[Brillopad]

Originally Posted by The Slim Reaper

Seems like you're twisting yourself in knots here to be honest. Any time an assertion is made, the burden of proof is on that claim. So for example, if someone says they have fairies at the bottom of their garden, it's not a belief if you or I might think it's a load of bollocks.

It's impossible to prove a negative, so I can't prove that there are no fairies, but I can choose not to believe it because there is no evidence for it. That's atheism.

I’ve yet to see see any religion prove the existence of a god. There may have been characters (human beings) that claimed to be a god or people treated as a god - but that is not proof of some powerful force that exists for the benefit of those that believe.

Gods are fairy tales, a comfort blanket and always will be. If the existence of such forces could be proved - that would have been done so by now. That’s why I get so frustrated by the expected tolerance of many religious practices that are harmful - simply to pacify emotional people. It is wrong in my opinion. People can believe in what they like but should never have the right to enforce it on others or others be expected to accept.