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God does not exist

Arguments for this claim

The Evidential Problem of Evil

  1. There exist instances of intense suffering which an omnipotent, omniscient being could have prevented without thereby losing some greater good or permitting some evil equally bad or worse.
  2. An omniscient, wholly good being would prevent the occurrence of any intense suffering it could, unless it could not do so without thereby losing some greater good or permitting some evil equally bad or worse.
  3. ∴ God does not exist. from 1, 2

Rowe's classic formulation. Unlike the logical problem, it claims only that gratuitous evil probably exists, so the conclusion is probabilistic. The skeptical theist response attacks premise 1 via our cognitive limitations.

William L. Rowe, “The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism”, American Philosophical Quarterly 16 (4): 335–341, 1979.

The Logical Problem of Evil

  1. If God exists, God is omnipotent and wholly good.
  2. A wholly good being always eliminates evil as far as it can.
  3. There are no limits to what an omnipotent being can do.
  4. ∴ If God exists, evil does not exist. from 1, 2, 3
  5. Evil exists.
  6. ∴ God does not exist. from 4, 5

Mackie claimed the theistic set of beliefs is internally inconsistent. Plantinga's free will defence (1974) is widely held to have shown premises 2 and 3 are not necessary truths, moving the debate to the evidential version.

J. L. Mackie, “Evil and Omnipotence”, Mind 64 (254): 200–212, 1955. doi.org/10.1093/mind/LXIV.254.200

The Argument from Divine Hiddenness

  1. If a perfectly loving God exists, God is open to a personal relationship with every finite person capable of one.
  2. A person cannot be in a personal relationship with God without believing that God exists.
  3. ∴ If a perfectly loving God exists, no capable person is a nonresistant nonbeliever. from 1, 2
  4. There are capable persons who are nonresistant nonbelievers.
  5. ∴ No perfectly loving God exists. from 3, 4
  6. If God exists, God is perfectly loving.
  7. ∴ God does not exist. from 5, 6

The other major contemporary argument for atheism alongside the problem of evil. Everything turns on whether nonresistant nonbelief actually occurs and on whether a loving God might have reasons to permit temporary hiddenness.

J. L. Schellenberg, “Divine Hiddenness and Human Reason”, Cornell University Press, 1993.

Arguments against

This claim is the negation of God exists, which has 3 arguments for it.