Marshall Brain is Ignorant

Or, "Why He Doesn't Know 'How Things Work'"

Last updated April 26th, 2009. Check the News and Updates section.

In Marshall Brain's mind, it's easy to prove that God is imaginary.
In my mind, it's easy to prove that Marshall Brain is ignorant.

1. Try praying
   
2. Statistically analyze prayer
   
3. Watch the offering plate
   
4. Think about science
   
5. Read the Bible
   
6. Ponder God's plan
   
7. Understand religious delusion
   
8. Think about Near Death Experiences
   
9. Understand ambiguity
   
10. Look at all historical gods
    
11. Notice that there is no scientific evidence
    
12. See the magic
    
13. Take a look at slavery
    
14. Examine Jesus' miracles
    
15. Examine Jesus' resurrection
    
16. Contemplate the contradictions
    
17. Think about Leprechauns
    
18. Imagine heaven
    
19. Notice that you ignore Jesus
    
20. Notice your church
    
21. Understand Jesus' core message
    
22. Count all the people God wants to murder
    
23. Listen to the Doxology
    
24. Ask why religion causes so many problems
    
25. Understand evolution and abiogenesis
    
26. Notice that the Bible's author is not "all-knowing"
    
27. Think about life after death
    
28. Notice how many gods you reject
    
29. Think about communion
    
30. Examine God's sexism
    
31. Understand that religion is superstition
    
32. Talk to a theologian
    
33. Contemplate the crucifixion
    
34. Examine your health insurance policy
    
35. Notice Jesus' myopia
    
36. Realize that God is impossible
    
37. Think about DNA
    
38. Contemplate the divorce rate among Christians
    
39. Realize that Jesus was a jerk
    
40. Understand Christian motivations
    
41. Flip a coin
    
42. Listen when "God talks"
    
43. Realize that a "hidden God" is impossible
    
44. Think about a Christian housewife
    
45. Consider Noah's Ark
    
46. Ponder Pascal's Wager
47. Contemplate Creation
    
48. Compare prayer to a lucky horseshoe
    
49. Look at who speaks for God
    
50. Ask Jesus to appear

Also, check out the Executive Summary of this refutation.

The question of God's existence and whether there's any truth to religion is the most important question that we can ask as individuals. Why? Because if God does exist, then everything we do might end up having eternal consequences and should redirect our lives in order to please God. If God does not exist, we should not be living our lives praying to and worshiping a being that isn't really there and should redirect our lives.

There are some people who say that God exists. Some believe that this is obvious, and there are many ways of proving it. They often cite the beauty of nature as an example of God's existence. Sometimes, it's answered prayer. Sometimes it's the complexity of the universe. It could be revelation in scriptures, or miracles, or the existence of logical absolutes, or the existence of morality, or even the drive we have to make our lives have purpose that make God's existence obvious to these people. The largest religion currently is Christianity, with billions of purported followers.

There are some people who believe that God does not exist. Some also believe that this is obvious, and that there are many ways of proving it. They may believe that evil in the world is incompatible with God. They may think that God has certain attributes that are incompatible with each other. It could be Bible contradictions, or the hypocrisy of believers, or the lack of answered prayer, or our moral autonomy, or God's lack of tangibility that make God's nonexistence obvious to these people. These people are collectively known as atheists.

There is one such atheist who is named Marshall Brain. If you've ever visited the website, "How Stuff Works Dot Com," then you may be familiar with this man. In fact, he's the founder of the website. Brain has made a pretty good name for himself; he has even appeared on Oprah and other talk shows demonstrating, well, how things work. But seemingly more unknown about him that Marshall Brain also founded two different atheistic websites. One asks the question, "Why Won't God Heal Amputees?" formerly known as, "Why Does God Hate Amputees?" It attempts to prove God's nonexistence by saying that God doesn't answer the prayers of amputees when they ask Him to heal them, and the only explanation of this is that God doesn't exist. However, it does this in a very methodical, easy-to-read and, in a word, gentle way. The second website, however, is much more straightforward. It is called "God Is Imaginary." It lays out fifty reasons why God doesn't exist and doesn't bother to apologize.

I, myself, am a Christian theist. When I came across Marshall Brain's writings initially, they caused doubt about my faith because I had never seen anything like it before. And then, after thinking through them for a long time and consulting other opinions, I soon realized my mistake in analysis: Marshall Brain's arguments were almost the laughing stock of atheism. Even many atheists that I have encountered really dislike the guy and his arguments, saying that they give their beliefs a bad name. But at the same time, Brain has developed quite a following on the internet who follow his beliefs almost as if it were a religion in itself.

I was blown away that someone could so seriously believe what he was saying. And so I took it upon myself to respond individually to every single proof on God Is Imaginary. I began in July of 2006, with the help of a friend, and finished it the following year. Eventually, I rewrote the proofs that my friend had written, and it was officially completed on September 25, 2007.

This is the finished product. I'm glad you visited, and I encourage you to post your feedback at the bottom of each response, where there is a comment section. Or, you could pay a visit to the Message Board. Read at your leisure, but be sure to think about what I've said, and think about what he said. Think about everything, and make a decision.

This page originally posted July 11th, 2006, and was edited and completely rewritten on January 26th, 2008.