# What atheists think, and why (in re: GEEPERS) **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 27, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150 "2012-04-27T16:57:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/301 "2012-05-01T16:44:00Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > You never back up anything you say, instead just boldly claim over and over how wrong I am. I’ve supported arguments I’ve made about evolution and genetics and other topics elsewhere. This thread was originally intended to educate you about atheists; unsurprisingly we’re now talking about something else because you’re apparently offended by anything any atheist says and would prefer registering that offense instead of moving through a series of questions and answers. Atheists don’t have to disprove gods to justify their views, and most of them acknowledge that they can’t do it. Many of them feel that’s not necessary, and I agree. It’s enough to demonstrate that most of the stuff that is chalked up to God has a more mundane cause, and you’re certainly not having much luck demonstrating that that’s not true. > [@](#): > > Again, lack of evidence is not conclusive proof that such events never occured. It’s just lack of evidence. It is not conclusive proof, but you cannot write off a total lack of evidence that easily. There is no evidence whatsoever anywhere that thousands of Hebrews were in Egypt, and it goes without saying there _is_ evidence of other people who were there. The default proposition has to be that they weren’t there until there’s reason to think they were, and the Bible is not reason enough. The evidence says the Exodus story is a folk tradition intended to justify the Hebrews’ claim to the land they currently occupied (without leaving, if I remember right, southern Judea). The rest is really just excuse-making. Meanwhile, I still agree there are some accurate points in the Bible when they are supported by other evidence. Care to comment on where this goes next? ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/302 "2012-05-01T16:44:12Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > . > Again, lack of evidence is not conclusive proof that such events never occured. It’s just lack of evidence. There is no such thing as proof that an event never occurred. Regarding the notion of insanity, by the way, I meant to point out that if I claimed that J.K. Rowling was inspired to write the Harry Potter series by actual knowledge of a clandestine society of magic users who live among us, and that in order to communicate with these beings I sought out snakes to converse with, and tied notes to wild owls, virtually no Christians would have any problem calling me deluded _at a minimum_. ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/303 "2012-05-01T16:45:32Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > Are you really that blind, or you just purposely ignore my posts? You never back up anything you say, instead just boldly claim over and over how wrong I am. > > Again, lack of evidence is not conclusive proof that such events never occured. It’s just lack of evidence. > > I went to the effort yesterday of finding a documented story of a man who was raised from the dead. Detailed records. It was dismissed immediately without a single statement demonstrating why the story is not credible. > > Fester all you want in your denial. It is a piece of evidence and I presented so stop saying that I never offer anything to support my arguments. We know the workers were not poorly treated slaves, we know that pottery didn’t change in the land if Israel after the supposed Exodus. We know that people can not turn sticks into snakes nor do we have any reason to believe that making gnats is harder than frogs. Why should we believe your book, which is an obvious work of plagiary in many aspects over the thousands of other gods and mythologies that existed in the past. ---
**Author:** ![GEEPERS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@GEEPERS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GEEPERS)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/304 "2012-05-01T16:45:47Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It’s true that using fallacies in your argument doesn’t automatically make you wrong, but it does mean you’re constructing a weak argument. > > Why don’t you take the wind out of their sails by constructing a fallacy-free argument? If atheists won’t even address the requirements of evidence then it’s a lost cause. ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/305 "2012-05-01T16:49:06Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > If atheists won’t even address the requirements of evidence then it’s a lost cause. ad hominim, You have given no evidence, you are the one making the extraordinary claim, can you not summon two she bears to kill dozens of children that laugh at your baldness? How long can you live in a fish or do you prefer to travel by boat. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/306 "2012-05-01T16:51:47Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > Answer the questions or be ignored. Take your own advice. