No doubt you’ve seen the “Jesus Isn’t Coming!” sign. Maybe you were shocked to find out that atheists really do exist after all. Perhaps you were tempted to quote them Psalm 14, “A fool says in his heart there is no god.” You might have been further dismayed to discover that they were unimpressed with biblical authority. Some explanation is in order.
We are often told we have a free choice to either believe or disbelieve. But, is it true that we always have a choice in the matter? Can we force ourselves to believe things which reason finds absurd?
Many intellectuals would argue it is not within their power to force upon themselves, blind-faith acceptance of ideas their reasoning is telling them is just plain nonsense. No matter how hard they try, doubt cannot be vanquished.
Today, few could believe an erupting volcano is the venting wrath of an angry god. No matter how many self-proclaimed “champions of truth” insisted it was so. Reason informs us we’d be foolish to cast aside scientific knowledge in favor of superstition. Certainly, children could be brainwashed from birth to believe in the angry mountain god. As adults, it might be impossible to convince them otherwise. But if instead of receiving an adolescent brainwashing, they were educated to the scientific understanding of erupting volcanoes, they could never cast aside sound knowledge to “believe in” the angry mountain god explanation.
Many self-proclaimed “champions of truth” tell us we must believe numerous religious absurdities without question or scrutiny. Claiming to speak for unseen supernatural agents, they demand we discard reason, submit to blind-faith or else agree with them that we deserve eternal torture and suffering. Try as we might to believe them, we cannot. They then argue it is wise to “play it safe” by capitulating to their extortions. Intimidations seldom vanquish reason.
Would you jump out of an airplane without a parachute just because some self-proclaimed champion of truth insisted faith in a safe landing would guarantee one? Wouldn’t reason prevent you from believing or jumping? And if threatened with a beating for your disbelief, could threats vanquish your doubts?
Insisting you have a choice to believe, suppose the champions of truth throw you out of the airplane. Do you think your imminent death could help you vanquish your doubt before reaching the ground? Would you agree with the shaman’s claim that “your death was deserved retribution for choosing not to believe?”
Is doubt really our free choice? Do we deserve punishment if our educated mind fails to believe absurdities? Have you ever made a conscious choice to believe an absurdity?
But wait! Aren’t we told that we are fools not to believe what the bible says? But if your educated mind rejects blind-faith acceptance of even a single biblical assertion, are you not also guilty of using reason to sort the plausible from the absurd?
How many biblical assertions can you choose to believe without being skeptical? To see if you are a skeptic, place a checkmark beside each assertion you cannot believe.
o Snakes could once talk to people. Genesis 3:1-5
o People once lived to be 900 years old. Genesis 5
o Noah gathered two male and female, of every specie, from all over the earth (across oceans), to a central location to board the Ark and when the flood receded a year later, they somehow got back home. Genesis 6:19, 9:19
o Millions of animals lived for a year on a 450 ft. boat without ever being re-supplied with food or fresh water. Genesis 6:21
o Rainbows are supernatural phenomena. Genesis 9:13-16
o The Tower of Babel explains the diversity of language. Genesis 11
o Witches really do exist and must be hunted down and killed. Exodus 22;18
o It’s possible for a man to live three days and nights in the belly of a fish. Jonah 1:15-17
o A wooden staff can be transformed into a living serpent. Exodus 7:10
o A river of water can be transformed into a river of blood on command. Exodus 7:19-21
o The Red Sea can be parted in the middle, on command, to expose dry land sandwiched between two walls of water. Exodus 14:21
o It’s okay to punish children for the iniquity of their ancestors. Exodus 34:7
o The outcome of war is determined by supernatural forces. Deuteronomy 7
o It‘s OK to kill missionaries of another religion. Deuteronomy 13:6-9
o One can live without oxygen and survive the heat in a fiery furnace. Daniel 3:19-25
o If a bride’s virginity can’t be proven, she must be killed. Deuteronomy 22:13-21
o The sun rotates around the earth and has even stopped for a full day without catastrophic consequences. Joshua 10:12-13
o Angry gods can be appeased with blood sacrifices and burnt offerings. Exodus 29, Numbers 29
o It’s okay to kill your rebellious children. Deuteronomy 21:18-21
o A virgin woman got impregnated by supernatural means. Matthew 1:18
o A missing child can be found by following a star. Matthew 2:9
o It’s a bad idea to save for the future. Matthew 6:19
o Five loaves of bread and two fish can feed 5,000 people. Luke 9:16-17
o People of faith can walk on water. Matthew 14:25-31
o Folks who work on the seventh day (Saturday) are to be killed. Exodus 31:15, Numbers 15:32-36
o People of faith can perform any impossible feat simply by believing and commanding it to happen. Matthew 17:20, Matthew 21:22
o Water can be turned into wine on command. John 2:6-9
o Self-castration is a wise move. Matthew 19:12
o Demon possession explains mental illness. Luke 4:41
o Disbelievers, blasphemers, and non-Christians must be killed. Luke 19:27, Exodus 22:20, Leviticus 24:16, Mark 16:16
o A person of unshakable faith can levitate a mountain. Mark 11:23
o Believers in Jesus can drink poison and remain unharmed. Mark 16:18
o If you’re dead several days, you can be brought back to life. John 11:1-44
o Adulterers and homosexuals appropriately must be killed. Leviticus 20:10-13,
o By “believing,” believers can perform the same miracles attributed to Jesus. John 14:12-14
o Preachers can preach in foreign languages they never learned. Acts 2:3-8
o The Bible is infallible and inerrant.
o The universe and earth are less than 10,000 years old, created with the appearance of age.
o Science is wrong about the expanding universe and biological evolution.
o All gods are false except the one your parents worship.
o Those who refuse to question biblical assertions are wiser (less gullible) than the skeptics who question.
