1. How would you define atheism?
Lack of belief in any god or gods.
2. Do you act according to what you believe (there is no God) in or what you don't believe in (lack belief in God)?
It's not so much that I act according to a lack of belief than that I don't act in accordance with a belief in a god or gods.
3. Do you think it is inconsistent for someone who "lacks belief" in God to work against God's existence by attempting to show that God doesn't exist?
Um no? Really. I can try to demonstrate that belief in Nessy is preposterous while not believing in Nessy. The idea of god is no different. More to the point most believers in one god or another see no problem with attempting to show the lack of existence of other gods.
4. How sure are you that your atheism properly represents reality?
99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999%
5. How sure are you that your atheism is correct?
99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999%
That was really just the same question twice.
6. How would you define what truth is?
I wouldn't. Demonstrable truth is verifiable truth.
7. Why do you believe your atheism is a justifiable position to hold?
Because belief in a god is unjustifiable either rationally or empirically.
8. Are you a materialist or a physicalist or what?
That's irrelavent to the question of atheism.
9. Do you affirm or deny that atheism is a worldview? Why or why not?
Atheism is not a word view. It is a single issue.
10. Not all atheists are antagonistic to Christianity but for those of you who are, why the antagonism?
I am antogonistic the Christianity and other religions when they attempt to impose an immoral, historically inaccurate, or scientifically inaccurate opinion on the rest of the population based on religion.
11. If you were at one time a believer in the Christian God, what caused you to deny his existence?
I never really believed in the Christian god. Why not. Because there is no real evidence of it whatsoever.
12. Do you believe the world would be better off without religion?
Yes.
13. Do you believe the world would be better off without Christianity?
Yes.
14. Do you believe that faith in a God or gods is a mental disorder?
No necessarily, but it can be.
15. Must God be known through the scientific method?
Not necessarily, but some evidence should be supplied for belief in anything.
16. If you answered yes to the previous question, then how do you avoid a category mistake by requiring material evidence for an immaterial God?
That isn't a mistake because those claiming a god almost invariably claim that god has a material effect on the world. So far none has been demonstrated.
17. Do we have any purpose as human beings?
Only that which we supply ourselves.
18. If we do have purpose, can you as an atheist please explain how that purpose is determined?
By myself.
19. Where does morality come from?
Rational thought and evolution.
20. Are there moral absolutes?
No, but there is broad moral agreement about a number of things.
21. If there are moral absolutes, could you list a few of them?
See above.
22. Do you believe there is such a thing as evil? If so, what is it?
Yes. Acting for the purpose of causing pain and suffering to others, treating people as things, or consistently acting in contradiction to generally accepted moral principles.
23. If you believe that the God of the Old Testament is morally bad, by what standard do you judge that he is bad?
See above. The God of the Old Testament treats people as things, acts for the purpose of causing pain and suffering to innocents, and acts contrary to generally accepted moral principles.
24. What would it take for you to believe in God?
Enough evidence to make god more probable than not.
25. What would constitute sufficient evidence for God’s existence?
Good question. Could we make predictions about the future based on the existence of god? Are there any predictions beyond the level of horoscopes made by god that have come true. Either would be handy.
26. Must this evidence be rationally based, archaeological, testable in a lab, etc., or what?
Any of the above would be useful.
27. Do you think that a society that is run by Christians or atheists would be safer? Why?
Atheists. Societies that have a greater number of atheist and/or are more secular currently are better societies in that they have less crime and are more prosperous on average. The U.S. is an exception, but within the U.S. more secular states are better than bible belt states.
28. Do you believe in free will? (free will being the ability to make choices without coercion).
Not really an atheist versus god question but while I'm not sure that free will exists I act as if it does.
29. If you believe in free will, do you see any problem with defending the idea that the physical brain, which is limited and subject to the neuro-chemical laws of the brain, can still produce free will choices?
Yes, I do see a problem with that. See above.
30. If you affirm evolution and that the universe will continue to expand forever, then do you think it is probable that given enough time, brains would evolve to the point of exceeding mere physical limitations and become free of the physical and temporal and thereby become "deity" and not be restricted by space and time? If not, why not?
No. I don't know what you think the expanding universe has to do with the question, but brains are very physical objects and there is no reason to suspect that given enough time they will cease to be so.
31. If you answered the previous question in the affirmative, then aren't you saying that it is probable that some sort of God exists?
Well no.
