Atheism: Common Arguments

Atheism: Common Arguments: "if we assume that there's a God, that doesn't imply that there's one unique God. Which should we believe in? If we believe in all of them, how will we decide which commandments to follow? Secondly, the statement that 'If you believe in God and turn out to be incorrect, you have lost nothing' is not true. Suppose you're believing in the wrong God--the true God might punish you for your foolishness. Consider also the deaths that have resulted from people rejecting medicine in favor of prayer. Another flaw in the argument is that it is based on the assumption that the two possibilities are equally likely--or at least, that they are of comparable likelihood. If, in fact, the possibility of there being a God is close to zero, the argument becomes much less persuasive. So sadly the argument is only likely to convince those who believe already. Also, many feel that for intellectually honest people, belief is based on evidence, with some amount of intuition. It is not a matter of will or cost-benefit analysis. Formally speaking, the argument consists of four statements: One does not know whether God exists. Not believing in God is bad for one's eternal soul if God does exist. Believing in God is of no consequence if God does not exist. Therefore it is in one's interest to believe in God."