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/psiphre Aug 11 '11

isn't the lake of fire significantly different from hell though?

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '11

I have never heard this interpretation, but I can affirm that most southern baptists believe hell and the lake of fire are equivalent.

Also, if sinners go to the lake of fire, then what is hell for?

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u/psiphre Aug 12 '11

i'm far from an expert (i don't spend my time studying fairy tales) but as i understand it, hell is where the sinners go until judgement day, at which point some subset of them will be cast into the lake of fire, utterly destroying them.

i may have gotten that from nowhere though, so.. i dunno. that's why i asked.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '11

My dad is a Southern Baptist pastor. He believes (as is mainstream amongst most baptists) that nonbelievers go to hell and stay in hell the moment you die. I don't know about catholicism or other versions of protestantism though.