Author: Bill Flavell
Ten bad reasons to be an atheist (and one good one)
I am an atheist but I often find myself disagreeing with other atheists. There are good reasons to be an atheist and there are bad reasons. Here are ten commonly heard bad reasons: “My mum got sick, we all prayed for hours but she died” “I’ve never seen God.” “I prayed daily for God to reveal himself but he didn’t.” “There are contradictions in...
Are you creative?
WINNERS ANNOUNCED December 12, 2018 Congratulations to our WINNERS! Jason Gregory (first prize), Dominic Omenai and William Murdick. Very many thanks to everyone who submitted slogans and to our external judge, Adam Tilford. Jason Gregory scooped first prize for his light-heartedly challenging “WARNING I ask questions.” Dominic Omenai was a runner-up with his amusing quip, “TESTE...
Summons served on the Government of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
On October 25, the High Court of Akwa Ibom State, formally served a summons on the Government of Akwa Ibom state in Nigeria. The suit was brought by our affiliate, the Atheist Society of Nigeria (ASN), and alleges that the government’s involvement in the building and promotion of an 8,500-seat worship center is ultra vires, unconstitutional and unlawful. ASN issued a press release today exp...
Why Christianity’s most important story is 100% wrong
Christianity’s most important story set in the Garden of Eden, tells us that God left innocent humans, who had no knowledge of good and evil, in the company of a crafty serpent. God told the humans not to eat fruit from a certain tree. When the humans were deceived by the serpent and tasted the fruit, God was very, very angry. Ask yourself, who should God punish in this situation? If God was...
How we know Genesis is the work of men
God is immaterial—made of nothing, indivisible and everywhere at the same time. He doesn’t eat, sleep or get sick. He knows everything and is more intelligent than we can ever imagine. God had no beginning and will have no end. He will continue forever, even beyond the death of the universe. He can change the laws of the universe at will. And God is perfect in every respect, including his mo...
The AAI video
Who we are, why we are here and what we do.
Six things wrong with God
It’s a pity you can’t get a Ph.D. in Inventing Gods. Those who have done it in the past have not always done a great job. So after much research, I have distilled the six key things the Hebrews got wrong with god. Make your god consistent with the things we see around us. For example, if we see needless suffering, we should invent a malevolent god that enjoys watching suffering rather ...
Why you should rethink your God
I haven’t counted but I’m pretty sure I have asked far more than 1,000 people why they believe in God. And, without a single exception, I have always seen the same result. The result is that people give me no reason, or they give me reasons that rely on fallacious logic and are unreliable in some way. I have also spoken to dozens of atheists who have asked believers the same question a...
Why religions don’t care about truth
All religions insist they have found the truth, despite the fact there are hundreds of religions and thousands of denominations preaching contradictory beliefs. This made me wonder, if religions were REALLY concerned about finding the truth, how would we expect them to behave? I wouldn’t expect to see religious or inter-denominational wars, such as we have seen between Shia and Sunni Muslims...
Where did Moses really get the Law from?
Hammurabi, the sixth Babylonian King, ruled Mesopotamia for 42 years from 1792 – 1750 BCE. He is probably most famous for introducing the Code of Hammurabi—one of the earliest known codes of law. Several copies of the 282 laws have been found, some chiseled into stone and some on clay tablets. The best-known example of the code is the almost complete, 2.25 meter (7.5 ft) high stele, made fro...
Eight reasons Christianity is false
There is very little that we can prove in this world. We can look for evidence to support claims people make and when there is robust supporting evidence, and no contrary evidence, we can conclude a claim is probably, but not definitely, true. However, it is easier to prove something is false—all you need is one piece of contradictory evidence. So, what about Christianity? Is there evidence that c...
Can you feel God in your heart?
If you ask people why they believe in God, most will give you a reason derived from logic (however, tortured and broken it may be) but a sizable minority, ignore logic and rely entirely on their feelings. The question is, are feelings a valid way to determine what is true? A person might say something like, “I know God exists, I feel him in my heart.” I have no reason to doubt that this person rea...