Welcome
There are many reasons for why a person might not have faith in a supreme being. An atheist is someone who does not believe in gods. There are atheists who are atheists because of difficult emotional experiences, because of the behavior of hurtful believers, because of a rebellious or defiant nature, or simply because they were raised without religion. However, none of these are good, tenable reasons for disbelief.
Religion makes numerous claims about the state of affairs in which we find ourselves. More is out there than what we can detect with our five senses, or discover through the scientific method, it says. In fact, there is a whole other world, a whole other reality, beyond the one we currently inhabit. Gods, devils, angels, demons, and prophets walk among us, and it falls to us to not simply acknowledge this often unseen realm of beings, but to take sides as well. Our fate may depend upon it.
This is why I cannot be apathetic to matters of faith and belief. It is also why I consider only one reason for disbelief to be rational and tenable. The question of god and of religion is a question that carries a high price, as many truth claims do. Living in a different world will have consequences in this world, and thus the only appropriate way to address the subject is to ask: is it true? In what sense is it true? To be sure, there are concerns we must face with how beliefs and their representatives make us think and feel, but those concerns alone will not tell us if a belief is true or false.
What we need is a tool for examining truth claims, something with a reliable track record of separating fact from fiction. The tool of reason has been favored and employed by philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, and even theologians, for many centuries, and has arguably helped to produce the most consistent and verifiable models of reality.
It is the aim of this site to take a reasoned and critical approach to the claims of faith. You are invited to begin your introduction by following the “Big Questions” on the right, or you may browse the site from the menu bar located above. Thank you for visiting and thank you for reading.
-Taylor