RE: Is It Hypocritical Of Me To Be Athiest?
October 9, 2013 at 12:22 pm
(This post was last modified: October 9, 2013 at 12:24 pm by Simon Moon.)
(October 9, 2013 at 11:50 am)Sword of Christ Wrote: It would take more faith for me to be an atheist. (classic line). There is some truth to it though I don't see how a universe this complex or beings as complex as ourselves could be coincidental or unintentional. Blind natural forces at work without a goal or destination in mind. And certainly if you look at the impact God has had in human history, much for the good, you're saying this is a delusion of the human brain? Are you sure you're not fighting against the evidence?
Your personal incredulity is not evidence. It is just massive argument from ignorance.
Just because you are unable to see how the universe could arise via natural processes, does not mean that it didn't. And it certainly doesn't mean that other, far more educated people than you, aren't able to.
Remember, at one time humans could not see how lightning, disease, earthquakes, famines, volcanic eruptions, etc, etc occurred without a god, either.
Quote:Belief in God is a vice but pure physical materialism and naturalism is somehow a lofty virtuous thing? Is this a reaction against of the excesses of religious belief? But you know belief in God has inspired much good in the world as well right? It's not all Inquisitions and Crusades.
Yes, having beliefs that are not based on demonstrable evidence and reasoned argument is not a virtue. Faith is not a path to truth.
Your beliefs inform your actions. Actions based on faulty or unsupported beliefs lead to bad decisions. The South in the US justified keeping slaves based on their beliefs in the Bible.
The good that you say is inspired by belief in 'God' is not dependent on that belief. There is nothing good that has been done based on the belief in a god that could not be done without it.
Google "Norman Borlaug, Ph.D". He's a scientist that is credited in saving the lives of a billion people. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 in recognition of his contributions to world peace through increasing food supply. He was an atheist.
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