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/307 "2012-05-01T16:51:49Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > He could not even answer two simple questions. So did you not read, or not comprehend my post? I answered those questions. Do you need to have proper experimental protocols explained to you? > [@GEEPERS](#): > > You never back up anything you say, instead just boldly claim over and over how wrong I am. More projection. You’ve been shown both the factual and logical errors in everything you’ve said. In response, you have generally hopped up on the cross, insulted those who you disagree with or tried to handwave away your errors. And yes, lack of evidence can indeed be conclusive proof that events didn’t occur. If I claim that I had 10 huge elephants dancing in my back yard last night. You check, and find not one footprint, let alone at least 40 prints from the dancing elephants. That is indeed proof that I haven’t had dancing elephants in my back yard. Or if you want something simpler: you have a rhinoceros in your pocket. Do you honestly believe that you can’t show I’m wrong by checking your pocket and seeing if you actually do have a rhino there? > [@GEEPERS](#): > > I went to the effort yesterday of finding a documented story of a man who was raised from the dead. Detailed records. Bullshit. You provided one link to “[the Miracle story of Dr.Sean George](http://www.seangeorge.com.au/)”, as told by… Dr. Sean George. You also offered some glurge on a conference for “divine healing”. Of course, if such was an actual phenomena you should be able to find thousands of papers demonstrating that it is real. They should be free on pubmed, too. > [@GEEPERS](#): > > stop saying that I never offer anything to support my arguments. When you start providing support we’ll stop saying you haven’t provided any. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/308 "2012-05-01T16:57:17Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > Give me the post #, or specific example of your counter. This website explains pretty clearly the problem of Exodus along with a specific example of Pharoh erasing records: Here’s [one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15002790&postcount=335), [here’s another](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15002505&postcount=330). > [@GEEPERS](#): > > Archaeologist Edwin Yamauchi points out the limits of this science when he explains: > > (1) little of what was made or written in antiquity survives to this day; > > (2) few of the ancient sites have been surveyed and a number have not even been found; > > (3) probably fewer than 2 percent of the known sites have been meaningfully excavated; > > (4) few of these have been more than scratched; and > > (5) only a fraction of the fraction that have been excavated have been published and data made available to the scholarly world (1972: chapter 4). All he’s basically saying here is that we might have missed any potential evidence. True, we might have. We might be missing evidence that the aliens built the pyramids. The problem with this is that **what we do know doesn’t support an exodus.** Assertions to Pharoah’s not recording losses to the contrary, there is no evidence of slavery or of the Jews. Further, if 1/2 million people wandered the desert for 40 years (improbable on the face of it, since the desert wasn’t really that big - what, did they walk in a circle for 40 years??) then there would, in all likelihood, be quite a bit of evidence. Archaeologists have spent decades searching that region (the Sinai Peninsula) and found nothing. Further, as presented in the Bible, the story is simply absurd ([from here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exodus)): > [@](#): > > According to Exodus 12:37-38, the Israelites numbered “about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children,” plus many non-Israelites and livestock.[9] Numbers 1:46 gives a more precise total of 603,550.[10] The 600,000, plus wives, children, the elderly, and the “mixed multitude” of non-Israelites would have numbered some 2 million people,[11] compared with an entire Egyptian population in 1250 BCE of around 3 to 3.5 million.[12] Marching ten abreast, and without accounting for livestock, they would have **formed a line 150 miles long** > [@GEEPERS](#): > > Considering not only the limits but also the positive side of archaeology, it is remarkable how many Biblical accounts have been illuminated and confirmed by the relatively small number of sites excavated and finds uncovered to date. Even though, regrettably, some professionals go out of their way to present a distorted picture of what archaeology does reveal, it does provide some of the strongest evidence for the reliability of the Bible as credible and accurate history. No one is surprised by the mundane claims that the Bible makes. It’s the extraordinary claims - the exodus, genesis, global flood, that are unsupportable. Just because the Bible is accurate on some details doesn’t mean we should swallow the rest whole cloth. Some of the epic of Gilgamesh is accurate on the details, that doesn’t mean that Gilgamesh ran through the underworld to save Enkidu. > [@GEEPERS](#): > > Evidence Destroyed > > A major challenge in reconstructing an accurate view of history is that, through the ages, most negative or embarrassing evidence was never written down or was intentionally destroyed by later rulers. In fact, the Bible stands in marked contrast to most ancient literature in that it objectively records the facts about Biblical personalities, whether good or bad. > > When new kings ascended the throne, they