The only rational problem with Atheism

[LastPoet]

What is it to sidestep? How does our ignorance to answering that relate to us being atheists? I smell somthing fishy around here...

"I can live with doubt and not knowing, I think its much more interesting, to not know, than to have answers that might be wrong..." - Richard P Feynman

[Rayaan]

As an Atheist, there is one issue for me that is a problem. Although evolution is easily provable and is clearly a reality, it does not answer the question of "how this all began in the first place." Science itself acknowledges cause and effect. Something in motion has to be set into motion. A car doesn't accelerate without you pushing the gas pedal. So what is pushing the gas pedal of life. I have heard the best argument for god as "the first cause" and everything we see now is the result of that initial action.

Well, the thing is that no atheist claims to know *what* was the first cause. They just believe that it is absurd that God or Allah did it. But, of course, they don't have an answer to that question.

[Epimethean]

When you expect atheism in its rejection of theism to come up with a snappy answer that science is still working out at your convenience and in a readily digestible format, you are teetering on the edge of theism out of impatience.

[leo-rcc]

Because as Atheist we assert that that life was not created.

No we don't actually.

Evolution doesn't answer what the initial cause was. Even if the universe started with the Big Bang, what lit the fuse? What mixed the chemicals? Is this not a problem

No it isn't. Because even the answer "I don't know" still makes no god any more plausible let alone necessary. And that is the only thing atheism entails.

[DaveD]

it does not answer the question of "how this all began in the first place."

Why does it have to?

Because as Atheist we assert that that life was not created. Evolution doesn't answer what the initial cause was. Even if the universe started with the Big Bang, what lit the fuse? What mixed the chemicals? Is this not a problem?

You do realise that some theists have no problem with evolution, don't you?

[Epimethean]

LastPoet, does the fishy smell smack of recent bans?

[LastPoet]

Indeed, take a look at the OP posts. Besides, being in such a hurry to propose this decrepid old argument that couldn't even made an introduction. Very fishy indeed.

[Minimalist]

it does not answer the question of "how this all began in the first place."

Why does it have to?

Because as Atheist we assert that that life was not created. Evolution doesn't answer what the initial cause was. Even if the universe started with the Big Bang, what lit the fuse? What mixed the chemicals? Is this not a problem?

No....as an atheist I assert that there is no evidence for any of the gods which the human imagination has created across the millenia. I have no problem saying that I do "not know" how it came about. That in no way means that there is any validity to the absurd notions of ridiculous sly-daddys that the ignorant have invented in order to give themselves a neat, pat, wrong answer.

[Ace Otana]

Because as Atheist we assert that that life was not created. Evolution doesn't answer what the initial cause was. Even if the universe started with the Big Bang, what lit the fuse? What mixed the chemicals? Is this not a problem?

Incorrect. As an atheist, I state that I lack belief in god. That is atheism. Atheism has nothing to do with anything else other than lack of belief in god or gods. That's it.

ON the matter of what brought all this about? Well we don't know. It doesn't have to be a god simply because we don't know. Mankind has a terrible habit of running to that tired old answer "godididit" when we don't have the answers.

Just leave a question mark. Because we really don't know. It could be something we've never thought of before, so jumping to "god must of done it" is just dumb.

Just leave a question mark - ?

[Doubting Thomas]

I don't know why the origins of the universe are a problem for atheism at all. All my atheism states is that I don't believe in any gods. I don't know how the universe began, but not knowing doesn't mean that biblical creationism is a valid theory and biblegod is the one true God. Nor does it mean that any other gods exist. This sounds very much like the argument from ignorance that Christians love to use, "science can't explain how the universe began, therefore goddidit." You might as well tout that as proof that the flying spaghetti monster or bigfoot exist.

*edit* I see I've basically just reiterated what Ace above said, but it's a very valid point. In science, it's totally acceptable to say "I don't know." Not knowing the origins of the universe =/= God is real, Jesus is the only way to salvation, vote Republican and start persecuting gays.