I feel like I'm learning a lot from you guys, so far we've already covered "burden of proof", and the general mindset as to why atheists become atheist, i.e. it is the logical position, we're all born atheists, etc. Good stuff, but the last thread raised one question that I wonder about coming from the Christian side of things. In Christian circles the question is often raised, "if atheists don't believe in God, why do they bother arguing with Christians?" Of course I would say this question is a little off-base to begin with. Saying "atheists do this" is like saying you all got together and decided a single way of doing things you would all follow. I have seen some atheists who would say they don't care much either way, and some who seem to be evangelistic. It's a big group, just like in Christianity you wouldn't say "Christians hate gay people" because while there is a group of "Christians" of about 200 in Kansas that does, there are tens of millions of Christians in denominations that gladly welcome gays and lesbians with no reservations, treating them just like anybody else. So when I have questions like, "why do atheists think this?" please keep in mind that I mean, why do some atheists think that way? I want to avoid sounding like I'm lumping you all together, I recognize there are many different groups within atheism. So what was on my mind was, "what do atheists think of the church?" But let me clarify that.
I was wondering: What do you personally think of the Christian church, or some specific groups within it? and also, What do you see as the typical atheist view of the Church? Do you think there are any good things about having the church around? Do you think it's largely neutral or irrelevant? Do you think it's a very negative thing? Is the Church something that has to be opposed, or can you coexist with? What effect do you think the church has had on the world historically and what effect do you think it's having now?
I know that's a bundle of questions, but anything you want to jump in on is fine. In this thread once again I'm trying to understand how you see things, so I won't be rebutting any posts. However you can feel free to ask me any questions about our differing views of the church. I've had a lot of exposure to a lot of different church traditions so maybe I can offer a different perspective than you've traditionally heard. In any case I really appreciate how much input I've gotten, and I look forward to hearing from you.
I was wondering: What do you personally think of the Christian church, or some specific groups within it? and also, What do you see as the typical atheist view of the Church? Do you think there are any good things about having the church around? Do you think it's largely neutral or irrelevant? Do you think it's a very negative thing? Is the Church something that has to be opposed, or can you coexist with? What effect do you think the church has had on the world historically and what effect do you think it's having now?
I know that's a bundle of questions, but anything you want to jump in on is fine. In this thread once again I'm trying to understand how you see things, so I won't be rebutting any posts. However you can feel free to ask me any questions about our differing views of the church. I've had a lot of exposure to a lot of different church traditions so maybe I can offer a different perspective than you've traditionally heard. In any case I really appreciate how much input I've gotten, and I look forward to hearing from you.
