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Author Topic:   Why are all Christians atheists?
Jazzns
Member (Idle past 3940 days)
Posts: 2657
From: A Better America
Joined: 07-23-2004


Message 27 of 161 (394760)
04-13-2007 1:05 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Nuggin
04-12-2007 5:29 PM


Not a good argument
All Fundamental Christians are Atheists in regards to Zeus, Apollo, Thor, Vishnu, Coyote, the Hero Twins, and many many more Gods.
What gives?
This is the same argument that you hear a lot from Sam Harris and I think it is deeply flawed.
The problem with it is that Christians or Moslems are not atheists with respect to other Gods due to the basic absurdity of said Gods. They are atheists with respect to other Gods because their holy books tell them to be.
Zeus' existence is not considered false because the concept of zeus is absurd. Zeus' existence is considered false because the Bible says that there is only 1 God.
There is nothing to be gained by calling religious people hypocrites because they don't accept the same rational for the rejection of other Gods. The argument fails because they are not rejecting other Gods for rational reasons, but rather religious ones.

Of course, biblical creationists are committed to belief in God's written Word, the Bible, which forbids bearing false witness; --AIG (lest they forget)

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Nuggin, posted 04-12-2007 5:29 PM Nuggin has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 28 by crashfrog, posted 04-13-2007 1:12 AM Jazzns has replied
 Message 30 by Nuggin, posted 04-13-2007 2:43 AM Jazzns has replied

  
Jazzns
Member (Idle past 3940 days)
Posts: 2657
From: A Better America
Joined: 07-23-2004


Message 41 of 161 (394827)
04-13-2007 11:50 AM
Reply to: Message 28 by crashfrog
04-13-2007 1:12 AM


Re: Not a good argument
it's usually offered in response to a believer who says "I can't imagine/it's not possible to not believe in God."
I agree with you with the way you phrased it but the core question from the OP seems different than what you are talking about.
OP writes:
What reason do you have to believe that people with as much, if not more, spiritual evidence in the existence of their Gods are some how wrong?
The hidden implication in that question is that we are talking about hypocrisy.
In that case it's highly appropriate to point out, in reply, all of the various and sundry Gods that the speaker already doesn't believe in.
But they don't have disbelief in those Gods for the same reasons. ("I can't imagine/its not possible to not believe in God")
They have disbelief in those Gods because they believe that their particular holy book instructs them to have this disbelief.
This is why the argument fails with fundamentalists. They don't necessarily reject other deities on their base absurdity. They reject them because THEIR God says to.

Of course, biblical creationists are committed to belief in God's written Word, the Bible, which forbids bearing false witness; --AIG (lest they forget)

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 Message 28 by crashfrog, posted 04-13-2007 1:12 AM crashfrog has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 48 by macaroniandcheese, posted 04-14-2007 1:41 AM Jazzns has not replied

  
Jazzns
Member (Idle past 3940 days)
Posts: 2657
From: A Better America
Joined: 07-23-2004


Message 42 of 161 (394829)
04-13-2007 11:55 AM
Reply to: Message 30 by Nuggin
04-13-2007 2:43 AM


Re: Not a good argument
However, there is no more evidence for belief in their faith than there is for belief in any other faith. As such, they are discarding all Gods save one out of hand based on the same criteria they are using to prop up the one they choose.
I agree. But a fundamentalist is not going to see it that way. They are often going to cite some ethereal "fate" argument (i.e. I used to be into drugs, alcohol, satanism) for why they found their particular God and the exclusivity just gets snowballed in.
It is not like all the pantheon of Gods that have ever existed were laid out in front of these people and they arbitrarily chose one.
I just think that you are not going to find a meat in a discussion surrounding this challenge to religious people. Their rejection of other deities is not based on reasonableness or objectivity.

Of course, biblical creationists are committed to belief in God's written Word, the Bible, which forbids bearing false witness; --AIG (lest they forget)

This message is a reply to:
 Message 30 by Nuggin, posted 04-13-2007 2:43 AM Nuggin has not replied

  
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