Help the theists better understand you
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Help the theists better understand you
This argument should help the theist better understand the atheists point of view. Imagine a world where no gods exist but people still want to believe for various reasons. Now try to tell the difference between that world and our world.
GodlessGirl- Posts : 7
Reputation : 1
Join date : 2012-12-29
Age : 38
Location : Rochester, NY
Re: Help the theists better understand you
This guy explains what many, many people do. - http://carm.org/mistakes-atheists-make-when-dialoguing-christians
Condescension and insults
This is the most common of all mistakes made by atheists. They are often condescending as they mock Christianity. They insult God, call him a tyrant, refer to Christianity as mythology, baseless, a fairytale, compare God to invisible pink unicorns and Santa Clause, etc. Unfortunately, this is all too typical of atheists and if they want to be taken seriously at all, they need to stop being so rude and crude because they do nothing to further discussion.
Attacking the Christian God and accusing him of immorality is immensely problematic for atheists who have no objective standard of morality, yet are quick to judge. We see their inconsistency, even if they don't.
Misrepresentation
Sometimes atheists will construct an argument against Christianity that does not reflect a true Christian position. For example, one atheist stated that the Trinity was illogical because three gods could not be one God.
Another atheist said that if God is all powerful, can he make a square circle? This misrepresents the Christian understanding of God's omnipotence.
Deception
Sometimes atheists will imitate Christians to cause problems in discussion boards.
They will sometimes pretend to be interested in something but are really lying in wait, looking for an opportunity to destroy someone's faith.
Failing to study what they criticize
Atheists very often fail to seriously study Christianity and its teachings before they start attacking it. This is a huge problem and atheists are commonly guilty of this.
Parroting anti-Christian material
Often atheists will parrot what they've read from anti-Christian websites that might have, for example, lists of alleged Bible contradictions. They will then copy and paste them into discussion boards. Unfortunately, they tend to ignore context when they do this. Then when an explanation is offered, they dismiss it.
Atheists often challenge the theist to prove God’s existence only within the confines of science.
Science has served humanity well. Through it we have discovered countless natural laws of the universe, and we use that knowledge to make our lives easier in every area of our existence. But to limit a theist's proofs to the confines of what the atheist demands is terribly one-sided. To a Christian, there are experiences that science and logic cannot explain. The atheist needs to recognize we have experiences that are life changing. No mere psychological set of theories can explain the changes in our lives. So please, don't mock them. Can science nail down all that exists in mind, body, and soul? No. Can it quantify the beauty of a sunset, the cooing of a baby, or the love of a man and a woman? Science and logic have served us well, but they are not the ultimate truth to all things.
Of course, that does not mean we ignore science. In fact, we use it in our proofs for God. But to limit the playing field to your set of rules is an improper way to start. It is mostly an attempt to initiate control and keep command of the conversation by setting the ground rules according to your criteria.
Though an atheist may not accept biblical evidence as support for God's existence, it does not negate the fact that the Bible is evidence. Whether or not the atheist wants to accept it is another matter.
drunkenmonkey04- Posts : 21
Reputation : 6
Join date : 2012-12-22
Location : Denmark
Re: Help the theists better understand you
Chuck: My daughter sent this to me today. Just thought I share. It gave me LOL.
"Being an atheist is kinda like being the only sober person in car full of drunks and nobody will let you drive.”
"Being an atheist is kinda like being the only sober person in car full of drunks and nobody will let you drive.”
Chuck Ludikee- Posts : 41
Reputation : 3
Join date : 2012-11-05
Re: Help the theists better understand you
drunkenmonkey04 : This guy explains what many, many people do. - http://carm.org/mistakes-atheists-make-when-dialoguing-christians
Chuck: This article at best can only be filed under “know thy enemy,” but I didn’t find any of it very useful for an antitheist who is interacting with theists. It seemed to me its real purpose was to make theists feel good about themselves and safe from all those nasty lies spewed by those satanic atheists. The very first section is titled “Condescension and insults,” and its very first sentence is “This is the most common of all mistakes made by atheists.” Now I’ve been debating theists for a number years on the Amazon forums, I try to avoid insults. About the worst I do is asking, not calling, if they are brain dead because of some ridiculous thing they have said. The most resent was a poster who said God had all those people killed in Numbers 31 to stop the spread of STDs. I thought that was brain dead argument to rationalize a sadistic, murderous god. I agree with the author, Matt Slick, that insults should be avoid when possible, but as for the “condescension,” it’s kind of hard not to be when you’re dealing with someone who believes in talking donkeys, snakes, demons who live in pigs, and a man who sets up housekeeping in a fish. Concern about “condescension” should be the least of their concerns. They should be more concerned about being hypocrites to all the good things they claim to believe and all the bad things they rationalize. Remember Numbers 31 mentioned above? Well verses 17 & 18 read as follows, “Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.” How can a sane person not be “condescending” to such craziness? As for insulting, I’m insulted that I have to treat such craziness with polite acceptability when it should be treated with absolute contempt.
