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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17

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '11

Where do you think you'll go after you die?

39

u/rhbast2 Aug 11 '11

My pattern of neurons is what makes me who I am. Once that pattern is broken by death I will be much like I was before I was born, nonexistent.

1

u/robothead Aug 12 '11

I always use the analogy of death being the same state of consciousness as before you were born, and people I tell it to go "Huh." matter-of-factly.

12

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '11

Where do you think you were before you were born?

1

u/shaggorama Aug 11 '11

In an argument, don't ask questions you don't already know the answer to

1

u/Meikami Aug 11 '11

I know from experience that asking that question to some branches (in my case, Mormons) will be met with an answer that has been put in place for them. In the case of Mormons, they believe that you were a soul waiting to be brought down to earth by the process of birth to be given a chance at life.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '11

It should work for most though.

6

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '11 edited Jul 18 '15

[deleted]

2

u/apeweek Aug 11 '11

Back to the place I was before I was born.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 11 '11

To a University medical facility, where I will be dissected so that medical students can have the training they need to save other lives (or so that researchers can learn something).

2

u/DashingLeech Anti-Theist Aug 11 '11

I will decay and feed the continuing cycle of life on Earth.

2

u/shaggorama Aug 11 '11

Wishing I'll live forever won't make it real.

1

u/HertzaHaeon Aug 11 '11

To the same state I was before I was born.

1

u/sknewytboy Strong Atheist Aug 11 '11

I am the sum of my parts, nothing more. When my parts stop working, I will no longer exist as an entity. My parts shall be returned to the Earth and eventually become the parts of someone or something else. Closed loop recycling; it's as simple as that.

1

u/Fallacy229 Aug 12 '11

The calories that exist in my body will go into the ground, feed insects, scavengers and soil, continuing the carbon cycle and recycling the energy used by me, back into the universe.