Posted on 06/18/2009 8:27:56 AM PDT by GodGunsGuts
1. Definition of Atheism
There is confusion and debate about the term atheism and its definition.
The term atheism finds its etymology in the Greek combination of a and theos. What atheos means is, as with any term, subject to context (and perhaps personal interpretation). Note that if an atheist states, I do not believe in God, this is technically not a statement about Gods existence or lack thereof. Does atheos mean no God, without God, lack God belief or God does not exist?
Early Christians were referred to as atheists because they did not believe in the Greek or Roman gods. Yet, while they positively affirmed the non-existence of those gods they likely believed that those gods were deceptive demons whom they did believe existed (1 Corinthians 8:46).
a bag of fertilizer: our ultimate fate according to atheism
In atheism, when we die we end up as mere fertilizer; plant food. Human life has no particular meaning or purpose and there is no real basis for ethics, love or even logical thought. Atheism provides no footing for a just, caring and secure society.
Let us consider other Greek-derived a words:
(Excerpt) Read more at creation.com ...
The physical body that we feel/see is totally different than our soul.
BTW, I HAVE been dead once. Was 2 weeks before my 8th birthday... Sometimes wish I was not brought back, but I believe we are all put here for a reason of some sort...
Ping!
You definitely have a purpose in God’s plan -
otherwise, you’d not be here. Especially considering your “experience”.
Not to pry, but... any memories of that time?
Atheists have a god. It’s called “unbelief”.
What is the semantic difference between the terms “atheistic” and “secular”?
I know how you feel... Last Sunday at church my pastor said that as much as he wants to go to Heaven and see Jesus, he also wants to live his life to the fullest on earth and concentrate on what God has called him to do. I felt a little guilty about just wanting to get this life over with after that. We all have a purpose, we need to seek it knowing that at the end we will receive our rewards.
“Human life has no particular meaning or purpose and there is no real basis for ethics, love or even logical thought.”
Apparently being a theist doesn’t preclude one from writing strawman arguments (above).
Or hasty generalizations (the entirety of Section 3 Why Atheism is chosen),
Or the fallacy of equivocation: “We are born knowing nothing at all and must be taught, and later take it upon ourselves to learn, anything and everything that we will ever know to believe, including atheism.”
“Although, perhaps we could grant the claim: if atheists want to argue that atheism requires no more intellect than that which an infant can muster, why should we argue?”
Even after having previously drawn distinctions between strong and weak atheism [b]in the same article[/b]!
Then there are flat out ridiculous statements like this one:
“Atheists make epistemic statements about morality but do not provide an ontological premise for ethics.”
How about reality?
“That is to say that they can muse upon issues of morality and come to any conclusion that they please.”
So can theists. It doesn’t make all of the conclusions correct though.
“The first problem of evil, as far as atheist/theist debates are concerned is the fact that atheists define evil based on personal preferences.”
Another hasty generalization/strawman argument.
The most serious problem with this article is that it *constantly* claims both that atheists can reach many different conclusions about epistemology and ethics, and then cherry pics a few examples of a few atheists and then claims “atheists also believe X”.
That’s flat out a pair of mutually contradictory statements.
Thanks for the ping!
Perhaps it is to hear that in spite of kind and good things you might have done during your life, there is an element of rebellion against the One who made you lurking in that soul. And, further, the One who passed this judgment also provided a stand-in to pay the price of this rebellion, giving up His life on your behalf. No groups to join, no ceremonies to conduct, rather you will find, if He has decided that you are one He has rescued that your heart is inexplicably drawn to Him. If this sounds intriguing, you may very well be among those who He rescued, not for your sake, but His.
On second thought ... maybe not.
As far as I can tell, you have not provided a coherent argument for any of your positions.
Who would claim atheism? Agnosticicsm perhaps, but atheism?
Atheists don’t believe in God.
Their stand against religion might therefore be described as much ado about nothing.
Good point. Atheists take it a step further than the evidence permits. As such, it is a faith. That is probably one of the reasons why some atheists want their atheism to be treated as a religion (of course, tax-exempt status doesn’t hurt either!).
Good one!
It’s call themselves. They set themselves up as their own god and decide what will happened once they die. Their knowledge is limited to what they see/hear - they are making crucial decisions while working off of limited knowledge.
“Who would claim atheism? Agnosticicsm perhaps, but atheism?”
Burden of proof lies with the person making the claim. I’m an atheist and have examined theist arguments and have found the evidence presented to be unconvincing.
“Its call themselves. They set themselves up as their own god and decide what will happened once they die.”
Lets see: 1. I don’t worship myself. 2. I don’t claim to be omnipotent.
“Their knowledge is limited to what they see/hear”
That’s what knowledge is. It’s knowledge based on reality and is belief-neutral. Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc. who repeat the same experiment will get the same results.
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