'Atheistic arguments against religious belief are extremely persuasive'. Evaluate this view

The term 'atheist' refers to a rejection in a belief in deities or even a deity. Recently, both the atheist and agnostic movements have become more widespread, particularly influenced by world evens and have produced arguments for their rejection of religion. Atheism and particularly New atheists such as Richard Dawkins believed that the idea of 'blind faith' is irrational. For example there is emphasis in the Gospel of John on those who have 'not seen yet believe'. This can be considered a persuasive argument put forward by atheism because it demonstrates that faith is not to be believed as it has no basis in evidence. In addition to this, Dawkins draws on how religion seeks to force its ideas onto children, despite there being not legitimate evidence.

However despite how persuasive this argument put forward by atheism appears to be, it can be said that Dawkins and other atheists have not considered any evidence for religion. For example, there are many people such as thinkers and scientists John Lennox and John Polkinghorne who seek to show how Christianity's basis can be derived from evidence. C S Lewis also suggested that faith and reason were not as seperate as thought as faith involves reasoning. John Lennox also responded to a debate with Dawkins, saying 'I have faith in God and believe that it (faith) is evidence based)

Furthermore Dawkins does not mention that faith can also grow as a result of miracles and religious experiences, rather focuses on the generation issue.

Perhaps the most persuasive argument against religion is that of moral ground. New Atheism in particular argued that were it not for religion full stop, then violent acts of terror would no longer be committed (could also say that if that was down to a mistranslation or people taking out of context, why are holy texts not changed?)

However a religious believer may argue that this atheist argument is not persuasive because it fails to consider the message of peace and non-violence that most religions have Atheism also fails to mention the masses killed in the name of atheist such as Communist Russia or China. Another persuasive argument put forward by atheism champions how science can now answer what religious used to. For example, the Big bang as a cause of the universe and how natural selection answers the complexity of the world. Yet this is not without challenge from religious thinkers. Indeed Polkinghorne argued that science can provide an explanation as to how things happen, but religion asks why. As well as this, even science has its limitations. Ethics and morality cannot be explained, nor can mathematics demonstrating that the argument against religious on the basis of science is actually not as persuasive as it appears to be. Perhaps an overriding claim is that made by Einstein in 1941 in which he declared 'science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind' demonstrating that science and religions are not polar opposites as thought.

The extent to which atheist arguments are not persuasive can also be demonstrated in an increase in Islamic and Christianity activity as well as fundamentalism. Apologist have also considered atheist arguments and also provided theological insight into why atheist arguments are not persuasive, breaking down the stereotype that religious believers blindly believe.

in conclusion, it appears that despite atheist arguments to prove the irrationality of faith, believers have responded. In particularly, synthesizing faith and science in defending their faith has show to be perhaps more persuasive than the New Atheist argument of blind faith because it did away with the stereotype of religion as primitive and old.

I think that the only argument that could be considered persuasive is the argument that states the presence of so many world religions all claiming to be 'the way. However all faiths are different with different ideas. For example, a Christian may say that as the only religion where a deity died for mankind, they are true, proving that atheism has not been left unchallenged by believers.

28/30-A*