You may think it is because:
- I am a believer
- My brain is seized up
- I am stupid
- I am a conservative
- I belong to the religious right [as opposed to the liberal left?]
- I am an evangelical Christian. Therefore I cannot think.
- I am not open-minded
- I don't agree with your idea.
Some or all of the above may be true of me. However some are also true of atheists!
Why?
Would you agree that an atheist is a person who adamantly declares that there is no supreme being, no superior force, no God?
Now an agnostic, I believe is honest. What is wrong with saying, "I don't know if there is a God?" Nothing! It is your honest statement of your thought processes.
However an atheist believes in no absolutes except the absolute belief that there is no superior being. He cannot see a God; therefore there is no God.
I cannot see Rome but somehow I still think it is there!
I cannot see electricity and many have faced electrocution for that very reason!
Why is the atheistic position untenable?
I ask you, the reader, atheist or not, "What per cent of the world's knowledge do you have?"
- Do you have less than 10%?
- Less than 5%?
- Less than 1%?
- I am sure you would agree that anyone who says they have more than 1% of the world's knowledge has already declared oneself as a supreme being and therefore it is not possible to have discussion with that one!
Then there is 99% of the world's knowledge that we do not posssess? Isn't that logical straightforward math? 100% -1% = 99%.
So is it possible that God exists in the 99% of knowledge that you do not have?
Do you know what every atheist I have ever talked with or communicated with says? "No!" They say it is not possible that God exists in the 99% of the world's knowledge they do not have!
Isn't that a rather arrogant attitude. You do not have ANY knowledge in that 99%, but you declare with no hesitation that you KNOW no God can exist there!
That is the equivalent of saying, "I know NOTHING about Australia and have never been there but I KNOW that Sydney does NOT exist!" And those kangaroos? That's made up too!
That is why I have no respect for atheists. They claim superior knowledge to everyone else, especially those who DO believe in God. They have declared themselves to be the superior being because they KNOW there is no God and they KNOW there is no God in spite of the fact that they possess less than 1% of the world's information!
That is ridiculous! It is also not deserving of respect. Anyone who says that has closed his or her mind to logic.
It is impossible to declare that you know something about knowledge you do not have. But that is exactly what an atheist does.
I could not be an athiests.
ReplyDeleteFor one thing, I know Jesus. He lives in my heart.
Second thing... They have no good holidays. :)
Great blog Brother,
Gib at the CBO
Not all atheists are so stupid as to state that there is no chance that there is a god. I, for one, am an atheist. I do not believe that there is a god as I have never seen enough proof that he/she/it exists. If I am wrong, I will accept the consequences. I try to live a honest, positive, and meaningful life and take responsibility for my actions. I do not thank "god" for good things that happen to me, nor do I curse "god" for bad things that happen.
ReplyDeleteI know, by now someone has pointed out the fact that I used the term "meaningful" and are saying... ahh, you can't have meaning without god! I say BS to that. I found the basic objective to life that we should ALL strive for, religious and non alike... LEAVE THE WORLD A LITTLE BIT BETTER OFF THAN WHEN WE WERE BORN. That's it! Just remember, that I will go to hell for my beliefs if I am wrong and there is a god.
By the way, one thing that I always wanted to know about from those who believe... How do you know you are worshiping the RIGHT god? I mean the Bible is clear about worshiping false gods, what if somewhere along the line the story got messed up and you are actually worshiping Oden, Zeus, Satan, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Invisible Pink Unicorn or even the Great Green Arkleseizure? For that matter the Pope? What if your intentions are right, but the whole religion is wrong. Will you still be spending eternity in purgatory? As far as I am aware, God has not made any recent formal announcement to clear up all the different perversions of the bible, so how could god hold people to following it?
Perhaps I am wrong (but I doubt it) but with the massive number of interpretations of the bible and religions in general, the chances of you following the one, correct path to God are about the same as mine. I guess I will be seeing most of you in Purgatory... If I am wrong...
See you then, don't for get the sun block,
Jason Barnett
JASON: Not all atheists are so stupid as to state that there is no chance that there is a god. I, for one, am an atheist.
ReplyDeleteCHARLES: All atheists I have talked to have said that. Obviously I did not talk to you Jason. So you believe that GOD POSSIBLY EXISTS?
JASON: I do not believe that there is a god as I have never seen enough proof that he/she/it exists.
CHARLES: How do you know that LOVE exists? Is it by the way lovers act toward each other? That is exactly the same as those that love God. I cited only a very few of the things that Christians have done and started because they believe there is a God and they love Him by creating schools, hospitals, free public education, universities etc.
JASON: If I am wrong, I will accept the consequences. I try to live a honest, positive, and meaningful life and take responsibility for my actions. I do not thank "god" for good things that happen to me, nor do I curse "god" for bad things that happen.
