Posted on 12/29/2011 1:01:09 PM PST by daletoons
Atheist militant Richard Dawkins has produced a children's book entitled "The Magic of Reality" and in doing so has joined the Millstone Swim and Dive Club. Spreading his venom for God to kids under the guise of Scientism is about as putrid as it gets. Children using simple God-given logic conclude the existence of a creator. It requires an abandonment of logic to attain self omniscience and declare there is no God. The materialist's faith in the escape hatch of "there just wasn't enough evidence for me" won't wash on judgement day. Here's a book idea: The ghost of Christopher Hitchens, Jacob Marley style, appears to Richard Dawkins and sets him straight. Dickey would probably make a hash of it, too bad Hitchens isn't still around to write it.
“For me, there is no point in pondering such things anyway. It’s a frivolous pastime, as are most forays into “spiritual” matters. Every bit as silly to me as druids pounding drums in the forest (or whatever it is that they do.)”
So why are you at Freerepublic arguing with Christians...afterall it doesn’t really matter right? What does it matter to you if conservatives win or liberals win? Since according to you there is no big something out there, then why even argue the point with those who think there are answers to the why’s and wherefore’s? Is your only pleasure life derived from kicking over the mental “constructs” of peoples personalities because you in your own imagination are despairingly angry that some folks seemed to have derived contentment from giving themselves over to one higher power that you have so claimed can never be found?
So when you finally get to that uncrowded mental construct of a pumpkin you have fashioned for yourself...say hello to Samuel Clemens for me...he always hated crowded velvet pincushions....(too much of those vulgar unwashed hypocrite Christians there)
Time to lean in on a little more personal level is it? I’ll pass. If you look around this forum and see how some of the men on here are talking to me, you’ll understand why. You know, for a while I had my picture on my profile page. I had to take it down, and some of the fine Christian men here are the reason. See, if they can’t shut me up on the forum, they sometimes feel the need to send me a Freepmail so they can lean in and whisper a little more privately. Not overtly threatening, just a Listen Here, Sweetheart, I Say This For Your Own Good type of whisper. Or a question veering into the What Do You Look Like When You’re Really Upset kind of yuckiness. Stuff I’m pretty sure they don’t do with men who disagree with them. So I’m sure you can understand why I’ve cut back on personal disclosure.
No problem. No offense intended. Thanks.
Except that it can't. Hubble's observations of red shift and Einstein's equations both show that the universe had a beginning.
Christians can posit a universe where there is meaning and purpose because there is something outside themselves but for the atheist, honoring God with our lives means nothing to them. Their response would be *So what? Big deal. *That does not give purpose to someone who isn't interested in God so that's not a draw for the atheist or agnostic.
I do really think people would be much better off examining their lives for admittedly prosaic (but adult) issues like: how can I do my job better? Let's go over the budget again. Maybe I should clean my closet before I go shopping for something new.
Things like this are actually generally enough to fill a life if you're determined to live it as best you can. There are occasional moments of boredom, but we all have that. But escaping into fantasy lands is ultimately counter-productive, and a waste of time and energy.
The best evidence for God isn't physical or material or even in the form of miracles.
It's in the philosophical realm. Morals, ethics, good and evil, value judgments, stuff like that. There has to be some standard by which all those things are measured. The question then becomes, where did that standard come from? Where does conscience come from? Certainly not a survival of the fittest mentality.
There is a difference between “let” ( allow or permit) and “create”. Later in the New Testament we are told that Jesus ( God) is the light of the world. It doesn't say, “like the light of the world”.
Well, matter and light are irrevocably connected. If God is eternal ( who *is** the light of the world) then matter and light is eternal.
Those who mock Genesis are fools. This is especially so when they consistently so evidence of never having read it or studied it.
On another note, I see some coward got Muridae banned. A perfectly polite person who was answering your questions, and one of you went whining to the moderator. I bet it was someone who throws out insults left and right, and tries to censor whoever disagrees. Whoever did that is a shame to conservative everywhere, and is acting just exactly like a liberal. Or a six year old.
