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Famous Atheist Now Believes in God
NY Newsday ^ | 12/9/04 | RICHARD N. OSTLING

Posted on 12/10/2004 7:08:12 AM PST by Michael_Michaelangelo

NEW YORK -- A British philosophy professor who has been a leading champion of atheism for more than a half-century has changed his mind. He now believes in God -- more or less -- based on scientific evidence, and says so on a video released Thursday.

At age 81, after decades of insisting belief is a mistake, Antony Flew has concluded that some sort of intelligence or first cause must have created the universe. A super-intelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of life and the complexity of nature, Flew said in a telephone interview from England.

(Excerpt) Read more at nynewsday.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: antonyflew; atheism; atheist; atheists; convert; evolution; god; intelligentdesign; ssdd
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To: betty boop; Taliesan; Michael_Michaelangelo; marron
Taliesan: When a person steps in the right direction, you don't beat him over the head for not stepping far enough.

betty boop: Indeed. That would be both unreasonable and uncharitable.

So very true!

It appears that Mr. Flew was significantly persuaded by Gerald Schroeder - an Orthodox Jewish Physicist we cite now and again on various science threads.

IOW, it appears to me that Mr. Flew was sensitive to an intellectual argument for God. But that is not the same as the Christian witness spoken of in so very many passages throughout Scripture – namely, letting our light (actually, His Light) shine, loving our neighbors, kindness and such. Jesus honors us by allowing the unbeliever to hear Him through us. We can do nothing on our own (John 15). And not every unbeliever can (or is willing to) hear Him (John 10).

IMHO, it is rarely successful when a Christian beats an unbeliever over the head with a five pound Bible – however, a “surgical” mentioning of passages applicable to the unbeliever’s quandary of the moment – or even just leaving the Scriptures here and there (Gideon’s approach) - is always effective (Isaiah 55:11).

81 posted on 12/10/2004 8:13:25 AM PST by Alamo-Girl
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To: BibChr
My, aren't you a fragrant little rose of sweetness today, even to your allies?

LOL, It's my job man. Card carrying member of the Curmudgeon Club.

folks who post large personal iconic graphics with every single post they write (see Sabertooth, Atomic Possum, etc.)

You mean like this one?


82 posted on 12/10/2004 8:14:51 AM PST by Protagoras (Christmas is not a secular holiday)
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To: pnome
The claim that thier is a heaven, and the claim that there is not, have the same amount of evidence to back them up.

Where is the evidence to the contrary?

83 posted on 12/10/2004 8:15:06 AM PST by frog_jerk_2004
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To: Raycpa

"If they are not equal, then what happens if they disagree or overlap ?"

They never disagree or overlap. They all have thier set functions that take care of everything in the universe. (more complete guessing)


84 posted on 12/10/2004 8:15:09 AM PST by pnome
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To: frog_jerk_2004

"Where is the evidence to the contrary?"

The burden of proof is not on me. It is on the one making the claim that thier IS a heaven.


85 posted on 12/10/2004 8:16:10 AM PST by pnome
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To: Allan
Signor Michaelangelo what is it about the word search that you don't understand?

Nothing. I forgot to do it. Normally I do, but this time I was in a hurry and posted it without checking. I apologize.

It's nice to know you are policing the boards, though.

86 posted on 12/10/2004 8:16:19 AM PST by Michael_Michaelangelo (The best theory is not ipso facto a good theory.)
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To: pnome
They never disagree or overlap. They all have thier set functions that take care of everything in the universe. (more complete guessing)

How did they get their assigned functions ?

87 posted on 12/10/2004 8:16:39 AM PST by Raycpa (Alias, VRWC_minion,)
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To: Protagoras
LOL! Yeah, exactly like that one!

Dan
(c;

88 posted on 12/10/2004 8:16:39 AM PST by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: Protagoras

Geez! thanks SO MUCH for an image that I'm sure will haunt my ENTIRE DAY!

