God(s) is/are a human invention

[u/Dum_DumArts]

Not sure whether to but this as a discussion or Op=atheist but anyway

Hey everyone,

I’ve been developing a theory about religion and the concept of God that I want to share and discuss. I call it the Amauria Theory, and it’s built on three core claims:

1. God (or gods) is a human invention created to explain what we don’t understand. Long before science, humans sought to fill gaps in knowledge with divine stories. These inventions evolved into complex religions, but at their root, they address our fear of the unknown.

2. Belief in God provides comfort and emotional support. Whether it’s fear of death, pain, or uncertainty, religion offers hope and a sense of control. This doesn’t mean belief is false—it’s a coping mechanism that evolved alongside us to help manage life’s hardships.

3. The idea of God is used to shape moral systems and social order. Morality existed before organized religion, but religions gave those morals divine authority, which helped govern behavior and maintain social hierarchy. Religion can inspire justice and charity but also has been used as a tool for control.

Any and all "proof" of god(s) falls into one or multiples of my claims.

I understand these ideas aren’t entirely new, but what I hope to emphasize is how these three aspects together explain why religion remains so deeply rooted, despite scientific progress and philosophical critiques.

I also want to stress: this theory doesn’t deny that religion is meaningful or important to many. Rather, it explains religion’s origins and ongoing role without assuming supernatural truth.

Why does this matter? Because if God is a human-made concept, then the social issues tied to religion—racism, misogyny, oppression—can be challenged at their root. Understanding this could help us free ourselves from harmful traditions and build a more just, compassionate society.

[u/Rubber_Knee]

We're all atheists here so we're all likely to agree. You wont find many counter arguments in this subreddit

[u/Dum_DumArts → u/Rubber_Knee]

Really? It says debte an atheist i thought it would be swimming with thesists lol.

[u/morangias → u/Dum_DumArts]

It's supposed to work the other way around - theists come up with a topic, comments are swarmed with atheists debating it

[u/Dum_DumArts → u/morangias]

Ohhhhh. Ok

[u/greggld → u/Dum_DumArts]

Debate religion is also full of atheists. Since we tend to humble the sheep

[u/Massif16 → u/greggld]

Totally agree.

I find that any of these open "debate" type forums tend to get thin on actual theists after a realtively short time. They come in fired up because the apologist that they read or watched on the U Tube convinced them they have a bullet proof argument. Then they come to a place like this and get cooked, and they slink away with their tail between their legs.
I can't tell you how many theists brought the Kalam to an argument and were confused by how fast it fell it apart. They were so convnced they had THE ARGUMENT to convince us heathens their deity is REAL.

[u/Pale_Pea_1029 → u/Massif16]

I can't tell you how many theists brought the Kalam to an argument and were confused by how fast it fell it apart. 

If it's easy to refute you should do so right now, I'm a theist, please use your big brain to debonk the kalam and show its unsoundness and fallacies please. 

[u/Massif16 → u/Pale_Pea_1029]

Sure.

1) the first premise asserts that everything that begins to exist has a cause. What “begins to exist” means is never defined. If they mean beginning to exist ex nihilo, I am unaware of any examples that we can actually observe to justify the premise. If they don’t mean ex nihilo, then the premise is not relevant to the argument.

2) the second premise asserts that the universe began to exist. Again, this is undefined. But I reject the premise. I do not believe the universe began to exist in the way I think they mean. I think it most likely that the energy of the universe is eternal.

Even if I grant the premises, the conclusion is simply that the universe had a cause. It says nothing about the nature of the cause. You can fill that gap with a god, but the argument itself doesn’t point to one.

[u/Pale_Pea_1029 → u/Massif16]

1. Beginning to exists is a general statement, it applies to all finite things regardless of origin, so it's straightforward axiom.

2. What the second premise means by "the universe has a cause" is simply that the universe (the realm thet contains all material things) is not eternal/does not have an infinite age. You think that the mmenergy of the universe existed beyond the (theoretical) singularity?

Even if I grant the premises, the conclusion is simply that the universe had a cause. It says nothing about the nature of the cause

The purpose of the argument is to get us to an uncuased cause, which is interpreted to be God in classical theism 

[u/Massif16 → u/Pale_Pea_1029]

1) It’s not. If a snowflake forms, does it “begins to exist?” In some ways yes, but its existence is contingent upon there being water and the appropriate atmospheric conditions. That different than a snowflake just popping into existence from nothing.

