Let’s Stop Calling New Atheism, “Atheism,” and Start Calling it What it is: Anti-Theism

[cbayer]

175. Well of course those two assertions are completely different, but that is

not at all what we are discussing. The second assertion is ludicrous. I don't think you could find a single person here that would endorse it, so your argument is better suited for another place. That assertion should be strongly challenged whenever it is encountered.

But, let's take the two assertions we are actually talking about:

1. God exists

2. God does not exist

Neither is supported by, well, anything. Both are supported by the say-so of some people. You completely simplify people's religious beliefs by dismissing them as based on a 2000 year old book that has some ugly things in it.

But people's religious beliefs are so much more complex than that. The book(s) may be important but they are the whole thing.

Since you don't believe in god, it is absolutely meaningless for you to have a discussion about what god can and can not do. If you want to challenge a specific assertion put forward by someone, that is one thing. But these generalized discussions go nowhere and never answer a question. For every "god" that you describe, there are thousands more that your arguments don't address at all.

I see people's perceptions of god(s) like the elephant in the room full of blind man. Each one touches a certain part and builds all their conclusions on that part.

Are you calling me morally negligent because I believe that neither of these assertions will ever prevail? Really? I fully endorse continuing to question and test both premises, but don't have faith that there will ever be an answer.

BTW, in your last paragraph you begin to make it personal and you do this because you have made an assumption about me that is not correct. You might want to test that assertion and avail yourself of some evidence.

I am strongly in favor of challenging religion, and any other beliefs, when they cause harm to others. But, unlike you, I am able to also see the good that religion does. That's why I am not an anti-theist. Critical thinking in this area is critical and the inability to discern what is good from what is bad leads to blind prejudice, imo.