To my fellow atheist, do you think believers just wrong?

[longship]

6. Could this be a version of strict atheism vs agnosticism.

Where strict atheism is defined for the purposes of this argument as knowing that there are no gods. And agnosticism is defined, again for the same purpose, as being uncertain of the same.

I ask this because this obviously contrived argument comes up often enough that I hear it from time to time when I profess that I am an atheist. I have heard it from both believers and self professed agnostics, often with the claim that I cannot be an atheist because nobody can know that there aren't gods.

I find this argument a very naive one. So my response is similar to yours except I am likely to include something like an Okham's razor approach. In other words: No, I cannot prove there are no gods, but their likelihood is so vanishingly small that it is appropriate to act as if it is zero. Plus, all the explanations of gods in the various religions are so discordant and explicitly contradictory it is likely that they are all wrong. Then there's the issue that gods are a prime example of an unnecessarily multiplied entity, per William of Okham.

So, although I cannot prove that gods don't exist, it is appropriate to claim with high confidence that they don't exist.

I never tell people that they are wrong about their beliefs. I only frame this issue with respect to my own. Of course, when somebody tries to impose a belief on me I will defend my beliefs. But I do not otherwise do what can be considered proselytization.

I don't care what other people think as long as it doesn't interfere with my right to have my own beliefs.

I hope this helps.

R&K