Atheists, tell me, a Roman Catholic: why should I become an atheist?

[robvalue]

Yeah, maximally great doesn't mean anything. By what metric(s)? Who set up the metrics?

The whole "test of faith" thing is a really cunning trick. One of the most successful cons of all time. Think about what's going on here. It's not just a test of your faith in a general creator, which is of no consequence; it's about a very specific "God" and a load of rules that it has. But many religions say the same thing. So "God" is testing your ability to maintain specific beliefs about it that you happen to be taught as a child, which mostly depend on where you live, despite a total lack of credible evidence that any of it is true. What kind of stupid God would do this? Why should such a God be respected? Why would it punish the people who happen to born into the wrong religion, even though they pass their "test of faith" in what they have been taught? Fuck his stupid ass. I'm certainly not interested, even if it could be shown to be real somehow.

I can also use this trick regarding anything at all. Any made up thing that can't be proved to not exist. It's testing us. But without indoctrinating people into believing in it as children, I won't be able to get anyone to care about it, although the evidence for it is just the same.

It's a dirty trick, to scare people into obedience.

[brewer]

My god can think of a bigger number than your god.

[Jesster]

I'm a maximally great goddess. I just choose to not express my greatness all the time. I'm certainly greater than those other silly gods, though.

[Balaco]

Toranic and biblical depictions of a "maximally great" yhwh shows a being that can do less than what humanity is currently capable of. Hence yhwh isn't a maximally great being.

What would be some specific examples of this?

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So "God" is testing your ability to maintain specific beliefs about it that you happen to be taught as a child, which mostly depend on where you live, despite a total lack of credible evidence that any of it is true. What kind of stupid God would do this? Why should such a God be respected? Why would it punish the people who happen to born into the wrong religion, even though they pass their "test of faith" in what they have been taught?

Theistically speaking any answer I can think of would relate to trusting in what we're taught about God and his nature. Yet, like you also brought up in your post, there's so many religions that firmly believe what they were taught as children. And obviously this relates once again to "tests of faith". 

Not sure if I brought this up here before but earlier a certain question popped into my mind that relates to this, and I think finding the correct answer is going to be extremely important: "Does God really give every single one of us a sufficient chance to follow whatever the 'one true faith' may be....or is that just made up to defend religions?" 

Obviously theists are going to support the first part of that question while atheists are going to support the second. Thinking on this question for a bit, I was thinking about how Jews and Muslims firmly believe in their faith like I and many Christians have. Many Christians, Jews, and Muslims follow their faiths for their entire lives, trusting in their faith. Some will convert, but even then, who says they've converted to the "correct" faith? A Jew might convert to Christianity...identifying as Protestant. Another Jew might convert also convert to Christianity, and follow Catholicism. Both firmly believing in their faith towards the denomination of Christianity that they follow. They've probably researched religion with some level of thoroughness and made their choice, trusting in their faith to lead them to the answer. 

Yet here we see two different concluded answers. Both assumedly believing that God led them to the correct faith. I don't know all that much about Protestantism, but I know the Catholic Church definitely considers itself the one true Church of God and discourages dissent of its general teachings. Despite this, one person researched both types of religion and found Protestantism to be correct; likely remaining Protestant for the rest of their lives. Even within Christianity, we have people from all different faiths feeling like God undeniably led them to the correct faith/denomination.

I guess I'll have to bring this up with other Catholics.

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Trying to get some more perspective on operator's points, I asked the Catholic Forums two things...

Are there people who are uncontrollably evil (if so, why does God allow it)?

This question popped into my mind recently. Are there people who have mental/psychological issues that cause them to be evil/sinful genuinely beyond control? 

If so, why does God allow people to live in a condition where they can't reasonably follow Him and do good?

So far, some of the answers to this credit psychological/sociopathic problems to neglect and abuse, usually during childhood. The parents and people around the victim have the free will to act however they want, which can damage the victim.

As for sociopathic issues that are purely related to chemical/anatomical problems, people have said they simply don't know why God would allow this.

I've gotten answers stating that it then falls on us to help these victims to the best of our ability...which seems to imply that it might be discipline or a way to strengthen those around the victim. I don't know where I stand on this yet.

Why does God allow the Bible to be so "unclear" at times?

"Unclear" may not be the best word to use in the title, but I didn't really know how to condense my thoughts. 

I know Christians/Catholics don't consider the Bible to have any contradictions, and regardless of whether this is true, why does God allow to Bible to seem like it could have contradictions? Why does God allow the Bible to be left up to so many interpretations that there's multiple denominations of the Christian faith? 

If the Bible is to be the infallible Word of God, why didn't God make it clearer?

These being Catholics, they explained how my questions work against sola scriptura. Most responders talked about how important the Church is to interpreting the faith. One explained how God's Divine Law is said to use both Scripture and Sacred Tradition to infallibly teach it.

