Also, I think the photo is just as likely to be Aphrodite and Hephaestus, as the sort of love of technology that Google fosters would be right up their ally.

We cannot disprove the nebulous, deist God that did nothing but start the universe.
But the Bible, we can disprove the hell out of that. There is real historical evidence that you can hold in your hand that says the earth is older than Genesis says, there was no Adam, Eve, Moses, Joshua, or Unified monarchy of David and Solomon. That does hurt, when you listen to anything about David and Goliath, or Moses setting down laws, *none of that happened*. It was produced Book of Mormon style in the 700s, by a 'discovery' of the Book of Deuteronomy, and a redaction and compilation of a ton of other Jewish texts. So, why do we honor the Ten Commandments and the other myths that are no more genuine than say, Gilgamesh or the Iliad? Likewise, while we can be confident Jesus was real, there is no evidence of the Slaughter of the Innocents, the Star of Bethlehem was not seen by anyone else at the time (unlike eclipses and comets which have been reported numerous times across the globe), there was no darkness during the Crucifixion.

So, essentially, you are left with a semi-mythical history, where all the extraordinary parts of it that would leave real evidence didn't. Why should we believe in this god, vs all the other ones that have fallen into disuse. There is no more proof for Jesus than there is for Vishnu. He may have been an okay guy, but that's about the extend of our evidence for him. And I think that the author does a disservice by suggesting that people are immune to this knowledge. Doesn't knowing that Moses (and thus god) did not set down the law to stone gay men for homosexuality make it a little easier to say, this was a bronze age law, not something we need today? Doesn't knowing the bible was edited and re-edited mean that we can use our own, modern moral judgment rather than things that have been rattling around since the stone age? And isn't it useful to look a little more critically at things our parents gave us and expected us to swallow whole without questioning?

lepidopteryx, Come on you know better than that. Those arguments are nothing but giving voice to any and every thought that passes between the theists ears. Just that they make it sound profound and with great deal of fake sincerity. This is to give each believer some of what she wants to hear. That's all religion is mouth some inanities of love, fear, threats, etc, etc so enough people are bought into one of the inanities and then add to it in-group nepotism, & out-group hostility. then add water and mix it thorughhly and you have a religion - TO GO.

So God looks like a jagged shard of pink rock? And humanity is made in that image?

Non-belief in a nutshell.

http://commonsenseatheism.com/?p=12134

"Let each side stop talking about proofs and dis-proofs and speak instead about the results of belief and disbelief in their own lives and our assessment of the impact of God in the world in which we live. For pretty much all of us, it is those experiences which govern our conclusion." -- BH

Great idea Brad!! I know...we could talk about the impact of religion on gay rights, public school science curricula, foreign policy and tons of other church/state separation issues!!

No...wait...we've already been discussing those issues and more for the past FIVE years! Where have you been?

SIR, MAM:

"GOD(s) Chosen People" Sin-drome, or Pre-Apocalyptic Thinking, is Dead!

Instead; Now Sing (And ALL of iSRAEL & World), Hello

to [IT's] THE NATURALLY-SELECTED"! Not GOD(s) Chosen-People anymore! NOt via Chumash! NO Bible! NO Quran! Not via BKofMormon! NOt via the Geeta! Nor via Kangyurs! et, Pre-Apocalyptic, al!

This World can Truly (opposite MYTH) live Happily, without ISRAEL & w/out the Middle East! Includes the Jealous 'Arab League & their Jealous based 54+ "OIC"s [Organization of Islamic Council; a Ishlami U.N.] based on their "ALLAH" Not our "G_D", INSTEAD of like the 'SECULAR' [Original; post League of Nations] U.nited N.tion(s) G_D!

Example: 54 [Ishlami] Nations minus 192 Nations = 138 None-Ishlami Nations!

iMPORtant note: The U.N. needs a Third RECONSTRUCTION; for the imminent, yet inevitable AqauriUS-Age (good for +26,000 Years!); Not for the past Pisces-Age (-26,00 years). !

???????????????????????????

Let's hear what God Player; Mr. God player or King, "Bi-Bi" (a Wanabe Solomon) of Isreal (a HUMAN; not a HUUMATE), has to say to this 'Reality' {aka 'TRANS{FiNITY'}?

[The Curse on Israel is upon them, for Transgressing our holyi Folks like "BEN GURION" {pbuh] and Almost Prezident, likes Hir ALBERT EINSTEIN" [pbuh et al] and Golda Mier {pbuh] and others {pbuHim and or Her] et al!??

Hint: Israel must declare that it's a "SECULAR-STATE" (of Israel), and NOt a "JU-STATE". ELSE Else End of Israel is near. (pleazza, DO-Not be in DEnial to Selves or Others. Atleast Ye/Yo hath been Warned by US [EKLAht-i-ON's], aka APOCALYPTari-ON' of S.S. Earth, Not like Them, Pre-Apocalyptic-Offs [wannabe: Jews?, Xrstians?, Ishlam's?, Mormons?; Vedics?, Buddhist?, Siekitess? Jainisites? et al].

Blame it on Bi-Bi (gods chosen people fanatic) & CO. & et al. Example: Blame israels Death on U.S. Eviljealousicals, and or copy-cat Vatican Mother/Father of HorLOTS, aka Eucharist Addicts & CO. Includes Englands Vatican, not only Wahhabi//Ayatollah so-called Vatican's [Mosques].