[/quote]
Lack of belief in any god or gods.
2. Do you act according to what you believe (there is no God) in or what you don't believe in (lack belief in God)?
It's not so much that I act according to a lack of belief than that I don't act in accordance with a belief in a god or gods.
3. Do you think it is inconsistent for someone who "lacks belief" in God to work against God's existence by attempting to show that God doesn't exist?
Um no? Really. I can try to demonstrate that belief in Nessy is preposterous while not believing in Nessy. The idea of god is no different. More to the point most believers in one god or another see no problem with attempting to show the lack of existence of other gods.
4. How sure are you that your atheism properly represents reality?
99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999%
5. How sure are you that your atheism is correct?
99.9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999%
That was really just the same question twice.
6. How would you define what truth is?
I wouldn't. Demonstrable truth is verifiable truth.
7. Why do you believe your atheism is a justifiable position to hold?
Because belief in a god is unjustifiable either rationally or empirically.
8. Are you a materialist or a physicalist or what?
That's irrelavent to the question of atheism.
9. Do you affirm or deny that atheism is a worldview? Why or why not?
Atheism is not a word view. It is a single issue.
10. Not all atheists are antagonistic to Christianity but for those of you who are, why the antagonism?
I am antogonistic the Christianity and other religions when they attempt to impose an immoral, historically inaccurate, or scientifically inaccurate opinion on the rest of the population based on religion.
11. If you were at one time a believer in the Christian God, what caused you to deny his existence?
I never really believed in the Christian god. Why not. Because there is no real evidence of it whatsoever.
12. Do you believe the world would be better off without religion?
Yes.
13. Do you believe the world would be better off without Christianity?
Yes.
14. Do you believe that faith in a God or gods is a mental disorder?
No necessarily, but it can be.
15. Must God be known through the scientific method?
Not necessarily, but some evidence should be supplied for belief in anything.
16. If you answered yes to the previous question, then how do you avoid a category mistake by requiring material evidence for an immaterial God?
That isn't a mistake because those claiming a god almost invariably claim that god has a material effect on the world. So far none has been demonstrated.
17. Do we have any purpose as human beings?
Only that which we supply ourselves.
18. If we do have purpose, can you as an atheist please explain how that purpose is determined?
By myself.
19. Where does morality come from?
Rational thought and evolution.
20. Are there moral absolutes?
No, but there is broad moral agreement about a number of things.
21. If there are moral absolutes, could you list a few of them?
See above.
22. Do you believe there is such a thing as evil? If so, what is it?
Yes. Acting for the purpose of causing pain and suffering to others, treating people as things, or consistently acting in contradiction to generally accepted moral principles.
23. If you believe that the God of the Old Testament is morally bad, by what standard do you judge that he is bad?
See above. The God of the Old Testament treats people as things, acts for the purpose of causing pain and suffering to innocents, and acts contrary to generally accepted moral principles.
24. What would it take for you to believe in God?
Enough evidence to make god more probable than not.
25. What would constitute sufficient evidence for God’s existence?
Good question. Could we make predictions about the future based on the existence of god? Are there any predictions beyond the level of horoscopes made by god that have come true. Either would be handy.
26. Must this evidence be rationally based, archaeological, testable in a lab, etc., or what?
Any of the above would be useful.
27. Do you think that a society that is run by Christians or atheists would be safer? Why?
Atheists. Societies that have a greater number of atheist and/or are more secular currently are better societies in that they have less crime and are more prosperous on average. The U.S. is an exception, but within the U.S. more secular states are better than bible belt states.
28. Do you believe in free will? (free will being the ability to make choices without coercion).
Not really an atheist versus god question but while I'm not sure that free will exists I act as if it does.
29. If you believe in free will, do you see any problem with defending the idea that the physical brain, which is limited and subject to the neuro-chemical laws of the brain, can still produce free will choices?
Yes, I do see a problem with that. See above.
30. If you affirm evolution and that the universe will continue to expand forever, then do you think it is probable that given enough time, brains would evolve to the point of exceeding mere physical limitations and become free of the physical and temporal and thereby become "deity" and not be restricted by space and time? If not, why not?
No. I don't know what you think the expanding universe has to do with the question, but brains are very physical objects and there is no reason to suspect that given enough time they will cease to be so.
31. If you answered the previous question in the affirmative, then aren't you saying that it is probable that some sort of God exists?
Well no.
[/quote]
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
