by Robert E. Meyer
Many of the critiques I have received so far, have focused on debunking analogies I have used, more so than refuting specific points against atheism. If you are an accomplishing logician, you can probably find logical fallacies in virtually any polemic. It is simple to explain why this is the case. Whenever two things are compared which are not identical, or at least not substantially similar, someone opposing your perspective who wants to maintain the antithesis between the two views, will critique the analogy by only citing the dissimilarities. The individual making the argument, on the other hand, is emphasizing the commonalities.
Now I will focus on some of the philosophical elements of this topic.
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Posted by Walt as Atheism, General at 1:45 AM EST
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by Robert E. Meyer
Defining atheism is a daunting undertaking. It can be an elusive moving target, with constantly varying definitions and ramifications. The dictionary of philosophy defines atheism as: "Belief that god does not exist. Unlike the agnostic, who merely criticizes traditional arguments for the existence of a deity, the atheist must offer evidence that there is no god or propose a strong principle for denying what is not known to be true."
Yet when this definition is applied, the atheist objects profusely. The atheist wants to instead define his position as merely lacking belief in a God, not one that positively asserts there is no God. The atheist will sometimes say that the proofs given for the existence of God are insufficient–they are unproven not disproved. The atheist clings to this standard because he realizes the utter difficulty, if not, virtual impossibility of proving a universal negative. In a sense, he has pulled the rug out from under himself by taking this minimalist approach. One must rightfully ask how atheists who define themselves this way constructively differ from agnostics, and we ought to chide him for his own insufficiency — satisfaction with a willingness to prove less than he ought to prove.
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Posted by Walt as Atheism, General at 6:30 PM EST
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“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit
who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely
given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human
wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual
truths in spiritual in spiritual words.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-13)
The grandfather’s eyes filled with tears as he looked around the circle of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. They had all gathered for their holiday meal and exchange of gifts. The rest of their evening focused on their traditional sharing of the year’s blessings and their hope for the New Year.
He remembered a time when he would have depended on his wife to speak for him, but he was a changed man now. When it was his turn, he leaned forward and spoke confidently.
“I wasted so many years as a Christian. I wish that I had known what I know now…so late in my life. I was saved, but I didn’t read God’s Word. I didn’t think I could understand it because I’d only had schooling up to the seventh grade. Now the Lord talks to me as I read. He helps me see truth that He wants me to know.”
He made eye contact with each family member as he continued.
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Posted by Walt as Personal Testimonies, The Bible at 10:54 PM EST
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by Thomas E. Brewton
Will enough traditions and customs of civility and decency survive long enough to keep the United States from internal disintegration and conquest by Islamic Jihad?
Liberal historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., often referred to his father's theory that political standards follow a thirty-year cycle, first conservative, then liberal, and back to conservative, and so on. There is some truth to that observation, but the problem is that meanwhile the underlying social standards trend downward as a nation becomes more prosperous and life becomes easier. People vaunt their own intellects and come to believe that they no longer need God, that they are sufficient unto themselves for all matters.
After the United States emerged from the fiery furnace of the Civil War, on the road to becoming the most powerful economy in the world, liberal secularists in the 1880s believed that, having shed religion, they were directing us along the path of progress toward social perfection.
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Posted by Walt as Social Issues at 10:53 PM EST
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by Robert E. Meyer
It is quite possible that atheists as a group are more intelligent than the community of theists at large. I don't have statistical evidence to support this claim, but anecdotally, I can believe that it is quite likely. Many, who become atheists, probably arrive at a crisis, where there are points of tension in reconciling Christianity with their own constructs of logic and reason. The atheist may say that this migration occurs because intelligent people gravitate toward a worldview distilled from logic and reason, as opposed to one conjured from superstition and unquestioning acceptance. That seems a bit self-serving and laced with hubris, though. Based on my observations, both groups are intellectually stratified—ignorant theists, astute atheists, and vice-versa. You realize that apologists for theism are themselves intellectual giants, when the best are pitted in debate against their atheist counterparts.
