The claim to be atheists is from the same vain that many would say about those who "claim to be Christians."

As for being short an ass - LMFAO. An attempt at humor, albeit a stretch. Obviously, not a very good attempt when a joke or reference must be explained.

I still think that this implys that there are some religious people out there posing as atheists. I just fail to see what your point was in using that phrase.

Ok, got it. "E" for effort there

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"Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel."
-Ambrose Bierce
A man without religion is like a fish without a bicycle. - Vique
If there is a God...I think most reasonable people might agree that he's at least incompetent and maybe, just maybe, doesn't give a shit..." -George Carlin

There is no objective evidence for the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent God.

One of the main arguments against the existence of such a God is probably the problem of evil. Another argument against God is the argument from poor design. It is based on the following premise: An omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent creator God would create organisms that have optimal design. Organisms have features that are suboptimal. Therefore, God either did not create these organisms or is not omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent.

Another paradox of omnipotence is the paradox of the stone. Can God create a stone so heavy that he cannot lift it?

Either God can create such a stone or he can’t.

If he can’t, the argument goes, then there is something that he cannot do, namely create the stone, and therefore he is not omnipotent. If he can, it continues, then there is also something that he cannot do, namely lift the stone, and therefore he is not omnipotent. Either way, then, God is not omnipotent. A being that is not omnipotent, though, is not God. God, therefore, does not exist.

Why does this all powerful creator create Plagues, Tornadoes, Volcanic Eruptions, Floods, Droughts, Wars, Earth Quakes, Cancers and hundreds of debilitating diseases and serious body malfunctions?

God supposedly created the world like it is, to punish man for Adam and Eve's 'original sin'. Why does he also punish supposedly innocent children and animals with thousands of diseases, birth defects, starvation and to be eaten by other animals? Why did this caring and benevolent god create animals (including man) that need to painfully kill and eat other animals to survive?

Meanwhile MAN, not god, has developed defenses and cures for hundreds of serious diseases. Man has learned to create shelter, heat and cooling, purify water, desalinate water, world wide electronic communications, power and transportation systems including flying through the air.

Man has created a wonderful medical and drug system and improved housing and food production. The result of MAN'S inventiveness has DOUBLED the average life span. None of this was created by any god.

There are a thousands different religious/god beliefs. If there was a REAL god, why would he permit all this misleading information to mislead and confuse his flock? Man can communicate with the whole world via TV, Radio, telephone and the Internet.

Certainly any real God should be able to do equally well! Why would he not announce directly from his heaven that he is the real god and all the others are fakes? Why would he not smite all the fakes?

Why does he permit all this confusion and doubt? The objective evidence is that all gods are purely the creation of men to assuage his panic fear of the finality of death.

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then where does evil come from?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him a God?

It is very foolish to believe that there is no god.
Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes.

its very foolish to say something is very foolish if the core of being an atheist/agnost/religious is a question if having faith or not and not a matter of which intelligence or good reasoning.

and what definition of purification do you have when you talk about religion purifying science from 'idolatry'? and how do you see idolatry as a part principle of science?

The burden of proof isn't on us non believers.

It's fully 100% on the worshippers to prove the existence of a godlike diety no-one has ever seen or spoken to.

Its a well established fact that everything needs a cause. Only a being who created the laws of physics and is thus outside such laws' requirements to have a cause could create the universe.

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"Good intentions are a noble thing, but you have to look at the end result to see if those intentions are well placed."
-- LessGovMrPrez

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."
-- Thomas Jefferson

What category is luck placed in - in the world of Santa Claus?

If everything needs a cause, then what "caused" your god to become, and why is that excuse any better than the cause that it just was.

__________________

Yes, please tell, what caused god? IF you just say "well he is outside the laws of physics" then what is the point of trying to discuss it in a debate if there is no way to prove the existence of god? This is an intellectual cop-out designed to distract from the overwhelming fact that there is NO proof for any deity's existence.

__________________
"Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel."
-Ambrose Bierce
A man without religion is like a fish without a bicycle. - Vique
If there is a God...I think most reasonable people might agree that he's at least incompetent and maybe, just maybe, doesn't give a shit..." -George Carlin