Poor Fundies.....Hell is A Literary Construct, Too!

[Faith No More]

I wanted to relate in to something real in my own life rather than make-up something. That was what came to mind. So while it's not the best analogy, I would say in response, if anything...

Okay. That's why I didn't jump the gun and automatically assume you meant the two to be totally analogous.

...atheism is more like a gateway drug in the sense that allows one to rationalize letting deeper sins into one's life or not recognizing ones' current sins.

How can I rationalize letting in something that I do not believe exists, or are you trying to suggest that being an atheist is simply deluding yourself into believing sin doesn't exist in order to revel in that sin?

Regardless, my life has actually drifted in the opposite direction. I am less guilty of things you would consider sinful now than I was ten years ago. Why would that be if I'm trying to rationalize a sinful life?

"If life is just a meaningless electro-chemical reaction then why not _____?"

I have come to the conclusion, Chad, that you believe that we are all slaves to objective meaning, and that any subjective meaning we humans can ascribe is ultimately meaningless. It's our ability to recognize and empathize towards others as sentient human beings whose experience of pain and pleasure is dependent upon our own actions that keeps us from getting to that "why not ____" phase, despite believing life is ultimately a "meaningless electro-chemical reaction."

I think the threat of an purely intellectual atheism is relatively minor, since most retain some sense of goodness and truth without realizing the source.

But we do recognize the source. It is we.

But the anti-theist, the kind that pisses and moans about "In God We Trust" on money*, has a real problem and he undermines the faith of the vulnerable.

"Undermines the faith of the vulnerable?" I don't follow...