Some in the religious circles are confused by the level of disbelief among the atheist community as if they have never fully considered their opponents' positions. While this can be said of some atheists, it should be said with caution on the grounds that atheism is a natural position for many who have never been exposed to myths. We may, for example, appreciate the beauty and complexity of the universe's seemingly fine-tuned perfection without ever feeling the need to explain existence by appealing to a deity or great intelligence. We hear the religious stories and find no value, no goodness worth repeating in light of our current knowledge. For the religious, this lack of belief in the gods flies in the face of their ceaseless adoration of the creation of the magnificent. They cannot grasp the vacuous spiritual conditions which would lead one to conclude that a natural process caused the existence of all things material. To compound matters, the religious often have some required devotion as a part of their salvation contracts.

The very disbelief in a god removes the leverage they need to persuade us that Jesus the Christ, as an example, died for this awkward condition known as sinfulness. Just today a Christian popped into an atheist IRC channel I'm on and suggested that very thing. Trees prove Jesus' validity as the savior of humanity??? What absurdity! The fact that we have a universe littered with matter, that the matter therein is bound by certain rules, and that we are here to comprehend such majesty proves nothing of the sort. It may suggest a creator, a divine hiccup, or an ejaculation of love onto the canvas of emptiness, but it does not comment on the condition of humanity.

To further the argument for atheistic doubt, the topic of the power of the gods is often addressed. Proof of the gods is often demanded in this area. One may hear questions such as the following: "If god is able to heal, why isn't the world filled with stories of miraculous healings?", "Why doesn't your holy text demonstrate the timeless wisdom of your deity by revealing such things as germs or some form of advanced agriculture?", or "Why doesn't your god prove itself in a manner that is clear to all, knowing that it is capable of doing such a feat and that there is no good reason to leave its followers in spiritual darkness?"

Believers may find such questions as a demonstration of our apparent refusal to accept the proof that they have offered. It is true, at least in their eyes, that atheists are rejecting the notion of the gods without giving themselves fully to the position of faith. We are told that we have faith in science, education, and knowledge, that we have faith in our vehicles, and that our goals indicate a level of faith akin to belief in the gods. Sadly, they miss the point of such "faith". Our trust in proven methods of academic advancement are in no way likened to the belief that an invisible, intangible being is the creator and orchestrator of all things and is angry with the world for not believing in it. Believing that we will one day be able to go to Jupiter in a manned flight is in no way like the belief that Satan, in the form of a serpent, tricked the first female on the earth into eating a forbidden fruit in the sight of the merciful father who, as it turns out, kicked them all, man included, out of paradise for such an egregious mistake. Where do we come up with this belief of ours? Science. Projecting forward on the basis of our past advances, it is reasonable to believe that our space exploration abilities will eventually improve significantly beyond our present condition. Where do they get such beliefs? Their bible. Someone penned the story some four thousand years ago with the divine inspiration of a credulous mind. Were he to have suggested that we came from the semen of a donkey or the feces of a skunk, the believers would be touting that message in the school board meetings instead of the aforementioned creation myth.

Some texts are regarded as self-proving, as is the case with the Qur'an and Holy Bible. Through verses stating that "all scripture is inspired by God" and "Do they say, "He has invented it"? Say: "Then produce a sura like it and call on anyone you can besides Allah if you are telling the truth."", the believers find comfort in their faith and will often use these books as proof of divinity. Prophecies and vague notes often interpreted through modern minds are offered as evidence that the gods have fulfilled their part of the contract and demand our worship. To illustrate, Muslims have suggested that the Qur'an predicted such things as space exploration in the following verse:

O company of jinn and human beings. If you are able to pierce through the confines of the heavens and Earth, pierce through them. You will not pierce through, except with a clear authority. (Qur'an, 55:33)

Is it not clear that this is vague enough to apply to anything currently impossible and still fulfill the scripture? Insert any subject and it works, provided, of course, that you have clear authority. If it doesn't work, the authority wasn't there for you to do it. To the Muslim, however, this is proof that Allah is the one true god. If we doubt such claims, we are reminded of the other scriptures in which we are guaranteed punishment for our disbelief.

The leap of faith is often offered in one final attempt to convert us. We are encouraged to not half-heartedly believe but to throw all wisdom aside and follow diligently on the journey toward revelation. One cannot arrive with science alone; we must eschew our understanding in favor of the unfounded. They suggest that we will find god when we "seek him with your whole heart" as if to say that their god does not want to be "found by those who sought me not". (Make up your mind, god!) This often leads us to rehash our position, beginning again with why we don't believe, namely evidence. Eventually one side will give up the argument due to time constraints, boredom, or frustration.

If theists ever offer evidence, atheists have the responsibility to investigate it honestly. While we start with the position that no god exists, we must be willing and, dare I say, happy to be incorrect. Science demands nothing less than that we throw down our pet theory in favor of a justified, peer-reviewed conclusion. Having said this, theists are required to do the same, yet will often shy away from accepting the potentially true position that there are no gods for fear of a lost soul and eternal punishment. There are a myriad of unaccepted, scientifically-based theories which the believing communities have never accepted. They cling to their texts and traditions without ever yielding to reason. Let us never be found to do the same.