naturally wanted to be seen in the best light. So in many nations they covered up or destroyed monuments and records of previous monarchs. This pattern of expunging earlier historical evidence can be repeatedly seen in Egyptian monuments and historical records. For example, after the Hyksos rulers were expelled from Egypt, the Egyptians erased the records of that humiliating period so thoroughly that some of the names and the order of the Hyksos kings remain uncertain. > > Some time later Pharaoh Thutmosis III destroyed virtually all records relating to Queen Hatshepsut, the previous ruler, whom he despised. Visitors to her famous temple can still see where Thutmosis’s workmen carefully chiseled away her image from the walls of the structure. A few decades afterwards, the ruling priests eliminated virtually all possible traces of the teachings of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who had introduced what they considered to be heretical Egyptian religious reforms. Now I know you aren’t paying attention since I brought up the chiseling of Hatshepsut [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15002505&postcount=330) I linked to the [wikipage](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatshepsut#Changing_recognition) also. The fact is, this goes against your overall point since what it shows is that the evidence could not be fully destroyed. We still have those statues! Why don’t we have engravings of the Israelite slaves (with chisel marks)? So what you’ve done is find one scholar (?) who says that the Exodus might have happened, but we have no empirical evidence of it. Whereas the consensus of scholarship [says](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exodus#Ongoing_debate): > [@](#): > > The consensus among biblical scholars today **is that there was never any exodus of the proportions described in the Bible** , and that the story is best seen as theology, a story illustrating how the God of Israel acted to save and strengthen his chosen people, and not as history > [@](#): > > Archaeology > > A century of research by archaeologists and Egyptologists has found no evidence which can be directly related to the Exodus captivity and the escape and travels through the wilderness,[16] and most archaeologists have abandoned the archaeological investigation of Moses and the Exodus as “a fruitless pursuit”.[19] A number of theories have been put forward to account for the origins of the Israelites, and despite differing details they agree on Israel’s Canaanite origins.[20] The culture of the earliest Israelite settlements is Canaanite, their cult-objects are those of the Canaanite god El, the pottery remains in the local Canaanite tradition, and the alphabet used is early Canaanite, and almost the sole marker distinguishing the “Israelite” villages from Canaanite sites is an absence of pig bones, although whether even this is an ethnic marker or is due to other factors remains a matter of dispute The following from [here](http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CH/CH120.html): > [@](#): > > 1. Archaeology supports at most the general background of the Bible and some relatively recent details. It does not support every biblical claim. **In particular, archaeology does not support anything about creation, the Flood, or the conquest of the Holy Land.** > > ``` > If a few instances of historical accuracy are so significant, then an equal claim for accuracy can be made for the Iliad and Gone with the Wind. > > ``` > > 1. Archaeology contradicts significant parts of the Bible: > \* The Bible contains anachronisms. Details attributed to one era actually apply to a much later era. For example, camels, mentioned in Genesis 24:10, were not widely used until after 1000 B.C.E. (Finkelstein and Silberman 2001). > \* **The Exodus, which should have been a major event, does not appear in Egyptian records. There are no traces in the Sinai that one would expect from forty years of wandering of more than half a million people. And other archaeological evidence contradicts it, showing instead that the Hebrews were a native people (Finkelstein and Silberman 2001; Lazare 2002).** > \* There is no evidence that the kingdoms of David and Solomon were nearly as powerful as the Bible indicates; they may not have existed at all (Finkelstein and Silberman 2001; Lazare 2002). > [@GEEPERS](#): > > So tell me again why it is not plausible that Pharoh would have erased or never recorded the encounters with the Israelities? Because as even your source tacitly admits, erasing history wasn’t easy for the Egyptians to accomplish. ---
**Author:** ![GEEPERS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@GEEPERS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GEEPERS)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/309 "2012-05-01T16:57:38Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > There is no such thing as proof that an event never occurred. > > Regarding the notion of insanity, by the way, I meant to point out that if I claimed that J.K. Rowling was inspired to write the Harry Potter series by actual knowledge of a clandestine society of magic users who live among us, and that in order to communicate with these beings I sought out snakes to converse with, and tied notes to wild owls, virtually no Christians would have any problem calling me deluded _at a minimum_. Again, that’s just another flavor of the fairy/Santa Claus/Odin/Gary Coleman argument that atheists love to drag out. I’ve already addressed that. