If you are thinking of becoming an atheist, beware. The first step is easy, but it’s not so easy to walk the walk. You will have to ignore design when you can see it everywhere: in the universe, the atoms, the birds and the bees, the clouds and trees, the seasons, the human body, fish, flowers, fruits, feet, and even fungus. And of course, there is the amazing-looking human eye.
Illusion of design and motivated human reasoning. TalkOrigins is a good resource that I don't need to repeat here, for common pseudoscientific apologetics, like about the eye. People are not "trying to become atheists". It's not a lifestyle or a status to attain. Just a personal position of non-belief. It just happens when there's no compelling argument and evidence to support beliefs in gods.
Now here's the really difficult part. You will need to believe that everything man-made: cars, computers, and candies were made by man, etc., but deny that everything in nature--cattle, camels, and cabbages, etc., were made at all. It came from nothing, with no Maker. Once you have done this, crown yourself as being intelligent.
Also stems from ignorance and hipocrisy. "No maker" is the only correct part about the latter (classic watchmaker analogy noted). Acknowledging that something may not exist, out of lack of evidence, is not denial. It's only "difficult" for you. Evolution is not "random chance", BTW. There are processes allowing descent with modification and natural selection.
Then you will need to find other atheists who believe as you do, and they will confirm to you that you are indeed intelligent.
Some do, some don't. They don't need to be part of a group, evolution is not to support a faith system. I recently post here but don't know any of the other posters. It's about 15 years ago that I acquired a good enough understanding of biology to assess that it's the best explanation for life diversity. Long ago I was a fundamentalist Christian and am familiar with their arguments. But they don't hold water, except to those kept in ignorance. TalkOrigins that I refer to above is also not a "support group", just a useful reality-based reference among many. I also suggest standard college level textbooks, like Campbell's Biology.
You will also need to believe that evolution is true and that you’re an ape and therefore you are not morally responsible because apes have no moral absolutes.
Evolution is not a belief system, at least not in the religious sense. Athiests can take the moral and legal responsibility for their actions like anyone else but don't need to rely on outdated tradition to determine what is right or wrong. Even less on bigots and scammers who claim to know what God wants and quote mine scripture. And who promote unhealthy conspiracy theories of Satan-run world and anti-God science. Sin is a subjective concept.
Never forget to always give God a small "g," and learn believers' phrases such as "Evolution is a proven fact," and “I have no beliefs in any gods.”
There's a simple rule for this: "a god", "gods", "your god", "God" (only appropriate as the title to refer to "the one"). The argument also doesn't hold when using names like Yahweh or Jesus, where capitalization is always the norm. And yes, the "fact" part is not merely a narrative or claim, unlike the origin myths of Genesis. False equivalence. Lastly, there were other gods before yours. And other polytheists religions before monotheist ones. And animism, etc. You were raised were a particular one was popular for cultural reasons.
Do these things, and you will be able to call yourself a "new" atheist. How cool is that! Well, not really. You can¹t be a true atheist because you need absolute knowledge to say that there is no God. Besides, you intuitively know that He exists.
"New" there made me laugh. And maybe not your kind, but many Christians understand evolution.
Still, for sin-loving sinners the benefits of atheism are great in this life. But not the next.
And what if there's no next one? Or if we really faced Anubis after death? "Sin-loving sinners" is a failed "insult", since sin is relative. You're judging others, also a sin.
[...]sinful lifestyle[...]
A fabricated straw man and generalization. Demonization of the "other", dehumanization. Out of inability to understand them and to mislead your readers. Mind manipulation.
you could simply check out[...][spammed site removed]
No thanks, too familiar with such bullshit already.
