Do atheists have any evidence to support their beliefs?

Gabe7

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Atheism seems to lack evidence more than Christianity does. Christians have the historical gospel to point towards their truths. What do atheists have other than a blind faith that they are right? Is such blind faith morally similar to Christianity but with less evidence in support of it?
 

Jade Margery

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First off, this probably belongs in Philosophy, rather than Ethics and Morality.

Secondly, 'historical gospel' is not evidence any more than 'Little Red Riding Hood' is evidence for the existence of speaking, anthropomorphic wolves capable of imitating old women. Without ample physical evidence to back it up, the legitimacy of an old book as a source of truth is laughable. Even if a few parts of a story have a basis in truth, that does not mean the rest of the story does as well. For example, we know that the city of Troy existed, because we have found said city, but it would be foolish to assume that Scylla, Circe, Amazons, Cyclops, Achilles, Ares, and Athena all also existed because they are referenced in the same very, very old story.

Thirdly, it requires no faith to be an atheist. Religious people often seem to have trouble understanding this, and will go so far as to call any kind of assumption 'faith' in order to justify their own beliefs. I assume the sun will come up tomorrow. I assume that unicorns don't exist. I assume that ice cream will be cold, boiling water will be hot, and tides will follow a predictable pattern based on the revolution of the moon around the earth and the earth around the sun. I also assume there is no god, because I haven't seen any evidence of one. I assume we have all of these things in common except one, and to single any one of them out and call it a 'faith' is to stretch the meaning of that word until it encompasses any thought or concept and is rendered meaningless.

For more clarification in a ear-caressing english accent, please enjoy the following videos:

YouTube - Lack of belief in gods
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wV_REEdvxo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OLPL5p0fMg
 
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Skaloop

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Atheism seems to lack evidence more than Christianity does.

Not really. There is plenty of evidence that is contrary to the existence of God. Sure, we can't prove it outright for the most part, but there is a lack of evidence necessary to reject the null hypothesis.

Christians have the historical gospel to point towards their truths.

Which may certainly be evidence, but it's like conjecture and hearsay. Those are types of evidence. But not good types.

What do atheists have other than a blind faith that they are right?

We don't have faith at all. We have the facts. Facts that may not disprove the general idea of a god of some kind, but almost certainly disprove the specific idea of the Christian God.

Is such blind faith morally similar to Christianity but with less evidence in support of it?

No, it is morally equivalent (some might say superior) with more evidence to support it. Also, keep in mind that evidential support (or lack thereof) need not reflect morality.
 
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Belk

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Atheism seems to lack evidence more than Christianity does. Christians have the historical gospel to point towards their truths. What do atheists have other than a blind faith that they are right? Is such blind faith morally similar to Christianity but with less evidence in support of it?


Really? Seems to me there is the exact same amount of evidence for both positions.
 
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Skaloop

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Really? Seems to me there is the exact same amount of evidence for both positions.

Well, I'd say there's the same amount of data. What that data serves as evidence for is different.
 
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Eudaimonist

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Atheism seems to lack evidence more than Christianity does.

Atheism doesn't need evidence, any more than not believing in gnomes needs evidence.

But maybe you are talking about scientific beliefs often held by atheists?

Christians have the historical gospel to point towards their truths. What do atheists have other than a blind faith that they are right?

Here's my evidence... the Universe:

m31_ware_big.jpg


It's not blind faith, it's sighted reason.


eudaimonia,

Mark
 
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BlackSabb

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Atheism seems to lack evidence more than Christianity does. Christians have the historical gospel to point towards their truths. What do atheists have other than a blind faith that they are right? Is such blind faith morally similar to Christianity but with less evidence in support of it?

The problem with this thread is that you can't generally prove or extrapolate something doesn't exist.

For eg, you can make all sorts of arguments that UFO's for eg, exist. Eyewitnesses, governent records, amateur photos/movies etc. But to prove or extrapolate that they don't exist cannot be done. You can argue every single circumstantial evidence and document to show that it's not UFO's but something else. But you can never argue that UFO's therefore don't exist.

If something is real, there is evidence either direct or circumstantial for it. If something is not real, there is no actual evidence of that. Just nothingness.

For this reason, this entire thread is really null and void.
 
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Gabe7

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What are the beliefs of atheists?

What is the definition of an atheist?

To believe there is no God requires faith. Without evidence that faith is akin to the blind faith many Christians have. If you said you were agnostic then you would be on firmer ground as far as evidence goes. But to say there is no God when you have no evidence of such suggests faith. Faith without proof.

If you take your position as default without any evidence then you are basically doing what Christians do when they say its obvious that God is real.
 
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Gabe7

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Atheism doesn't need evidence, any more than not believing in gnomes needs evidence.

But maybe you are talking about scientific beliefs often held by atheists?



Here's my evidence... the Universe:

m31_ware_big.jpg


It's not blind faith, it's sighted reason.


eudaimonia,

Mark

I've never heard of anyone looking up into the Heavens and walking away with the conclusion that there is no God. I've heard the opposite happens quite often. You would appear to be the exception to the rule.
 
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Upisoft

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To believe there is no God requires faith. Without evidence that faith is akin to the blind faith many Christians have. If you said you were agnostic then you would be on firmer ground as far as evidence goes. But to say there is no God when you have no evidence of such suggests faith. Faith without proof.
You were misinformed what atheist means and also what agnostic means.

As an agnostic I hope I'll not spread misinformation about atheism, so correct me if I'm wrong people.

Atheist: A person that has no belief that God exists. (Quite different than: A person that believes that God does not exist.") Latter is subset of former.

Agnostic: A person that clams we can't know if God exists or not.
 
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Gabe7

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The problem with this thread is that you can't generally prove or extrapolate something doesn't exist.

For eg, you can make all sorts of arguments that UFO's for eg, exist. Eyewitnesses, governent records, amateur photos/movies etc. But to prove or extrapolate that they don't exist cannot be done. You can argue every single circumstantial evidence and document to show that it's not UFO's but something else. But you can never argue that UFO's therefore don't exist.

If something is real, there is evidence either direct or circumstantial for it. If something is not real, there is no actual evidence of that. Just nothingness.

For this reason, this entire thread is really null and void.

The point still stands that there is as much proof for Atheism, or less, as there is for Christianity. Which makes their belief less solid than they initially give it credit for.

As for proof of God, that is truly vast. Its everything. It would be like an animal in the future walking into a deserted human city. Would they know people existed or would they write that off as preposterous since none were left walking around? If God created the universe his fingerprints are all over the place and scientists are measuring them and taking notice.
 
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jonsun80

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You were misinformed what atheist means and also what agnostic means.

As an agnostic I hope I'll not spread misinformation about atheism, so correct me if I'm wrong people.

Atheist: A person that has no belief that God exists. (Quite different than: A person that believes that God does not exist.") Latter is subset of former.

Agnostic: A person that clams we can't know if God exists or not.

see my thread here. which just goes to illustrate my point. not from ubisoft from gabe7.

belief and knowledge are two completely and utterly different things.

http://www.christianforums.com/t7550747/#post57189680
 
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