Thursday, October 30, 2008

Why are there so many Atheist bloggers? A reply.

Joey Nelson over at Spiritual Questions Blog claims that the sheer number and persistence of Atheist bloggers proves God exists! Sorry, Joey, your blog is one of the most philosophically bankrupt arguments I've read in a long time, not to mention offensive. I challenge you to retract it and apologize.

It is stimulating to engage in a meaningful, intellectual discourse, but what you've tried to do is dismiss Atheists with an insult to our intelligence and to our deeply held and seriously considered philosophy.

Let's use your same logic, and just replace "atheist" with other cultural or ethnic groups, and see if it flies:

"The sheer volume of Christian blogs testifies to the uncertainty of their belief in God, which they refuse to acknowedge due to mulish pride."

"The sheer volume of African American blogs, trying to claim equality to whites, testifies to their inferiority to whites, which they refuse to acknowledge due to mulish pride."

"The sheer volume of Jewish blogs testifies to the existence of Jesus, whom they refuse to acknowledge due to mulish pride."
Joey, I hope you can see that these grossly offensive statements have just as much validity as your assertions about Atheists. Do these statements make it clear why your argument is bankrupt and immoral?

(Thanks to Sisyphus Fragment for finding this one.)



5 comments:

  1. Theologians always talk about the hiddeness of God, how God is there, but yet He seems shy to intervene or show Himself directly to us. But He has given you clues you can follow, some of which are breathtaking. God has given us just enough evidence so that those who want Him can have him. Those who want to reject Him can do that as well. Think about it. It’s the only way a relationship with God could not be forced. If He was here in visible form, ruling with great power, would anybody choose differently? God gives everyone the room to either choose or reject. He’s a hidden God. But yet what the Bible so clearly teaches is that He remains active in his “hiddenness.” He is working a plan in our lives. And His first objective is to woo and win our hearts, to have us stay at His table forever. The problem is not that God hasn’t spoken; it’s that we haven’t listened. We’ve suppressed the truth and yet still he pursues.

    No one is being insulted here. You are being pursued by a Someone who holds life together.

    Deny yourself a defensive posture and think about the ramifications of that.

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  2. Joey, your reply above was predictable, and illustrates why non-Christians find Christianity so unappealing: The arrogance and smugness reminds me of a schoolchild coming to a college debate, and not realizing that the silence from the audience is a sign of embarrassment for the poor child, not respect for his opinions.

    Sorry, Joey, but you need to read the Atheist literature before you open your mouth. I've read a huge amount of Christian apologist writings including the weird "hidden God" theory that you put forth, and I'm probably more familiar with these arguments than you are. What's more, I've also read the atheist/agnostic counterarguments, and find them far more sensible and plausible. Instead of just repeating Christian dogma, perhaps you could read some of the excellent Atheist literature that's available at your bookstore, and address their criticisms of your "hidden God" theory directly.

    In your response, you didn't even address my challenge. I pointed out that your logic was flawed, that it could be applied to Christians to prove there is no God, to African Americans to prove they aren't equal to whites, or to Jews to prove Jesus exists. Why didn't you address this point?

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  3. god is not hidden he is not there if he is he does not love us he does not hold life together he is a cruel or imperfect being lacking any semblance to humanity or our ways his creation is flawed by purpose or unintentional it does not matter if he did exist his presence would be so provable that anyone could come up with a true positive scientific proof what you are claiming is that you know better than i what i am saying is that you and your ilk have no proof are arrogant and evil you are denigrating my country with your filthy obsession of lies and false punishments you are littering the streets and roads with your filth and lies but not everyone thinks that the people need to be lead by leash to a false and evil way of living saying that god is supreme and you know what he wants saying that in effect you have his supreme intelligence working in your mind how degrading to the human condition that you are not enough for your self sir you must call on an authority that does not exist for your spreading of lies the bible consists of two good quotes "he that troubles his own house shall inherit the wind" well sir with the impending zombie apocalypse as described in your book we shall trouble our own house by raping the earth and unleashing nuclear holocaust upon this fertile green world that we call home the other quote is "treat others as you would wish to be treated" if you haven't noticed i have been behaving like a certin Christan during this article whom has no place in calling others to his faith or calling himself any kind of sane person while i tried my best to insult you the way you have insulted me you sir have topped that insult with your own behavior to anyone not of your faith what you are doing to this world is hurting it and by hurting atheists you have hurt Christianity because all you need to know is the anonymous effect while you may deride others they deride you and when you censor the truth as i am sure you have at one point or another there is the Streisand effect where you will lose the ability to contain the truth.

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  4. Joey Nelson said: If He was here in visible form, ruling with great power, would anybody choose differently?

    The people in Exodus who worshiped the golden calf sure did.

    -- Blue Nine

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