tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155788581113891145.post4101110919310853293..comments2018-02-16T17:32:34.018-06:00Comments on The Serene Atheist: The Concept of PrayerThe Dungeon Masterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17275285437564440382noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155788581113891145.post-13242616376512637142010-01-24T12:23:04.837-06:002010-01-24T12:23:04.837-06:00*RESPONSE TO BRET, PART THREE
I appreciated your ...*RESPONSE TO BRET, PART THREE<br /><br />I appreciated your comment about people who work hard for things and then say god blessed them for the outcome which their actions led to.<br /><br />You are correct that the Bible states that all things come from god, both good and bad, which is one reason among many why I am not a Christian. I go into this in more detail in my article, “Thoughts on the Christian God”.<br /><br />I also predict that the numbers of Antitheists, Atheists, and Secularists will grow, but not only due to the teachings of the modern church.<br /><br />You used the word “faith”. I am presently writing an article on the concept of faith, but it is growing so large, that I will likely have to break it up into a series of articles. <br /><br />In referring to doctrine, you used the word “sound”. Just so you know, “sound” by this definition comes from the field of logic. I am in the process of writing an article clarifying the definitions and meanings of certain words often used inaccurately in these kinds of discussions. Some examples of other words whose definitions and meanings I will be clarifying are: reason/reasonable, rational, logic/logical, proof, and theory.<br /><br />You emphasized the importance of an omnipotent god and “the fallen nature of man”. Again, I suggest you read the article, “Thoughts on the Christian God” which I published in this blog earlier.<br /><br />You used the word sin. Sin is a religiously grounded word and because I am an Atheist, I don’t use or accept it. I prefer the word “immoral” and certainly most people, including myself, experience guilt when they do something immoral, which is good. <br /><br />Just so you know, I have no doubt that you make every effort to be a good person and I do think that you are a good person.<br /><br />You said “Just because they do it in the name of religion doesn’t invalidate god or his word.” I think nothing invalidates the Bible better than the Bible itself, based on the statements I made earlier.<br /><br />Thank you for your comments again. They were very much appreciated.The Dungeon Masterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275285437564440382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155788581113891145.post-26646749094776764032010-01-24T12:22:14.425-06:002010-01-24T12:22:14.425-06:00*RESPONSE TO BRET, PART TWO
You repeatedly write ...*RESPONSE TO BRET, PART TWO<br /><br />You repeatedly write about true teachings and false teachings in your comments. I often wonder how people are able to tell which is which and am honestly interested in how you are able to discern the difference. For every individual Christian, there exists a unique view and set of beliefs about what is right and wrong. It is an undeniable fact that the Bible is rife with contradictory statements and assertions, which has lead to the existence of many different Christian denominations whose followers disagree with the meaning of Biblical statements and who give credence to some passages, but not others. For example, some Christians believe homosexuality is a sin, but then disobey god by not killing the homosexuals, as the Christian god directs them to in Leviticus 20:13. Further, from my own experience of talking with Christians, the vast majority of them have no idea that just a few verses before that, the Christian god orders his followers to kill people that commit adultery, as stated in Leviticus 20:10. These same people are also unaware that the Christian god advocates slavery in the Old Testament. Let’s also not forget one of my favorites as a family therapist, where god says in Leviticus 20:9, “If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death.” Must be. That’s pretty unambiguous. I believe every Christian cherry picks from the Bible, accepting some passages while intentionally and purposefully ignoring others. If the Bible were completely unambiguous, as it obviously should be, no such disagreements would exist. If there was a god that actually did intend for the Bible to exist in the form we have, then that god is either completely inept or is evil beyond measure, considering the lakes of blood that have been spilled in wars over such confusion and disagreement. If god was good, clearly the god would make more direct and clear efforts to clarify the confusion. I could write a book, as many have, about the moral character of the god of the Old Testament, but I think Richard Dawkins put it best, and quite bluntly, when he said, “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” If anyone were to disagree with this statement, I would recommend they read the Old Testament.The Dungeon Masterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275285437564440382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155788581113891145.post-31722763758769569572010-01-24T12:21:34.845-06:002010-01-24T12:21:34.845-06:00*RESPONSE TO BRET, PART ONE
