If someone says there is no god I must agree that I think the same thing. I take no offense. It seems funny to me that many people who consider themselves atheists are so anti-god and preoccupied with trying to spread non-belief. Why waste your time arguing about something so pointless. It is like standing in the sunshine of the desert on a clear day and arguing that it is not raining. It is obviously not raining the same way it is obvious that there is no god doing the things he is supposed to be doing according to the holy books. But as the existence of god is as obvious to them as the non-existence is to me. Some people like kiwi and some people don’t, but let’s not be offended, as long as they eat their kiwi in the privacy of their own homes.

What does offend me is people standing on the corner shaking a bible at me and yelling all sorts of nonsense as I sit at a red light. Now that offends me. I wouldn’t ever waste my time shaking the Origin of the Species at people next to the church parking lot.

Other signs that would not offend me:

There are no wizards

There are no witches (as people define them…although I know people who think they are witches)

Everyone believes in something, even atheists

Aliens exist

‘There is a God’ is mildly offensive to me (and more so the longer I think about it), as it disagrees with common sense, all of the the evidence I am aware of, and it has never been proven. And it comes with all of the implied baggage that we are not masters of our own destiny but in-fact merely the play-thing of some super-being, who really likes to treat people like shit, or at best, actively turns a blind eye when they are. ‘There is no God’ I simply agree with, so personally I find no offence in it whatsoever.

So therefore I find the first more offensive.

“It is highly improbable that 1 or more gods exist.” is probably not materially more or less offensive to a deist than simply saying “There is no God” – it will amount – quite reasonably I suggest – to the same thing in their mind. It just sounds sillier. I personally find it more offensive than just saying “There is no God” – as I see it being full of weasel words for the purpose of political correctness – an overt if misguided attempt to avoid any offence. Or at best pedantry. Of course others might be more offended by the logical fallacy of saying “There is no God”, but I am quite happy to forego the nit-picking and get on with my life – and the burden of proof is on the positive side of the statement anyway, and the ‘default position’ is that there is no god.

To be honest I find it strange that some commmenters so far are driving some ‘intellectual high road’ and giving equal weight to both statements. It is not just a bunch of words put together in a sentence to be analysed using logic. Saying “God exists” means a lot more than those 2 words by themselves (depending on how you define ‘God’ – although presumably in this case it is the proper-noun `God’ of the `Abrahamic God of the desert’). Even if you cannot sanction the use of invalid logic, `A’ would surely be more offensive to anyone who calls themselves an atheist for similar reasons that `B’ would be more offensive to all deists, as it directly contradicts their own stance on the issue. And furthermore, `A’ is the statement which has the burden of proof. i.e. it is a strong logical assertion which has never been proven, whereas `B’ is merely an invalid one.

I would think even ‘There is no proof of God.’ or ‘God is unproven.’ would be quite offensive to Christians, Jews or Muslims, even if there are logically sound statements.

Go to the scene of a horrific natural disaster and erect a sign declaring, “There is a God” in the midst of the suffering victims, and I’d probably find it offensive.

Go to a church and slap a bumper sticker on the front door that reads, “There is no God,” and I’d find that offensive as well.

Context counts.

Sign A is offensive because there is no evidence for a god (or gods) so the statement is false.

Sign B is offensive because we cannot prove a negative, therefore, the statement is false.

Conclusion: Both are offensive.

The following is NOT offensive based on my definition above:

It is highly improbable that 1 or more gods exist.

About FFRF’s sign, I don’t think that they should have put it up. And I don’t think there should be a nativity scene next to it. In fact, all the displays need to be kept out, period. I’m all for our public buildings having a sterile feel and look to them. Post the Declaration of Independence on the wall. Put up portraits of Presidents (Buddha knows most American’s have no idea who the 23rd, 32nd, or 6th President was). It’s a State House, so decorate it with State-y things, but leave all the religious BS out, and back at the church house on private property.

B is necessary as a way of demonstrating that opposition exists.