by hamilcarr 50 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Believers on this board repeatedly claim subjective experience as a major source for their belief. This anecdotal evidence can't be checked by science because it falls outside the empirical realm.
What about atheism? Would it be possible that an atheist too has had a personal experience that convinced him of the non-existence of God? And why would(n't) it be as powerful as the similar believers' argument?
hamilcarr
God came to me in a dream and told me his was a figment of everyone's imagination.
Does that count?
Does that count?Probably dreams are not vague enough to become a born again (dare I say spiritual) atheist. Moreover, they are examined by science.
I was touched by the Spaghetti Monster. Does that count?
Seriously tho, there are probably at least two types of atheists.
Some reject god because of something bad that has happened in their life and turn to atheism. Others do not reject god per se, but simply do not believe he exists due to lack of evidence. Members of the first group probably feel they have anecdotal evidence for god's non-existence.
Which takes more faith ?
To believe in a God
Or not to believe in a God
Not believing in something requires no faith.
The tsunami in 2005 was a turning point for me. I don't understand how any sort of God would have allowed that. Bad things happen all the time of course but that impacted me for some reason. It defies JW explanations for natural disasters too because they often claim that even apparent 'acts of God' have human causes - like how dams can cause earthquakes and global warming might explain extreme storms. It is a bit harder to see how humans could in any way be said to have caused a tsunami. (though no doubt there are attempts to do so by some believers)
If there is a God and he has got a reason for why he allows things like that then I would be interested to hear it of course. But at this point I am doubtful. I like Sartre's ironic quip: 'God doesn't exist, the bastard'. As if failure to exist is merely the latest in a long line of God's failings.
Plus my life made a lot of sense when I believed God was watching over everthing. Even the most insignificant daily event was coloured by my belief that there was a God, and that he was in some sense 'with' me in my life. Now existence seems to me to be a random collection of events with no course or purpose. We can of course seek to inscribe them with our own meaning, but this is temporary, like patterns in the sand at low tide. There is no enduring meaning to anything. It's a bit depressing, but happily daily life preoccupies me most of the time and I tend not to think about it.
Which takes more faith ?
To believe in a God
Or not to believe in a God
Belief in God, hands down. But that's just me. It's not that I don't want to believe in God. I would prefer that he existed! It just does not seem likely.
Yes, I have strong anecdotal evidence that God doesn't exist.
I reached out to God after attempting to kill myself and asked him to guide
my life. I was sincere and really trusted him. I joined the JW's because I
thought God guided me to them.
Years later, I find out I was in a dangerous mind-control cult. Why would
God allow someone who sincerely asks for help to join a cult? That is
at least proof that God doesn't care.
That's pure anecdotal evidence. I didn not decide he wasn't there based
solely on that. You need to look at the evidence that Science has found.
