| Subject: Re: "Questions for Atheists Sceptics to Think About" |
Author:
Jamie
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Date Posted: 10:06:53 08/12/04 Thu
I'm responding to the questions located at http://www.spotlightministries.org.uk/questionsforatheists.htm.
- Why does humanity seem to have an innate desire and need to worship something, or someone? Why is there such a universal religious sense
within humanity?
Firstly, this desire does not lend creedence to the belief in a supreme being. Conceivably, a person may desire a lot of things that do not exist.
Addressing the question directly though, I believe that this can be explained in two ways: 1) Since the beginning of time people have attempted to explain
nature through magic or divinity. Humanity has collectively become less superstitious as science seeks to explain the unknown. 2) Humans have a
natural tendency to seek guidance, comfort and protection from those more powerful than themselves. Simply look at the many, many heirarchies in
soceity from the family to the government, to the Catholic church. It's the reason why people go to clergy instead of trying to understand God directly.
Caputulating beneath an omnipresent being makes people feel better because it absolves them of their circumstances and ignorance (I use the word "
ignorance" not as an insult).
- Isn’t it a bit extreme to assert "God does not exist"? To make such a statement you would have to
have complete knowledge and to have been everywhere in the universe. Maybe God dwells somewhere in the universe you don’t know of or have not been
to? Is that possible?
Valid point. I consider myself an atheistic agnostic, so I may not be the best person to rebute this comment. However, the question can be turned back
at you. There's a lot of bad stuff in the world. There is also no concrete proof that God exists. So why do you still beleive that a supreme being exists? It's
faith--a gut feeling. An atheist looks at the same evidence as yourself and makes an equally faith-based statement, so why is he the one in the wrong?
Seek out John Wisdom's parable of the untended garden for an interesting story about this.
What about the evidence of design in all of creation? It is obvious that anything that is designed has to have an intelligent creator. For example, a
computer never came about by mere accident, but had to have been thought out and planned by an intelligent designer. It is the same with creation, and
more so, as the natural world is far more complicated than anything humanity can create.
You're committing a logical fallacy with this
question by using circular reasoning. Stating, a priori, that "
evidence of design" exists invalidates the rest of your question; therefore I cannot logically address it.
- How do you explain the
changed lives of millions of people throughout history who testify to a life changing experience with Jesus Christ?
Once again, believing in
something doesn't make it true. I could honestly believe that I'm the Queen of England. It certainly would dramatically affect how I perceive my life, but it's
not reality. Additionaly, you haven't actually framed this question in a manner in which it can be addressed. What "life changing experiences" do you
speak of? Are these "millions" now reporting that they're happier now that they believe in a higher power? If so, see my response to Question #1.
- How do we account for the historical Person of Jesus Christ? He has made such an impact upon history that we even measure
our calendar by Him. 2000 years on and millions still follow Him.
I don't doubt that a religious leader, named Jesus, once existed. There is
record of him outside of the biblical canon. I doubt that you'll find many non-believers that will argue this point. Besides, the fact that the man once lived
does not further your argument that God exists. The statement about the calender is even more irrelevant. It was invented by Christian theologians long
ago, spread to most of the developed world along with Christendom, and is still the defacto standard because of tradition.
Hope that helps you understand us a bit better.
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