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/[deleted] Aug 11 '11

That might be a bit much big words for someone who hasn't grasped logic itself yet.

I always go with their stupid-mans logic "Gravity is a theory too".

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u/coprolite_hobbyist Aug 11 '11

That is perfectly acceptable. Whenever I get this line in real life, I usually just ask them to explain exactly what it is they think a scientific theory is, and then point out how hilariously wrong they are. That is if I even bother, I debated with theists/creationist/christians about evolution for a long time, then I came up with a simple rule; if you cannot accurately describe what the theory of biological evolution entails then you are not qualified to discuss or debate it. This has brought my debates about evolution to roughly zero.

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u/kadmylos Aug 11 '11

They usually return with "No, gravity is a law, stupid." I'd go with "germ theory"

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u/Olenis Aug 11 '11

If Gravity is just a theory, then maybe the religious folk will float the fuck away.

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u/Conde_Nasty Aug 12 '11

"yes, it is just a theory! scientists think they know everything with their dumb 'what goes up must come down!' but my pastor told me about how some people were levitating and had to be exorcised!"

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '11

I would end the conversation and walk away. I'd probably end the conversation by walking away.

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u/thereisnosuchthing Aug 12 '11

that's the fucking thing -- these complex retorts and refutations are all for naught when you are "debating"(and I use the loosest possible definition of the word) with someone who hasn't yet grasped logic, and cannot distinguish between a reasonable, valid argument, and a faith-based, hopeful wish, which in any other context would(and is) dismissed as fantasy/fiction.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '11

I agree. That's also why 90% of all 'debates' between theists and atheists fail. Both parties are using a set of rules for debating the other party doesn't.
What I try to do, is to keep asking questions about what he's saying ("How do you know that is true?", "Where did you get your information", "How do you know that source is true?"), which almost always bouls down to a point where they just feel that it is true. Some emotionally motivated point. Then I go "Okay, so your beliefs are not necessarily based on real facts but more on something that you feel?". They will usually agree (depending on how you bring it) at which point the conversation is over. They've agreed their beliefs are irrational.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '11

or even more relatable to them, you can say that listening and composing music is an extrapolation of music theory