The uncritical faith of atheists

Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris are among atheists whose recent books praise science as humanist, rational and peace-promoting and denounce religion (all religions) as irrational hateful and homophobic. I have already made a few side comments on Richard Dawkins and intend producing something substantial on atheism in due course (I'm working on it). In the meantime, I present the following from the Hollywood Confidential Online bulletin. These are among the fundamental problems atheists must deal with.

The basic premise of the ungodly books and films is that theism is less rational than atheism.

But the truth is, it takes a lot of faith to be an atheist.

— Atheists must believe that something came from nothing.

Atheists accept on faith that in the beginning there was nothing, and then there was something. Even Steven Hawking and friends are convinced that prior to the Big Bang, there was no time and no space. Nothing. And now there’s lots of something.

— Atheists must believe that life came from non-life.

Atheists accept on faith that once, when conditions were just right, something inanimate became animate.

— Atheists must believe that human beings have no free will.

Atheists accept on faith that by serendipity primordial slime eventually developed into human beings with mental abilities but no free will and who act in accordance with biochemical reactions in their cerebral cortexes.

In the cold atheist universe, there is no way to account for the transcendent ideals that make life worth living — dignity, steadfastness, courage, love and hope.