The Alleged Troubles With Atheism

[Jagella]

According to some religious apologists I'm acquainted with, atheism is a problematical way of looking at reality and living one's life. Here is a list of some of the criticisms of atheism and atheists I've heard:

1. Atheism offers no hope.
2. Atheism cannot explain existence.
3. The amazing complexity of living things cannot be explained by atheism.
4. Atheists are responsible for close to 100 million deaths during the twentieth century alone.
5. Hitler was an atheist, and his atheism led him to commit his "final solution" resulting in the deaths of six million Jews.
6. If one is an atheist, then there is no objective basis for that person's morality.
7. Atheism is illogical because it is impossible to know that God doesn't exist.
8. Atheism is a ruse because there are no true atheists: Supposed atheists do believe in God but don't recognize God's authority because they would rather sin.
9. Atheists have created ideas like evolution and the multiverse to avoid the fact that God created the cosmos and life.
10. Atheism is a mental illness brought on by childhood trauma regarding one's father which leads a person to reject her Heavenly Father.

Is there any truth to these criticisms?

 

[Orbit]

Some of these are laughable. Atheism is simply a lack of belief in gods. Atheism doesn't imply anything else on your list. What you have here is a list of stereotypes generated by feverish Christians.

 

[PureX]

There is little validity to any of those listed objections.

I'm not an atheist, but not for any of those "reasons".

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

According to some religious apologists I'm acquainted with, atheism is a problematical way of looking at reality and living one's life. Here is a list of some of the criticisms of atheism and atheists I've heard:

1. Atheism offers no hope.
2. Atheism cannot explain existence.
3. The amazing complexity of living things cannot be explained by atheism.
4. Atheists are responsible for close to 100 million deaths during the twentieth century alone.
5. Hitler was an atheist, and his atheism led him to commit his "final solution" resulting in the deaths of six million Jews.
6. If one is an atheist, then there is no objective basis for that person's morality.
7. Atheism is illogical because it is impossible to know that God doesn't exist.
8. Atheism is a ruse because there are no true atheists: Supposed atheists do believe in God but don't recognize God's authority because they would rather sin.
9. Atheists have created ideas like evolution and the multiverse to avoid the fact that God created the cosmos and life.
10. Atheism is a mental illness brought on by childhood trauma regarding one's father which leads a person to reject her Heavenly Father.

Is there any truth to these criticisms?

I've heard most of these or have had theists try to explain them to me in roundabout or convoluted ways that these end up summarizing quite efficiently. They're all garbage, and demonstrate a complete lack of understanding of just how possible and easily a person can truly just not believe in God/gods. It's not like I sit there and think it oh so improbable that someone actually does believe in god. But so many theists just immediately act like they don't even want to believe that you don't believe. It's idiotic.

 

[ChristineM]

Atheism offers no hope.

Or no self delusion

Atheism cannot explain existence.

No can religion but it seems a guess is good enough for religion

The amazing complexity of living things cannot be explained by atheism.

Yes it can, evolution

Atheists are responsible for close to 100 million deaths during the twentieth century alone.

And religion is responsible for close on a billion deaths

Hitler was an atheist, and his atheism led him to commit his "final solution" resulting in the deaths of six million Jews.

Wrong. Hitler was a Catholic Christian leader of a Protestant country. It took a lot of god believers to work those death camps

If one is an atheist, then there is no objective basis for that person's morality.

Except human morality, and that does not try to steal another person's morality

Atheism is illogical because it is impossible to know that God doesn't exist.

That one works both ways. It is impossible to know a god exists too. I kind of pity the religionists using this argument

Atheism is a ruse because there are no true atheists: Supposed atheists do believe in God but don't recognize God's authority because they would rather sin.

Spoken by true ignorance

Atheists have created ideas like evolution and the multiverse to avoid the fact that God created the cosmos and life.

Wrong, scientific observation came up with evolution. And the multiverse is one of several hypothesis based in mathematics and extrapolation of evidence, none of which claim god did it

Atheism is a mental illness brought on by childhood trauma regarding one's father which leads a person to reject her Heavenly Father.

Eh?

 

[Subduction Zone]

Or no self delusion



No can religion but it seems a guess is good enough for religion



Yes it can, evolution



And religion is responsible for close on a billion deaths




Wrong. Hitler was a Catholic Christian leader of a Protestant country. It took a lot of god believers to work those death camps



Except human morality, and that does not try to steal another person's morality



That one works both ways. It is impossible to know a god exists too. I kind of pity the religionists using this argument




Spoken by true ignorance



Wrong, scientific observation came up with evolution. And the multiverse is one of several hypothesis based in mathematics and extrapolation of evidence, none of which claim god did it



Eh?

