A Manual for Creating Atheists by Peter Boghossian

by cofty 188 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • notjustyet
    notjustyet

    I recognized the name and remembered a video I came upon a year or so and wanted to share this as it has to do with faith which has been brought up within this thread.

    Enjoy,..

    NJY here Scummydross over at jehovahswitnessrecovery.com (hope to be able to change my name here in the future lol)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp4WUFXvCFQ

  • tornapart
    tornapart

    Freedom, that's the important thing. Freedom to believe in what we want regardless of what it is, freedom to believe in God, freedom to not believe in God.

    Religion took that freedom away and forces people to believe in what they tell them. What I don't want is atheists coming along and preaching their own religion to me and trying to take my freedom away once again.

    If atheists don't like people believing in God then that's up to them but don't use it to try and take other's freedom away again.

  • cofty
    cofty

    What I don't want is atheists coming along and preaching their own religion to me and trying to take my freedom away once again.

    tornapart - How do you imagine an atheist can take away your freedom to believe anything you want?

    Would presenting evidence to the contrary be a threat to your belief?

  • tornapart
    tornapart

    My belief in God is very important to me, why would you want to threaten it?

  • cofty
    cofty

    My belief in god used to be the most important thing in my life too.

    What did you mean by, "I don't want is atheists..trying to take my freedom away once again."

    Should we not welcome all evidence if our beliefs are correct? Was it not by hiding from challenges to our faith that we got stuck in a cult?

  • tornapart
    tornapart

    I mean, it's all about control. I gave my freedom away to a man made religion. I've taken that freedom back, I can think for myself. I have given a lot of thought to evolution and 'if God exists, he's cruel' ideas. I've also come to satisfactory conclusions and I still believe God exists. When someone starts telling another person how they should feel, think, act, believe... regardless of whether they are theist or atheist, it takes that freedom away. (Even if it just the inference that they are stupid, deluded or ignorant).

    My point is, that every single person on this planet has the right to their own personal beliefs... that's freedom.

  • cofty
    cofty

    But it's also freedom to be able to publicly challenge any idea.

    We are not talking about freedom to insult people, but freedom to examine whether beliefs align with reality.

    If our beliefs are true they will survive any challenge.

  • tornapart
    tornapart

    Sometimes reality can actually be an illusion of reality. For instance an atheist will say 'God doesn't exist'... a theist will say 'God does exist'....

    To a theist, his belief is his reality. To an atheist, his belief is his reality. The reality actually is that neither side can either prove nor disprove the existence of God.

  • cofty
    cofty

    Oh dear we have explained this canard more times than I can count.

    Only believers have the burden of proof. Atheists simply find the case for god to be unconvincing.

    Faith depends on keeping beliefs safe from evidence and rational thinking. Why is it wrong for atheists to hold those beliefs up against objective evidence and examine them?

  • willmarite
    willmarite

    Hi cofty. You said "Only believers have the burden of proof. Atheists simply find the case for god to be unconvincing."

    Technically this is true. However, usually atheism comes with a world view namely materialism. This is not a non-belief and must be proven.

    I could classify myself as an amaterialist that is to say a non-believer in the philosophy of materialism. Now the burden of proof is on you.

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