Michael Hurst
2 min readSep 18, 2021

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"By definition, science cannot test the supernatural." False. Science tests claims about the supernatural all the time - ghosts, psychics, mediums, faith healers, people who claim to speak to God. With zero credible evidence to support any of them.

In general, with a few exceptions, atheists do not proselytize like theists. We don't need you to accept our point of view, and if you would just leave us alone and stop trying to portray us as lunatics, and if you would stop trying to force your symbols and ceremonies on us, you might never hear from us. But theists can't accept that others don't agree with them, they just can't help themselves.

For the most part, atheists do not say "with certainty" that there is no God. What we say is that there is no evidence to support a claim that there is a God, and that the illogic and unreasonableness of such claims makes it unlikely that there can be any such evidence. It is you theists that demand we prove a negative, a consistent logical fallacy that appears in any discussion from your side. It is you who make the claim of a supernatural deity. It is up to you to prove your claim, and you can't just say I should believe it because you do.

"Militant atheism uses scientific knowledge to argue that we should place our faith in the non-scientific claim that nothing exists beyond the material world. Militant atheism insists that it possesses “the Truth” that others need. It is religious fundamentalism." Very clever to coin a new term, "militant atheism". That way you can ascribe all kinds of things to your new bogeymen and you can say "I'm not talking about all atheists, just the ones I define". That is disingenuous.

Here's the thing. You have faith in whatever makes you happy. I don't care. Just leave me alone, and stop trying to convert me to your beliefs. You do that, maybe we can have peace.

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Michael Hurst
Michael Hurst

Written by Michael Hurst

Economist and public policy analyst, cyclist and paddler, and incorrigible old coot.

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