Hey Bret. Thank you a...*RESPONSE TO BRET, PART ONE<br /><br />Hey Bret. Thank you again for your comments. I’ll respond to your points in the order you presented them.<br /><br />First, I don’t choose the word Antitheist to describe myself. If you’re interested in the terms I use to describe myself, I suggest you read the article I wrote titled, “Why I Don’t Like the Word Atheist, But Take It On.” <br /><br />In no way do I consider your or anyone’s viewpoint to be irrelevant. All people’s viewpoints are relevant to me, as our beliefs influence our actions and our actions affect the world. My blog is here for anyone to read and comment on and I take people’s comments seriously and respond to all of them in the best way I am currently able to. <br /><br />I appreciate your compliments and will accept them with the humility that I do not know everything and always leave my beliefs open to change based on new and better information.<br /><br />I’ve never heard the “genie in a bottle” comparison, but I like it and think it’s a very good one.<br /><br />In answer to your question about how some theists don’t lose faith when their wishes aren’t granted, I offer one explanation of many. Some religious leaders pump people full of fear starting at a very young age that they had better believe or else they will be tortured for eternity. These threats are repeated over and over again as fact. Typically people come to believe things that they are repeatedly told over and over again. Given this, people are willing to overlook the holes and contradictions in the Bible in order to stay on the good side of this god.The Dungeon Masterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275285437564440382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5155788581113891145.post-78605509303773072842010-01-24T12:20:45.853-06:002010-01-24T12:20:45.853-06:00*REPOSTED FROM BRET, October 20, 2009 5:50 PM
I ...*REPOSTED FROM BRET, October 20, 2009 5:50 PM <br /><br />I am not sure if it is worth commenting, because as an anti-theist, you would realize I still believe in a god and my viewpoint would become irrelevant. But I'll give it a shot anyways. You make many good points that most Christians probably could not answer but should be able to. Unfortunately we live in a time when many Christians view God as a genie in a bottle. How they don't lose faith when their wishes aren't granted is beyond me because the teaching they subscribe to clearly states that their prayers will be answered. How they don't get frustrated and say "screw it" if they actually believe the reason for a lack of an answer is that they don't have enough faith is also something I don't understand. I used to be very frustrated by this because it was all so elusive. I did believe and have faith yet my prayer was not answered, what was wrong with me? I also feel sorry for people who work hard, make good investments, and then say that god blessed them because they gave X amount of dollars to something. The reason they are doing well financially is because they are financially savvy. The Bible tells us all things come from god - good and bad. I don't expect you to beleive that, but my point is that a Christian should, after all it is in the book they beleive is truth though they may have never bothered to read it. The Bible simply does not teach what these people believe; however, these people do make up the masses of evangelicals today who have run after false teachings. As a result it turns people off because if you look at the weak and aloof god they pray to it is very easy to punch holes in these beliefs. I predict the numbers of anti-theists will continue to grow because of the ridiculous teachings of the modern church. A faith built on sand will easily be washed away. I was very close to becoming an atheist at one point in my life when I discovered that almost everything I had been taught was warped by false teachings. When I examined sound doctrine for myself, I found it to line up with the common human experience. The message of the bible is plain and very simple. But the core thing you have to believe to accept any of it is that there is an omnipotent god. If you do, then you can beleive the rest if you want to: the fallen nature of man has seperated us from god, man was unable to resolve this on his own, god wiped the slate clean and we can be with him again if we want to. I know that everyone who was ever born feels the weight of sin, even if they say they don't. I know it because I am a sinner. Anyone can call me a hypocrite and be correct - thing is that I don't care because they don't know that I am trying which is all I can do. I always feel reassured that no matter how bad things get, even when I caused them to be bad - someday I will be welcomed home. The bible tells us to take responsibility and be productive. We were created in god's image after all so we all do the same things to a large extent, no matter who we are or where we are from, no matter if we believe in god or not. Some people use religion as an excuse for all sorts of things - laziness, greed, power, pride. That won't change until this world ends. Just because they do it in the name of religion doesn't invalidate god or his word. In the end, what you believe is between you and god. By the way, I pray for simple reasons - to communicate with god and because he told me to in his written words of the bible (written by many men over the course of centuries) which is pretty much the main thing any Christian should pay attention to.The Dungeon Masterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275285437564440382noreply@blogger.com