Neil DeGrasse Tyson on Disproving God

[Mister Agenda]

The more recent posts kinda show the problem with the "lack of belief" chestnut. Most atheists don't just lack belief in God that have beliefs about the conclusions theists draw from certain clear and obvious facts. The atheists are saying they do not accept the evidence, give reasons for not accepting the evidence, then, oddly, say they have no beliefs.

The point where it struck you as odd is the point where you should have wondered if you were understanding it correctly. That we don't have any beliefs, plural, doesn't follow at all. Not that there aren't a few atheists for whom the word 'belief' is so tainted that they'll deny they have any at all, but that's kind of the opposite of the fallacy of equivocation, in my opinion.

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You've made an equivocation fallacy here. It's not that atheists have no beliefs. It's that atheists have no belief in the existence of gods. It doesn't follow that atheists don't have beliefs about the purported "evidence" Christians give, or beliefs about the claim that a god exists.

Technically you are correct. I am highlighting how atheists aren't just blissfully unaware of God. They give reasons for why they are incredulous. When a theist replies that their objections aren't sound the atheist says it doesn't matter anyway because, you know, the definition of atheism. It's dodgy.

Neo, if you really think atheists are pretending to be blissfully unaware of the concept of God, that would be really stupid of you. I have a hard time believing that's actually the case; which is a shame. Actually being stupid wouldn't be your fault.