Most responses I've gotten so far explained that God gave us the Church, only one Church, and other denominations are just considered to be due to human weakness. They say these other denominations have formed because they don't have the Church to interpret Scripture. I'd assume questions related to why God allows us weakness in this important aspect would be answered using free will as justification. This one Church was given by God before the Bible was written, and one person justified the variances within the Bible by explaining how the different authors had different perspectives and fields of knowledge.

I think this might be a good question to ask Protestants considering how different their responses would be.

[GUBU]

Toranic and biblical depictions of a "maximally great" yhwh shows a being that can do less than what humanity is currently capable of. Hence yhwh isn't a maximally great being.

What would be some specific examples of this?

Lessee, humans can induce speciation; humans can split the atom (allied to this they can turn lead to gold); humans know what's in space; humans know how the world started; humans can calculate pi correctly; humans can get through the Sinai peninsula in less than two weeks on foot (on god's directions Moshe died after not being able to get out of there forty years in); humans have many ways to defeat iron chariots; humans understand the ways diseases propogate and have means to combat many of them; humans understand madness much better than yhwh did (protip; demons don't cause madness).

And that's before I start thinking about and researching the subject.

[Tonus]

Most responses I've gotten so far explained that God gave us the Church, only one Church, and other denominations are just considered to be due to human weakness. They say these other denominations have formed because they don't have the Church to interpret Scripture.

How do they know this? What is it that gives them cause to believe that it is the case? Correct me if I'm wrong, but they're saying that the Church is the authority on interpreting scripture and on determining God's will, allowing them to guide the faithful along the proper path towards salvation. That's not a minor thing! How do they justify that view? What do those other denominations think of the Church's claim to such authority, and on what do they base their view?

Because I'm guessing that it's based on rival interpretations of biblical texts. If it is, shouldn't it be possible to come to one single interpretation? If it isn't, then what is it based on if not the Bible? And why doesn't that piece of evidence or proof settle the issue?

[robvalue]

I'm very impressed with the thorough examination you are giving to your beliefs Balaco

Indeed, every religion dismisses every other religion (or denomination of the same religion) for pretty much the same reasons their religion gets dismissed by others. It's called special pleading; they just know they are right, while everyone else just thinks they are right but have been mistaken somehow; while they all use pretty much the same reasoning. They all have genuine experiences and a relationship with God, somehow.

Of course, the first faulty assumption is that any of them are "right". I don't know why God is so insistent on this guessing game. And certainly, if one of them is somehow right, those he allows to be indoctrinated into another religion are so unfairly handicapped that the whole system is a joke. All religions seem utterly convincing when under their spell, and utterly ludicrous from the outside.

The idea of an intelligent creator is reasonable, but the idea that he's some petty voyeur obsessed with what we do with our genitals, and running obscure tests on us to believe that which is not evident, is not. It wouldn't be hard for God to clear all this up, so he must want there to be this confusion. So much confusion that people kill each other over it.

[Mr Greene]

Balaco

 I'll have to look into what religion is even correct. Even if Christianity is correct, I don't even know if Roman Catholicism is even the correct Christian faith to follow.

I might suggest taking a peek at some of the other denominations services and noting in particular their effect on the followers emotions (and yours).
This really is the essence of what is being pedaled, emotional control. After all if you aren't in control of your emotions, who is?
A lot (possibly all) of the christian stuff replaces "spirituality" with emotionality. Thus 'emotional' becomes "spiritual" to confuse the audience and place the speaker at an advantage.

Frankly speaking the onotological argument is a waste of time unless your god is Tinkerbell who pops in and out of existence based on your imagination. 

Thank you for bringing this subject up, my step daughter is being targeted by Mormons and the revision of conversion techniques is timely.

[Chas]

I'm curious to know what you imagine these babies in heaven to be? Are they forever infants or fetuses? Is their "soul" somehow grown upon their arrival, or do they age in some sense while there?

Is any of this anything other than a sentimental fancy on the part of people who can't bear to think of babies and other children dying?

Lol interesting question. 

There is no physical body in the afterlife, just souls, so I don't particularly imagine them in any way. I'll also add that Heaven/Hell is a state of being, not a particular place.

Interesting claim.  What is your evidence?

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Um, are we reading the same thing? Lol.

Nothing you posted is contradictory to what I've been saying, and I don't understand why you said "they're trying on a polite way to say "They don't go to heaven"", when the thing you posted specifically says we have every reason to be hopeful that they DO.  

Bottom line is exactly as I said earlier on in this thread, FM: The Church can't claim to know what happens to the souls of anyone except canonized Saints.

Sorry, no. They can't even know that - there is no evidence that those claims are true. It's all made up.

[Mystical]

Balaco, from what I can tell, you're more interested in the theological side to "why you should become am atheist", and a rather superficial one at that. If I were you, I'd be less interested in what someone says online about your beliefs and more concerned with the facts. Did you ever get a chance to view the links I gave you?