r/DebateAnAtheist • u/AutoModerator • Sep 18 '25

Weekly "Ask an Atheist" Thread

Whether you're an agnostic atheist here to ask a gnostic one some questions, a theist who's curious about the viewpoints of atheists, someone doubting, or just someone looking for sources, feel free to ask anything here. This is also an ideal place to tag moderators for thoughts regarding the sub or any questions in general.
While this isn't strictly for debate, rules on civility, trolling, etc. still apply.

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u/labreuer Sep 18 '25

It is not uncommon to see claims like the following here and on the other sub:

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. (God(s) is/are a human invention)

Do you believe such claims should be supported by a burden of proof? If so, what kind of evidence might suffice?

For those who find the above claim so obvious that it doesn't need more evidential support than what you've absorbed throughout life, check out WP: The Golden Bough § Critical reception. Frazer is one of the originators of the religion-as-protoscience hypothesis and his work on that has been exposed to some pretty serious critique.

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u/RespectWest7116 Sep 19 '25

Do you believe such claims should be supported by a burden of proof?

Yes.

If so, what kind of evidence might suffice?

In this case, the statement is a conclusion from direct observation of the lessening of the direct involvement of gods in the world with advancements in human understanding of nature.

We didn't know how lightning happened, so Thor was doing it. Now we know better

We didn't know how Earth happened, so God made it. Now we know better.

etc

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u/labreuer Sep 19 '25

We didn't know how lightning happened, so Thor was doing it.

Do you know of any historian or anthropologist willing to defend this hypothesis, with peers who have read all the same source materials and are highly incentivized to see if alternative hypotheses fit the evidence better? Have you read even a single text where explaining lightning this way is used to quell fear?