From the link...Gleiser
What I mean by that is, what is atheism? It's a statement, a categorical statement that expresses belief in nonbelief. 'I don't believe even though I have no evidence for or against, simply I don't believe.' Period. It's a declaration.
The flaw of atheism is not what the atheist chooses to believe about the existence of gods. It's choosing to believe it without evidence, reason, or purpose. Theism lacks evidence, but it at least can offer a positive purpose. And agnosticism lack evidence, but it at least can claim honest skepticism, with an open mind. But atheism can claim none of these. It fails at every criteria.
I believe PureX and Gleiser both have it wrong when they say there is no evidence to support atheism. Generally speaking, Atheism is a
belief there are no gods. I go further than that liberal definition:
There are no gods. Gods are the creation of man's imaginings. The very notion of gods is a man-made construct just like Santa Claus and Psychic Snowflakes.
What is my evidence?
History.
All groups of humans created gods that look like them or an idealized version of themselves. All gods reflect the culture of their creators. This is true whether one is referencing gods or God.
One can also look beyond direct evidence from history and address the question of why humans created gods. Even in today's culture, we see people accepting theism over scientific knowledge. Thousand of years ago there was no writing and no real scientific knowledge. Knowledge was about the best places to hunt, the best way to treat infections, what foods to safely eat, how to hone tools. This knowledge was passed from generation to generation through oral traditions. Also passed on through oral traditions were stories about where the people came from, what caused the volcanoes to erupt, and why locusts attacked their crops. Ten thousand years ago there were two possible answers:
- I don't know
- GodDidIt
Leaders who say "I don't know" don't last too long.
We can also look at the other side of the argument; the evidence supporting the existence of actual gods. Some theists will assert that every flower is evidence of supernatural creation. Some theists will argue that
everything could not have developed through pure random chance. Some will claim that everything created must have a creator. These assertions, arguments, and claims are not really evidence. They have all been addressed by current scientific knowledge and found to be lacking.