Questionare: The Atheist "Thirteen"

Jewish Atheist has tagged my with a meme which may or may not be called the "Atheist 13". Let's dive in.

Q1. How would you define “atheism”?

I define my atheism as not believing that a god or gods exist. I recognize that one can't know what is happening with every molecule in the Universe (and beyond). That said, for all practical purposes there is no good reason to believe there is a god, let alone a god that cares about humans on Earth.

Q2. Was your upbringing religious? If so, what tradition?

I grew up religious. My parents were/are (in descending order of specification) Jewish/Orthodox/Hasidic/Lubavitch/anti-Mishichist. In particular my parents became more religious as I grew up (they are BTs) but as long as I can remember we were Orthodox Jews.

Q3. How would you describe “Intelligent Design”, using only one word?

Disingenuous.

Q4. What scientific endeavor really excites you?

Robotics really excite me. Genetics blow my mind. And I have a special place in my heart for space exploration.

Q5. If you could change one thing about the “atheist community”, what would it be and why?

I don't really believe there is a real “atheist community” anymore than I believe there is a real "Fans of Batman community". I think Trekkies (I hate the word Trekkers) have more of a sense of "community" than atheists do.

I would like to see the alleged "atheist community"/atheists become mainstream in The United States.

Q6. If your child came up to you and said “I’m joining the clergy”, what would be your first response?

My first response would be to honestly ask him/her "Why?" and make sure it was something they really wanted to do.

Q7. What’s your favorite theistic argument, and how do you usually refute it?

Much like the Jewish Atheist I was going to talk about "Free Will". (Or did I only think of Free Will because he talked about it first? Did I really make the choice to want to discuss Free Will?!?!) So just to be different I will say my favorite theistic argument is:

"Without God life has no meaning therefore, for your life to be meaningful you need God."

"Meh" I say.

"If there is no god then that's just the way things are. It shouldn't stop you from finding meaning in life. If you were able to experience meaning when you believed in god then you have the capacity to experience meaning. Period. You don't change physiologically when you deny or doubt god. You just need to find new paths to create a sense of purpose."

Q8. What’s your most “controversial” (as far as general attitudes amongst other atheists goes) viewpoint?

I have been surprised that many atheists think religion is Eeeeee-vil. I think my attitude of "live and let live" toward religion is not as common as it should be. I think trying to persuade people that religion is wrong is like trying to persuade people not to watch "Deal or No Deal". They're both stupid, but people like what they like.

Q9. Of the “Four Horsemen” (Dawkins, Dennett, Hitchens and Harris) who is your favorite, and why?

Hitchens makes me laugh. Sometimes even with him.

Q10. If you could convince just one theistic person to abandon their beliefs, who would it be?

For very selfish reasons I would say my wife. (I don't try, btw).

Now name three other atheist blogs that you’d like to see take up the Atheist Thirteen gauntlet:

Somewhere along the way the "Atheist Thirteen" got whittled down to a mere ten. (Are there multiple authors for this document? How does Rashi explain away this seeming contradiction?!)

I tag Shtreimel, Jewish Sceptic, and The Chief. I would love to hear how these guys and gal would answer these questions.

Update:

In response to a request from "new" commenter "Definetly not FedUp" I also tag FedUp.