Tag: ask an atheist

First, what does "apparent design" mean?  In practice, it involves living systems in the first place (fewer people talk about the "apparent design" of canyons or galactic nebulae, or subatomic particle fission tracks), and that their components do all sorts of neat stuff (like metabolizing food, and parasitizing the brains of animals).

At no time in my life did I have a belief in the reality of any gods (which I imagine includes whatever one you believe in), so it is not a matter of not believing "anymore."

I have never claimed that religions cannot comfort people. It would be a peculiar assertion for anyone to make, atheist or otherwise.

Many atheists are truculent; theists can be too.  Many atheists are amiable pussycats; theists can be too. 

Jim Downard offers his own script for what an atheist might say as an invocation, something fair and honest that doesn't make "presumptions on the religious convictions of those assembled."

Is there any good reason to think any particular god, currently worshiped or not, explains the data stream at all, let alone better than a naturalistic framework?

Do many people believe that their God personally convivs with them in the afterlife, like a hangout buddy?