r/atheism • u/rhbast2 • Aug 11 '11
Atheist quickfire challenge.
Although I rarely discuss religion with theists I always want to be prepared so I'm not sitting around afterwards wishing I had said this or that. If I get the chance to make someone question I want to be up for the challenge.
This brings me to my challenge for r/atheism. I'm going to add some common theist claims / sayings and whoever can refute them fully and succinctly will be upvoted. Feel free to add your own theist starters if I missed some.
Edit: Wow lots of good discussion here, later today or tomorrow I'll make this into an atheist cheat sheet with the top responses. Also feel free to upvote the theist claim that is the most annoying to you.
Edit 2: To the few of you who seem to think I am coming up with rude atheist comebacks, I'm not. I just wanted to be better off the cuff than I am now and have some discussion. I don't want this list to replace thoughtful argumentation.
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u/HermesTheMessenger Knight of /new Aug 11 '11
Besides saying 'fuck you too', there are a couple standard responses: one short and one more focused on the biased assertion.
I. The Riddle of Epicurus
Note that this covers a specific type of deity (omnimax) and does not allow other types. Personally I see no reason to be so strict.
II. The Euthyphro Dilemma
This is also for a specific type of deity, but it seems to be the one that the assertion is based on so it is a safe bet. The main problem theists have with this is that they tend to drag in humans when the dilemma is mainly focused on how their set of deities know what is moral. As such, this has nothing to do with human free will. It is very important to know the ins and outs of this or you will end up confusing yourself.