You never have to justify your religious beliefs to anyone.
However, for atheists, there are some things about religion that just don’t add up. These aren’t gotcha questions or attempts to mock your faith. They’re sincere inquiries that get to the heart of why some people can’t jump on the belief bandwagon, no matter how much we might want to. If you’re game for some respectful but direct dialogue, consider these 15 questions that atheists would love to hear your take on.
1. If God is all-powerful, why does evil exist?
Source: Unsplash This is the classic “problem of evil” that has stumped theologians for centuries. If God is omnipotent and benevolent, how can he allow innocent people to suffer? Free will is often invoked as an explanation, but it doesn’t account for natural disasters or childhood illnesses. Saying “God works in mysterious ways” feels like a cop-out. Atheists want to know how you reconcile the existence of a loving God with the reality of profound, undeserved suffering in the world.
2. Why does God require worship and praise?
For an all-powerful, self-sufficient being, God seems awfully preoccupied with being adored by his creations. The idea of an omnipotent deity demanding constant worship and submission seems petty and insecure. What does God get out of it? Is his ego really that fragile? Atheists wonder why a God who is supposed to be the embodiment of perfect love would be so hungry for validation from flawed, finite humans.
3. Why are there so many religions, each claiming to be the one true faith?
There are thousands of religions in the world, each with its own set of doctrines, rituals, and truth claims. They can’t all be right, but they can all be wrong. Isn’t it more likely that they are all human constructs, reflecting our cultural and psychological needs rather than divine revelation? Atheists are sceptical of any religion claiming a monopoly on truth, especially when those claims are based on faith rather than evidence.
4. How can you be certain that your religion is the right one?
Building on the previous question, atheists wonder how religious people can have such unshakable confidence in their particular belief system. Is it simply an accident of birth, or did you objectively evaluate all the world’s religions before settling on yours? Have you ever seriously considered that you might be wrong? Atheists are wary of certainty, especially when it comes to existential questions that humans have grappled with for millennia.
5. Why does God communicate through ancient texts and not directly?
If God wants to have a relationship with humans, why does he rely on cryptic, contradictory texts written thousands of years ago? Why not just speak to us directly, or at least provide unambiguous, contemporaneous evidence of his existence? The fact that God’s alleged communication is indistinguishable from human writings suggests that it is human writings. Atheists struggle to understand why an all-powerful deity would choose such an inefficient and unreliable mode of communication.
6. How can you reconcile science with religion?
Science has provided natural explanations for phenomena that were once attributed to God or the supernatural. From the Big Bang to evolution to neuroscience, the more we learn about the world, the less we need to invoke a divine creator. Many religious beliefs, such as young earth creationism or the efficacy of prayer, directly contradict scientific evidence. Atheists want to know how you integrate scientific knowledge with religious doctrine, or if you simply compartmentalise them.
7. Why does God care about what we believe, rather than how we behave?
Many religions place a heavy emphasis on holding certain beliefs or accepting certain doctrines, sometimes even more so than on moral behaviour. But why would God care more about what we think than how we act? Isn’t it more important to be a good person than to have the right theology? Atheists are puzzled by the idea that a loving God would condemn someone to eternal punishment for not believing in him, regardless of their actions.
8. How can you derive morality from religion when religious texts contain so much violence, misogyny, and oppression?
The Bible and other religious texts are full of passages that condone or even celebrate horrific acts, from genocide to slavery to the subjugation of women. These texts reflect the cultural norms and biases of their time, not timeless moral truths. Atheists question how anyone can claim that religion is the source of morality when its supposed moral authority is so deeply flawed and contradictory. Many atheists believe that morality is derived from reason, empathy, and a concern for human wellbeing, not from ancient scriptures.
9. Why does God intervene in some situations but not others?
Many religious people attribute positive events or narrow escapes to God’s intervention, such as surviving a car crash or finding a job. But this raises the question of why God doesn’t intervene more often, especially in cases of great suffering or injustice. If he has the power to stop a tragedy but chooses not to, doesn’t that make him complicit in the suffering? Atheists see claims of divine intervention as a form of confirmation bias, where people selectively attribute good fortune to God while ignoring all the times he apparently doesn’t show up.
10. Why does God require faith rather than evidence?
In most areas of life, we base our beliefs on evidence and reason. But religion often demands that we accept extraordinary claims on faith alone. Why would God create us with rational minds but then expect us to believe without proof? Isn’t that a setup for confusion and deception? Atheists think that if God really wanted us to know him, he would provide clear, verifiable evidence of his existence that didn’t require a leap of faith.
11. How can heaven be perfect if our loved ones are in hell?
Many religions teach that those who don’t accept the right beliefs or live the right way will be condemned to eternal torment in hell. But how can heaven be a place of perfect bliss if some of our loved ones are suffering forever? Would you really be able to enjoy paradise knowing that your child or parent or spouse was in agony? Atheists find the idea of hell morally repugnant and logically inconsistent with the concept of a loving God.
12. Why does God need a blood sacrifice to forgive sins?
The central tenet of Christianity is that Jesus died on the cross to atone for human sin. But why does God require a blood sacrifice to grant forgiveness? Can’t he just forgive us without someone having to die? The whole concept of substitutionary atonement seems primitive and barbaric, more like an ancient ritual than a moral necessity. Atheists question why an all-powerful, all-loving God would set up such a convoluted and violent system of redemption.
13. Why do prayers go unanswered?
If God is all-knowing and all-powerful, why does he so often fail to answer prayers, even those that are sincere and heartfelt? When a child dies of cancer or a natural disaster wipes out a community, were they just not praying hard enough? The apparent inefficacy of prayer suggests that either God doesn’t exist, or he doesn’t intervene in human affairs the way many religious people believe. Atheists see prayer as a form of wishful thinking, not a reliable way to affect change in the world.
14. Why do religious beliefs and practices vary so widely by culture?
If there is one true God and one true religion, why do religious beliefs and practices differ so dramatically across cultures? From polytheism to monotheism, from animism to ancestor worship, the diversity of human religious experience is staggering. Even within a single religion like Christianity, there are countless denominations and interpretations. Atheists see this as evidence that religion is a human construct, shaped by cultural and historical factors rather than divine revelation.
15. Why do many religious people fear or distrust atheists?
Studies consistently show that atheists are among the most disliked and distrusted groups out there (particularly in America), and that they’re often considered immoral or unpatriotic. But why? Atheists are just people who don’t believe in God, not necessarily bad people. In fact, many atheists are deeply moral and ethical, basing their values on reason and compassion rather than religious doctrine. So why the stigma? Is it because atheists challenge the assumptions and authority of religion? Is it because religious people fear that without God, anything goes? Atheists want to know why their lack of belief is so threatening to some religious people, and how we can build bridges of understanding and respect.
