes from a lack of convincing evidence. To be convinced of something, I require proof, and I have seen no credible evidence for the existence of a god.

3. Did you use your five senses to come to that decision?

I use my brain to evaluate evidence. So far, no evidence has presented itself to my physical senses—I haven't seen, heard, or smelled anything to support the claim.

4. Given that God is by definition a Spirit, how much sense does it make to decide whether He exists using your five physical senses?

As a general principle, I do not believe in supernatural claims.

5. Did you use your reasoning to determine God does not exist?

Yes.

6. How do you know your reasoning is working correctly?

I trust my reasoning because I use it every day, and it has consistently proven to be a reliable guide in navigating my life.

7. Did you use your reasoning to determine your reasoning was working?

My answer is the same as for the previous question.

8. Do you see the problem with that?

The only problem I see is with the circular nature of the question itself.

9. Have you ever tried doubting your doubts about God?

Yes. I was raised to believe in god, so my current position is the result of having doubted my initial beliefs.

10. The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies fulfilled hundreds of years after they were written. How would that be possible without God?

Most, if not all, of the prophecies in the Bible are so vague that their fulfillment over many years is not impressive and should be a disqualifier for them being considered evidence.

11. The Bible says that objective moral values are based in God’s morally perfect nature. Without God, what do you think they are based in?

Morality originates from within each individual, just as it does now. Everyone, including Christians, ultimately relies on their own internal moral compass, which is why their specific values often differ from one another.

12. Jesus’ disciples went from being terrified of death, to being willing to die for their belief that Jesus rose from the dead. If Jesus didn’t rise, what do you think changed their mind?

Willingness to die for a belief is not proof of its truth. A person who straps a bomb to their chest is also completely convinced, but that doesn't make their beliefs factually correct.

13. There are hundreds of varieties of unbelief. How do you know yours is the right one?

I reject the term "unbelief," as it implies an active belief system. I don't have an "unbelief"; I simply lack a belief in the claims presented, and there is a crucial difference.

14. Archaeology is constantly confirming the details of the accounts in the Bible. Why do you think that is, if the Bible isn’t true?

A story being set in a real location doesn't validate its supernatural claims. The Harry Potter books are set in England, but the existence of England doesn't prove Hogwarts is real.

15. There is more evidence that Jesus Christ lived, died and came back to life than for just about any other event in ancient history. If God did not exist, or Jesus’ claims to be God were not true, then how would you explain his resurrection?

An account from one person, written years after the supposed event, constitutes terrible evidence for such an extraordinary claim.

16. What do you think makes so many Christians able to live radically different lives from the way they used to live prior to becoming Christians–even to the point of forgiving their abusers for terrible crimes?

The ability to forgive and move on is a natural human capacity. I have forgiven people for things they've done to me without involving any supernatural beliefs.

17. One of the most basic principles of philosophy, confirmed by science is ex nihilo nihil fit (“out of nothing, nothing comes”). Without God, how do you think everything came into being?

I'm comfortable admitting that I don't know the ultimate origin of the universe. Frankly, the question doesn't particularly interest me. Perhaps someone knows the answer, or will one day, and being okay with "I don't know" is a valid position.

18. If you are a naturalist who believes death is simply part of life, how do you explain why we feel like we ought to live forever, and why pain and death feel so unnatural and wrong to just about everyone?

The premise is flawed because the concept of "sin" is subjective. What you and I consider to be wrong can be two very different things.

19. If your brain is merely the unplanned result of evolution by natural selection, aimed at survival and nothing else, what makes you think you can trust your reasoning to discover the truth, rather than just whichever belief is best for survival?

I could ask you the same question. You use the same brain and capacity for reason that I do to arrive at your beliefs, so how do you know yours is correct?

20. If no God, why would anything objectively matter?

It depends on your perspective. In the grand cosmic scheme of things, you could argue that nothing matters.

21. If no God, why is there so much good in the world?

Because people can be, and are, inherently good. I do good things simply because I believe it's the right thing to do, not because of a belief or lack of belief in a god.

22. If no God, how did our DNA get programmed with such incredibly complex language and instructions?

DNA is not "programmed". That analogy has led to a great number of flawed arguments and is not an accurate description of genetics.

23. Is everything in the universe really just matter and energy?

Yes, I would say so.

24. If you just thought, “Yes,” was that thought made of matter and energy?

Yes, it was. Thoughts are the result of neurons firing in the brain, which is a physical and observable process of matter and energy. That's why brain scans can show activity when you think.

25. To whom are you grateful for the good things in your life?

I am grateful to the specific people who provided those good things. For my job, I thank the manager who hired me and the supervisor who keeps me employed.

26. Where do you think the laws of logic come from?

The "laws of logic" don't "come from" anywhere; they are descriptive principles, not prescriptive laws.

27. Are the laws of logic made of matter and energy?

No, because they aren't tangible things.

28. What evidence would actually convince you that Jesus Christ is God, the Lord, and the only Savior?

This is difficult to answer without sounding dismissive, but it would likely take him personally showing up and performing some sort of unambiguous "magical shit".

29. How much do you know about the heart of the Christian message, AKA the “Gospel” or good news?

I know quite a bit about it, and I have yet to meet a Christian who truly follows its teachings.

30. Are you ready to learn more about Jesus?

No. I am not interested in studying the teachings of cult leaders.

I found these questions on the website https://thethink.institute/articles/30-questions-to-ask-your-atheist-agnostic-amp-skeptical-friends-amp-family

I don’t know anything else about the website. I don’t know who the author is. Visit the website on your own initiative!

I will try to answer 30 questions (I’ve peeked ahead so…) for “Atheists, Agnostics & Skeptics”, I will try to keep my answers concise and nice. If a question is dumb though… I will point out that I will not capitalize god, I do not believe in him/it.