I totally agree, but the issue is that many atheists just write off the whole Bible as pure fiction. It seems atheists perceive it as laughable that people could still believe in the Bible. But yet archeologist keep proving a very large portion of the Bible in terms of its people and places.
I haven't met any atheists who find the Bible ridiculous because it does not contain historical events. That actually would have been an accomplishment given the fact that the two testaments were written over a period of about a 1000 years.
But believing that whales exist, and believing some guy lived inside a whale for three days because his all-knowing god got upset with him are two entirely different things.
And you have to understand, for many reflective non-believers, disbelief has little to do with the ridiculousness of the stories. I don't care that some people believe a global flood occurred a few thousand years ago, creating the illusion of old Earth, and planting the evidence for evolution. I don't care that Muslims believe David commanded an army of birds, and could hear ants scrambling to avoid being stepped on. I can accept that those are parables or metaphors or what have you. And I can ignore the idiots who will believe anything they're told, as I know they are as common among atheists as they are among the religious.
My disbelief is very very simple. There is absolutely no reason to believe that any of that stuff is true. Why would I care about a story of a god made flesh so he can temporary die, because doing so somehow washes away the sin of eating the fruits of the tree of knowledge, which forever tainted mankind? Try to see it from a perspective of a person who knows nothing about how religion works, and is hearing this for the first time as a description of our reality. Why would I give it more thought than I do Scientology? Or Norse paganism? Or any other fantastical tale that claims its truth can be verified through the denial of reason (faith). Because believing it makes you feel good? Well, that's nice for you. But I need A LOT more.
My opposition (not disbelief) to religion stem partly from the fact that the idea of faith is a hindrance to free thought and inquiry, and a serious impediment to the quest to understand the world on its own terms. Sure there are those who treat faith as a personal spiritual endeavor that does not need overlap with the naturalistic understanding of the universe and our place in it. But those people are rare. I'm also incredibly skeptical of our ability to construct a meaningful system of morality if we believe morals ethereal and absolute without the need for justification.
This isn't intended solely for Beantown. My time is not THAT cheap. But as atheists were mentioned several times, I felt the thread needed an atheist perspective.
