Armin Navabi: Why There Is No God |
People are told that they are inherently bad or sinful and that the only way to become good is by giving over control of their lives to faith. As there is no evidence that any of that is true, religion, in effect, is creating an imaginary problem simply so that it can sell an imaginary solution.
While you pray for your niece to get a much-needed heart transplant, someone else is praying for his organ-donor son`s life to be spared. Whether you`re praying to win a war or a football game, you`re also praying for the people on the opposing side to lose. To assume that God is not only personally invested in the minutiae of your life but that your problems are ultimately more important than other problems he may be asked to solve is both selfish and absurd considering the incredible amount of individual problems and concerns of every human on this planet.
No matter how unlikely an event is, it doesn`t mean that a supernatural explanation would be more likely, especially when you consider the fact that in order for us to accept such an explanation, we have to agree that scientific models of nature that have consistently and accurately explained and predicted many natural events are completely wrong simply because we have witnessed an unlikely event.
Not knowing the answer to a question is not a valid excuse for making up a fairytale to explain it.
Invoking a deity doesn`t solve the problem of complexity; it introduces a new problem. If all complex things really do require an intelligent creator, then why is that creator himself not bound to the same rule? Would that complex deity not require an even more complex creator, and so on, for infinity?
The only necessary argument against believing in God is simply that there is no evidence that any gods exist. An atheist doesn`t need to justify her lack of belief any further.
There is no evidence to suggest that God helps people. There is, however, ample evidence that people can help themselves and each other.
Meaning can be found outside of religion, and seeking one`s own meaning in life can be far more fulfilling than following the rules of an outside religious authority.
Life is, objectively, meaningless; given the size and scope of the universe and our tiny role within it, it`s absurd to think that we might have any sort of cosmically vital role.
It`s a mistake to confuse intelligence with knowledge. Intelligence relates to the way one processes information, not necessarily what she knows or believes. This can lead to an individual making complex justifications to defend her beliefs, even when those beliefs are clearly false.
Smart people believe weird things because they are better at rationalizing their beliefs that they hold for non-smart reasons.
Michael Shermer(quoted)