Why I'm an Atheist

 I mentioned that I was and atheist in a WAPO comment section nd someone, very politely, asked me why.

The answer changes with time I suppose but here's what I said this time.

There are two reasons. 

The first is that I'm an engineer and have been trained to go where the evidence leads me even if that's a place I don't want to go. I see no compelling evidence for the supernatural and that includes for the existence of a god. I've looked and there just isn't enough to justify belief. Faith is not a pathway to truth. You can literally believe anything on faith even things which are demonstrably false. If a belief is justified then faith isn't required. 

“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?” -- Epicurus 

Through history men have created thousands of gods from Marduk to Amon-Ra to Horus to Zeus to the God of Abraham. I'm guessing that you disbelieve in all of them but one. I just disbelieve in one more.

The second reason is that Religion is the ultimate brand of authoritarianism and there are literally thousands of sects all of which are convinced that they're right and everyone else is wrong. 

“With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil - that takes religion.” ― Steven Weinberg 

Otherwise normal and sane people have done horrible things in the name of religion or because their faith leaders told them to do it. I reject anything that requires absolute and unquestioning obedience to an authority whether that authority be a man a book or a god.