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Did you know that atheism is philosophically impossible?

In order to absolutely be certain that there is no God, one would have to scour the universe, every nook and cranny, every planet and star, even behind that stone in ones backyard... which, of course, in order to do any of that, right here, right now, one would have to possess infinite omniscience...just like God! To be like God and be an atheist is, in the least, contradictory. But if you're O.K. with it... I engage those atheist, who have the guts to stud up to me, with the same geometric logic...and they say, "The evidence is quite compelling...but I'm still an atheist...How you like that?" It's not the mind but, sadly, the heart that fails them.

17 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    So you believe in Zeus, Odin, the Tooth Fairy, and leprechauns then? Because if you don't then you would have had to scour the universe, every nook and cranny, every planet and star, even behind that stone in ones backyard....

  • 1 decade ago

    Atheism is the belief that there aren't any gods, NOT thinking you have the proof that there aren't any gods.

    Historically, most of the evidence put forwards for the existence of gods, like rain, volcanoes and earthquakes, has turned out to have a natural explanation. Nowadays believers may cite the origins of life on earth, but an atheist (like me) would simply say "We'll know how that happened one day, just as we learned the natural explanation for rain, volcanoes and earthquakes. On that day you'll still believe in gods, and you'll still cite other examples of things we haven't understood yet like the origin of the universe. And I'll still be an atheist."

  • 1 decade ago

    If that is so, then the converse is also true; to wit, theism is also philosophically impossible as an any absolute statement concerning the positive existence of a deity would require the same absolute knowledge.

    That aside, I can't concur with your premise as I do not know any atheist who claims such absolutism. Every atheist I know merely states that they personally lack the belief in any kind of god or deity. This lack of belief stems from the lack of any basis or rationale from which to base a belief in any god or deity, simple as that.

  • 1 decade ago

    "I contend we are both atheists, I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."

    ...Stephen F Roberts

    Unless you, too, want to claim divine knowledge of every corner of the universe, how do you know that the uncreated creator isn't Brahman, from whom all else emanates? How do you know it's not Aristotle's first cause, the Demiurge?

    Incidentally, I know of no atheists who claim absolute knowledge. They just say there is no compelling evidence to suggest anything else at this time.

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  • 1 decade ago

    Wow, it really sounds like you believe in your logic.

    Fascinating....

    Your argument falls flat on its face by its own fallacy. You completely missed the point of being an atheist. You're not even in the same ballpark...

  • MSB
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    So I guess it is impossible to not believe in Zeus, Odin, Hecate, Aphrodite, Isis, Osiris, and all the other Gods and Goddesses.

    I take it you believe in them all because you can't scour the universe? I take it you think atheists should believe in them all as well.

  • Cooley
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    "In order to absolutely be certain that there is no God"

    First fallacy. Most atheists just say "There is no evidence of God, or the Pink Unicorn for that matter".

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Newsflash, strong atheism isn't that popular.

    Also, on the other hand, one would have to know everything to say that their God and only their God exists.

  • I would suggest that you begin by researching the meaning of philosophy, then perhaps you might be able to rephrase your question intelligently and I may then choose to address it

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Loki's Wager fallacy.

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