Ignorance and the Bible

[domer76]

That sounds more like the "royal we"...not the plural.

Sorta like Queen Victoria saying, "We are not amused." The Pope often speaks using the "royal we" tone.

Not sure if the "royal we" was used during the time the OT was written...or if translations account for it.

In any case, the notion of monotheism being superior to polytheism seems strained to me. Polytheism seems as rational as monotheism to me...and neither seems particularly rational at all. Both not only blindly guess at least one god exists...but also blindly guess attributes of the god

How do you KNOW there are no gods of the gaps...or are you just blindly guessing again?

It’s obvious you are ignorant of the term “God of the gaps”.

 

[domer76]

The reason I am agnostic is I don't yet have the faith to believe in the miracles atheists believe in, nor the miracles in the New Testament.

You only heard about Natural Revelation from me in the last 18 hours, and immediately decided you didn't like it without even thinking about it, reading about it, or investigating it.

You have a default preconceived notion you defer to.

That's fine, I spent a lot of years wanting to believe Xtians were all a bunch of idiots too.

But I think it is a very reasonable logical inference that the mathematical design, rational order, and fine tuning of the universe point to something besides an inanimate random chance event.
If that were not a powerful and persuasive argument, the vast majority of people would have become atheists centuries ago.

Genuine atheists will probably never be more than ten percent of the population because people intuitively perceive that order, design, and beauty has an underlying purposeful organizing principle behind it. It's not just based on lucky happenstance.



Sure, you can throw up your hands and declare "well, that's just the way it is", but that is intellectually lazy and incurious.

As someone with scientific training, I do not accept coincidence as a powerful or convincing explanation. Many scientists themselves find fine tuning so curious they have invented ad hoc hypotheses to try to explain it away, e.g. the multiverse, eternal inflation, etc.

I looked into it enough to know it’s one of the failed attempts apologists commonly use to try to prove their agenda. Your other “design” arguments also fall under those failed attempts. You have no idea whether there is purposeful design or not.

Until science unlocks the source of life on this planet, I won’t get my panties all in a knot about it. It’s not something I’m going to dwell upon. You can do that for me. What I DO know is that a deity making man out of mud is absurd. Or woman from his rib. And then disappearing for the rest of history. Children’s stories.

 

[Ross Dolan]

It’s obvious you are ignorant of the term “God of the gaps”.

It may seem that way to you...but I attribute that to your ignorance.

In any case, if you want to be particular, you wrote, 'There is no “God of the gaps”.'

Okay, explain how you KNOW that...or is it just a blind guess on your part.

Mind you, I use the term "I do not know" often when there are things I do not know. YOU, on the other hand, often offer your blind guesses about things you do not know...so I am intrigued by your suggestion that "I do not know" should be sufficient.

 

[Ross Dolan]

I looked into it enough to know it’s one of the failed attempts apologists commonly use to try to prove their agenda. Your other “design” arguments also fall under those failed attempts. You have no idea whether there is purposeful design or not.

Until science unlocks the source of life on this planet, I won’t get my panties all in a knot about it. It’s not something I’m going to dwell upon. You can do that for me. What I DO know is that a deity making man out of mud is absurd. Or woman from his rib. Children’s stories.

Yeah, picking on the god of the Bible is an easy thing to do...which is most likely why folk like you do it so often in defense of your "atheism."

It is sort of like someone claiming to be an advanced mathematician...and using 2 = 2 in base 10 equals 4...as an example of proof.

 

[Based Chad]

I'm tired of you now. Please go bother someone else.

you're a fucking idiot.

I'm just laughing at the arrogance of Christophobic bigots once again trying to dictate to Christians what they may or may not believe.

There aren't enough atheists to make any difference. Genuine atheists are only about five percent of the population. It takes religious liberals and religious legislators to support tolerance and human rights. Atheists had virtually nothing to do with the slavery abolition moment or the 1960s civil rights moment, which were spearheaded by Christians.

I can't think of a more cynical career than to spend eight years in college studying a religion you think is bullshit, and then do the hard work of getting a university tenor track professorship for a subject that you think is utter nonsense.

that's you, Christian Zionist.

 

[domer76]

It may seem that way to you...but I attribute that to your ignorance.

In any case, if you want to be particular, you wrote, 'There is no “God of the gaps”.'

Okay, explain how you KNOW that...or is it just a blind guess on your part.

Mind you, I use the term "I do not know" often when there are things I do not know. YOU, on the other hand, often offer your blind guesses about things you do not know...so I am intrigued by your suggestion that "I do not know" should be sufficient.

Google is your friend.

 

[Cypress]

Children’s stories!

Atheists insist on reading the Bible as strict literalists in the way Southern Baptists and Pentecostals do.

I just disagree with the premise that all Christians are superstitious and irrational fools, and the underlying implication that atheists in contrast are educated and enlightened.

I occasionally visit Episcopalian service down the street from me... The Pew polling organization found that Episcopalians by a wide margin were more likely to be college educated than atheists. The entire leadership of this Episcopalian Church is female. The laity is at least 50 percent female. The head Vicar is a lesbian.

Polling consistently shows that atheists are overwhelmingly white, male, and young. So the argument could be made that while they fancy themselves super-enlightened, atheists actually seem to have a problem with inclusivity, and gender and racial bias.

 

[Ross Dolan]

Google is your friend.

Yes it is...but you have not answered the question.

Too tough?

Distraction seems to be the national obsession lately. You ought not to fall into the trap.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

I benefit from seeking out and getting multiple perspectives. I don't just stay in one end of the pool and listen to people who will confirm any preconceived biases I have.

I invested a lot of time reading and listening to skeptic Bart Ehrman and atheist Alex O'Connor, as well as theists like William Lane Craig and Luke Timothy Johnson.

I really didn't find YouTube 'scholars' like Christopher Hitchens very convincing. His British accent and rhetorical flourishes can make you think he is smart, but beneath it all he really is just regurgitating a litany of complaints about the Bible.

Hitchens, like the other 3 Horsemen and personalities like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter rabble-rouse for money. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just not for me to sell my soul for mammon.

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