Dan
8^D


89 posted on 12/10/2004 8:17:25 AM PST by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: pnome

It is not my place--nor intent to convince anyone of anything.You are entitled to your fuzzyheaded suppositions.
I find comfort in Scripture that bit about They shall know the truth and the truth shall set them free." I personally
find it B.S. that any unbeliever should embrace the false
doctrine of secular humanism.for that is against Nature and
Natures God.


90 posted on 12/10/2004 8:18:38 AM PST by StonyBurk
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To: ColoCdn
I'm not on FR every day
so I appreciate the opportunity to catch up on some info
that's been posted and chewed on by others, at an earlier date.

It's not so hard nor does it take so long
to look through the threads posted the previous day.

I, for one, want to know what others might have said about a topic that interests me.

It's more than a bit of a pain in the a**
to go back to look for other threads that have discussed the exact same article
and to follow the discussion on two (or more) different threads.

91 posted on 12/10/2004 8:18:41 AM PST by Allan
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To: pnome
The burden of proof is not on me.

If you are taking the contrary position, yes it is. The "There is no afterlife" argument is not self-evident.

92 posted on 12/10/2004 8:18:42 AM PST by frog_jerk_2004
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To: Michael_Michaelangelo

I haven't read the whole thread and don't even know the man, but my first thought on reading the title was ------How many people did he influence with his previous belief?


93 posted on 12/10/2004 8:19:53 AM PST by Exit148 (Founder of the Loose Change Club. Every nickle and dime counts!!)
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To: Raycpa
"So its not Christians per se."

No, it is the impression, or rather the belief that it is the Christians who are pushing these laws and wishing to legislate morality. I think the evidence shows pretty strongly that Christians lobby for such laws.

How many devout Christians do you know that favor marijuana legalization? Certainly a devout Christian won't smoke marijuana themselves, that would be against their religion, but the problem comes when that same Christian wants to tell me, not a Christian, that I have to follow the teachings of their religion. That makes people not like Christians.
94 posted on 12/10/2004 8:20:37 AM PST by pnome
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To: Taliesan
"..the fork in the road between theism and atheism is not a matter of education, it is a matter of some earlier premise, often at the sub-cognitive level."

Maybe God turned the switch on. Maybe he didn't. Only he knows.

95 posted on 12/10/2004 8:20:44 AM PST by Matchett-PI (All DemocRATS are either religious moral relativists, libertines or anarchists.)
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To: pnome
And the pope is pretty sure I'm wrong without evidence.

The Pope is not making this claim on his own and he is not the source of the claim. This claim was demonstrated by Jesus Christ, by his words and his resurrection.

96 posted on 12/10/2004 8:21:02 AM PST by frog_jerk_2004
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To: pnome
Also, there is no afterlife, no heaven, no hell and certainly no devil.

Now troubles are many, they're as deep as a well.
I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell.
Swear there ain't no heaven and I pray there ain't no hell,
But I'll never know by living, only my dying will tell.
Yes only my dying will tell.
Yeah, only my dying will tell.

Blood, Sweat and Tears

97 posted on 12/10/2004 8:21:58 AM PST by Protagoras (Christmas is not a secular holiday)
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To: BibChr
LOL, glad to help!

A little dose of love with every helping of abuse. :^}

98 posted on 12/10/2004 8:23:02 AM PST by Protagoras (Christmas is not a secular holiday)
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To: Protagoras
I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell.

The Atheist's dilemma...

99 posted on 12/10/2004 8:23:52 AM PST by frog_jerk_2004
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To: Allan

Granted. But laziness overcomes me more often than not. Plus, on second threads you don't get the same mix of opinion on the topic previously discussed, and it's entertaining to see the divergence of opinions, to me.

Canucks fan, or one of those frozen-tundra easterners?


100 posted on 12/10/2004 8:24:09 AM PST by ColoCdn (Neco eos omnes, Deus suos agnoset)
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