The positive argument about intelligent people is easily reversed. I could conclude that greater levels of intelligence present a pitfall of conceit that the atheist steps into. High levels of intelligence can cause a belief of invulnerability and hubris–that humanity will solve all problems and eventually gain a comprehensive knowledge of the universe–thus God is, or will become, unneeded and unwanted. This is the faith (though they might call their faith claims "confidence based on experience," if that is a distinction with a difference) of naturalism. That "faith" is justified according to its devotees, in that once upon a time, empirical knowledge existed as a small corpus of information, yet today it has snowballed into a juggernaut. While is it true that empirical knowledge has grown exponentially, few are sagaciously differentiating between that which is presently unknown and that which is by definition unknowable (as theists might say, hidden in the mind of God).
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Posted by Walt as Atheism, Social Issues at 9:49 PM EST
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by Robert E. Meyer
As a Christian believer, I am quite content to let the atheist believe what he or she wants. My rationale for this and other pieces on the subject of atheism is a response to the often hostile and aggressive charges made against Christianity as a system of thought.
Some time ago, I was contacted by the proprietor of some irreverently named atheist website. Apparently he took issue with a certain piece I had written months earlier regarding my conclusions about a biblical passage from Matthew chapter 6 (one can only wonder why an atheist would want to dispute about biblical exegesis). I responded to his inquiry thinking that was the end of the discussion. The next day, I got a wave of E-mails making rather disparaging remarks, which had little to do with the topic in question. Based on what I could glean from the responses, their apparent Modus Operandi , was to roast a selected individual in an attempt to solicit an angry visceral response. If that didn't work, they would bring in their "cleaner" to finish the job, as I discovered yet the following morning. Here was his "love letter."
"As an unrepentant blasphemer, you see me and those like me as damned. Good for you! Enjoy it, Bob. But what you need to know is that all atheists see you as a delusional, intellectually inferior, weak-willed, gullible sucker who's incapable of distinguishing between fantasy and reality, and we laugh at you because of it. I would never hire an evangelical Christian. They believe in nonsense and as such can't be trusted with things of importance. If I were a customer prospect, I'd never buy a thing from you. (I wouldn't trust your ability to support your customers in an effective and intelligent manner.) If I were a loan officer, I'd never put a dime in your hand. (I wouldn't trust your ability to manage your finances or maintain a job through which you could repay me.) If you were a daycare owner, I'd never leave my child with you. (If I couldn't trust you with money, how could I possibly trust you with my child?) In fact, I wouldn't even trust you for the time of day if I had to catch a plane. Your intellect, and that of people like you, is sorely compromised, and I'd never allow your kind to affect me personally in any way shape or form. If the rest of the "god-believing" world wants to trust your intellect, then good for you. You shall have their trust, their employ, their business, their money, and their respect. Kudos!
Enjoy your delusion."
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Posted by Walt as Atheism at 9:29 PM EST
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by Jeanne Rogers
www.lifeoutreach.org
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
One of the best ways to conquer anxiety brought on by the holidays is to become still. Unlike the stillness of bumper to bumper traffic, or lack of movement in the after-Thanksgiving check-out line, this stillness separates you from your chaotic surroundings.
Even the crowd in your head screaming urgent reminders can be silenced when you choose to enter God’s secret place of stillness. Where is this place? It is not a physical place, though your body is involved; it is a spiritual place where we wait in silence to know our Creator.
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Posted by Walt as General, The Bible at 1:04 AM EST
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by Michael Bresciani
Stars come in various sizes, shapes, ages and brilliance. It is their brightness that is the most noted of all their attributes. Astronomers still engage a system for measuring the brightness of a star that was developed by one of their own named Hipparchus at about 120 BC. The scale he developed rates the brilliance of stars from 1 to 6. One is the brightest and six the faintest. The brightest stars are said to be of the first magnitude. The brightest star in the skies today is Sirius and it is rated a 1.42. Hipparchus method of rating the luminescence of the stars is used to this very day.
The Star of Bethlehem falls outside of Hipparchus method. It was apparently a one time event. It was never seen before and there is little reason to believe it will ever happen again. The account of the Star of Bethlehem is found only in the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
Hundreds or perhaps thousands of people saw the brilliant star pulsating in the eastern skies. The stir it created was so great that it reached the ears of Herod, a man, who later was to become the King of Judea. The Romans did not allow anyone to be called a king throughout their empire except by special dispensation. Herod successfully wrangled the title from the Roman senate through great coercion, which bespeaks of his manic megalomania.
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Posted by Walt as Prophecy, Witnessing at 1:25 AM EST
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