Why There Is No God: Simple Responses to 20 Common Arguments for the Existence of God

by Armin Navabi

In reality, the only necessary argument against believing in God is simply that there is no evidence that any gods exist.

Not knowing the answer to a question is not a valid excuse for making up a fairytale to explain it.

Unfalsifiable claims hold no merit without evidence.

If a claim is unfalsifiable, the burden of proof for the claim lies on whoever is making the claim.

There are many examples that show that events with very small probability are not miraculous. In fact, they're commonplace. Mathematician J.E. Littlewood suggested that each one of us should expect one-in-a-million events to happen to us about once every month.

Curiously, many believers do not demand more context when mentioning verses describing love, charity or any other positive aspect of their scripture; verses are only viewed as being out of context when the content is unflattering for believers. This sort of cherry picking is a convenient viewpoint to hold but certainly not a defensible one.

If morality truly stemmed from an all-powerful deity, it would not change over time.

Ultimately, moral standards, as we understand them, are social constructs. They are tied intimately to cultural circumstances and can change over time.

Simply stated, the truth is true even if no one believes it, and untrue claims are still untrue even if everyone believes them.

The religions that we have today are a small fraction of all religions that have existed throughout human history. The ones that we are left with have survived because they have more effectively adapted to attract and hold the allegiance of many people. Researchers at Ohio State University have identified 16 separate psychological desires that motivate people to seek religion, such as honor, idealism, acceptance, interdependence and fear of death (6). It is likely that religious beliefs have been so widespread because they tap into the psychological desires of many people, not because there is any external proof of their veracity.

Religions demand perfect evidence from anyone rebutting their claims but offer none for their own claims. If faced with convincing evidence in favor of any deity, we should reconsider our position. But we need to ask questions and go where the evidence leads us, rather than try to lead the evidence where we like. By questioning everything, we follow the evidence, rather than trying to force the evidence to fit our presupposed conclusions.

Even if the cosmological argument were to be true in the sense of a prime mover, that claim does nothing whatsoever to prove the existence of a deity unless the definition of “deity” is confined purely to mean “forces that created the universe.” If that were the case, you could just as easily call electricity, gravity or the strong nuclear force a god.

There’s a common thread running throughout many of the claims in this book: believing in something does not make it true. Similarly, wanting something to be true does not affect its likelihood of actually being true.

In order to indoctrinate their followers and secure obedience, religions frequently tear people down, creating an emptiness that must then be filled with Jesus, Allah or any other deity. 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.

It is also likely easier to convince someone to die for a cause if they believe that their earthly death is only the beginning of a blissful and eternal afterlife. After all, dying isn’t such a big deal if you’re not really dying.