First, a complete lack of religious experience – I’ve never heard the voices of angels, nor felt the hand of the god upon me. Had a brief time in Sunday school as a child, but the stories never made any sense to me. Had people dear to me die in my presence, never felt any spirits wandering about.
Second, a good education. I’ve always preferred the explanations provided by science.
Third, reading the news, and reading history. I think the existence of the Pope pretty well proves the non-existence of the christian god, at least the biblical version.
And finally, my life is complete and happy without talking sky fairies.
cliffman
Oh, I don’t know – seems to me the character of a lot of popes is pretty consistent with the character of the god depicted in their bible, and sometimes better.
My beloved aunt told me once about someone witnessing someone else’s death. They had seen a spirit (so they claimed) and all of that. She believed them and was morbidly curious in death bed situations, (heh), because she wanted that experience too, and so therefore god. At bottom I’ve always been a little disappointed that she felt this way.
I’m an atheist because – look at the alternatives.
I don’t do absurd, I don’t do ridiculous, I don’t do delusions, I’m not into supplication and I do not pay to be told lies.
Ladders do not frighten me, breaking mirrors is not a taboo. Spiders eat mosquitoes, but if they get in my way they’re gone too.
My mother would spit 3 times if a black cat crossed her path. She had other superstitions as well. None of them stuck. Whatever happens has an explanation, no gods required.
If the babble – or any other ancient religious text – could offer a half decent explanation of why my mitochondrial DNA is more closely related to ancient prokaryote DNA than it is to my own nuclear DNA I might start to believe in sky faeries – but YHWH/God/Allah/Jesus/Holy_Spirit is just SO ignorant of exactly the kind of knowledge that would prove his existence beyond any possible doubt….. who’d have thunk it, eh?
Ah, the pure, unindoctrinated life!