Faith no more

[Mr. McD]

Earlier this year, Andrew Zak Williams asked public figures why they believe in God. Now it’s the turn of the atheists – from A C Grayling to P Z Myers – to explain why they don’t.

http://www.newstatesman.com/religion/2011/07/god-evidence-believe-world

[PVnRT]

1. Atkins' Physical Chemistry textbooks are pretty much standard

I did not know he was an atheist.

[laconicsax]

2. AC Grayling FTW

I do not believe that there are any such things as gods and goddesses, for exactly the same reasons as I do not believe there are fairies, goblins or sprites, and these reasons should be obvious to anyone over the age of ten.

I would LOVE to have this as my sig line, but doubt that it would be allowed.

[awoke_in_2003]

6. we shall see...

[ZombieHorde]

8. I try to point this out with my numerous psychic toaster and water buffalo analogies,

but think only atheists get it.

[dmallind]

3. Reasonable set. Most of them par for the course. Liked the very last one.

Very telling for R/T discussions:

"I have never met a liberal who believed in a conservative God or a conservative who believed in a liberal one".

Since religiosity is very much tied to conservatism in the US at least, and DU is not, don't both the preponderance of vicious nasty religionists in the real world, and the heartfelt protests that religion is not "really" that way on DU make sense?

[laconicsax]

4. Very telling indeed. n/t

[laconicsax]

5. I just took that one to R/T

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=214x293521

[progressoid]

7. "...God who lets bad stuff happen really gives me the creeps."

Jennifer Bardi
Editor of the Humanist
The short and easy answer is lack of evidence. I also see no value in believing in God, because if you're thinking clearly and honestly you necessarily must face the issue of suffering, and the ensuing existential crisis wastes precious time and energy. Alleviating suffering is what we should pour our minds and hearts into.

Moreover, I simply don't want to believe, because the notion of an all-knowing, all-seeing God who lets bad stuff happen really gives me the creeps.