Through countless discussions surrounding atheism, it has become apparent that someone has been feeding bad advice to atheists. Since the following errors are repeatedly made, this partial list has been populated to warn atheists so they can avoid these pitfalls. If you are an atheist and hear any of the following advice, realize that these arguments are not good arguments.
1. Use a false analogy and believe that because you compare theism to believing in the Flying Spaghetti Monster that you have made a good argument.
2. Apply absolute standards of morality that atheism is unable to produce, and argue that Christianity is an immoral religion.
3. When you are having trouble answering an argument posed by a Christian theist, simply throw out a red herring and say, “well even if this were true, it doesn’t prove the existence of the ‘Christian’ God.”
4. Confuse assumptions with arguments and assume that simply because you explain phenomena from a naturalistic perspective that it constitutes an argument which must be true.
5. When arguing against the Christian God, simply say that you only believe in “one less god” than most people, as if that has no other implications, and does not require you to defend an atheistic understanding of cosmology, anthropology, ethics, philosophy of history, philosophy of politics, philosophy of science, and epistemology.
6. Refute yourself by making statements that suggest that metaphysics are a waste of time while presupposing abstract first principles and the true nature of reality.
7. Contradict yourself by arguing that we should only believe things proven by empirical evidence without proving it with empirical evidence.
8. Borrow from the Christian worldview and use logic like it is a universal, transcendent, unchanging reality when atheistic naturalism cannot account for universal, transcendent, unchanging realities.
9. Beg the question and argue that there is no evidence to believe in the existence of God because all the evidence that is produced, fails to pass the standards of evidence which have been constructed from your belief that God does not exist.
10. Contradict yourself and argue that human beings are robots, puppets, and machines programmed by natural selection in a closed system of cause and effect, and then argue for free thought and moral agency.
For more on this, we spent and an episode of the Apologetics.com radio show discussing these arguments. You can find the mp3 at the following link 10 Arguments Thoughtful Atheists Won’t Use.
The Fight of Faith 
Sometimes dismissal says more about the dismisser than the dismissed.
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My response to these 10 items:
1. I prefer to compare believing in God to believing in Gandalf. Both are fictional characters (though only one can be traced to a specific author).
2. This is a nonsensical argument because atheism doesn’t produce morality (or immorality). Atheism is concerned with not believing in gods.
3. I don’t have trouble answering any argument posed by a Christian theist because I’ve never been confronted by a good argument from any of them.
4. First, your “which” should be “that”. Second, this thought is incomplete. Explaining the nature of natural phenomena DOES constitute an argument (that all life did not appear in a flash over a few days’ time).
5. “An atheistic understanding of cosmology, anthropology, ethics, philosophy of history, philosophy of politics, philosophy of science, and epistemology” doesn’t make any sense. Atheism is concerned with not believing in gods, and discussing politics, science, and ethics can easily be had without invoking a Supernatural Being (“God”).
6. A discussion about the “true nature of reality” can be had without making use of metaphysics. Go talk to any cosmologist or astrophysicist to understand more.
7. I believe that life exists elsewhere in the universe even though I am unable to offer empirical evidence to back up my belief.
8. Atheism isn’t in the business of accounting for “transcendent unchanging realities” (whatever that means). Atheists just don’t believe in gods.
9. Once again your problem with grammar is showing. It should be “…the standards of evidence THAT have been constructed…” But this: “because all the evidence that is produced”. I am no aware of any evidence for God that has been produced.
10. Evolution accounts why we are moral beings. Religions, Christian-based or otherwise, have nothing novel or unique to contribute to the discussion.
In closing, here’s something by me: “Ten Questions That an Atheist Can’t Answer”?—I’m Up for the Challenge: https://medium.com/@lyonsnyc/ten-questions-that-an-atheist-cant-answer-i-m-up-for-the-challenge-c848a4049961
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