Just a little blurb I wrote about a meeting with a creationist I had. For this one, I really wanted to get the opinions of fellow atheists, and even non atheists alike. I didn't think of this situation until after I was face with it. I'd love any input on the writing or on the position alike. Thanks guys! 
"No, that title isn’t some sort of position I’m trying to make on my own here. This is an actual statement that was uttered to me by a kind, yet bold stanced fellow. I won’t name this person, as I don’t think it’s necessary. However, I will say, this is one of the few times in my life that I could truly describe my response as taken aback.
This man happened to be an officer of the law. He was certified by California Peace Officer Training, and was good to go as far as any police agency was concerned. I had met him, and conitnued talking to him after our initial meeting, mostly out of curiosity, as his well spoken nature was appealing to me. After all, it’s not often someone can get me to shut up long enough to listen.
I was able to listen quite adequetly to what it was he had to say. He was a firm believer in the most fundamentalist aspect of Christianity, in the sense that the earth is less than 10000 years old. At this point, I was a little put off. I had no idea he was that firm as a believer.
We debated for some time on the accuracies of science. As this a while ago, I didn’t know the aspects of measurement for aging of the earth, and could not answer his assertations that; “The science that’s being used to age the earth and the fossils in it are inadequete.” Of course, now I know this is completely false.
Up until now, I was enjoying this discussion. With any word he could say, I could find my opposition. After all, I’d studied religion for 8 years. I was very surprised, however–or should I say, taken aback–when I heard the next words escape his lips.
I had inquired about the disgusting acts encouraged or at the very least, tolerated, by God in the Old Testament. I had expected the usual apologist reasoning, involving metaphors and “Where else did it all come from?” Instead, I was greeted with a simple, and firmly placed
‘who am I to say slavery and rape are wrong?’
Think you read that wrong? I assure you, you didn’t. This is an officer of the law–responsible for upholding the peace and sanctity of our society, and this is the very belief that he holds. It isn’t just him–statistically speaking, if 20% of our population fundamentally agree with him, there are plenty more officers of the law sharing his viewpoints.
While you may say he’s misrepresenting, Christianity, he’s not. I’ve read the bible multiple times, and I can say honestly that he didn’t misrepresent any particular passage. As a matter of fact, his arguments were all directly from the bible. Many people will say he was simply not intelligent enough to discern different metaphorical meanings. The problem with this is that when the bible was written, it was exposed first and foremost to the most unintelligible civilization at the time–the illiterate middle east. As Hitchens says, “No, no, lets not appeal to the Chinese who can read and write–we’ll send the savior to the Middle East, where no one knows how to read or write.” I think God sent his son exactly where he wanted to, had the book written exactly how it’s written, and to be taken exactly the way the audience would take it. Call me presumptuous if you like, I’m not presuming I know who God is.
How can we truly assure a secularist society when such beliefs are so inherently accepted and believed? I would say it’s incredibly difficult to figure out a way to truly make the society I wish so badly to live in come true. None the less, we have to recognize that the effects of religion are not simply on our annoyance at the front of shopping malls.
This is something living and breathing within our society, and pushing out a comfortable nest of followers, encouraged by the concepts of life after death–those who fear the unknown, and need to know an answer. Those who can’t sit here and say “I don’t know what’s out there”. I say we don’t know–I say when we ask “Well then, who made it all?” we have asked the wrong question–
I think the question should be: “What made it all?”"
"No, that title isn’t some sort of position I’m trying to make on my own here. This is an actual statement that was uttered to me by a kind, yet bold stanced fellow. I won’t name this person, as I don’t think it’s necessary. However, I will say, this is one of the few times in my life that I could truly describe my response as taken aback.
This man happened to be an officer of the law. He was certified by California Peace Officer Training, and was good to go as far as any police agency was concerned. I had met him, and conitnued talking to him after our initial meeting, mostly out of curiosity, as his well spoken nature was appealing to me. After all, it’s not often someone can get me to shut up long enough to listen.
I was able to listen quite adequetly to what it was he had to say. He was a firm believer in the most fundamentalist aspect of Christianity, in the sense that the earth is less than 10000 years old. At this point, I was a little put off. I had no idea he was that firm as a believer.
We debated for some time on the accuracies of science. As this a while ago, I didn’t know the aspects of measurement for aging of the earth, and could not answer his assertations that; “The science that’s being used to age the earth and the fossils in it are inadequete.” Of course, now I know this is completely false.
Up until now, I was enjoying this discussion. With any word he could say, I could find my opposition. After all, I’d studied religion for 8 years. I was very surprised, however–or should I say, taken aback–when I heard the next words escape his lips.
I had inquired about the disgusting acts encouraged or at the very least, tolerated, by God in the Old Testament. I had expected the usual apologist reasoning, involving metaphors and “Where else did it all come from?” Instead, I was greeted with a simple, and firmly placed
‘who am I to say slavery and rape are wrong?’
Think you read that wrong? I assure you, you didn’t. This is an officer of the law–responsible for upholding the peace and sanctity of our society, and this is the very belief that he holds. It isn’t just him–statistically speaking, if 20% of our population fundamentally agree with him, there are plenty more officers of the law sharing his viewpoints.
While you may say he’s misrepresenting, Christianity, he’s not. I’ve read the bible multiple times, and I can say honestly that he didn’t misrepresent any particular passage. As a matter of fact, his arguments were all directly from the bible. Many people will say he was simply not intelligent enough to discern different metaphorical meanings. The problem with this is that when the bible was written, it was exposed first and foremost to the most unintelligible civilization at the time–the illiterate middle east. As Hitchens says, “No, no, lets not appeal to the Chinese who can read and write–we’ll send the savior to the Middle East, where no one knows how to read or write.” I think God sent his son exactly where he wanted to, had the book written exactly how it’s written, and to be taken exactly the way the audience would take it. Call me presumptuous if you like, I’m not presuming I know who God is.
How can we truly assure a secularist society when such beliefs are so inherently accepted and believed? I would say it’s incredibly difficult to figure out a way to truly make the society I wish so badly to live in come true. None the less, we have to recognize that the effects of religion are not simply on our annoyance at the front of shopping malls.
This is something living and breathing within our society, and pushing out a comfortable nest of followers, encouraged by the concepts of life after death–those who fear the unknown, and need to know an answer. Those who can’t sit here and say “I don’t know what’s out there”. I say we don’t know–I say when we ask “Well then, who made it all?” we have asked the wrong question–
I think the question should be: “What made it all?”"
Chris Roth
http://thereligiousfallacy.wordpress.com/
http://thereligiousfallacy.wordpress.com/
