How would u respond if someone put this statement to u. "Because of God, Atheists exist.
Without God, atheism would no longer exist."
"If this is true, then why are you questioning the wisdom of god? If he made atheists, its for a reason. Perhaps the reason is to prove its possible to be a good person and care about your fellow man, just because. Not for any reward, not for any reason other then to care about other people."
The belief in God would have to be a requirement for both parties for that statement to be argued constructively
It's not unlike saying that, without heat there can't be cold, which is small comfort should you find yourself shirtless and homeless in, say, mid-winter Alaska.
Isn't this the same logic behind Satan and his Holey Moley creator.
I stink at logic, but I guess I'd say "Because a belief in god exists, atheists exist."
I would disagree. What would be more likely true, and where their error in logic comes from, is that if there were no god believers (i.e. theists) then there would be nobody who would label themselves an atheist, because people do not usually label themselves in opposition to beliefs that do not exist, or that nobody holds.
So regardless of whether or not people exist who are theists, god either does or doesn’t exist. If theism had never evolved as part of our cultures, then nobody would label themselves as an atheist, but also, given the fact that there is no evidence for the existence of a god, everyone would now technically be an atheist even though they wouldn’t label themselves that way. They would still lack a belief in gods.
I would correct their assertion to "Because of Belief in god". Defining a theist, as a person who "Believes in a god" the title of a (not) theist = or "atheist" is someone who is not a theist exists. and without theists, atheists would indeed not exist as there would be no need to identify people that believe in or do not belief in a god. The existence of a god is not a factor in this definition of theist or atheist as these title are used to define those who believe or do not accept the positive assertion that a god is real.
Same way I respond to any dipstick singing hosanna about science... "Okay".