Look at his list of things Matt Slick says those mean old atheists do because they:
“They insult God....” Is speaking the absolute truth insulting? Who ordered killing the women, little boys, and baby girls that were too young to be considered “women children”? Is being insulting or speaking the truth to call a sadist killer a sadist killer?
“[They call God] a tyrant ....” Is anyone on this forum going to argue this as a false point? If there is any confusion just let me remind you that this tyrant of the sky will roast you in fire forever and ever if you don’t kiss his butt, and Matt Slick is a paid hack to find ways to counter the atheists’ argument. Wasted money because there is no defense of the horrific and false teaching of the Bible.
“... refer to Christianity as mythology, baseless, a fairytale, ...” And this is wrong because? Christianity is NOT which of these? Mass insanity is not a defense.
“ ... compare God to invisible pink unicorns and Santa Clause ....” And the comparison is wrong because?
Sorry, but the theists don’t get to make the rules for our debate. Matt Slick says we must not say these things IF WE WANT TO TAKEN SERIOUSLY. Are you kidding me? Talk about transference. How can they expect a book that says there are in fact unicorns and night hags be taken seriously? How can they expect to be taken seriously when the profess to believe such nonsense?
The article came from The Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry, a 501(c)3 non-profit, that prides itself on being “dedicated to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and the promotion and defense of the Christian Gospel, doctrine, and theology.” I’m not so sure their advice on how to deal with theists should be honored by antitheists.
Chuck: This article at best can only be filed under “know thy enemy,” but I didn’t find any of it very useful for an antitheist who is interacting with theists. It seemed to me its real purpose was to make theists feel good about themselves and safe from all those nasty lies spewed by those satanic atheists. The very first section is titled “Condescension and insults,” and its very first sentence is “This is the most common of all mistakes made by atheists.” Now I’ve been debating theists for a number years on the Amazon forums, I try to avoid insults. About the worst I do is asking, not calling, if they are brain dead because of some ridiculous thing they have said. The most resent was a poster who said God had all those people killed in Numbers 31 to stop the spread of STDs. I thought that was brain dead argument to rationalize a sadistic, murderous god. I agree with the author, Matt Slick, that insults should be avoid when possible, but as for the “condescension,” it’s kind of hard not to be when you’re dealing with someone who believes in talking donkeys, snakes, demons who live in pigs, and a man who sets up housekeeping in a fish. Concern about “condescension” should be the least of their concerns. They should be more concerned about being hypocrites to all the good things they claim to believe and all the bad things they rationalize. Remember Numbers 31 mentioned above? Well verses 17 & 18 read as follows, “Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.” How can a sane person not be “condescending” to such craziness? As for insulting, I’m insulted that I have to treat such craziness with polite acceptability when it should be treated with absolute contempt.
Look at his list of things Matt Slick says those mean old atheists do because they:
“They insult God....” Is speaking the absolute truth insulting? Who ordered killing the women, little boys, and baby girls that were too young to be considered “women children”? Is being insulting or speaking the truth to call a sadist killer a sadist killer?
“[They call God] a tyrant ....” Is anyone on this forum going to argue this as a false point? If there is any confusion just let me remind you that this tyrant of the sky will roast you in fire forever and ever if you don’t kiss his butt, and Matt Slick is a paid hack to find ways to counter the atheists’ argument. Wasted money because there is no defense of the horrific and false teaching of the Bible.
“... refer to Christianity as mythology, baseless, a fairytale, ...” And this is wrong because? Christianity is NOT which of these? Mass insanity is not a defense.
“ ... compare God to invisible pink unicorns and Santa Clause ....” And the comparison is wrong because?
Sorry, but the theists don’t get to make the rules for our debate. Matt Slick says we must not say these things IF WE WANT TO TAKEN SERIOUSLY. Are you kidding me? Talk about transference. How can they expect a book that says there are in fact unicorns and night hags be taken seriously? How can they expect to be taken seriously when the profess to believe such nonsense?
The article came from The Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry, a 501(c)3 non-profit, that prides itself on being “dedicated to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and the promotion and defense of the Christian Gospel, doctrine, and theology.” I’m not so sure their advice on how to deal with theists should be honored by antitheists.
Chuck Ludikee- Posts : 41
Reputation : 3
Join date : 2012-11-05
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