From Robert Stevens
There seems to be no consensus among theists as to why we should believe in their various – and largely mutually exclusive – deities (6 March, p 26). Without this, it is hard to pin down what it is that atheists are “resistant” to.
One phenomenon I’ve noticed in discussions with theists is a selective form of “confirmation bias” regarding their religion. Some are willing to attribute pleasant feelings – but not unpleasant ones, unless they have “sinned” – to a sense of “communion” with their deity.
Others claim the Bible’s “prophetic accuracy” while creatively interpreting to make some prophecies “successful”, and to rework those that failed.
It could be worthwhile to examine whether atheists are generally less prone to confirmation bias. The other mystery is whether the theistic tendency to interpret data selectively is itself selective, affecting only matters of faith.
Advertisement
From John Baker
Lois Lee and Stephen Bullivant have no right to report about True Atheists. As the representative on Earth of the One and True Atheist Organisation I report a current membership of one, and declare that categorising atheists is like herding cats. Also, lumping atheists and agnostics together is just wrong. I fear that the authors are mistaking reported beliefs in a religion for belief in a god. It is said some vicars are godless, but they would presumably tick the “religious” box.
Notoriously, belief in religion is highly associated with where one is born and when.
Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, UK
From A. E. Prinn
The issue is more “Why do we think there is an answer?” For some reason, we try to explain everything. A superior entity offers a simple answer, but as education grows the “scientific” answer seems more attractive.
At the graduate level, most of the problems in a specific subject seem to be answered without recourse to blind faith. At the postgraduate level you start to encounter the fact that all our “explanations” are only good approximations.
Then, particularly in laboratory work, you meet problems that are unanswerable in terms of what you know, and that suggest a superior entity with a warped sense of humour.
Ballincollig, County Cork, Ireland
Bruton, Somerset, UK
