20 Questions Atheists Struggle to Answer

[DanDare]

Are there “20 Questions Atheists Struggle to Answer” ? I was asked how I respond to Peter Saunders’ claim that there are, and how I would respond to those questions. According to God’s Advocate, Saunders thinks “there have not been any decent responses to [these twenty questions] in the past 40yrs,” but evidently he isn’t bothering to read any of the best answers available or even to find out what they are. The questions themselves are pretty much boiler plate, and consist mostly of fallacious loaded questions that ignore the established science behind nearly every one. I noticed that my work over the years has answered every one, except a few that are so lame I really can’t believe he thinks they need a better answer than science has already provided (at least with respect to whether atheism is true–I think science can always know or learn more about anything, but at a certain point you know enough to know God is not involved in whatever it is).
So here are my answers to his twenty questions…

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[Sieveboy]

Originally Posted by DanDare

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I have a sore forehead, so many facepalm worthy questions there.



What caused the universe to exist? (If you said god, what caused god to exist?)
What explains the fine tuning of the universe? (Equilibrium emerges from chaos?)
Why is the universe rational? (I am sorry, the universe is rational?)
How did DNA and amino acids arise? (from RNA.)
Where did the genetic code come from? (from RNA to DNA to genetic codes.)
How do irreducibly complex enzyme chains evolve? (Which ones are irreducibly complex? FYI you need perfect information to define them as irreducibly complex as that is a negative conclusion)
How do we account for the origin of 116 distinct language families? (Can you speak English from the 16th century? languages evolve quite quickly)
Why did cities suddenly appear all over the world between 3,000 and 1,000BC? (Can't really think of any cities that appeared in North America, Australia or Southern Africa in that time but usually cities appeared when a crop like potato or wheat was domesticated)
How is independent thought possible in a world ruled by chance and necessity? (I am sorry, chance and necessity go together? You are free to think you can hold back the tide and by chance you might be right)
How do we account for self-awareness? (logical end point of a highly complex brain?)
How is free will possible in a material universe? (I don't know but remember that brain between your ears is fucking big and complex, on the other had a rib woman eating an apple after freely accepting the advice of a talking snake is not a cogent or logical way to answer that question).
How do we account for conscience? (Education and social nature of humanity?)
On what basis can we make moral judgements? (Education and social nature of humanity?)
Why does suffering matter? (Because it really isn't nice to suffer is it?)
Why do human beings matter? (Actually, this one is piss easy, in the universe, we don't matter)
Why care about justice? (Because it is a regulatory function for us social humans?)
How do we account for the almost universal belief in the supernatural? (Unsatisfied curiosity supported by decrepid old man in dresses?)
How do we know the supernatural does not exist? (Logically impossible to prove it doesn't exist)
How can we know if there is conscious existence after death? (If it exists, when you die, can you tell me about it? No do not use the bible, YOU come tell me!)
What accounts for the empty tomb, resurrection appearances and growth of the church? (Tomb raiders, embellishments and state support, easy).


I was a little tired, but if believers think this is a bunch of knock out questions, then WTF?

[DanDare]

But..but..you don't understand! Why don't you debate a real theologian!? Don't just pick on some guy that you know the answers to. That is so mean. And no, I won't tell you who the real theologians are, you work it out.

[owheelj]

I'm not sure I agree with your answers to 3 and 4. Amino acids arise non-biologically - you don't need RNA. See the Miller-Urey experiment. It's also my impression that the "RNA World" explanation for life, although a good one, is far from universally accepted. I'd be more happy with an answer to a number of those questions of; "We don't know for sure, but our best guess based on the evidence so far is..."

I also don't understand how education accounts for consciousness. Again, this is a question with a lot of good scientific possible explanations, but the current answer should still be "I don't know."

[Sieveboy]

I wasn't really trying at all OWJ, just laughing at the weakness of it. Oh and its conscience, not conciousness.

[Iseeyouthere]

Oh dear...
I facepalmed 20 times.

And I love this in the comment section:

Given that my 15yo atheist nephew "owned each one of these", one hardly has to be a 'legend' to work out that this 20-piece 'emperor' has no clothes.

[Medeyer]

Originally Posted by Sieveboy

I wasn't really trying at all OWJ, just laughing at the weakness of it.

I'm pretty sure you don't really have to try to answer most of those questions. It's just the few about genetics and DNA require a more detailed answer which would take effort. But for funsies, I'll take the liberty of trying to answer them from a theist perspective.

1.What caused the universe to exist?
God did it.

2.What explains the fine tuning of the universe?
God did it.

3.Why is the universe rational?
God did it.

4.How did DNA and amino acids arise?
God did it.

5.Where did the genetic code come from?
God did it.

6.How do irreducibly complex enzyme chains evolve?
God did it.

7.How do we account for the origin of 116 distinct language families?
God did it.

8.Why did cities suddenly appear all over the world between 3,000 and
1,000BC?
God did it.

9.How is independent thought possible in a world ruled by chance and
necessity?
God did it.

10.How do we account for self-awareness?
God did it.

11.How is free will possible in a material universe?
God did it.

12.How do we account for conscience?
God did it.

13.On what basis can we make moral judgements?
God did it.

14.Why does suffering matter?
God likes it when people suffer.

15.Why do human beings matter?
God made them.

16.Why care about justice?
God made it.

17.How do we account for the almost universal belief in the supernatural?
God did it.

18.How do we know the supernatural does not exist?
Because god exists.

19.How can we know if there is conscious existence after death?
God said so.

20.What accounts for the empty tomb, resurrection appearances and growth
of the church?
God did it.

Think I got it down pat.

[the_gelf]

Im just not going to get my back up about that. Some people who live with their eyes closed, their ears blocked and their mouth morever open aren't worth my time.

Originally Posted by dumb question written by 5 year old mentality

What explains the fine tuning of the universe? (Equilibrium emerges from chaos?)

Please go study grade 10 physics. Clearly you weren't awake during, nor cared about it, since you are now a religious nutcase. I'm sorry that society failed you.

[stevebrooks]

Originally Posted by owheelj

I also don't understand how education accounts for consciousness. Again, this is a question with a lot of good scientific possible explanations, but the current answer should still be "I don't know."

Suspect a misunderstanding, "conscience" not conciousness, as in the conscience of the good samaritan not consiousness of the world around us.

After all we all know that god gave us consciousness, the devil gave us conscience :-)

[Loki]

Originally Posted by liers for doctrine

Re: 20 Questions Atheists Struggle to Answer

In other news lying liars lie, film at eleven.

Originally Posted by me

What reasonable evidence supports the existence of gods?

One question theists have never answered.

Checkmate.