(May 30, 2013 at 8:32 am)Rationalman Wrote: I have been debating with a Christian for a while now, he is Catholic I think. Anyway, just now he told me something along the lines of: You assume God to deny him, therefore you believe in him.
My initial reaction was that this was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. But i'm not exactly sure what he meant by this.
Can someone please explain what assuming God means.
In order to say there is no God you must first examine the concept of God and then deny the fact that God does not exist. What your buddy is saying in the examination of God you are acknoweledging God on some level otherwise you would not have taken the time to dismiss Him. I dont know if i completely agree with that. As i examine things all the time just to see if trust/belief in something is warranted.
I contend that if you spend any amount of time outside of the time it takes to descern whether there is or isnt a God, you are guilty of denying God. Because if you do not believe in something it will be dismissed and you will quickly move on. (How much of your life have you spent argueing about Odin, Ra, or Posiden?) It is this "returning to the well" and argueing whether there is water at the bottom of it (even though others pull water from it's depths and drink from it reguraly) that places you in a position to be continually denying God.
Your acknoweledgement comes in the form of the endless arguements and attempts to talk yourself out of belief. For if non belief were absolute there is no arguement. I know true non-believers/atheists. i have them in my family. They do not argue any points of Christianity as they truly believe there is not God and it is pointless to argue anything. (just like if someone were to want to make a case for thor.) You might play along till your curosity has been satasified, but no one would argue beyond that much less spend a life time (ahem,cough minnie) unless he were trying to convince himself/justify his desision to deny belief in God.
What passes as 'atheism' on this board is truly misotheism. The Hate of God. But the reason "atheist" do not accept this title is because they will have to acknoweledge that they do believe in God. (You have to believe in something to hate it.) Few if any have the marbles to own up to their hate. (probably because deep down they do not have complete faith in their "atheism.")