Prophecy: In Continued: "JU"s, in 1,000 Years or much less, will be rendered "The Dumbest People On Earth"! And if continued [Desecrating Israel//"THEE-ROCK" SECULAR Forefathers] THEN

another greater Holocaust will befall All Israel On All of S.S. Earth. And Jealous Vampire/Cannibalist Eucharist lovin Rabbi-JESus addicted xrstians will be the Cause!
All will be in Vain. Ye/Yo still have a chance; But don't wait to Long. And

Pleazz Eretz (the 1 WE[i] used to know) DO NOT listen To America, nor any Evangelicals or Xrstians et al! Else dig Ye NATIONAL-Grave NOW; not morrow!

This a [WARNING] next to a Prophecy who's time can or will be done//Come, on EARTH, not only Heaven [Universe; aka Ouyr Holyi Constitution & IT's LAWS of NATURE being our CLAUSES to Magnify, Uphold & Make Honorable unto "REAL END OF TiME" in +/- 1.234567 Billion Years from TODAY!

iMAGINE The POSSIBILITIES? O' Apathy!?

-repost because of typos-
Example (for the sake of clarity):
If science was an Abrahamic religion, then every new theory and discovery would prove Aristotle (the founder) correct on everything he has said, and it would be convoluted and obfuscating enough to not ever contradict or disprove Aristotle. Aristotle would be continuously reinterpreted so that the latest interpretation would conform to the latest theory, which would be merely a revelation of what Aristotle had actually meant from the outset in his writings.
And we'd still be living in the middle ages.

Example (for the sake of clarity):
If science was an Abrahamic religion, then every new theory and discovery would prove Aristotle (the founder) correct on everything he has said, and convoluted and obfuscating enough to not ever contradict or disprove Aristotle. Aristotle would be continuously reinterpreted so that the latest interpretation would conform to the latest theory, which would be merely a revelation of what Aristotle had actually meant from the outset in his writtings.
And we'd be still living in the middle ages.

False dichotomy; the religious side (as discribed in the blog) is rooted in the exploration of about 1500 pages of what is mostly ravings, if read in their own right and for the first time without any prior knowledge. The scientific side is rooted in the universe and the exploration of the universe.

Any zen practitioner would point out it is actually zen and science which are on the same level of spiritual-materialistic opposition, as they are both rooted in the universe and the experience of the universe.

Abrahamic religions are mostly on the poser sideline in this, as well as the abrahamic religions mystic currents, who upon getting closer to reality than the rest of their kin decided to seek it derived from or described in about 1500 pages and lost it.

I saw the Pope's face in a bowl of froot loops one morning. Does that count?

This another of Hirschfield's pathetic attempt to assure himself that there is indeed a sky-daddy. It is one his feel good inanities. He also wants the atheists to not challenge is fairy tales. We all agree with you Hirschfield, that you cannot prove your sky-daddy really exists. What the heck, you cannot even prove that there is indeed a sky. We wont bother you if you don't bring up the fairy tales in the public square. When you insist on it be fore-warned that you will indeed get the metaphoric punch in the face from us. Here is the deal you stop writing about the horse manure in you book of fairy tales, we stop punching you in the face. Is it a deal?

you said so yourself, if god can be reduced to evidence, then god is too small to bother with.

That's the problem with the gods concept. A being is an object like a planet or a tree. Treating the being's existence as though it were a matter of faith and not evidence essentially treats the object as though it were a concept instead. Things like love or money or a philosophy exist on a conceptual level - if humans didn't exist than these likely wouldn't exist, either. (By money I don't mean the physical currency, since without humans they would simply be scraps of paper and bits of metal.) Faith seems more appropriate when one talks about faith in one's spouse, faith in the future, or faith in one's country.

“When non-believers assert that they can prove the non-existence of God”
I don’t know anyone doing that. This is a specious claim.
I do not believe in unicorns, Odin, Orion, Ganesh, etc. I am not ever required, nor do I even feel the need to prove their non-existence. It is simply that I have no reason to believe they do exist. Proof belongs entirely to those making a claim that something that cannot be seen, heard or demonstrated does indeed exist.
“If so, the joke is on them - they have created rituals and liturgy for the no-God community which directly parallels those of the God folks!”
Uh, I have no rituals for no-god anymore than Christians have rituals for no-Ganesh.
“Both sides would be forced to admit that there is significant evidence to support the views held by the other side”
No, no we don’t. There is no ‘evidence’ for religion, you said so yourself, if god can be reduced to evidence, then god is too small to bother with. The only evidence for religion is ‘feelings’ and ‘belief’.
As for that photo.
LOL… why is god on the windshield? Notice god is blurry (why would god present himself at all if he’s just going to blur himself to cause even more debate?) Notice that the road, the trees and the distant mountains are all in focus. This means that the focus on the camera is set to infinite, like a fixed focus camera. The only things that will be out of focus are those things that are too close, meaning; it’s on the windshield, or maybe the lens itself. It may be bird poop, it may be a decal or sticker, a reflection from something on the dashboard, it may be anything.
It could be a god, sure, but really? Which one?

When non-believers assert that they can prove the non-existence of God

My own position is that any claim that gods exist or that gods don't exist is indistinguishable from speculation. Hirschfield should know better than to frame the issue as "God or no God," as if polytheistic religions don't exist or don't matter.

As a practical matter, assertions about the existence of gods should be subject to more scrutiny than assertions that gods don't exist. Although both require evidence as a matter of principle, the people making the latter assertion aren't claiming that everyone must change their lives based on their notion of truth, or consigning non-believers to eternal torture after death. (And to be fair, many people who make the former assertion aren't doing that, either.)

Atheists, agnostics, and believers in non-proselytizing religions are in the same boat regarding proselytizing religions - there they were, minding their own business, when the proselytizers came along and said, "Hey, God(s) X exist and you need to obey him/her/it/them." But the only source for what constitutes obedience is the proselytizers themselves. Again in the interest of fairness, many atheists also proselytize, but none ever claimed that believers deserve eternal torture.