Atheological Argument
In this episode, we will delve deep into the Argument of Atheism, also known as the Atheological Argument. This argument challenges the belief about the existence of god due to the presence of diverse religious beliefs worldwide, including people, religions, churches, and countries that do not subscribe to the notion of a god.
The Argument of Atheism can be summarized as follows:
- If atheism exists in the world, since there are various cultures worship different gods.
- Then, this means that atheism is a good evidence that contradicts the existence of god
- Thus, this evidence suggests that the god of the Bible is not the only god in the world.
Meanwhile, an atheist is someone who does not believe in gods or divine beings. The term originates from the Greek words "ἄ" (a-, meaning "without") and "θεός" (theos, meaning "god"), translating to "without god" or "without belief in god." Atheists can be categorized into two groups: Strong Atheists and Weak Atheists.
1. Weak Atheism: This type of atheists simply lacks belief in gods and they have nothing to prove, and thus no burden of proof. This is known as weak or soft atheism. Agnostics and freethinkers fall into this category, often using strategies like Pascal's Wager or a "playing it safe" approach.
2. Strong Atheism: This type of atheists asserts that no gods exist, however, they try to support their claim with evidence or arguments explaining why no gods are real. This category comprises true atheists, who are often referred to as strong or hard atheists. Some within this group believe that religion and churches contribute to societal decline and harm humanity.
Atheism can also be understood based on the number of gods one believes in:
1. Monotheism: Belief in a single god, as seen in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, as well as Zoroastrianism (Persia), Sikhism (Punjab), Bahai (Iran), Cao Dai (Vietnam), and Mandaeism (Middle East).
2. Polytheism: Worship of multiple gods, such as in India, where numerous gods and goddesses, almost 33 million, are revered. Examples include Vishnu (India), Kami (Japan), shamans (Korea), Olodumare (Africa), Zeus (Greece), Jupiter (Rome), Odin (Norse), Lugh (Celtic), Ra (Egypt), and Bathala (Philippines).
3. Non-theistic religions: Certain spiritual beliefs do not involve gods, such as Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Taoism, secular humanism, and Raelism (UFO).
From all of these, one striking observation is that, in a sense, everyone starts as an atheist. As babies, we are born without any belief in gods. It is only through association with parents, society, or country we were born that we develop theistic beliefs.
Now, since we discuss the concept of the Burden of Proof, which refers to the obligation to provide evidence for one's claims, let us explore then the strategies and rules on how to handle a good balance discussion in argument.
When engaging in arguments, two critical strategies are Appeals and Fallacies. An appeal strengthens your argument through logic (logos), emotion (pathos), and credibility (ethos). A fallacy, on the other hand, weakens the opponent's argument through deception, misinformation, or logical flaws. Examples of fallacies include:
- - Ad Hominem: Attacking the person making the argument instead of the argument itself.
- - Straw Man: Misrepresenting the opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.
- - Appeal to Authority: Using an expert's opinion as evidence.
- - Circular Reasoning: Repeating the argument in different words without providing new evidence.
- - Red Herring: Introducing irrelevant topics to divert attention from the real issue.
- - Cherry Picking: Selecting only evidence that supports one's beliefs while ignoring contrary evidence (confirmation bias).
Christians or Blind Believers often use the last three fallacies to cover up their ignorance or false beliefs.
In this episode, we've established that atheism is not a belief system and does not have a mandate to prove the nonexistence of gods. The burden of proof lies with those who claim the existence of gods.
As a Hard Atheist, I've provided evidence in the first part of our discussion by examining the flaws in the Bible, church, god, and Jesus. In the second part, I have used logic and rational thinking to demonstrate philosophical arguments against the existence of gods. In the third part, I'll present scientific evidence from personal experiments to show why I'm certain that the god in the Bible, and any other gods else, do not exist. And in the fourth part of this podcast, I will use technology to show that god doesn't exist.
In the next episode, we'll tackle the argument about legends or mythological arguments, exploring why the stories in the Bible are not true and are merely metaphors, allegories, or symbols.
Disclaimer:
Always cross-reference information from multiple reliable sources. This helps ensure accuracy and provides a more comprehensive understanding about the topics here. Apply critical thinking to evaluate the information you have here and you gathered. Use reputable fact-checking websites and tools to verify claims and data as well.
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