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/310 "2012-05-01T16:58:38Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > Atheists often use these fallacies as a quick escape route. Fallacy Fallacy, haha I don’t have to prove anything! > > It’s easy to make a bold statement here. Not so easy to back it up with supporting evidence. The stiff refusal to support atheist assertions just shows how weak atheist’s beliefs really are. Mangetout - who isn’t an atheist - pointed to two specific fallacies you are employing. You simply handwave them away. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/311 "2012-05-01T17:00:53Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > Again, that’s just another flavor of the fairy/Santa Claus/Odin/Gary Coleman argument that atheists love to drag out. I’ve already addressed that. You actually did not address it beyond saying there is evidence for Jesus and not for Gary Coleman - that’s a viewpoint that is going to depend on who is evaluating the stories and what they consider evidence. This is one of the problems you’re having, I think: you already believe the Christian version, but you’re having trouble with the idea that other people don’t, and that they won’t be convinced by details that seem significant to you because they agree with what you already think. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/312 "2012-05-01T17:02:26Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > Again, that’s just another flavor of the fairy/Santa Claus/Odin/Gary Coleman argument that atheists love to drag out. The one that shows that Christianity has no reason to be privileged above all the other beliefs out there, and even proving science wrong, or the ‘supernatural’ real, would still not prove your God? > [@GEEPERS](#): > > I’ve already addressed that. Handwaved. You handwaved it. You actually retreated after you were entreated to cleave to an objective epistemological standard that you could apply to any religion to judge its veracity. You decided it was a trap, since such an objective metric would apply to your religion too. ---
**Author:** ![GEEPERS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@GEEPERS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GEEPERS)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/313 "2012-05-01T17:10:28Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > You actually did not address it beyond saying there is evidence for Jesus and not for Gary Coleman - that’s a viewpoint that is going to depend on who is evaluating the stories and what they consider evidence. This is one of the problems you’re having, I think: you already believe the Christian version, but you’re having trouble with the idea that other people don’t, and that they won’t be convinced by details that seem significant to you because they agree with what you already think. Why the relentless refusal to even tell me what qualifies as non-disputable evidence? Funny that you will accept evidence without question whenever it goes against Christianity. BTW, why did you slap me on the wrist for derailing a thread when you have allowed this thread to morph into a big ugly mess way off from the OP? That kinda makes you a hypocrite, in my book. Can you answer at least one question honestly? Why are you so determined to try and destroy my faith by claiming it is all ridiculous? What do you have to gain? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/314 "2012-05-01T17:17:24Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > Why the relentless refusal to even tell me what qualifies as non-disputable evidence? There is no such thing as “non-disputable” anything. All it takes is one idiot with a keyboard to dispute just about anything and everything on the 'net. There is, however, actual evidence and furthermore good evidence showing that many parts of your narrative are false. As usual, you demand to cast this as some sort of effort to persecute you, and even the act of showing that all religions are equally implausible seems like a deliberate and distinct attack on Christianity to you. > [@GEEPERS](#): > > Why are you so determined to try and destroy my faith by claiming it is all ridiculous? As pointed out, you can’t reason someone out of a position he didn’t reason himself into. Nobody is attempting to “destroy your faith” as it’s based on faith, not reason, obviously. You’re simply offering yourself up as an object lesson and you’re being used as such. We’re not acting to convince you. I doubt many here even believe it’s possible to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/315 "2012-05-01T17:20:01Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > Why the relentless refusal to even tell me what qualifies as non-disputable evidence? What the heck is “non-disputable evidence?” Some types of evidence are better than others - well-designed and controlled scientific studies are good and apochyphal stories tend to be at the bottom - but the whole point of evidence is that it can be interpreted and discussed. > [@](#): > > Funny that you will accept evidence without question whenever it goes against Christianity. Nobody is accepting any evidence without question, and this is not “evidence that goes against Christianity.” It’s evidence against miraculous claims in the Bible, and many Christians have no problem with it. And how is a radio turning on and off evidence for Christianity and not every other religion? > [@](#): > > That kinda makes you a hypocrite, in my book. I could not possibly care less. > [@](#): > > Why are you so determined to try and destroy my faith by claiming it is all ridiculous? Nobody is trying to destroy your faith. _That’s the entire point of this thread._ ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/316 "2012-05-01T17:20:01Z")
> [@Meatros](#): > > Richard Dawkins is wrong, IMO. Dawkins uses the Penguin English Dictionary definition of delusion as a false belief or impression. