The Problem of the Atheist's Affirmation of Infinite Regress as the Simultaneous Affirmation of the Infinite and Potency.

Atheists claim infinite regress is permissible to account for the existence of contingent creatures. For the theist argues for God as the prime cause of a creature's being, and in opposition to the theist claim, the atheist will claim the prime being as God does not exist and the creature's existence is better accounted for through the infinite regress of causes. For the atheist, the one prime being as the God of theism is replaced with the many infinite regresses of atheism. By asserting an infinite regress of causes, the atheist is asserting the existence of an infinite being.

Yet by asserting an infinite regress, the atheist is implying within the regress that each member has the same deficiency. And that same deficiency is accounted for through the addition of other causes which delay the provision for the deficiency to an infinite number of causes. Yet because each cause has the same deficiency then the entire series is deficient with the same deficiency. And that deficiency is a lack of being, which is a subjective potency (can be), or that which can be, but does not, in fact, have the act to be.

For the atheist to account for the existence of creatures, he asserts -

1) An infinite being within the series to account for the existence of creatures.

2) A continued potency (can be) within the series to account for the existence of creatures.

The existence of creatures is then accounted for by the atheist as through the combination of an infinite being (the series) and a finite being (potency), which is never an act to be. The combination of infinite and finite being within the series which remains unresolved is a combination that promotes the infinite as acting for the creatures act to be, whilst never providing any sufficient reason for the act to be within any cause in the series. The infinite being of the series is then really only a cover for the unresolved potency within the series, which does not account for the act to be of the creature.

The infinite being is then impotent to cause a finite act to be of the creature. The atheist god, as the infinite series is then an impotent god.