While saying “I’m an atheist” means one thing: “I do not hold a belief in any deity.”I'm sure you personally think more than that though. Here's some questions for you and for any atheists who stumbles on this blog:
- Do you personally believe God doesn't exist?
- If so, why? If not, how open are you to the possibility of God?
- Are you actively looking? If not, why not?
- Are you anti-theist? If so, why?
- Do you identify with the new atheists? Why or why not?
If you do answer them in a blog then if you link or comment back here, I can see your reply and respond!
I would have to begin by asking you to tell us what kind of Christian you are?I'm Anglican and Protestant. I'm pretty ecumenical though.
Do you believe the bible is literal or metaphorical, or a vague combinations of the two?A combination. There's many different types of genres in the Bible. Obviously it takes much more work to try to consider the different contexts, but it seems like the only honest way to go about it. I'd regard the early church as setting important boundaries of how far it's possible to push interpretations.
Is salvation reserved for believers, good doers, only 144,000 select individuals, is it available posthumously and/or pre-birth?Salvation's by faith in Jesus alone. Whether that's possible posthumously, or for how many I have no idea. Generally I'm not in the business of judging if someone or other will ultimately be saved or not.
What is the nature of your god: are you a triune polytheist, a triune monotheist, is he omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent or 2 out of 3, or none of the above?Yes, I'm a monotheist. I believe God is a trinity. All three omnis.
Is he a personal god who listens to and answers prayers, or a deity who maintains a definitive and unchanging plan for all people?Both. God is sovereign, and his plan takes into account us.
Do you believe in miracles and modern supernatural phenomena?Yes. I'm Christian and think (at a minimum) that God raised Jesus from the dead, which is a miracle in anyone's book. God is supernatural and modern.
What is the nature of the soul?I am not sure what I think about souls. I think a lot of conceptions we have of it aren't particularly Christian, more Greek. As I understood it (correct me if I'm wrong) originally having a "soul" just meant living.
What is your belief in other gods: only those mentioned in the Bible, gods not mentioned in the Bible, none at all?It seems to me there can only be one God, and in my humble opinion that God is the same one mentioned in the Bible.
Regarding the last question about "other gods" I was referring to other gods mentioned in the bible: Astroloth, Baal, Ishtar, Beelzebul, Tammuz and there are a few others. I find it interesting how many Christians aren't aware that the Bible mentions the existence of several other gods besides Yahweh.
ReplyDeleteAnd now on to your questions:
[Do you personally believe God doesn't exist?]
It would be more accurate to say I don't believe there is such a thing as god.
[If so, why? If not, how open are you to the possibility of God?]
Because it does not make sense to me. For example, you claim (if I be so bold) that your god, the god of the Bible, is omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent. This means that before he created the world, before time itself existed, then he knew that Adam and Eve would fall, that he would have to destroy the world by flood, that he would have to send his son to be a blood sacrifice, and that after all is said and done, the majority of people would burn in hell. Not only did he know this before he even created the world, but being omnipotent, he planned it that way. Therefore, he cannot be omnibenevolent because he actually planned to create a world in which the majority would end up in hell.
It is not just the Christian god, but every god I have been told about has irrational, illogical and contradictory powers. I am not open to this type of god, but it's not that I'm totally closed to the idea...it's just that a god that is not self-contradictory has yet to be introduced to me.
[Are you actively looking? If not, why not?]
No I'm not. I don't think it's worth the effort. I don't think there is such a thing as a god, so I would consider this a waste of time. I actively looked for many years, and that's is enough for me.
[Are you anti-theist? If so, why?]
Sometimes. I live in the Bible Belt and see how religion is violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism, tribalism, and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children. This is not to say I am anti-Christian, just that I am against the organized establishment that promote these cruel ideals.
[Do you identify with the new atheists? Why or why not?]
You might call me a "hipster atheist." I was an atheist before it was cool. My family rejected me for many years for being outspoken against the crimes of the church, but since this "new atheist" movement began gaining steam, they have reconnected with me. So I guess I am grateful for the movement, although I know little about it.
One last question for you: How do you deal with the contradictory doctrine and subsequent cognitive dissonance it causes? I have never been able to do that, which may be a great contributing factor to my lack of faith.
[ Do you personally believe God doesn't exist? ]
ReplyDeleteShort answer: No
Long answer: That's really only defined by determining how likely I find particular gods to be. For instance: I don't find any reason whatsoever to believe in Zeus, Horus, Mars, YHVH, or Allah - among hundreds of other gods I personally believe that their stories are myths and I have no reason to assume they are anything other than stories intended to explain away things that people of their respective times could not.
I believe that there is a small chance that a god exists, I have not seen any evidence that gives me the consideration that your particular god is the one that does exist though.
[ If so, why? If not, how open are you to the possibility of God? ]
Previous paragraph better explains this. I'm open to the possibility that there is a god so long as there is evidence to prove it. Beyond that I have to say that I'm not very open to the idea - there may be a god but without evidence I cannot make any positive assumptions about existence.
[ Are you actively looking? If not, why not? ]
I never stop looking.
[ Are you anti-theist? If so, why? ]
To some degree I am.
I find that belief in some gods has led to some pretty massive social problems that I believe we might currently live without were it not for superstitious and sometimes hate filled belief in certain deities. YHVH and ALLAH are two most prominent examples of deities that in their holy books display aggression, anger, pettiness, selfishness, and cruelty that has been translated into the actions of some of the people that believe in these deities. So...those characters that some call god...I am against those. I dislike them and I think they've harmed humanity.
[ Do you identify with the new atheists? Why or why not? ]
I do, though I don't know how solidifying this makes the movement. I think the new atheists are just people tired of seeing religion encroach on their daily lives and personal freedoms. They are tired of morality being legislated by an overt majority set of standards that are based off of belief in holy books and they are tired of seeing children brought up to fear death and hell to keep them in line. I'm fed up with all of these things myself so I must consider myself a New Atheist.
That doesn't mean that I necessarily think that every cause of many of the New Atheists is a worthwhile one nor that the methods some use are the best. I believe the best way to move forward it to have open and honest dialog regarding faith and science in order to bring better understanding to both parties of the debate.