CHARLES: That is good. Do you buy life insurance? [Or should it be called "death insurance"? I do not believe in God just because I want insurance about heaven. However if I am right, and the evidences abound, then I have preserved what is the fundamental me, my spirit [some call it a soul]
I know, by now someone has pointed out the fact that I used the term "meaningful" and are saying... ahh, you can't have meaning without god! I say BS to that. I found the basic objective to life that we should ALL strive for, religious and non alike... LEAVE THE WORLD A LITTLE BIT BETTER OFF THAN WHEN WE WERE BORN. That's it!
CHARLES: A person can have meaning without God and you obviously have picked a good meaning. However life has more meaning with God as he is the creator of LIFE. It is like enjoying a good book but have no respect for the author.
JASON: Just remember, that I will go to hell for my beliefs if I am wrong and there is a god.
CHARLES: If that is your choice. You do have choices.
JASON: By the way, one thing that I always wanted to know about from those who believe... How do you know you are worshiping the RIGHT god? I mean the Bible is clear about worshiping false gods, what if somewhere along the line the story got messed up and you are actually worshiping Oden, Zeus, Satan, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Invisible Pink Unicorn or even the Great Green Arkleseizure? For that matter the Pope? What if your intentions are right, but the whole religion is wrong. Will you still be spending eternity in purgatory? As far as I am aware, God has not made any recent formal announcement to clear up all the different perversions of the bible, so how could god hold people to following it?
CHARLES: God has made it clear. Just like electricity or computers, or the internet are all understood by those who accept them and find out about them. If you choose not to investigate the knowledge of electricity, then you will be electrically-ignorant. So it is with God. Are you waiting around for him to show himself or are you actively looking at the evidence?
Have you read the Bible? Many atheists when they really decide to check out the evidence and PROVE there is no God ended up believing in Him.
Have you read "What's So Great about Christianity?" by Dinesh Dsouza? Have you read "The Case for Faith" by Lee Stobel? Have you read "More than a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell?
What have you done to actually find out if there is evidence? If nothing, then you found exactly what you set out to find, nothing.
JASON: Perhaps I am wrong (but I doubt it) but with the massive number of interpretations of the bible and religions in general, the chances of you following the one, correct path to God are about the same as mine. I guess I will be seeing most of you in Purgatory... If I am wrong...
CHARLES: What book on electricity is right?
The various interpretations are only ways of saying the same thing but in different ways.
The Bible was written over a period of 2000 years by over 40 authors most of whom did not know each other. But they all agree? Coincidence? The agree that man is inherently selfish because we look after ourselves before we consider others.
You may be a step ahead of many because you exhibit a concern about making the world a bit better place. So what did you do to make it that way? No religion but Christianity has a founder that said He WAS GOD. The others just claim they have a way to get to God. They are attempts to reach into that vacuum that says, "What is the meaning of my brief existence here?" The Judao-Christian belief tells what the meaning is. And for those who actually examine it, they find the true meaning to life. You have found a meaning to life too Jason. However you just have not read about the author of the book of "meaning".
JASON: See you then, don't for get the sun block,Jason Barnett
CHARLES: So are we going to the beach? (:-)
CHARLES: I have talked to people who say they want to go to hell because that's where their friend will be. Cannot be true. Hell is the place of absence from God and all that is good. Friendship is good. Therefore there will be NO friendship in hell.
I would have to say it is unlikely there is a God. Therefore I regard myself as an Atheist. I know very few Atheists that would say dogmatically that there is 100% no chance of there being a supernatural power one could call God. Even Richard Dawkins would not say that.
ReplyDeleteAll the evidence I have seen so far has been flawed in one way or other. The logical arguments, the physical evidence, once you delve beneath the surface they don't hold up. I've been through a lot of this stuff and I'm sure there is way more that I haven't seen. Still I been through most of the big ones. The ones promoted most highly by believers. What are the chances that some little obscure forgotten fact will turn out be the big evidence everyone has been searching for 10,000 years?
It always comes down to personal experience. "I believe because I feel Jesus in my heart!" Personal experience however is poor evidence. Substitute the word Jesus in the previous statement for Allah, Krishna, Buddha, Mythras, Zeus, Dionysus, etc. and you will find millions of people just as convinced. It's not hard to find people just as convinced on the existence of bigfoot or aliens, you name it. Someone else's personal experience rarely makes good evidence.
To restrict ones life on the very slim chance that there is a God and that he's the exactly the one your old science teacher likes seems like a poor bet. (Pascals Wager)
I saw your comment to Jason about how the various authors of the bible all agree. I was listening to a podcast this morning on how little the authors did agree. Not only only are there factual differences, people, times and places. But disagreements on something as basic as how to get to heaven. Belief in Jesus, Repentance, Good works, etc. Is it any wonder there are so many various Christian sects. Each picks bits out of the bible to follow and disregards the rest.
I keep hearing belief provides meaning but I don't think anyone has explained what that meaning is. I just wondered have you researched other religions in detail to see if they provide meaning. Have you read the Koran, The vedas, the teachings of Buddha?
Let us go over Brian's remarks. He is a former student, so I will treat him gently, like all.
ReplyDeleterefer to page on Arguing with Atheists