More Questions....

Found these at http://carm.org/questions-for-atheists

 

1.   How would you define atheism?

The lack of belief in a god or gods.

2. Do you act according to what you believe (there is no God) in or what you don't believe in (lack belief in God)?

I act according to the information I have. If I don't think I have enough information to act in a responsible or safe manner, I don't.

3. Do you think it is inconsistent for someone who "lacks belief" in God to work against God's existence by attempting to show that God doesn't exist?

Yes, which is why I don’t waste my time trying to “prove” the non-existence of something.

It is much more productive to critically examine the claims of ones asserting the existence of something: be it the Loch Ness Monster, alien abductions, ghosts, ESP or gods.

4. How sure are you that your atheism properly represents reality?

It doesn’t matter what religion you are talking about, they are all built upon the testimony of people who claim to have had a divine revelation from some supernatural deity that only reveals itself at a time, place and manner of its own choosing and never seems to do so through independently verifiable means. Either they are all equally valid, which is impossible, or they are all equally invalid, which is more likely.

5. How sure are you that your atheism is correct?

How sure am I that i’m unsure of something? Pretty sure.

6. How would you define what truth is?

That which is in accordance with fact or reality.

7. Why do you believe your atheism is a justifiable position to hold?

Go back and re-read my answer to number 4.

8. Are you a materialist, or a physicalist, or what?

A realist.

9. Do you affirm or deny that atheism is a worldview?  Why or why not?

It is not. A worldview is a set of fundamental assumptions about how the world is and often includes statements on how the world should be. Secular Humanism is a worldview. Religious fundamentalism is a worldview. Nihilism is a worldview. One's world view can be theistic or atheistic, but your worldview is not “atheism” or “theism.” Christianity is a theistic world view. Secular Humanism is an atheistic world view. See what I mean?

 

10. Not all atheists are antagonistic to Christianity, but for those of you who are, why the antagonism?

Why has there been such antagonism towards atheists by christians for the last couple of thousand years?

11. If you were at one time a believer in the Christian God, what caused you to deny his existence?

A serious and honest critical examination of what I believed and why I believed it.

12. Do you believe the world would be better off without religion?

No. But I don’t believe that it would be any worse either.

13. Do you believe the world would be better off without Christianity?

See previous.

14. Do you believe that faith in a God or gods is a mental disorder?

It can certainly be confused as one. It does often act as an enabler for mental disorders by exacerbating an existing condition. Generally speaking though, I would say no. People ultimately choose to believe in gods, they don’t choose to have mental disorders. As far as why people choose to believe in gods, there are numerous reasons.

15. Must God be known through the scientific method?

Based on how a god is defined, it seems impossible that knowledge of one could come about through the scientific method. That’s why I assert that all religious claims are inherently equal. There is no way to determine whether or not one claim is more or less valid than the other….in science, there is.

16. If you answered yes to the previous question, then how do you avoid a category mistake by requiring material evidence for an immaterial God?

I don't require material evidence for an immaterial god. I require independent verification of theistic claims.

17. Do we have any purpose as human beings?

Yes.

18. If we do have purpose, can you as an atheist please explain how that purpose is determined?

Depends. If you are asking for an individual purpose, each person has to find their own purpose. If you are asking for humanity’s purpose, in terms of the universe, we are largely irrelevant. We occupy a speck of dust in the middle of an incomprehensibly big ocean. As far as humanity’s purpose in terms of the planet earth, I believe Kurt Vonnegut said it best when he said, “we're here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.”

19. Where does morality come from?

Agents of socialization, enlightened self-interest, the truth or falsehood of the underlying assumptions behind our actions, and above all, the situation and circumstances.

 

20. Are there moral absolutes?

 

It is very dangerous to deal in absolutes as it is very dangerous to assert that something is always “A” or always “B.” If something is always “A” or always “B,” then the situation or circumstances around it and/or the factuality of the underlying assumptions are irrelevant. Therefore, if we take “thou shalt not kill” as a moral absolute, then there is no moral difference between one who kills in self-defense, one who kills in a fit of passion and one who kills for sexual gratification. No criminal code on earth (not even Saudi Arabia or North Korea) operates like this.

 

21. If there are moral absolutes, could you list a few of them?

Be sure your actions are based on truthful assumptions, sound evidence, and an understanding of the situation.

 

22. Do you believe there is such a thing as evil?  If so, what is it?

As an abstract concept, yes. An action can be defined as “evil” if it is done with willful disregard to the fact that the underlying assumptions behind the actions are known to be false, or the evidenciary support is known to be fraudulent or incorrect.

23. If you believe that the God of the Old Testament is morally bad, by what standard do you judge that he is bad?

I don’t call the guy good or bad,

But a quick profile of the guy reveals:

-he’s possessive.

-he’s vain and has some obvious insecurity issues which explains his constant need for praise.

-he’s got a violent temper.

-he has an obsession with arbitrary rules that indicates OCD.

-he has schizophrenic tendencies.

-his penchant for getting others to do his dirty work for him (read the book of Joshua) is reminiscent of Charles Manson.

 

Based on this, he doesn’t seem like a guy I’d want to spend any amount of time with, much less, an eternity.

24. What would it take for you to believe in God?

 

A sound, logically consistent and/or independently verifiable reason to.

25. What would constitute sufficient evidence for God’s existence?

The arm of an amputee spontaneously regenerating in response to prayer.

 

26. Must this evidence be rationally based, archaeological, testable in a lab, etc. or what?

It would have to be independently verifiable.

 

27. Do you think that a society that is run by Christians or atheists would be safer?  Why?

I think a society run by people (regardless of their beliefs or lack thereof) who respect the principles of tolerance and pluralism is safest.

 

28. Do you believe in free will?  (free will being the ability to make choices without coercion). 

Yes.

 

29. If you believe in free will do you see any problem with defending the idea that the physical brain, which is limited and subject to the neuro-chemical laws of the brain, can still produce free will choices?

One uses the brain to make free will choices. The ability to use the brain is dependent upon the neuro-chemical processes of the brain. You are essentially asking if someone can use the brain independent of the brain.

30. If you affirm evolution and that the universe will continue to expand forever, then do you think it is probable that given enough time, brains would evolve to the point of exceeding mere physical limitations and become free of the physical and temporal, and thereby become "deity" and not be restricted by space and time?  If not, why not? 

You seem to be unclear on the difference between what is “possible” and what is “probable.”

You are asking if it is probable that something that exists inside of time and space will evolve to operate independent of time and space.

To establish probability, you must first establish possibility. Is it even possible for something inside of time and space to operate independent of it? If so, how do you know this? Even if you successfully establish possibility, you then have to determine probability based on the number of observed occurences of it happening.

You also reveal a bit of ignorance about biological evolution. Evolution does not mean that an organism is always “improving.” Evolution refers to how an organism changes over time. Changes can be beneficial, detrimental or benign.

 

31. If you answered the previous question in the affirmative, then aren't you saying that it is probable that some sort of God exists?

See previous.