blueshuttle

I started this just for the sake of curiosity and fairness because of another thread with a similar name.

Seriously, who here can think of questions that are hard for atheists to answer? Or at least questions that theists THINK are hard for atheists to answer.

One that theists love to as me is:

"What happens to your soul when you die?"

Of course I think this is easy to answer: it dies too. But of course theists have a hard time wrapping thier heads around that answer.

Mageth

An even easier reply: "What's a soul?" (or "What soul?")

Secular Elation

One question I have heard of theists is, "If God does not exist, how did the universe get created?"

Atheists usually respond, or at least the ones I have seen respond by saying something along the lines of "The universe just is" or "It just came to be, it didn't need a god."

I agree with these answers, but they are admittedly not very compelling. Of course I think the only rational answer is that a god isn't the cause of the universe, so long as we continue to live without any proof to indicate otherwise. However, saying "The universe just came to be" isn't very convincing in itself, but it does make more sense to me and other atheists than the idea that some supernatural being created it. However, the theists disagree and think this answer makes no sense. To each their own.

On second thought, I think Ockham's Razor can be sufficiently applied to this question and will shoot down the theist's position on the question.

Mageth

I'd reply "I don't know." ANYTHING else is just speculation.

Crystal

Here one I heard before by a theist " how can something ( the universe) come out nothing?"
I think this pretty dumb though because it goes both ways in order for to God to exist & have no creator than he/she/it would needed came out nothing or " just is" so why any one ask who ask this question think so illogical for an atheist believe the big bang just is or " come out nothing".

Godless Wonder

A couple favorites of a couple posters around here:

Why should God reveal Himself to you?
What is the basis of your epistemology?

Veteran Users can probably guess whose questions these are.

mike_decock

Ignorance isn't evidence .

-Mike...

pachomius2000

One very interesting thing to study is the psychological evolution of the atheist.

I think I can start with myself.

I used to be a very devout Catholic, then I started calling myself a postgraduate Catholic.

I was gthen still attached to my Catholic traditions and observances and social rituals, but I was angry with my Catholic faith.

I realized that I had become no different from atheists as I read about them and their thoughts.

Afterwards I thought that being a postgraduate Catholic I was in actual mind and heart also an atheist; for I could pass for one if the Catholic Church were to examine me for a teaching post in her schools.

Then afterwards I became and still am a postgraduate atheist.

So, now I am on good terms with God and Jesus and with atheists provided they don't get angry unnecessarily.

So, one question atheists should ask themselves is why are you guys angry and when will you outgrow your anger and be like me (ahem), a postgraduate atheist, but still atheist and still Catholic and still at all times trying to be possessed of an active intelligence and an open mind.

Pachomius2000

Hyndis

That question presupposes the existiance of a soul, and thus is somewhat circular. Asking what happens to it after one dies assume that it exists in the first place, and thus because it exists, something happens to it after you die. As well as all sorts of dualistic metaphysical problems.


But I cannot answer what happened "before" the big bang, nor what is "outside" of our universe, as my senses all obey standard laws of physics, and if these laws of physics do not extend beyond the borders of time/space of our universe, then this question might very well be impossible to answer.

"I don't know" is an answer. Sure, it doesn't explain very much, but at least its honest. And without false explainations cluttering up things, it leaves room for further inquery.

Hyndis

How does that work?

Isn't the main deal with Christianity that you must accept Jesus as your savior? That assums a deity is involved and something to be saved from.

As an atheist, it is assumed that there is no deity involved anywhere.

Unless you're using funky definitions of those words...