What are atheists?
Atheists are united by the realisation that there almost certainly is no god. Most of us, when pushed, would be best described by the term “extreme agnostic” in that we admit that we could be wrong and are instead living our lives on the basis of the best evidence we have to hand. Unlike believers, we do not have faith. Godless Heathens is not a religion, and we do not demand the certainty of unbelief. However, if any god is reading this, feel free to toss a little evidence this way and we’ll consider it.

Isn’t atheism a religion?
No. You might as well say that not believing in Santa constitutes a religion.

How do I join up?
Sign up for the forums at http://godlessheathens.org.uk/community/

Is this some kind of atheist conspiracy?
Yes. If by conspiracy you mean “Atheists working together”. I feel conspiracy kind of demands secrecy though, and since this is a public website, it kind of fails on that front.

Why can’t everyone just keep their own beliefs to themselves?
Wouldn’t that be nice? It’s also unlikely. With the hordes of religious leaders participating in everything from political, to scientific, to educational discussions, I’m not going to be first in the whole “Backing off” plan. Even if there was no public interference from religion, you’d still have missionaries out witnessing to people to convert them. I don’t just think religious people are wrong, I think they are a danger to themselves and others, and are spreading a belief system that harms vulnerable people.

Don’t you know you’ll go to hell for this?
I should have been more specific… atheists don’t believe in god, OR the devil, or heaven, or hell. So, I don’t really worry about going to somewhere that does not exist.

Is science a religion?
No. Science is evidence based, not faith based.

Maybe God lives in between dimensions, and I read recently that someone proved he does exist, using obscure quantum physics.
That’s not really a question, so I get to ask you one. Isn’t your hand tired from grasping at those straws?

Well, if you turn out to be right, we both just die, but if I’m right, you go to hell and I go to heaven!
Look, this is an FAQ, and that’s another non-question. First, Google for “Pascal’s wager” and the many ways this has been debunked. Second if you are right, consider how pleased your omniscient god will be that you served him because someone convinced you it was a good gamble. Third, if it turns out that the old Greeks were right you’re going to Hades.

I have an idea for a project!
Sign up at http://godlessheathens.org.uk/community/ and then post your ideas under the Project Discussion forum. If enough people believe in your idea you’ll get folks signing up to help make it a reality.

How can you say that science knows everything?
I didn’t, and attributing remarks to other people is rude. What I will say is that the scientific method is the best method we currently have for finding things out and working out the “truth” or at least the best model on which to base our beliefs and actions. Science itself doesn’t know anything, because it’s not a person or an organisation. This argument is like saying “There’s no way TV could be an expert on all those programmes!” – just plain nonsense.

Why is it that evolution is considered science but intelligent design isn’t? Isn’t this just a big atheist conspiracy?!
Well, no. Evolutionary theory is open to change and a revision based on the accumulation of any new evidence that comes to light. It was developed from evidence gathered using the scientific method, peer reviewed, and is under constant scrutiny just like any theory. Intelligent design is just a big explanation with no evidence to back it up and no way to disprove it or test what it says. That means it does not fit the scientific method, and it remains pure speculation. Atheists might be conspiring to teach people about the world based solely on observable facts and evidence based truths (those cads!), but so far I have not been recruited to help with it.

Isn’t Godless Heathens an offensive thing to call yourselves?
Perhaps you are missing the humour.

Your whole site is an offence unto God!
Nonsense. It’s an offence unto gods, plural. All of them. Just because you’re picky about which ones you do and don’t believe in, don’t go name calling.

Alright, I get the point but “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”.
I am eager to see the results of your honey vs. vinegar fly-trapping study. Which journal was it published in?

Actually never mind, because I already went and bought a whole lot of vinegar, so I am going to give this a go anyway.