RE: Being Made Fun of For NOT Belieiving...
September 29, 2011 at 12:55 am
(This post was last modified: September 29, 2011 at 1:25 am by LunchBox.)
Christian apologetics (certified 
) instructor:
"LunchBox" - Truthfully, I don't believe I am portraying an inaccurate picture of atheism by posting this statement. You are correct to say that I would feel irritated if one of my FB friends called out all Christians with an "unproved, derisive... pictoral comment" that chastized us because of our beliefs. But my irritation would be that the comment was, in some way, inaccurate or a "straw man" understanding of my views.
Let me just state flatly that I have not done that here. If atheism is true, then the picture of reality given by the above statement IS accurate. I not only believe this to be absurd, but I actually think that such a belief system should be marginalized (as I have attempted to do here). If someone wants to marginalize Christianity, I would be happy to show them where I believe them to be misguided. Likewise, I am open to hearing and responding to those who disagree with my take on atheism (as I have done with Atheist #1 above).
Sometimes defending Christianity involves criticizing worldviews that stand against it. I, in no way, am being ad hominem though, because I am attacking the worldview of atheism and not the character of atheists. This is an important distinction and should not be missed.
ME:
Any 3rd party portrayal of your views will inherently be inaccurate. Atheism cannot be "true" in a societal context, because it is a personally held belief that is self-limiting to nothing more than the absence of belief in a diety. That is a personal thing, and irrelevant to to the beliefs of "the next guy". Lastly, all of the atheists that I know would eagerly tell you that atheism is NOT a "worldview". Again, it's an intrapersonal acceptance of reality...and is only valid to the one holding that belief. It exists if all believe...or if none believe.
Christian apologetics (certified ) instructor:
You said, "Lastly, all of the atheists that I know would eagerly tell you that atheism is NOT a 'worldview'. Again, it's an intrapersonal acceptance of reality...and is only valid to the one holding that belief. It exists if all bel...ieve...or if none believe."
I don't know any atheists who would agree with you on this one. They don't believe they are holding to merely an "intrapersonal acceptance of reality." They think they are stating a fact about reality, namely, that there is no God. You do them a disservice by not taking their belief seriously. Furthermore, let me be clear, I (as a Christian) and every Christian I know is actually claiming something about reality, namely, that God exists, and He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. In addition, we are also claiming that Jesus Christ actually lived, died, and rose again "in time and space" (i.e. it actually happened).
Generally speaking, atheism and Christianity are not about succumbing to a psychological apprehension of the world that is meant to be therapeutic, although there are atheists and so-called Christians who might have this as an underlying (perhaps unconscious) motivation.
) instructor:"LunchBox" - Truthfully, I don't believe I am portraying an inaccurate picture of atheism by posting this statement. You are correct to say that I would feel irritated if one of my FB friends called out all Christians with an "unproved, derisive... pictoral comment" that chastized us because of our beliefs. But my irritation would be that the comment was, in some way, inaccurate or a "straw man" understanding of my views.
Let me just state flatly that I have not done that here. If atheism is true, then the picture of reality given by the above statement IS accurate. I not only believe this to be absurd, but I actually think that such a belief system should be marginalized (as I have attempted to do here). If someone wants to marginalize Christianity, I would be happy to show them where I believe them to be misguided. Likewise, I am open to hearing and responding to those who disagree with my take on atheism (as I have done with Atheist #1 above).
Sometimes defending Christianity involves criticizing worldviews that stand against it. I, in no way, am being ad hominem though, because I am attacking the worldview of atheism and not the character of atheists. This is an important distinction and should not be missed.
ME:
Any 3rd party portrayal of your views will inherently be inaccurate. Atheism cannot be "true" in a societal context, because it is a personally held belief that is self-limiting to nothing more than the absence of belief in a diety. That is a personal thing, and irrelevant to to the beliefs of "the next guy". Lastly, all of the atheists that I know would eagerly tell you that atheism is NOT a "worldview". Again, it's an intrapersonal acceptance of reality...and is only valid to the one holding that belief. It exists if all believe...or if none believe.
Christian apologetics (certified
) instructor: You said, "Lastly, all of the atheists that I know would eagerly tell you that atheism is NOT a 'worldview'. Again, it's an intrapersonal acceptance of reality...and is only valid to the one holding that belief. It exists if all bel...ieve...or if none believe."
I don't know any atheists who would agree with you on this one. They don't believe they are holding to merely an "intrapersonal acceptance of reality." They think they are stating a fact about reality, namely, that there is no God. You do them a disservice by not taking their belief seriously. Furthermore, let me be clear, I (as a Christian) and every Christian I know is actually claiming something about reality, namely, that God exists, and He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. In addition, we are also claiming that Jesus Christ actually lived, died, and rose again "in time and space" (i.e. it actually happened).
Generally speaking, atheism and Christianity are not about succumbing to a psychological apprehension of the world that is meant to be therapeutic, although there are atheists and so-called Christians who might have this as an underlying (perhaps unconscious) motivation.
Let your anger be as a monkey in a piñata; hiding with the candy, hoping the children do not break through with a stick.
