Atheism and the Texas Church Shooter (This is good)

americanthinker.com ^ | Selwyn Duke

[RoosterRedux]

“If God does not exist, everything is permitted,” wrote Fyodor Dostoevsky in The Brothers Karamazov. Mentioning this in association with Devin Patrick Kelley, the militant atheist who last Sunday perpetrated the worst church shooting in U.S. history, is bound to raises hackles. Of course, few atheists will descend into committing murder; in fact, I’ve known some I’d call “good people.” Moreover, note that I myself once not only didn’t believe in God, but like Kelley thought religious people were “stupid.” Yet is it possible a straight line can be drawn between atheism (the belief) and increasing crime and immorality? Ideas do have consequences, after all.

George Washington once wrote, “[L]et us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. …[R]eason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” Many great thinkers have expressed the same idea, yet, when it’s related today, the assumption is that what’s being said is atheists can’t be good people. This is both because theists generally don’t explain their position well and atheists generally don’t seek to understand it well; passions run high and the two sides talk past each other. But now I’ll explain exactly what Dostoevsky and Washington meant — in a way making it apparent why it’s an insight that helped bring me, formerly a dismissive unbeliever, to faith.

A very near relation of a close friend said to him once, “Murder isn’t wrong; it’s just that society says it is.” I’ve heard this sentiment expressed, in different words, many times. In fact, notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, known as the “Milwaukee Cannibal,” said to his parents as a teen, “If there’s no God, why can’t I just make up my own rules?”

[Olog-hai]

Of course, few atheists will descend into committing murder …

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Atheism is a natural and inseparable part of Marxism, of the theory and practice of scientific socialism. …

… Marxism cannot be conceived without atheism; we would add here that atheism without Marxism is incomplete and inconsistent. …

— Lenin, “Religion”, Introduction

Given the hundreds of millions murdered by Marxism, it seems that more than just a few atheists have “descend(ed) into committing murder”.

[BenLurkin]

Has Bill Maher disavowed the killer yet?

Maher bears responsibility for whipping up homi idal hatred against Christians.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

My father told me many years ago that Athiests were such because they wanted no limits on their behavior. Try to imagine 7.7 billion sets of rules by which to live.

[Paine in the Neck]

The Party will provide your morality, tovarisch. Try to keep up.

[Fiddlstix]

Atheists Don't Have No Songs

Steve Martin. One of his best

[Big Red Badger]

Satan has but One Rule;

“Do What Thou Will.”

[grimalkin]

When I’ve had conversations with some strongly opinionated atheists in the past, there was always this absurdity about the whole thing. As an atheist, why would you even care to debate? If man was the measure of all things, then really, it’s just everyone for themselves. Nothing has meaning and for the angry atheist, why be angry? Angry at what?

For the atheist to make the claim that there is no God would mean that the person knows everything infinitely. But if you don’t believe in the infinite how can you say that you know it? It’s very confusing, lol.

[shove_it]

poor soul...

[who_would_fardels_bear]

You need to multiply that number by two:

One set of rules that each person guides his own behavior by and one set of rules that that person wishes everyone else would guide their behavior by.

[justa-hairyape]

Very true. But more to the point, anyone who thinks statist laws will stop the evil are really deluding themselves. Trading liberty to worship for statist security is what has gotten millions killed. Especially when the State itself has trouble discerning good from evil.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Well, actually, you’re right. lol

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Ha ha ha. That was great!

[Fiddlstix]

It's a real Hoot

[daniel1212]

“Presented in the hope that in the future all humankind may learn to avoid war.”

But for which hope they have no promise and only One can make this happen.

And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Micah 4:3)