Atheos God Means Business

This book is literally, absolutely, & completely true.

Select an ideal response for:

After Adam & Eve’s original sin, they could see each other naked. How else do you think we could see each other naked?

With our... eyes...?

I’m unclear. What’s the relationship between seeing each other naked & sin?

What would be the alternative? Never seeing people naked? How would that work?

Why do you believe two such figures existed?

Select an ideal response for:

All the proof I need is in my holy book. It has all the answers.

Would you be satisfied with any answers, or is it important to you that they be true?

How do you know your holy book is accurate?

Fables seem to suffice for you. Do you value proof at all?

All the proof I need is in my critical thinking course.

Select an ideal response for:

God put dinosaur fossils on Earth to test our faith.

Could there be more effective ways for your God to test your faith in Him?

I thought that Satan was the one who did that to make us ally with him?

Which is more likely, that, or that your faith is false?

How does that work?

Select an ideal response for:

I am sold out for Christ.

I suppose that means I'm sold out for science.

I'm afraid you're going to have to help me understand what you mean by that.

You pathetic, delusional wretch.

Monetarily?

How did that happen, exactly?

Select an ideal response for:

I don't have a reason to believe—I just believe.

Isn't that quite intellectually irresponsible of you?

Just to be clear, are you essentially saying you don’t believe in anything?

Can you tell me of another blind belief you hold in your life?

That seems awfully dangerous. Please explain how this thinking couldn't be harmful to yourself or others.

Would you criticize others who profess to believe something that they have no reason to believe?

Select an ideal response for:

I will not listen to information or interpretations that conflict with my holy book.

Do you care whether your understanding of reality is true? Isn't keeping an open mind the best way to learn new truths?

Are you familiar with the old saying about ostriches burying their heads in the sand?

That is exactly what I'd expect to hear from a person who is unwilling to examine their deeply-held beliefs.

If you're convinced that your scripture is true, what's the danger in exposing yourself to newfound evidence & other perspectives?

That makes me not want to listen to anything you have to say.

Select an ideal response for:

I will shun people if they don’t believe in God. They are sinners & should be cast out.

Why not try to understand their positions instead? Couldn’t you both benefit from considering each other’s positions?

Cast out of where? Looneyville?

Why is believing in God important?

That is a great example of loving thy neighbor if ever I heard one.

Select an ideal response for:

I’d rather worship my God than the Devil.

Have you really looked into the potential benefits of worshipping the Devil? He might grant you great wealth, or special powers.

I don't worship your God. Do you believe I must therefore be a Devil-worshipper?

Why are those the only options? There are many other Gods & Devils one could worship (or animals, or trees, or nothing at all).

What’s wrong with worshiping the Devil?

How can you be sure your holy books & prophets weren't all part of a big con orchestrated by the Devil himself?

Select an ideal response for:

Billy Graham said, 'I've read the last page of the Bible. It's going to turn out all right.' See?!

From what I see, we're all doomed to die & the universe is burning itself out. Looks pretty bleak...

Is that the only page you've read? Missed the slavery & misogyny, did you?

If it didn't turn out all right, would you still believe, or would you look for a more optimistic holy book?

The last page of other holy books are pretty optimistic as well. How might we go about determining which book is correct?

Select an ideal response for:

Jesus died for my sins & your sins. Repent, sinner.

How dare you call me a sinner, as if you were judge & jury?

What, outside of your scripture itself, gives you reason to think that the notion of 'sinning' is meaningful?

He sacrificed Himself to Himself to save us from Himself? Does that make sense to you?

How is 'sinning' any different than the more secular 'harming'?

Select an ideal response for:

My ancestors had the wrong interpretation of my religion. I have the correct one.

Such hubris! How could you ever think you know more than your ancestors?

Should they face consequences for having the wrong interpretation? What makes your interpretation superior?

You are all wrong.

Crazy doesn't run through your family, does it? It leisurely strolls on through.

Could a future generation look back &think the same thing about you? What might they point to as their reason to dismiss your belief?

Select an ideal response for:

My holy book is the one true word of God.

What you are saying reminds me of conversations I've had with believers who subscribe to completely different holy books.

Your holy book has many truths, but don't those truths change over time?

Wouldn’t you have to have read all holy books to come to that conclusion?

My science book is the one true word of science.

Your 'one true word of God' says that slavery is okay. Do you think slavery is okay?

Select an ideal response for:

My holy book proves that God is real.

Proof that lacks evidence is anecdotal & arbitrary. Why would it be worth believing?

Much as any good work of fiction would do of its characters.

Someone from another religious belief would likely examine your holy book & not be convinced. How could that be?

How so?

More like it proves that you're a looney.

Select an ideal response for:

My holy book states it’s true.

There are many books that contain many claims—& many of them are incorrect.

What could you discover in the holy book to decide that it really wasn't true?

That doesn't mean anything other than just that. See what I mean?

What evidence do you have for believing that the claims within it are true?

Select an ideal response for:

The Devil's greatest trick was convincing the world he didn't exist. That’s why I believe in God.

Couldn't one make the same claim about, say, a covert alien invasion?

No, the lack of evidence for the Devil is proof that he doesn't exist, not that he's ingeniously tricky.

Wow, great point. You got me there!

Which religion's Devil are we talking about here & why choose that particular one?

Select an ideal response for:

The end is at hand! Repent before it’s too late.

This isn't the end, it's only the beginning of freedom from religion. Join me in hell?

It seems like you really, really believe this, sir. But I'm struggling to understand exactly why. Help me.

No thank you.

What end? How do you know it's near?

Select an ideal response for:

The end is near & Jesus is coming back any day now.

People have been saying that for 2000 years. How can this claim be tested so we can discover it might not be true?

No, he isn't. Sorry.

How have you come to be so unshakably certain of that?

Well, good. Then you'll soon have some solid evidence to prove you're right. But until then... why waste time dwelling on this?

Select an ideal response for:

The fool says in his heart there is no God.

Could not the same thing be said about pink aliens living inside of my refrigerator?

The fool pretends to know something he doesn't know.

This suggests people who question beliefs are "fools". Could never questioning a belief—any belief—ever lead to unexpected consequences?

The fool misunderstands emotion for the reality of a deity—if not this, then what?

Select an ideal response for:

The [insert holy book] says so. The [insert holy book] is the word of God.

Your holy book blatantly contradicts itself in several places. Don't these inconsistencies prove its unreliability?

You don't have any evidence that it is the word of God.

So, you believe in God because your holy book claims He's real & you trust the book because it's the word of God? Isn't that circular?

Many, many books make this claim & they can't all be right. How do you know yours is reliable?

Select an ideal response for:

The unequivocal fact of Christ’s empty tomb is proof of His existence.

They probably built a tomb & left it empty so that people would be tricked into thinking Jesus was truly divine, no?

Is the absence of living ice giants unequivocal proof that Odin vanquished them?

How do you know there was an empty tomb? Could anything convince you otherwise?

So, your evidence is the lack of evidence?

Select an ideal response for:

You’ve been sent by the Devil to test my faith.

I've worked for a lot of terrible bosses, but never the Devil.

How do you know that?

How's that different from an unjustified excuse to dismiss my concerns without even considering them?

That's ridiculous, I care about your well being. Why else would we be talking?