Problems with being an Atheist (or Evolutionist)

I've never understood why Theists think that a history of Theism should pose such a problem for Atheists. The fact is that throughout history people have, for the most part, been wrong about everything. You don't find ancient theories of Quantum Dynamics, nor tribal traditions of Conservation of Energy. Thousands of years went by before people twigged that the Sun was just another Star but a great deal nearer. That a whole bunch of folk who've believed in the supernatural are wrong is not exactly a surprise.

Science has a method for improving what it's right about, and finding what it's wrong about. I see no reason to take the opinions about reality of anything that doesn't have such a method seriously. What does not believing in something really entail? For my part, it's really not that I don't believe in god(s), it's just that I believe in something that doesn't leave room for them. Yeah, that particular piece is a sizeable part of the reason I find the Christian notion of God so unacceptable. No, I will not have faith. Faith is a cop-out, it is a shoddy alternative to knowledge, it is what you have when you don't know something. Parading it around as a grand virtue is obscene*. Outside of arguments about religion I tend to extend every respect to other people's beliefs. But if you're going to get into an argument about it, then, yeah, I don't see the difference. I don't think theism is an philosophical idea inherently deserving of my respect, I think that robbed of its history, no-one would take the idea any more seriously than we take the Easter Bunny. The problem with religious history is not that bad things have been done in the name of God, it's that there's no sign of those who believe one thing or the other behaving any better than anyone else (with the exception of the Quakers who, frankly, rock on toast; seriously, has there ever been a group of people with such a consistent history of being on the right side of moral arguments?).

Well, sure, if you want to use your version of what atheism means, you could claim that. But, if you want to know what we, actual atheists think you might be better listening to us.Think of it like this, would you describe yourself as an 'a-zeusist'? Or someone with a belief in no Shiva? No, because these things aren't central to your beliefs, they're merely consequences of what you believe.

Okay, so:Well, sure, if you want to use that version of what atheism means, you could claim that. But, if you want to know what we, actual atheists think you might be better listening to us.Now would you care to respond to the point?