I had to give it a winner, but it deserved a "funny" fruble too just for the "Eh?"

And hopefully the OP is not very serious with this list since he did use the qualifier "alleged". I have seen various theists use all of these claims, including the "Eh?" one at one time or another.

 

[England my lionheart]

According to some religious apologists I'm acquainted with, atheism is a problematical way of looking at reality and living one's life. Here is a list of some of the criticisms of atheism and atheists I've heard:

1. Atheism offers no hope.
2. Atheism cannot explain existence.
3. The amazing complexity of living things cannot be explained by atheism.
4. Atheists are responsible for close to 100 million deaths during the twentieth century alone.
5. Hitler was an atheist, and his atheism led him to commit his "final solution" resulting in the deaths of six million Jews.
6. If one is an atheist, then there is no objective basis for that person's morality.
7. Atheism is illogical because it is impossible to know that God doesn't exist.
8. Atheism is a ruse because there are no true atheists: Supposed atheists do believe in God but don't recognize God's authority because they would rather sin.
9. Atheists have created ideas like evolution and the multiverse to avoid the fact that God created the cosmos and life.
10. Atheism is a mental illness brought on by childhood trauma regarding one's father which leads a person to reject her Heavenly Father.

Is there any truth to these criticisms?

I think all the above lacks an understanding of what atheism means imo.

 

[Augustus]

Atheists are responsible for close to 100 million deaths during the twentieth century alone.

This has a kernel of truth to it.

Marxists argued against the sanctity of human life on the grounds it was a theistic religious myth.

In a purely materialistic world the ends justified the means, and millions of deaths was a price worth paying for the "progress" of humanity.

As such there is an indirect connection to atheism, although it is obviously not the case that they were killed purely due to atheism. They were killed by atheists though.

While it is impossible to know, there is an arguable case that Marxism was responsible for more deaths in a century than died in all religious wars in history.

Hitler was an atheist, and his atheism led him to commit his "final solution" re

He was likely some kind of providential deist.

 

[lukethethird]

That list tells us more about theists than it does atheists.

 

[Estro Felino]

Premise:
I am a defender of rationalism, and I think atheism can help live a healthier life in so many ways.
Seeing how destructive teligions and theocracies can be.

My personal hero was a professor of philosophy and he was an atheist.
He was kind, good, gentle, wise, humble. A role model for me.


That said...I understand your point, and as a Christian I will say there are two kinds of atheists

1) first kind. The atheists that once they find out there is no God, they believe men are the only makers of the Earth's fate. So they work to build a better world through hard work, kindness, altruism.

2) second kind. The atheists who once they find out there is no God, they tend to undo the difference between good and evil, either unconsciously or willfully.
So they use the absence of a godly justice as an excuse to commit evil, because they know no God will punish them in the afterlife.

 

[ChristineM]

2) second kind.

Although i have met one or two atheists who were really not nice people i have found a gair few religious folks (mostly Christian) who are truly evil and nasty. Using the excuse that "god is on my side" to commit the most heinous acts

 

[Spirit of Light]

According to some religious apologists I'm acquainted with, atheism is a problematical way of looking at reality and living one's life. Here is a list of some of the criticisms of atheism and atheists I've heard:

1. Atheism offers no hope.
2. Atheism cannot explain existence.
3. The amazing complexity of living things cannot be explained by atheism.
4. Atheists are responsible for close to 100 million deaths during the twentieth century alone.
5. Hitler was an atheist, and his atheism led him to commit his "final solution" resulting in the deaths of six million Jews.
6. If one is an atheist, then there is no objective basis for that person's morality.
7. Atheism is illogical because it is impossible to know that God doesn't exist.
8. Atheism is a ruse because there are no true atheists: Supposed atheists do believe in God but don't recognize God's authority because they would rather sin.
9. Atheists have created ideas like evolution and the multiverse to avoid the fact that God created the cosmos and life.
10. Atheism is a mental illness brought on by childhood trauma regarding one's father which leads a person to reject her Heavenly Father.

Is there any truth to these criticisms?

Atheists are human beings too, if they do not believe in same as me its no problem.
So its a bit wrong of theists to put lable on Atheists just because they believe different

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

According to some religious apologists I'm acquainted with, atheism is a problematical way of looking at reality and living one's life. Here is a list of some of the criticisms of atheism and atheists I've heard:

1. Atheism offers no hope.
2. Atheism cannot explain existence.
3. The amazing complexity of living things cannot be explained by atheism.
4. Atheists are responsible for close to 100 million deaths during the twentieth century alone.
5. Hitler was an atheist, and his atheism led him to commit his "final solution" resulting in the deaths of six million Jews.
6. If one is an atheist, then there is no objective basis for that person's morality.
7. Atheism is illogical because it is impossible to know that God doesn't exist.
8. Atheism is a ruse because there are no true atheists: Supposed atheists do believe in God but don't recognize God's authority because they would rather sin.
9. Atheists have created ideas like evolution and the multiverse to avoid the fact that God created the cosmos and life.
10. Atheism is a mental illness brought on by childhood trauma regarding one's father which leads a person to reject her Heavenly Father.

