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Cards on table, I am one of the atheists who choose the live and let live option, and have been for at least 10 years. I was raised catholic and completed all sacraments prior to marriage, before completely losing my faith. I flirted with wicca (I was 16, alright) and buddhism, but found that my most comfortable position is atheism. I would even describe this as my position of faith.

But every faith should be tested once in a while, even mine. So, if you believe you can convince me that there is a benevolent powerful entity that controls our planet, please try.

Some ground rules:

No scripture. I read it, I was raised on it, and something written by human hands over a thousand years ago won't change my perspective.

I am not offering a better explanation for the creation of the universe, I am simply unconvinced in a creator that also takes a very keen interest in what I do day to day, as in any form of religion. Any argument you want me to listen to has to be from this perspective and not from a "well you explain how life began on earth without God", because that is not a good enough reason to go to the temple on sunday. You can tell me any argument you like, in other words, but not one that is simply "science can't explain this, therefore it is God" - not an argument that lasts long, historically.

Finally, no trolling, other atheists. I'm not looking for validation in my own belief, but instead to challenge it. Simply trying to test my own convictions and reasoning.

"I haven't had sex in ages, can someone agree with me that it's all women's fault, especially the dirty scheming feminists? I definitely don't want to consider I'm an unpleasant person who can't hold a normal conversation without visibly perspiring"

There was no plan for what would happen, none of the main promises regarding immigration, funding the NHS or EU regulations look like they will change, and the economy is tanking in response. The whole world, all of the bits that understand diplomacy, are wondering why the UK did such a stupid thing.

Come on, chaps. be reasonable. If you hate feminists, then go to your own forums, if you hate creationists, do the same. If someone actually wants an honest answer to an honest question, why are you making it so that it is impossible for them to find it here because you have an agenda, rather than advice here. Your world view is great for you (well done from all of us) but this is a Q and A site. If someone has a question related to actual culture and society, they have to wade through so much bullsh!t to get it.

I'm talking about the second amendment here, of course. Apart from the fact that, in full (i.e. the context of why it was written), it is in order to defend your community against an invading army, even if that is your own government (right), it is still only a few lines written down, why is that so important to you? Every country has laws that allow and prohibit certain things (in Yorkshire, UK, it is still legal to kill a Scotsman if he is armed with a bow and arrow AND is part of an invading army) but no-one takes it as seriously as you guys seem to. I mean, we have a monarchy where we swear loyalty to the queen if you want to become a British citizen, but no one expects you to actually pick up a sword and fight in her defence.

Speaking from a british perspective, it feels like almost every day there is a story of someone shooting someone else either on purpose but also by accident, for no reason more complicated than 1) they were stupid or angry and 2) they were allowed to have a gun because 3) it is guaranteed in the 2nd amendment and many of your states are very relaxed about people owning guns without looking after them. The rest of the civilised world looks at this and rolls their collective heads, so please explain to me why the constitution is so special to you?

when it obviously isn't the case. All republicans don't think x, all democrats clearly don't all think y, all black people are not the same, all white people are not the same, but if you look at the first ten questions on any feed in politics, the questioner assigns a position to an entire group of people, which usually makes them look like a retard with a keyboard.

Several studies have correlated lower intelligence with right wing ideologies and central ideas, conversely correlating higher IQs with left wing/progressive ideas. Blog post to summarise results and further original links.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/millennial-me...

I can't think of a good reason, but its very important to some people that God is a man, so there must be a good reason

why do the abrahamic faiths insist on their God being male? Is it so important that he has a penis? what does he use it for?

It's pretty damn simple - You have a hypothesis based on some evidence, you test further examples and see if they fit your hypothesis. You test every sample that is reasonable within your parameters and if they all align with the hypothesis - you can make a theory. The theory is then tested by other scientists to see if their data matches with yours. If their data doesn't match or proves your theory wrong then you loose or change the theory or explain how they got their results within your theory. Its a process that never ever stops - scientists make changes and adjustments all the time to the minor details (and this is because all of the major details like does evolution happen are easily answered with a big glowing YES), but it takes a massive event to change theory when it has this much consensus.

And people say things like "Evolution is just a theory" as if it can be dismissed really easily - well everything we know about the past is a damn theory too! The people who claim its a theory are, ideally the people who know the most about the subject matter and spend their lives researching it. Ideally not idiots on the internet who think their pastor has a better idea of the creation of the universe because he got it out of a myth book from 2000 years ago rather than the generations of scientists who have been actually working on the problem.

This might be pandoras box, but I don't care - I'm sick of the ill-thought out questions on Social Science which clutter the feed.

The majority of feminists are men and women who do want an equal society - where people are not treated differently based on their gender.

It's very simple. Some people make it complicated (that's what happens when people talk for an extended period of time) but the bottom line is literally that simple.

They aren't men who are white-knighting to pretend to be on women's sides to sleep with them, they are men who respect women as equally as they want to be respected by them.

They aren't man hating lesbians who only want to kick men down in petty revenge, they are women who want to feel as safe and as confident in the world as any man does. The fact that the world is balanced against this wish makes some of them angry, which is understandable.

That isn't to say men don't get raped (they do) and that's not to say women are not violent (again, some of them are). But the point of the fact is we do live in a world where people treat you differently if you are a woman simply because you are a woman, and it isn't necessary or fair.

To be "for equality" doesn't mean that you are a chauvinist for holding open a door for someone, it means you hold the door open for anyone, no matter who they are.

(this is only confined to the western world - if you think that the rest of the world doesn't need equal rights for women, you are a psychopath)

“Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel.” (1 Peter 2:18),

“So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight. When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, ‘Get up; let’s go.’ But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.” (Judges 19:25-28)

“Happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us – he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.” (Psalm 137:9)

“This is what the Lord Almighty says... ‘Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” (1 Samuel 15:3)

“I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.” (1 Timothy 2:12)

Do you think it will only become a globally unpopular opinion when the major faiths embrace it, rather than preach against it?

Millions of people will be born within a few hours of you, hundreds of millions within the same star sign period. Do you really think there is an underlying way based on the alignment of the planets that means all of these millions of people will all share the same traits?

I live in Britain. If I have a heart attack and need a transplant, if I have cancer I'll get chemotherapy, I will get treatment and I won't pay for any of it. It comes out of our national insurance and overall tax system.

Can someone explain why some Americans really hate the idea of Obamacare, as it's called? from what I understand, its that if you can't afford your own healthcare insurance, then it can be paid for you, so you aren't left with a crippling debt on top of having cancer?

This is for a little experiment I'm conducting. Answers in the following form: Age in years, your reason for stating and your religious denomination as close as you can. I want specifics on your creed, so don't just put Christian when you can put Christian - Baptist.

e.g. "--,--- years, written in stone tablets here, Buddhist Monk"