re: #16 Stoatly

Maybe I’m inferring something you don’t intend - but it sounds like you’re saying all atheists hold that all the troubles of the world come from religious belief and that is why they are atheist (a sort of mirror to believing that all the worlds ills can be countered by faith in religion X).

No, I wasn’t implying anything about all atheists. As someone who all too often gets lumped in with with terrorists & militants under the label of “Muslim”, I strive not to make the same mistake with others since human beings are capable of great latitude of individuality (as can be witnessed by reading the comments in this very thread, which range from civil & thoughtful to obnoxious & dismissive and points in between).

I was merely picking something I’ve heard some atheists say and using it as an example of a claim which—like a given believer’s assertion that God exists, that his/her religion is The One True Religion™, or Russell’s teapot orbiting the sun—can’t be scientifically proven.

As for the route someone took to arrive at becoming an atheist, I can only assume that the journeys are as varied & unique as the individual travelers.

FWIW, I agree with about 99% of the rest of what you wrote. It was good to get to know you a little better—you’re pretty quiet most of the time. ;)