ehh, as an athiest my mind is flexible enough to imagine a world with an invisible sky wizard. but this isn't that world, according to all the available evidence.

Atheists don't straight up say that.

Most atheists I know say "I reject your God claims in light of the available evidence." That's pretty different than "there is no God."

Because most athiesm is largely based on scientific knowledge, not a "faith" that there just is no god.

My answer to the question of "is there a God," is that it is extremely, infinitesimal unlikely. My reaction to people believing in a god is indifference.

Theists basically have a really hard time with the concept of atheism as a negative claim that IS NOT a factual claim and that atheism is not some ready-made belief system.

TruthGroup, among other internet-based fundie asshats, are pretty big into believing that the ultimate question that will confound all atheists everywhere is "what is your proof that atheism is correct?" not realizing (or caring to realize) what a nonsensical idea that is.

It's the "how can they think that?" mindset. It's like how hard-core Apple enthusiasts think if they worship Steve Jobs as a god, PC users must do the same for Bill Gates, as they know no other way of behaving towards their consumer experience provider.

It's also fun to note that theists don't believe in shitloads of other gods with far more impressive earthworks built in their honor than the Abrahamic ones.

Or maybe it's a world where there IS a sky wizard, and he/she/it has gone to great lengths to make sure there is no empirical evidence of its existence, meaning that it also doesn't expect any kind of worship or attention from anything it created in our universe. Maybe it's just really, really embarrassed over the shitty job it did.


Somehow I don't think this is a creationist-acceptable explanation either.

To be fair, there are some people who've been clinically dead for short periods of time.

Again, i don't think creationists would find this an acceptable bone to have thrown to them.

Depends on how quickly the dying person lost consciousness. If it was slow enough for them to have some hypoxia-induced hallucinations, then obviously that was God waving Hi to them from Heaven. Checkmate, atheists.

And lo when they moved the stone and looked upon the crypt there they saw Jesus of Nazareth, breathing, but in a vegetative state. The angels sang, "Hallelujah!" and three days later one of Jesus's bed sores became infected and he ascended to Heaven.
-The Book of Sepsis, Ch 19

He's already doing a shitty job selling this "god" model.

No, he's depressingly for real.

^ This.