What is Atheism?

[Brian37]

This is a little obscure and esoteric, but there is a scene from an early episode of Steptoe and Son in which Harold, the son, challenges Albert, his dad, to show him the shrapnel wounds he claims to have received in WW1 and which he often uses as an excuse to get out of any hard work. Albert keeps prevaricating, throwing out red herrings and threats of violence. Anything to avoid having to actually back up his claim. As a last resort he says "I've got medals in that drawer", as though it's incontrovertible proof.

Long story short, that's what I picture whenever we get logical acrobatics and other smokescreen tactics in place of the evidence for which we ask.

Not familiar with that story, but yea, with religion it is all the same, an apology, and no different when you expose the Vegas "magician" or street con ball and cup or 3 card Monty. It isn't that the people selling this don't believe it, some do, most do with a passion. 

The cons don't care. The deluded who are honestly fooling themselves but don't realize it are the majority. I think the attitude of "I cant be wrong" is a product of evolution. If it seems to work, people fail to understand most of the time why it "works". A false claim, sold in honest belief, if sold successfully enough unfortunately does have a real evolutionary benefit that creates safety in numbers. 

All the world's major religions ARE successful, not because religion itself is a requirement for evolution to occur. They are successful because they "work" based on a false perception that multiple people buy into. When enough of a society buys into the claim, that creates the placebo effect that creates the REAL safety in numbers. 

But yea, no matter the religion, it isn't defended by objective neutrality, testing or peer review.  It takes mental acrobatics which really amounts to trying to convince oneself. Just like after your parents tell you Santa is real before you can formulate adult critical thinking skills, after you have been exposed, the desire of having a friend or a cosmic parent or magic gift giver, once you have bought that, before you have critical thinking skills, your reaction to defend these unfounded claims is based on self preservation unfortunately based on false perceptions.

I wish mere mental acrobatics worked, my mom would still be alive.