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/317 "2012-05-01T17:22:08Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > Why the relentless refusal to even tell me what qualifies as non-disputable evidence? You are mistaken if you think there is such a thing as indisputable evidence. One can _always_ dispute evidence. It’s simply a matter of evidence being sufficiently convincing. I can dispute the evidence that there ever existed a vessel called Titanic that sailed from Southampton, hit an ice berg, and sank, in 1912, all day long. It’s just that the evidence for the existence of such a ship is very, very convincing. A good place to start for convincing evidence of your deity would be as simple as some repeatable, independently verifiable, physical manifestation along with a demonstration of power. In other words, if the deity simply assumed some physical form, appeared in the middle of Times Square, said “Hey, guys. What’s shakin’?” and then proceeded to transform lead into gold with a wave of his hand, that would help a lot. It would not be conclusive proof, mind you, but it would be a start. I can supply all kinds of evidence for the obvious existence of wizards and witches. The Harry Potter books describe practices and events in great detail, making it likely that Rowling was magically inspired. Furthermore, the books depict real-world events and settings that we know existed; the fact that _some_ aspects of the book are obviously factually true is evidence that the entire thing is. Finally, it is indisputable that objects occasionally fall off shelves at odd angles, providing convincing evidence of a wizard using the _accio_ spell. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/318 "2012-05-01T17:23:21Z")
> [@GEEPERS](#): > > Why the relentless refusal to even tell me what qualifies as non-disputable evidence? You can dispute what you like. However, evidence that is credible will be stuff like scientific measurements (say of rate of healing), video, archaeological and so on. Someone who may be wrong, confused, lying or whatever, offering a story about levitating objects isn’t good evidence. Stuff written in the bible isn’t good evidence for anything except what ancient men believed. > [@](#): > > Funny that you will accept evidence without question whenever it goes against Christianity. Most atheists see no evidence going for the bible. We don’t need evidence \*against \*it. As I said in another thread, the people that wrote the bible thought the sky was a dome. They thought there was a world-wide flood. There is no evidence for either of those things happening. A world-wide flood would leave geological evidence, and it isn’t there. > [@](#): > > BTW, why did you slap me on the wrist for derailing a thread when you have allowed this thread to morph into a big ugly mess way off from the OP? That kinda makes you a hypocrite, in my book. This thread is about what atheists think and you’re the one trying to tell us what we think. > [@](#): > > Can you answer at least one question honestly? Why are you so determined to try and destroy my faith by claiming it is all ridiculous? What do you have to gain? Your faith isn’t what is in question here, it’s your assertions of fact that are not justifiable. No one knows if God exists, but we do know that there wasn’t a world-wide flood. And if your faith were destroyed, the only improvement that would come of that would be to your life. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/319 "2012-05-01T17:23:47Z")
> [@gamerunknown](#): > > Dawkins uses the Penguin English Dictionary definition of delusion as a false belief or impression. Dawkins also seems to be a bit of a smug blowhard who prefer to be incendiary and argumentative to sell more books. This is not a reflection on merits of his arguments, but on his style. However, i confess to not reading very much of his work, and I don’t think I finished a complete book of his sine “Climbing Mount Improbable” back in the 90s. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150/320 "2012-05-01T17:24:33Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Are you ever going to acknowledge the point he’s making? I think you’ve been asked this dozens of times in several threads now: how do you decide that “supernatural evidence” like healings and stuff flying off shelves is evidence for one god and not another? How do you know it’s Jesus and not Buddha or a poltergeist or Mithra? This is a serious problem for your argument. He’s going to ignore this, just as he ignored it when [I brought it up](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15018651&postcount=228). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-atheists-think-and-why-in-re-geepers/620150.md?page=17)