Atheism and irrationality

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A common and legitimate criticism of the atheist worldview is that atheism is irrational.[1]

A common and legitimate criticism of the atheist worldview is that atheism is irrational.[2] In short, atheism is a fundamentally incoherent worldview with a number of inconsistencies.[3] See also: Atheism and critical thinking

Atheism, irrationality and open-mindedness

See also: Atheism and open-mindedness and Atheism and dogmatism and Atheism and intolerance and Atheism and groupthink

Making intelligent choices using critical thinking often requires open-mindedness and intellectual curiosity.[4]

Research indicates that atheists are less open-minded (see: Atheism and open-mindedness).

The atheist Luke Muehlhauser wrote about atheism and dogmatism:

“ ...I am reminded every day that we atheists are not particularly more rational than believers... We, too, abandon reason and evidence to support opinions that just 'feel right' to us."

I was reminded of this a few hundred times during the week when I asked atheists to explain what was wrong with my [July 16, 2010] post. A few people gestured toward a kind of argument, but it was clear they were more interested to condemn me than they were to work through the logic of the ethical issues at play.

Most of my critics made little attempt to understand what I had said. Instead, they blatantly misrepresented my stated positions so that they could smear me.

Others admitted freely they didn’t care about the arguments involved, they just knew that they knew that they knew I was wrong... [5]

”

Atheistic worldview cannot account for the laws of logic

See also: Atheism and logic and Transcendental argument for the existence of God

The atheistic worldview cannot account for the laws of logic (See: Atheism and logic).[6]

Atheist worldview cannot explain consciousness

See also: Origin of human consciousness and Atheism and transhumanism and Atheism and cryonics

The atheist worldview cannot explain the existence of consciousness either and the theistic worldview can offer a reasonable explanation.[7]

Atheist advocates of mind uploading (Mind uploading is the notion that someday mankind may be able to scan and upload their minds to computer storage mediums) are often strong advocates of cryonics as well (See also: Atheism and cryonics).[8] Mind uploading is not a feasible hypothesis (See: Atheism and transhumanism).[9]

Naturalism is incompatible with reason

See also: Atheism and reason and Causes of atheism and Atheist mindset

If naturalism is true, then we ought not to trust our capacity for reason for the human brain would be a byproduct of blind/unintelligent natural forces. [10] Naturalism and reason are incompatible.[11] Therefore, believing in naturalism is self-defeating.

Irreligion and superstition

See also: Irreligion and superstition

The Wall Street Journal reported: "A comprehensive new study released by Baylor University yesterday, shows ...that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, far from being resistant to superstition, tend to be much more likely to believe in the paranormal and in pseudoscience than evangelical Christians."[12]

In September 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported:

“ The reality is that the New Atheist campaign, by discouraging religion, won't create a new group of intelligent, skeptical, enlightened beings. Far from it: It might actually encourage new levels of mass superstition. And that's not a conclusion to take on faith -- it's what the empirical data tell us.

"What Americans Really Believe," a comprehensive new study released by Baylor University yesterday, shows that traditional Christian religion greatly decreases belief in everything from the efficacy of palm readers to the usefulness of astrology. It also shows that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, far from being resistant to superstition, tend to be much more likely to believe in the paranormal and in pseudoscience than evangelical Christians....

This is not a new finding. In his 1983 book "The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener," skeptic and science writer Martin Gardner cited the decline of traditional religious belief among the better educated as one of the causes for an increase in pseudoscience, cults and superstition. He referenced a 1980 study published in the magazine Skeptical Inquirer that showed irreligious college students to be by far the most likely to embrace paranormal beliefs, while born-again Christian college students were the least likely.[13]

”

For more information, please see: Irreligion and superstition

Atheists commonly use logical fallacies in their arguments

Atheists commonly use logical fallacies in their arguments.[14]

One of the most common logical fallacies atheists, agnostics and evolutionists employ is the fallacy of exclusion. For example, the evolutionist Dr. Scott Todd, an immunologist at Kansas State University, wrote: "Even if all the data point to an intelligent designer, such an hypothesis is excluded from science because it is not naturalistic".[15] See: Methodological naturalism and Atheism and naturalistic intelligence

List of logical fallacies that atheists commonly commit: Atheism and logical fallacies

Debates and the lack of confidence of atheists

See also: Atheism debates

Despite atheists commonly adopting pretentious monikers such as rationalist, freethinker and brights (see: Atheism and arrogance), in recent years there has been a number of conspicuous examples of atheists showing a reluctance to intellectually defend atheism in formal debate (see: Atheism and cowardice).

