Explain or Defend Atheism

You gotta stand for something, or you'll fall for anything.

Remembering why we believe what we believe helps us keep actions in line with principles. These are typical atheistic positions on the most common challenges.

Steps

  1. Humans have a history of making up convenient explanations for things unknown. For example, some had thought the sun to be a living god; others believed (and a very small number still do) the earth to be flat and the center of the universe. In short, explanations based on gods and heaven have been steadily replaced as new knowledge is gained. History suggests that remaining mysteries will be sufficiently explained in terms of familiar and rational forces rather than by supernatural ones. For example, many people believe that a superior being created life, while atheists believe that this is just another scientific phenomenon to which people have assigned a supernatural explanation. People once believed that it was a choice between blind chance and a god creating living organisms; therefore, most educated people saw a need for a god. We now know that the random process of DNA mutation is coupled with the nonrandom process of natural selection. An atheist might want to point out that the scientific consensus is that the Big Bang, abiogenesis, and evolution account for the beginning of the universe and the origin and diversity of life. While this does not rule out the possibility of a god's guiding the development of life, it does show that a god is not needed as an explanation for the origin of life.
  2. Explain that 'intelligent design' (a pseudoscientific term used by creationists) is just the awe of new experience or of overwhelming complexity. It is a poor argument for a god. It is an argument from ignorance, a god-of-the-gaps argument, and as the gaps are filled, the god is gradually removed from the picture. If a caveman were handed a modern camera, he would not guess that it was a result of step-by-step gains in knowledge over a very long time. It would seem inexplicable, magical, perhaps supernatural. 'The gods must have made it' may be a natural thought, but it would be wrong. While a caveman might imagine that a god created the camera out of nothing (poof!), the camera would have been created through a number of steps, out of simpler parts. Living organisms are also made of many parts that developed gradually through evolution. A creationist may try to claim that the eye is an example of irreducible complexity (see Argue Against Evolution of Eyesight), but unlike evolutionary biologists who have an explanation, creationists do not explain the mechanism that a god would use to create an eye.
  3. Clearly define faith or belief: some people have faith that there is a god. For some people, the existence of a god is a given (it can be automatically accepted), like the fact that the sun will rise tomorrow. This is a philosophical belief and is (as yet) untestable by science. An example of another philosophical belief not testable by science is the belief that we are living in a world created by a supercomputer to deceive our five senses (like in The Matrix). Since we use our senses to observe the world around us and to do science, there is no way for science to investigate such a belief. So far, all phenomena that have been explained (e.g., lightning, diseases, the origin of the universe and life) have had natural explanations rather than supernatural one. So far, a supernatural explanation has never won out. Supporting a supernatural explanation may be possible, but it would be extremely difficult, as all natural explanations would have to be first excluded. An atheist does not have faith in a god like some other people. An atheist argues that one must have a reason to believe in something before considering it.
  4. Point out that there are many gods. Which god should a person believe in? You, as an atheist, just believe in one god less than a religious person.
  5. Recognize that religions, abstract from their gods, are important as social institutions. People clearly have an innate affinity for stories, akin to the popularity of movies, plays, legends, novels and ballads. Our willingness to believe in well-told stories (even supernatural ones) is a trait of human psychology. Religions influence behavior through scripture and tradition presented with or without explanations. Evolutionary biologists have suggested that religion is either a result of the sophisticated human brain or was selected for due to a beneficial effect, such as promoting cooperation among people.
  6. Clarify that to give up on a god does not mean you give up on morals. Atheists simply accept responsibility for the moral code by which they live their lives. If you are feeling confrontational, contrast this sharply to the practice of accepting the moral code of the Bible.
  7. Ask "Where did the god come from?" in response to "Where did the universe come from?" The main reason for positing a God is to explain where did life and the universe originate because they seem designed but positing a God just pushes the questions further away because how do we explain the existence of this God that just happens to have all of the power and answers - it is just as difficult and substitutes one problem for another and leads to an infinite regress. This line of thinking is of the sort of a hypothetical person happening upon a sandcastle on a beach and thinking that it would be silly to think that the waves built it - it must have been a person - but alas who built the person? If a deity of unfathomable knowledge and power could just happen or just exist then why not take it a step back and consider that perhaps a Universe of unfathomable beauty and complexity just happened?



Tips

  • It may help to point out that the existence or non-existence of a god or gods is a debatable mystery and either a person will straddle the fence for his or her entire life or a person will choose a side. You as an atheist would have chosen the side which proposes that only purely natural forces are in operation throughout the universe and it is best to have sound reasons for this decision.
  • Highlight that many religious people afford themselves a questionable sense of comfort by believing in the existence of a non-physical being who watches people, listens to people, communicates with people, extends help to people, and promises eternal life. A belief in a god may be wishful thinking. Acknowledge that no longer believing in a god could affect a person's outlook.
  • Employ Occam's Razor, which briefly states that if you are given two explanations for a phenomenon, accept the simpler explanation as true. For instance, many atheists consider the occurrence of simple proteins and evolution into more complex lifeforms a simpler explanation than the existence of a supernatural creator. Consider appeals to undetectable supernatural involvement as inherently not simple and equivalent to resigning the explanation. Occam's Razor also suggests that since we have an explanation for the diversity of life (evolution), a god can be considered an unnecessary variable. In other words, we would need specific evidence for theistic evolution (evolution guided by a god) before accepting it.
  • Understand that it is natural to want to give an anthropomorphic being credit for the impressiveness of life and the universe but maintain that you think that it is going too far to legitimize this hypothetical being out of thin air.
  • Read up on empiricism and the scientific method, and recognize that atheism built upon these perspectives can accept the possibility of the supernatural, but seeks testable theories and hypotheses to explain events and their causes.

Warnings

  • Remember the Golden Rule: treat others as you would want them to treat you. Defend your position without being ashamed, but don't scorn, insult or make fun of the beliefs of others: you wouldn't want them to do that to you.
  • Some people may, and probably will, disagree with you for dismissing a god as an explanation. Sometimes the disagreement may be violent and/or damaging. To avoid this, an atheist can claim to accept a god as a possible explanation, and then go on to search for and advance alternate, non-theistic, down-to-earth explanations. You may not be able to convince people who have faith in a god and who believe that it is important for others to have that faith.

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Sources and Citations

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