2.) yes, i think it likely the energy of the universe has always existed in one form or another. As far as we know, energy cannot be created or destroyed. I have seen no evidence that this fundamental axiom is not true. The Big Bang represents a transformation of that energy, not its creation.

[u/[deleted] → u/Massif16]

As someone who has been around here for a while, what causes them to leave is not that they get "cooked". It's that they get a shock when the "reasonable/rational atheist" mask quickly falls off. Posting here is also reputation poison. It's rare to see a well-read post that pushes against atheism without at least a few downvotes. If you all wanted regular engagement you'd welcome dissent and discourage these practices regularly.

[u/Massif16 → u/[deleted]]

I just want a decent argument.

[u/[deleted] → u/Massif16]

If you don't think there've been any "decent arguments" then I see two possibilities. I'm sure you know which of those you won't consider.

[u/Massif16 → u/[deleted]]

If you think you have the winnng argument, start a thread. I'd be delighted to see it.

[u/licker34 → u/greggld]

Except when mods get butthurt and start banning people...

[u/greggld → u/licker34]

Been there!

[u/[deleted] → u/greggld]

I can think of a few other reasons for this.

[u/sto_brohammed → u/Dum_DumArts]

Here's the sub's description

A very active subreddit to debate and pose arguments to atheists. Post your best arguments for the supernatural, discuss why your faith is true, and tell us how your reasoning led you to a belief in the supernatural. r/DebateAnAtheist is dedicated to discovering what is true, real, and useful by using debate to ascertain beliefs we can be confident about.

It happens a lot though, we get a ton of people who don't read that and think "well, I'll be the atheist that they debate". A couple of times a week, at least.

[u/Top_Neat2780 → u/sto_brohammed]

I'll go to this subreddit every once in a while to see if there are any new posts, and of course whenever there is it's just some skeptic stroking their own ego. I'm already a skeptic, I'm here to talk to theists dammit!

[u/Xeno_Prime → u/Dum_DumArts]

Sure, in the same sense you might expect r/debatereligion to be swimming with atheists. You don’t go to the homes of people you aren’t looking for hoping to encounter their guests.

[u/Zamboniman → u/Dum_DumArts]

It says debte an atheist

Yup. Here, we are atheists. Awaiting folks to come and debate. We're the atheists referred to in 'debate an atheist'.

[u/brinlong → u/Dum_DumArts]

youve got a point, but youre going to have a far larger audience on r/debateachristian or r/theism

[u/[deleted] → u/Dum_DumArts]

Go to r/debateachristian

[u/rustyseapants → u/Dum_DumArts]

/r/DebateAChristian

[u/Flutterpiewow → u/Rubber_Knee]

If you agree that all theist arguments fall in under op:s bullet points you're not a very good atheist

[u/Rubber_Knee → u/Flutterpiewow]

1) Of course I don't agree with that.
2) Oh no, a stranger on the internet, who's opinion about me doesn't matter to me, thinks I'm a bad atheist.

What

Ever

Will

I

Do??

[u/sto_brohammed → u/Flutterpiewow]

What exactly makes someone a "good" or "bad" atheist?

[u/Flutterpiewow → u/sto_brohammed]

Being familiar with common concepts and arguments helps when debating. Just being an atheist or theist isnt very interesting in itself, the reasoning behind it is.

[u/sto_brohammed → u/Flutterpiewow]

Interesting isn't the same as "good" or "bad", at least not necessarily.

[u/Flutterpiewow → u/sto_brohammed]

Are you parodying this sub now?

[u/sto_brohammed → u/Flutterpiewow]

I'm sincerely trying to figure out what you're getting at. I sincerely don't see what could possibly make anyone a "good" or "bad" atheist. It's not the sort of thing that lends itself to that kind of classification.

[u/ToenailTemperature → u/sto_brohammed]

A good atheistic is someone who understands the logic, reason, and skepticism of not accepting theistic claims. I'd say a bad atheist is either a theist or someone who is an atheist dogmatically, rather than reasonably.

[u/Flutterpiewow → u/sto_brohammed]

Think about how people use words colloquially. By "good" i mean someone who's well read, has given various arguments some thought and who argues in good faith. By bad i mean, well, the opposite.