As far as atheists lacking confidence, in 2010, Professor Eric Kaufmann, who specializes in religion/irreligion/demographics/politics, wrote:

“ Worldwide, the march of religion can probably only be reversed by a renewed, self-aware secularism. Today, it appears exhausted and lacking in confidence... Secularism's greatest triumphs owe less to science than to popular social movements like nationalism, socialism and 1960s anarchist-liberalism. Ironically, secularism's demographic deficit means that it will probably only succeed in the twenty-first century if it can create a secular form of 'religious' enthusiasm."[16] ”

Irrationality of the atheism and the logic of belief in the existence of God

General articles:


Atheism and the laws of logic


Transcendental argument for the existence of God

Dr. Greg Bahnsen became known as "the man atheists fear most" due to Michael Martin's cancellation of their scheduled debate.[17]

See also: Transcendental argument for the existence of God


Debates on the transcendental argument for the existence of God


"The heavens are telling of the glory of God. And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." (Psalm 19:1 NASB)

Existence of the universe


Argument from contingency


Existence of consciousness


Mind uploading: Wishful atheist thinking

Mind uploading is the notion that someday mankind may be able to scan and upload their minds to mechanical storage mediums. Mind loading is not feasible. According to the Oxford University philosopher Nick Bostrum, the notion that one can upload one's mind into into mechanical storage mediums has its roots in atheistic/secular humanism and evolutionary ideologies.[18] The atheist, evolutionist and eugenicist Julian Huxley coined the term transhumanism.[19] See: Atheism and transhumanism


Information on the unfeasibility of mind uploading:


C.S. Lewis's argument for reason and for the irrationality of materialism


Atheism and inconsistencies

J.P. Moreland

Incoherence/inconsistency of naturalism:

4 part series by Dr. J.P. Moreland


Articles relating to postmodernism and non-theistic Buddhism


Logic and theism/creation


Common logical fallacies that atheists employ


Videos

Incoherence of atheism

See also: Atheism and incoherency

Brain studies of atheists

Brain researchers have conducted a number of studies focusing on the differences between atheists and the religious. See: Atheism and the brain

See also: Atheism and the brain

Brain researchers have conducted a number of studies focusing on the differences between atheists and the religious (see: Atheism and the brain).

See also

Books

  • The Atheist's Fatal Flaw: Exposing Conflicting Beliefs by Norman Geisler and Daniel J. McCoy, Baker Publishing Group, June 2014
  • The Irrational Atheist: Dissecting the Unholy Trinity of Dawkins, Harris, And Hitchens by Vox Day, March 11, 2008
  • The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success by Rodney Stark, September 26, 2006
  • C. S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea: In Defense of the Argument from Reason by Victor Reppert
  • C. S. Lewis and the Crisis of a Christian by Gregory S. Cootsona, September 26, 2014

External links

References

  1. ↑ Atheism by Matt Slick
  2. ↑ Atheism by Matt Slick
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ Eleven common traits of highly intelligent people by Shana Lebowicz, The Independent, Friday 16 December 2016 18:24
  5. ↑ Atheism and Dogmatism by Luke Muehlhauser] at Commonsenseatheism.com
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ The Argument from Consciousness for the Existence of God by John Piippo, 3/20/2012
  8. ↑ Mind uploading - Thought experiments as knowledge
  9. ↑
  10. ↑
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178219865054585.html
  13. ↑ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178219865054585.html
  14. ↑
  15. ↑ https://creation.com/a-designer-is-unscientificeven-if-all-the-evidence-supports-one
  16. ↑ Shall the religious inherit the earth? - Eric Kaufmann
  17. ↑ Pushing the Antithesis on Greg Bahnsen
  18. ↑ A HISTORY OF TRANSHUMANIST THOUGHT, Nick Bostrom, Faculty of Philosophy, Oxford University
  19. ↑ A HISTORY OF TRANSHUMANIST THOUGHT, Nick Bostrom, Faculty of Philosophy, Oxford University
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