Is there any truth to these criticisms?

Why would anybody take opinions about atheists and atheism from these people?

 

[Revoltingest]

According to some religious apologists I'm acquainted with, atheism is a problematical way of looking at reality and living one's life. Here is a list of some of the criticisms of atheism and atheists I've heard:

1. Atheism offers no hope.
2. Atheism cannot explain existence.
3. The amazing complexity of living things cannot be explained by atheism.
4. Atheists are responsible for close to 100 million deaths during the twentieth century alone.
5. Hitler was an atheist, and his atheism led him to commit his "final solution" resulting in the deaths of six million Jews.
6. If one is an atheist, then there is no objective basis for that person's morality.
7. Atheism is illogical because it is impossible to know that God doesn't exist.
8. Atheism is a ruse because there are no true atheists: Supposed atheists do believe in God but don't recognize God's authority because they would rather sin.
9. Atheists have created ideas like evolution and the multiverse to avoid the fact that God created the cosmos and life.
10. Atheism is a mental illness brought on by childhood trauma regarding one's father which leads a person to reject her Heavenly Father.

Is there any truth to these criticisms?

1) Get your own hope.
I have mine.
2) What's to explain, eh.
Tis enuf that we exist.
3) Atheism isn't about explaining complexity of the real world.
It's just disbelief in gods.
4) At least we don't wage religious wars.
Believers win the contest of causing deaths.
5) Hitler was a believer.
"Gott Mit Uns" was his slogan.
6) Believers have no objective basis for morality either.
They only mistakenly believe that they do.
7) It's perfectly logical to not believe in gods.
It's unreasonable to believe in something undetectable.
8) No, we don't believe in your God, despite
what your Bible says.
9) Ideas like evolution just make sense.
More so than the simplistic & juvenile "God did it.".
10) Atheists are the ones who don't claim to
hear voices that must be obeyed.

I was in the mood to waste a wee bit'o time
on another newbie here to set us all straight.
Job done.

 

[exchemist]

According to some religious apologists I'm acquainted with, atheism is a problematical way of looking at reality and living one's life. Here is a list of some of the criticisms of atheism and atheists I've heard:

1. Atheism offers no hope.
2. Atheism cannot explain existence.
3. The amazing complexity of living things cannot be explained by atheism.
4. Atheists are responsible for close to 100 million deaths during the twentieth century alone.
5. Hitler was an atheist, and his atheism led him to commit his "final solution" resulting in the deaths of six million Jews.
6. If one is an atheist, then there is no objective basis for that person's morality.
7. Atheism is illogical because it is impossible to know that God doesn't exist.
8. Atheism is a ruse because there are no true atheists: Supposed atheists do believe in God but don't recognize God's authority because they would rather sin.
9. Atheists have created ideas like evolution and the multiverse to avoid the fact that God created the cosmos and life.
10. Atheism is a mental illness brought on by childhood trauma regarding one's father which leads a person to reject her Heavenly Father.

Is there any truth to these criticisms?

This looks like an exercise in setting up an Aunt Sally to attack.

Do you really know anyone who argues 10? Who and on what grounds?

 

[Jagella]

Some of these are laughable.

The rhetoric on the list is frightening to me. What is often said about atheists closely resembles what is said about Jews. Anti-Jewish sentiment has led to a lot of persecution of Jews, and it could happen to atheists too.

Atheism is simply a lack of belief in gods.

Although there are problems with that definition, I generally think of atheism that way.

Atheism doesn't imply anything else on your list. What you have here is a list of stereotypes generated by feverish Christians.

I actually agree with list items 1, 2, 3, and 6. Yes, atheism has nothing directly to offer, it cannot explain existence, and it cannot explain the complexity of living things. I don't expect it to. Also, although atheists have no objective basis for morality, nobody else has that basis either. Belief in God(s) does not confer objective morality as far as I can tell.

 

[Valjean]

According to some religious apologists I'm acquainted with, atheism is a problematical way of looking at reality and living one's life. Here is a list of some of the criticisms of atheism and atheists I've heard:

But atheism is neither a "way of looking at reality" or a lifestyle. It's a simple lack of belief in a specific claim.
I'll address each of these:

1. Atheism offers no hope.

   Neither does a lack of belief in leprechauns or unicorns.
2. I wasn't aware atheism was a psychotherapeutic modality.
   
