Ask the Atheist

I wouldn't take it as an axiom. I've found that theists often don't trust axioms. They come across as the atheist version of doctrines: "It's like that, so there."

We don't know where the matter came from. It might be left over from a previous form of this universe. It could have come from another universe entirely, whether previous, exterior or adjacent. Perhaps quantum mechanics had their fling and it all really did pop into existence from nowhere, or from a "quantum foam". There are endless theories.

When theists say that a god is the only possible source of the matter, it's an argument from ignorance because there may be methods nobody's thought of yet. It's no good adopting another theory and saying, "It wasn't a god, it was this!" That would make you just as bad.

For now, you'll have to be content with not knowing. About all we can legitimately do is argue the relative likelihood of the available theories, including theories about gods. Happily, the supposed qualities of gods make them very unlikely entities indeed. (I'm happy to assert that here without supporting it, as I've gone into it thoroughly before.)

- SmartLX