The two of us may strongly disagree about government compulsory-attendance and compulsory-funded socialist schooling...but...with this I agree. Muridae was being completely polite and thoughful in his/her posts. I am surprised and saddened that Muridae was banned.
Muridae got himself banned. Retreads usually do that to themselves.
As for the stars, or the beginning of the universe, whatever the current scientific thought about it is, that's fine with me. There are stars out there that have already died, and their light won't touch our skies till I have lived and died myself. Am I really going to spend a lot of time worrying about it? My laundry is more pressing than this. Live real life, that's all I'm saying. Or if you can't, because taking care of you and yours and being a positive force in the community isn't enough to give you meaning and purpose, at least don't demand that everyone carefully live their lives in such a manner as not to ever contradict this delicate spider web of ancient stories that you live in.
This is wise.
I was stalked once on the MSN message boards. A poster ( who claimed to be a government music teacher from Colorado) was able to to piece together tidbits of information determine my identity and that of my children. He then proceeded to post it all over the MSN message boards. ( These have been inactive for some years now, thank goodness!)
Very cute!
And your comments very appropriate. :=)
If you could kindly prove why your "non-belief" is not just another form of belief, have at it.
Since you can't do that and probably won't try, then I'm certain you will take that sentence back as silly, yes?
“That constant childhood taunt of “you’re gonna get it!” ... that’s irritating... as I suspect it’s meant to be”
From my “fantasy” point of view as you might put it...My response would be...”You are going wide of the mark and are going to miss IT!”
I’m surprised you find anything “irritating” at all, after all pride is also one of those wasted emotions you should be doing away with and discarding like so much...fig leaf!
As for assigning values such as “wonderful” or “silly” or “good” or “evil”..an atheist can find herself in an incoherent world that while it might make sense for her, others who share a theistic frame of reference and know the philosophical ground on which they stand can only shake their heads at the incoherence they are witnessing. The atheist can’t speak authoritatively on subjects regarding truth, goodness, because her concepts are based on situational temporal reality and not on over arching spiritual eternal authority. The atheist can try to deny spiritual authority but she has no countering moral compass other than the brute force of the Godless state found in communism, socialism, or fascism.
You're confusing the prefix a- with the prefix anti-. Athiest means a lack of belief in gods. There is nothing else that goes with it. It's not a belief system. Some atheists are objectivists, some are communists. Some don't have any particular political philosophy. Some don't even think about these matters. I know a couple guys like that. Know what they think about? Hunting, fishing, canoeing, and football! You ask them if there's a God, they kind of shrug like "Whatever. Shut up. Patriots are playing." The only thing atheist means is "no belief in gods."
I took the question about children in the vein of the "tweet of the year" from Iowahawk:
"Teddy Roosevelt charged San Juan Hill. Barack Obama charged $4 trillion to my children".
Atheism is the philosophical bedfellow to solipsism, as in either case there are no consequences outside of the echo chambers of one's self.
Having children can remind one that there is actual, real good and evil and consequences past one's own philosophical desires.
That being said, the last couple of your remarks I've read prompted me to read your homepage.
I've never seen, nor heard, nor suspected, that any male FReeper EVER used FReepmail to foist attentions on a female FReeper beyond or without their consent.
BTW, have you met Lazamataz?
Cheers!
And yet you wrote earlier on this thread:
Now, I don't believe God created the universe, but I do know Jim Robinson created Free Republic. I also know that if he'd kicked me off years ago for being an atheist, I would not have learned conservative philosophy at all. It's his forum and he will indeed always have the right to zot this account. I hope he doesn't but it's up to him. But it's not up to you.
Consistency never *was* your strong suit, was it?
Is it time for your meds, perhaps?
Cheers!
Using prefixes as your proof is not very compelling. I'd appreciate another try on your part to prove "unbelief" is not simply another belief system.
It wasn’t me that Got him banned....I politely wrote some countering posts to his posts. I’ll stand toe to to with any atheist but I won’t attack anybody or go whining to the mods.
PS.:Related to another posting....CS LEWIS didn’t just write
fantasy books you know.(or allegory, you’ll have to decide according to the terms of your own mental construct which was which) Lewis and Schaeffer and Rene Decartes have been my mentors in chief...
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