Yes I can say there is no God: An open letter to atheists

I frequently run into atheists who spout the politically correct dictum that we cannot KNOW there is no god; we see no evidence for one, so we believe that no gods exist — but we remain agnostic to the possiblity because we have integrity and are openminded to true evidence, should it arise.

Well, I think that’s just bullsh*t coated with a dressing of the fear of being accused of being an absolutist... (This is by Carol Everhart Roper. It continues here)

Tags: pusillanimous_atheists

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Permalink Reply by Rob van Senten on February 19, 2010 at 10:22am
Why, if you claim atheism, do you allow theology to stick a ‘can’t say for sure’ post-it note on your atheism?

Because some atheists do not want to spout the nonsense of certainty in the same way that theists do, perhaps?
Certainty without doubt is not necessarily a positive trait, the fact that an atheist is honest enough to admit that a negative claim can't be proven to be 100% correct does not make the claim weaker in my opinion.
Permalink Reply by Tezzie on February 20, 2010 at 2:13am
Doubt is humble. It does not show arrogance in assuming an absoulte truth. We all need doubt, it is what brought us to become atheists in the first place.
Permalink Reply by O'Tater on February 19, 2010 at 11:54am
But what about her point about Zeus, Fairies, Santa and Superman? Are you comfortable saying that you can't know for sure that they don't exist? You may be comfortable with that, and that's ok, but I do see her point. It's especially irritating with people who do believe in a current god. They tell you that you cannot know that their god doesn't exist, but they are happy to tell you with absolute certainty that Zeus or whomever does not exist.
Permalink Reply by Rob van Senten on February 21, 2010 at 6:53am
Yes, I'm comfortable saying that I can't be 100% certain that there is no such thing as Zeus, Fairies, Santa and Superman. I also can't be 100% sure that the earth revolves around the sun, or that the universe exists.
Permalink Reply by O'Tater on February 19, 2010 at 11:59am
I agree that there is nothing wrong with admitting a negative claim cannot be proven to be 100% correct, but I think the author of the article is merely trying to express that if it weren't for the inundation of god belief in our societies, we wouldn't even hold the question of such nonsense open. Just as you feel comfortable dismissing the Easter Bunny, we should feel equally comfortable dismissing something else we have no belief in, but many of us hesitate to do so entirely because of how taboo it is in society.

I think also many of us have felt at one point or another that perhaps the notion of god deserves a bit more credence simply because it's believed by so many. I think her article aims at trying to dissolve that notion. Just because god is so widely accepted doesn't mean we can't disbelieve it as strongly as we disbelieve the existence of the Easter Bunny.
Permalink Reply by Gliktch on February 19, 2010 at 8:55pm
"a negative claim cannot be proven to be 100% correct" - O'Tater

Oh, but it can... In many cases, a negative claim such as "The god you have described does not, or cannot, exist" can be proven, either with evidence that contradicts the god-claim, or by showing that the purported attributes of the 'god' entity exhibit internal contradictions. At least, as much as any thing can ever be 'proven' by us (humans) - if you want to get pedantic, no positive claim can be proven to be 100% correct either, except for conceptual absolutes like mathematics where we define the meaning of all the included terms ourselves.

____________

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."
-- Stephen Roberts
Permalink Reply by Eric R. on February 21, 2010 at 10:16am
Yes certainly we can disprove some conceptions of God right off the bat. The God of the old testament (the same God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) is IMPOSSIBLE. It is impossible to be omnipotent and omniscient. They are self-contradictory. That God without a doubt does not exist. What's more it is impossible that this God is supremely good and just. His actions shown in the Bible and the Qu'ran show that that is patently false.
Permalink Reply by Gliktch on March 15, 2010 at 2:29am
@Eric R.

Unless of course you redefine 'good' in such a way as to designate mass murder, blood sacrifice and tribalism as noble endeavours ;)
Permalink Reply by Edward Teach on February 21, 2010 at 1:14pm
Verne, did you bail on the motorcycle group?
Permalink Reply by Tom Thompson on February 19, 2010 at 4:46pm
You can say there is no god all you like. But you can't know. Knowledge requires both justification for your belief and it must be shown that the proposition you believe is true.

Read my latest blog post You are agnostic.
Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on February 19, 2010 at 4:53pm
Things that demonstrate no objective evidence, which cannot be heard, seen, touched, smelled or tasted (YUK!) have a notable tendency NOT TO EXIST.

There are an uncountable number of things which fall under this category. Deities (choose your favorite!) just happen to be among them.
Permalink Reply by sacha on February 19, 2010 at 5:08pm

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