Just the facts, Ma'am.

I was reading an article on the Web today and at the bottom was one of those ubiquitous click-bait articles, "9 Things Einstein Didn't Really Say" (or something like that).  Being a sucker for these things, I, of course, clicked on it.  In amongst the quotes was the famous "God doesn't play dice".  This got me thinking about how often we hear Christians (mis)quoting Einstein in reference to God just to make the point, "See, Einstein believed in God!"  They make claims about deathbed conversions or quote Stephen Hawking talking about "truly knowing the mind of God".  "See!  All these geniuses really believe in God!"

The thing is, it doesn't really matter if any of them believe in God (or if, in most cases, they don't).  If Einstein were the top rabbi in the biggest synagogue in Jerusalem, it wouldn't change the truth about the theory of relativity.  Charles Darwin could have been the Archbishop of Canterbury, but that wouldn't make evolution less true.  Because the thing about Science is that it isn't who states a fact that matters, it's the fact itself.

The Ten Commandments aren't important because of what they say, they are important because God said them.  The moral guidelines given by Jesus aren't good ideas simply on their own merit, they must be followed because Jesus said them.

Christianity is based on argument from authority.  Statements are true because of WHO said them, not because of their content.  Atheism, on the other hand, is based on an examination of the facts.  It doesn't matter who first stated or discovered the facts.  It doesn't matter if that person was wrong about other facts.   The combined effect of all the facts that we've gathered through the process of scientific discovery point to the conclusion that no gods or other supernatural beings really exist.  Bigfoot doesn't exist. UFOs haven't landed on our planet.  There's no monster in Loch Ness.  Homeopathic pills don't work. 

We can only gain knowledge and advance as individuals and as a species if we use rational, scientific approaches to gathering and using facts.  Arguments from authority are an anchor that slows our progress and keeps us from finding the truth.  

... but don't take my word for it...