3. 
   

4. Atheism cannot explain existence.

   Atheism doesn't claim to explain anything. It makes no claims that need to be explained.
   
5. 
   

6. The amazing complexity of living things cannot be explained by atheism.

   True -- that's the task of biology. Again, atheism is not a claim, doctrine, science or explanation.
7. Atheism has no beliefs.
   
8. 
   

9. Atheists are responsible for close to 100 million deaths during the twentieth century alone.

   And religion has killed far more than this. It's fomented persecution, intolerance and endless wars throughout it's history.
10. I'm assuming you're referring to the depredations of the officially 'atheistic' Soviets. Their murders were for various political expediencies, and not the result of any policy of atheism.

11. Hitler was an atheist, and his atheism led him to commit his "final solution" resulting in the deaths of six million Jews.

    Hitler may have been a rabid anti-semite, but was not an atheist. Adolf Hitler Quotes About Atheism | A-Z Quotes
    
12. 
    

13. If one is an atheist, then there is no objective basis for that person's morality.

    A list of rules said to be mandated by God hardly constitutes morality. It strikes me more as coercion.
14. Religion-based morality is often a crutch that obviates the need to develop strong, internalized moral principles, or even consider the function or consequences of mandated behaviors.
15. Morality evolved to facilitate coöperation and solidarity in an obligate social species. All cultures have norms of propriety and of right and wrong, no matter what its theology or lack thereof.
16. 
    

17. Atheism is illogical because it is impossible to know that God doesn't exist.

    Atheism doesn't claim God does not exist -- that would be a logically unsupportable. The only unique -- and therefore definitive -- feature of all flavors of atheism is lack of belief.
    
18. 
    

19. Atheism is a ruse because there are no true atheists: Supposed atheists do believe in God but don't recognize God's authority because they would rather sin.

    Atheism is the logical, epistemic default. Noöne is born believing in God, we're all born atheists.
    Belief in God doesn't appear particularly good at preventing sin. Without the strong, internalized morality of atheists, people seem to do whatever they think they can get away with, anyway.
20. 
    
21. 
    

22. Atheists have created ideas like evolution and the multiverse to avoid the fact that God created the cosmos and life.

    So science is an atheistic plot to facilitate denial of the unevidenced? To what end?
    
23. 
    

24. Atheism is a mental illness brought on by childhood trauma regarding one's father which leads a person to reject her Heavenly Father.

    I don't see how this follows....
25. We're all born without a belief in God. How does one reject something one doesn't have to begin with -- unless it was taught to us at some later point?
26. 
    

27. Is there any truth to these criticisms?

    Not a jot or a tittle.

Where are all these numbers coming from, and why can't I consolitate my post? How do I get rid of them?

 

[Jagella]

There is little validity to any of those listed objections.

I'm not an atheist, but not for any of those "reasons".

I think there is some validity to some of those objections, but any such problems are misdirected (see my post #16). For example, to expect atheism to explain existence is like expecting the milkman to deliver the mail! If we wish to explain existence, then atheism I think is a step in the right direction although science is ultimately the tool we should use.

I should stress that atheists like anybody else should be open to constructive criticism. Some atheists deserve to be criticized. We don't want to look like we're in denial like many of the religious appear to be in denial.

 

[Jagella]

Do you really know anyone who argues 10? Who and on what grounds?

Yes. See Faith of the Fatherless: The Psychology of Atheism by Paul Vitz. He argues that atheists reject a heavenly father due to disappointment in their earthly father.

 

[Audie]

According to some religious apologists I'm acquainted with, atheism is a problematical way of looking at reality and living one's life. Here is a list of some of the criticisms of atheism and atheists I've heard:

1. Atheism offers no hope.
2. Atheism cannot explain existence.
3. The amazing complexity of living things cannot be explained by atheism.
4. Atheists are responsible for close to 100 million deaths during the twentieth century alone.
5. Hitler was an atheist, and his atheism led him to commit his "final solution" resulting in the deaths of six million Jews.
6. If one is an atheist, then there is no objective basis for that person's morality.
7. Atheism is illogical because it is impossible to know that God doesn't exist.
8. Atheism is a ruse because there are no true atheists: Supposed atheists do believe in God but don't recognize God's authority because they would rather sin.
9. Atheists have created ideas like evolution and the multiverse to avoid the fact that God created the cosmos and life.
10. Atheism is a mental illness brought on by childhood trauma regarding one's father which leads a person to reject her Heavenly Father.

Is there any truth to these criticisms?

Thats the short list