http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyath...her-story/

FYI Matt Slick is the founder of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM), and all in all is a bit of a fundie. Rachael's account of how she was brought up is a good guide on how to indoctrinate and retard a child's developing mind.

Interesting, especially because for all intents and purposes she was a fundie herself as well versed in the theological underpinnings of her faith as any theist I have ever met online or personally. And she was undone by the very same debates we often see on here (origin of morality and the contradictions of an omni-faceted god and 'right and wrong'). A lot of parallels can be drawn in her testimony and the debates we have here, so worth a read.

Quote:Atheists frequently wonder how an otherwise rational Christian can live and die without seeing the light of science, and I believe the answer to this is usually environment. If every friend, authority figure, and informational source in your life constantly repeat the same ideas, it is difficult not to believe they’re onto something. My world was built of “reasonable” Christians — the ones who thought, who questioned, who knew that what they believed was true. In the face of this strength, my own doubts seemed petty.

And all that brainwashing of little innocent children just because grownups are afraid of death ...

Quote:Atheists frequently wonder how an otherwise rational Christian can live and die without seeing the light of science, and I believe the answer to this is usually environment. If every friend, authority figure, and informational source in your life constantly repeat the same ideas, it is difficult not to believe they’re onto something. My world was built of “reasonable” Christians — the ones who thought, who questioned, who knew that what they believed was true. In the face of this strength, my own doubts seemed petty.

Typical communal reinforcement which is all too common among religions. Most Christians I know tend to do this, surround themselves with like-minded people so that your beliefs are constantly reinforced by others agreeing with them.

Basically it's the same thing as Republicans watching Fox News or listening to Rush or Hannity.

(July 19, 2013 at 10:02 am)Doubting Thomas Wrote: Basically it's the same thing as Republicans watching Fox News or listening to Rush or Hannity.

Or atheists going to an atheist forum.

Also I notice to my disappointment that many athiests are just as closed minded as Christians.

(July 19, 2013 at 10:14 am)Isun Wrote: Also I notice to my disappointment that many athiests are just as closed minded as Christians.

Only a tiny minority. Because there's no dogma, there's no indoctrination process to close our minds. Self-indoctrination is very rare.

Matt Slick, apologetic's number one defender of the ridiculous and fallacious TAG argument.

Maybe his daughter was embarrassed that he thinks TAG is such a convincing argument.

(July 19, 2013 at 10:14 am)Isun Wrote: Also I notice to my disappointment that many athiests are just as closed minded as Christians.

For the vast majority of atheists, their atheism emerged from their skepticism. In other words, their disbelief is a result of insufficient demonstrable evidence, reasoned argument and valid/sound logic to support the claim that a god or gods exist.

All it would take for me to accept the claim that a god exists is for the claim to meet the above criteria. I believe most atheists would agree. Even Dawkins, supposedly the most ardent atheist, holds this position,

Skepticism is healthy, but it doesn't constitute proof one way or another.

What i find frustrating sometimes is that many skeptics feel that when they disprove the bible that it somehow proves their point god doesn't exist. In other words they are throwing out the principles of science out the door the same as religionists.

It is reasonable and quite acceptable in my opinion to state that the preponderance of evidence does not support the existence of god as christians believe, but it doesn't in any way provide proof that "god" doesn't exist.

How many people have you met that claim science proves god doesn't exist?

(July 19, 2013 at 11:53 am)Isun Wrote: Skepticism is healthy, but it doesn't constitute proof one way or another.

What i find frustrating sometimes is that many skeptics feel that when they disprove the bible that it somehow proves their point god doesn't exist. In other words they are throwing out the principles of science out the door the same as religionists.

It is reasonable and quite acceptable in my opinion to state that the preponderance of evidence does not support the existence of god as christians believe, but it doesn't in any way provide proof that "god" doesn't exist.

When there's inherent contradictions in the concept of the god being proposed, then the issue of it being 'real' is moot.

Indeed, I don't reject 'all' gods because, surely, I don't know about all gods that could be proposed.

I reject the abrahamic/(indeed all gods) thus far proposed however because there is no evidence, and the claims of the proponents are almost always self-defeating.

But as above, 'science' doesn't care one iota about gods. It's not there to disprove gods, that is not its mandate. It just so happens, in the course of 'its' existance, to debunk the commonly held mythologies that go hand in hand with god worship. Nothing more.