I recently wrote a comment on another Christian blog that I wanted to share here because it encompasses what is currently sprinting through my mind regarding the endless debate that rages on in the minds of Christians and atheists... flinging dust said...
Just because one atheist commits a crime doesn't mean they all do. All you did there was stereotype atheists.
So how is that different than when an atheist blames anyone here for the crusades? or slavery? or genocidal acts that have nothing to do with Christianity...
The same way you might throw out your saying that "[you Christians] obviously know nothing about evolution..." when we talk about primates evolving into human beings - I would suggest to you that you know nothing about true Christianity.
The same way we are merely taking what we have seen and heard from someone in the "scientific" community who puts forth an opinion one week that says evolution is gradual changes over long periods of time, and compare that to someone else from that same community coming along the next week suggesting that the opposite is true...
Your complaints about Christianity come from the actions of those who were acting upon their own whims and those of the masses when true Christianity says that is the absolute wrong path to take...
At this point, we're just sharing the same whiney excuses - while the Christian can say that your the information you are using is based upon information that doesn't apply to the crux of the material found in the Book... and the atheist says over and over, we'll just have to see what next week's opinion is because that's what science is... A series of assumptions, tests, conclusions and revisions...
The main difference is that we are asserting that our source of Truth is complete... Test it all you want to, it needs no revision, though, the occasional update for those who no longer want to speak the King's English is welcome... The only thing we need to assume is that anything we don't already understand because it's been clearly documented for us, is something that we will learn about when we meet God face to face. And yes, conclusions... We can conclude that it is true because He who has begun His work in us, will complete it. We have His promise on that.
Whether you would suggest that mere men wrote it, or that power-hungry overlords of some type put it down in print so that they could oppress people. The same could be said about atheism and evolution.
You take the assertions of the authors of your religions by faith... And the Author of our faith tells us that it is by faith alone...
...hoping you can see what I'm trying to clarify - not just taking it as an attack...
Saturday, May 31, 2008
From another Blog...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Hi Benjamin,
Just because one atheist commits a crime doesn't mean they all do. All you did there was stereotype atheists.
So how is that different than when an atheist blames anyone here for the crusades? or slavery? or genocidal acts that have nothing to do with Christianity...
I think there are some very important differences. Individual acts by one person may be commited for any reason, especially if the individual has not given their reasons. If a Christian commits a crime, I would find their Christianity to be irrelevant and would not presume for a second that it was any kind of motivation for the crime. That is unless the perpetrator was acting on specfically religious grounds. For example, if a Christian kills a doctor working in an abortion clinic and says he did becasue it is God's will then I will assume he was religiously motivated. In in this scenario though I will not assume that he a typical Christian. I am quite confident that the vast majority of Christians would not do anything like that.
There is a vast difference though between an individuals actions and the actions of large groups. I think it is verging on bizarre that you would claim the crusades had nothing to do with Christianity. The bible also contains many example of God himself commanding genocide. Surely those have something to do with Chritianity. Be careful with accusations of people not knowing what 'true Christianity' is. When you start pulling out the 'no true scotsman' you can essentially suggest that any negative action commited by a Christian for religious reasons is not really a Christian issue. That person is obviously not a True Christian. I'm sure you can see the absurdity of this constant redefinition.
I have spoken to many Christians who say that people with a fundamentalist view of the bible are not 'true christians' There are apparently thousands of different sects of Christianity. That is a hell of a lot of different opinions about what being a true christian is. Like every other one though, you presumably are confident that you are right and all of the others are wrong.
You suggest that the bible needs no revision. God condoned rape and human sacrifice in the bible. I seriously doubt you consider those things to be moral under any circumstances. God's morals presumable don't change. Are these things morally ok then or are they morally ok when God gives the go ahead? Many christians consider much of the bible to be metephor or the efforts of the human writers to impose their own interpretations on God's word presumable to be somewhat in line with contemporary wisdom and ethics.
You take the assertions of the authors of your religions by faith... And the Author of our faith tells us that it is by faith alone...
What faith?
One of the principle differences between the Atheist and the religious is that the Atheist decries faith as a terrible vice and the religious laud it as a great virtue. Faith is simply blind belief. It is choosing to believe something in spite of a lack of evidence. Can you think of any area of life where it is generally good to beleive what someone else tells you without question? Do you consider it a virtue?
So how is that different than when an atheist blames anyone here for the crusades? or slavery? or genocidal acts that have nothing to do with Christianity...
That's different because an atheists actions are not motivated by their religious teachings or holy book, but by their own thoughts and desires.
The same way you might throw out your saying that "[you Christians] obviously know nothing about evolution..." when we talk about primates evolving into human beings - I would suggest to you that you know nothing about true Christianity.
It is of course wrong to generalize, but often times the generalization is made that because I am an athiest, I know nothing about true Christianity. This is false, as I was deeply religious for 18 years. It is also false to assume all Christians know nothing about evolution. It is just really hard for us to understand how you can reject it (which I'm sure is your feeling as well).
The same way we are merely taking what we have seen and heard from someone in the "scientific" community who puts forth an opinion one week that says evolution is gradual changes over long periods of time, and compare that to someone else from that same community coming along the next week suggesting that the opposite is true...
This is false. The theory of evolution is the most tested in science over the past century and a half. This statement shows a lack of knowledge of the wealth of evidence that supports evolution.
Post a Comment