Gnostic Atheism (“Gnostic” refers to knowledge, not supposition.)
I can’t know for a fact that there are no superhero-type gods like Zeus, Thor, Quetzlcoatl, Brahma, or Anubis. Unlikely, sure, and I absolutely don’t BELIEVE they exist, but can I KNOW for certain? Nope.
But with respect to the monotheists’ beloved “omni” deities — who are claimed to be omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent — I can be 100% a gnostic atheist, because such a critter cannot logically exist. Why not? Because any entity can have AT MOST a single ultimate characteristic, not a combination of them. Whenever it’s claimed that there are two or more maxipowers, you can always find a way to put them in conflict with each other, at which point one of them must lose.
For example, if God knows everything that’s ever going to happen (which an omniscient being would), then he’s powerless to change anything (and omnipotence is right out the window). And vice versa. Is he everywhere, including places where unspeakable tortures are being committed (frequently in his name), but also all-loving? Please!
But even a SINGLE ultimate characteristic could be pitted against itself, as in “Can God make a rock so heavy he can’t lift it?”. Whatever the answer might be, it puts the lie to being all-powerful.
Gnostic Atheism (“Gnostic” refers to knowledge, not supposition.)
I can’t know for a fact that there are no superhero-type gods like Zeus, Thor, Quetzlcoatl, Brahma, or Anubis. Unlikely, sure, and I absolutely don’t BELIEVE they exist, but can I KNOW for certain? Nope.
But with respect to the monotheists’ beloved “omni” deities — who are claimed to be omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent — I can be 100% a gnostic atheist, because such a critter cannot logically exist. Why not? Because any entity can have AT MOST a single ultimate characteristic, not a combination of them. Whenever it’s claimed that there are two or more maxipowers, you can always find a way to put them in conflict with each other, at which point one of them must lose.
For example, if God knows everything that’s ever going to happen (which an omniscient being would), then he’s powerless to change anything (and omnipotence is right out the window). And vice versa. Is he everywhere, including places where unspeakable tortures are being committed (frequently in his name), but also all-loving? Please!
But even a SINGLE ultimate characteristic could be pitted against itself, as in “Can God make a rock so heavy he can’t lift it?”. Whatever the answer might be, it puts the lie to being all-powerful.