Dan Barker's Email

Ever get an email also addressed to several others and the discussion goes on an on between the people involved? Dan and I were tagged in one of them recently. I had written a response earlier that basically said this. After a Christian responded Dan wrote:

Yes, we are all in the same boat. We are all biological organisms with similar brains breathing the same air, looking at the same evidence. There is no evidence for a god, or we would have seen it by now.

Atheism is nothing to be "skeptical of." Atheism makes no claims. It is simply the absence of a claim of theism. Yes, we atheists are skeptical of everything, including our own minds . . . but skepticism is not a conclusion, it is a method. As we apply the method of skepticism to the claims of theism, they all fail .. . no evidence, no good argument, no coherent definition, no possibility of falslfiability, no satisfactory replies to the argument from evil (and other positive arguments against the existence of the traditional god), no agreement among believers as to the nature or moral principles of this "god," and most important: no need for such a belief. Millions of good people lead happy, purposeful, productive, loving, hopeful and moral lives without such a sophomoric belief . . . in things like talking snakes and holy ghosts . . . so what difference does it make? Those who believe will believe (with no evidence or argument) and those who don't believe don't believe. We atheists are not running into churches dragging people of of pews, trying to convert the world to our viewpoint. We simply give answers when asked for our reasons for rejecting gods.

Atheism is intellectually and morally respectable. Until theists provide proof, we are justified in withholding our belief.

I liked what he said! So true it is.