We are often told we have a free choice to either believe or disbelieve. But, is it true that we always have a choice in the matter? Can we force ourselves to believe things which reason finds absurd?
Many intellectuals would argue it is not within their power to force upon themselves, blind-faith acceptance of ideas their reasoning is telling them is just plain nonsense. No matter how hard they try, doubt cannot be vanquished.
Today, few could believe an erupting volcano is the venting wrath of an angry god. No matter how many self-proclaimed “champions of truth” insisted it was so. Reason informs us we’d be foolish to cast aside scientific knowledge in favor of superstition. Certainly, children could be brainwashed from birth to believe in the angry mountain god. As adults, it might be impossible to convince them otherwise. But if instead of receiving an adolescent brainwashing, they were educated to the scientific understanding of erupting volcanoes, they could never cast aside sound knowledge to “believe in” the angry mountain god explanation.
Many self-proclaimed “champions of truth” tell us we must believe numerous religious absurdities without question or scrutiny. Claiming to speak for unseen supernatural agents, they demand we discard reason, submit to blind-faith or else agree with them that we deserve eternal torture and suffering. Try as we might to believe them, we cannot. They then argue it is wise to “play it safe” by capitulating to their extortions. Intimidations seldom vanquish reason.
Would you jump out of an airplane without a parachute just because some self-proclaimed champion of truth insisted faith in a safe landing would guarantee one? Wouldn’t reason prevent you from believing or jumping? And if threatened with a beating for your disbelief, could threats vanquish your doubts?
Insisting you have a choice to believe, suppose the champions of truth throw you out of the airplane. Do you think your imminent death could help you vanquish your doubt before reaching the ground? Would you agree with the shaman’s claim that “your death was deserved retribution for choosing not to believe?”
Is doubt really our free choice? Do we deserve punishment if our educated mind fails to believe absurdities? Have you ever made a conscious choice to believe an absurdity?
But wait! Aren’t we told that we are fools not to believe what the bible says? But if your educated mind rejects blind-faith acceptance of even a single biblical assertion, are you not also guilty of using reason to sort the plausible from the absurd?
How many biblical assertions can you choose to believe without being skeptical? To see if you are a skeptic, place a checkmark beside each assertion you cannot believe.
o Snakes could once talk to people. Genesis 3:1-5
o People once lived to be 900 years old. Genesis 5
o Noah gathered two male and female, of every specie, from all over the earth (across oceans), to a central location to board the Ark and when the flood receded a year later, they somehow got back home. Genesis 6:19, 9:19
o Millions of animals lived for a year on a 450 ft. boat without ever being re-supplied with food or fresh water. Genesis 6:21
o Rainbows are supernatural phenomena. Genesis 9:13-16
o The Tower of Babel explains the diversity of language. Genesis 11
o Witches really do exist and must be hunted down and killed. Exodus 22;18
o It’s possible for a man to live three days and nights in the belly of a fish. Jonah 1:15-17
o A wooden staff can be transformed into a living serpent. Exodus 7:10
o A river of water can be transformed into a river of blood on command. Exodus 7:19-21
o The Red Sea can be parted in the middle, on command, to expose dry land sandwiched between two walls of water. Exodus 14:21
o It’s okay to punish children for the iniquity of their ancestors. Exodus 34:7
o The outcome of war is determined by supernatural forces. Deuteronomy 7
o It‘s OK to kill missionaries of another religion. Deuteronomy 13:6-9
o One can live without oxygen and survive the heat in a fiery furnace. Daniel 3:19-25
o If a bride’s virginity can’t be proven, she must be killed. Deuteronomy 22:13-21
o The sun rotates around the earth and has even stopped for a full day without catastrophic consequences. Joshua 10:12-13
o Angry gods can be appeased with blood sacrifices and burnt offerings. Exodus 29, Numbers 29
o It’s okay to kill your rebellious children. Deuteronomy 21:18-21
o A virgin woman got impregnated by supernatural means. Matthew 1:18
o A missing child can be found by following a star. Matthew 2:9
o It’s a bad idea to save for the future. Matthew 6:19
o Five loaves of bread and two fish can feed 5,000 people. Luke 9:16-17
o People of faith can walk on water. Matthew 14:25-31
o Folks who work on the seventh day (Saturday) are to be killed. Exodus 31:15, Numbers 15:32-36
o People of faith can perform any impossible feat simply by believing and commanding it to happen. Matthew 17:20, Matthew 21:22
o Water can be turned into wine on command. John 2:6-9
o Self-castration is a wise move. Matthew 19:12
o Demon possession explains mental illness. Luke 4:41
o Disbelievers, blasphemers, and non-Christians must be killed. Luke 19:27, Exodus 22:20, Leviticus 24:16, Mark 16:16
o A person of unshakable faith can levitate a mountain. Mark 11:23
o Believers in Jesus can drink poison and remain unharmed. Mark 16:18
o If you’re dead several days, you can be brought back to life. John 11:1-44
o Adulterers and homosexuals appropriately must be killed. Leviticus 20:10-13,
o By “believing,” believers can perform the same miracles attributed to Jesus. John 14:12-14
o Preachers can preach in foreign languages they never learned. Acts 2:3-8
o The Bible is infallible and inerrant.
o The universe and earth are less than 10,000 years old, created with the appearance of age.
o Science is wrong about the expanding universe and biological evolution.
o All gods are false except the one your parents worship.
o Those who refuse to question biblical assertions are wiser (less gullible) than the skeptics who question.
![[Image: attemptingtogiveadamnc.gif]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=img824.imageshack.us%2Fimg824%2F7042%2Fattemptingtogiveadamnc.gif)
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