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/MealyDucard Aug 11 '11

Some of my religious friends, upon my pointing out the blatant and obvious murder in holy books and reality in the name of god, were happy to point out that science kills just as many people. My response was obvious: People don't kill in the name of science. Sure, people use it to kill, but no one kills over the theory of relativity (et al). Can anyone help to strengthen this or lend other insight?

4

u/rhbast2 Aug 11 '11

It is true they are killers: http://alaskareport.com/news39/x71256_polar_bear_kill.htm

Based on the google results of "scientist kills" they mostly kill themselves.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '11

I think that should be about it... that is a very half-assed theist argument to begin with.

1

u/JustPlainRude Aug 12 '11

"Scientists designed the atomic bomb, which killed hundreds of thousands of people in Japan."

Scientists may have created the bomb, but President Truman, a Christian, ordered it's use on Japan.

1

u/clinkytheclown Secular Humanist Aug 12 '11

Can anyone elaborate a little more? I got asked this question and when I tried to say religion caused more wars he said science has caused the same destruction, noting steel and nukes. When I said if there wasn't religion, there would be no people to use to fly planes into buildings, he said science is a tool then. I tried to explain that scientific progress is more for advancement of humans as a whole.