Do atheists constantly change the goalposts?

Desk trauma · Sunday at 12:55 PM

o_mlly said:
Insinuate? You wrote "Right ...". So why did you do so? If you were trying to be sarcastic you should let readers know.

You're not this dense.

o_mlly said:
On the singular issue of anything called "god things", atheist believe "no-things", right?

On the singular question of do they believe there are god/s the answer is no. That does not mean that that they hold no beliefs.

eleos1954 · Sunday at 1:20 PM

the Vital One said:
It seems like whenever one tries to provide evidence of God, the Bible, ect. to an atheist they keep changing the goalposts.

One example is the simple fact of Jesus being a historical person.

You give them the Gospels as proof and that isn't good enough because it was written by Christians and therefore biased. You give them secular sources close to the time of Christ and those aren't good enough because they've been tainted by Christians. You give them other secular sources and they don't count because they came too late.

Atheists think they're governed by logic and science and have an incorruptible, rational view of everything. There's a least one fallacy they keep coming back to and it's changing the goalposts.

A lot has and is being discovered through archeology that verifies people in the bible actually were real people (not myths or fables)

Bradskii · Sunday at 4:52 PM

o_mlly said:
On the singular issue of anything called "god things", atheist believe "no-things", right?

So on the singular issue of anything called "fairy-things", you believe "no-things as well". Gosh...

This level of of 'argument' is on par with 'I know you are. But what am I?'

dlamberth · Sunday at 5:59 PM

the Vital One said:
It seems like whenever one tries to provide evidence of God, the Bible, ect. to an atheist they keep changing the goalposts.

Evidence of God is a personal experience. In that regard the Bible is about one's relationship with the Divine. It's not meant to be evidence of God.

the Vital One said:
One example is the simple fact of Jesus being a historical person.

From what I've seen in this forum is the acceptance that Jesus is a historical person. I've not seen anyone deny that reality.

the Vital One said:
Atheists think they're governed by logic and science and have an incorruptible, rational view of everything. There's a least one fallacy they keep coming back to and it's changing the goalposts.

With Biblical events like the Genesis Creation story, the Earth itself tells a very different story then what comes from the Bible. The goal post, if it's changed at all, is that science is opening an ever widening window into the workings of the Earth. There's a lot more knowledge to work with.

Larniavc · Sunday at 7:35 PM

eleos1954 said:
A lot has and is being discovered through archeology that verifies people in the bible actually were real people (not myths or fables)

But that does not support any supernatural goings on. If there is no supernatural goings on it’s not a very good religion is it?

zippy2006 · Sunday at 7:50 PM

the Vital One said:
Do atheists constantly change the goalposts?

Yes, and anyone who believes that Jesus never existed is probably already a highly irrational individual in the first place.

Hans Blaster · Sunday at 7:50 PM

A good post, I only had a couple of notes. Cheers.

2PhiloVoid said:
Only if they're trolls. Otherwise, I'm sure many if not most of them simply find it difficult to believe. I can understand their angst.

No need for angst.

2PhiloVoid said:
It often happens that those who have abandoned the faith have done so for one of two reasons 1) they experienced abuse and or severe disappointment with the Christian faith (or with the interpretation given to them at their local church, or 2) they tend to have a more inquisitive nature and require firmer expositions of evidence and proof than other people do. I can actually respect the latter outcome if I know they're being honest about their doubts.

or 3) you figure out your own religion is just as unbelievable as the others you already didn't believe.

2PhiloVoid · Sunday at 8:03 PM

Hans Blaster said:
or 3) you figure out your own religion is just as unbelievable as the others you already didn't believe.

That is a possible conclusion as well, but in some ways it's just an extension of 2 due to a skeptic's already present incredulity.

Hans Blaster · Sunday at 9:08 PM

2PhiloVoid said:
That is a possible conclusion as well, but in some ways it's just an extension of 2 due to a skeptic's already present incredulity.

One not even intend to investigated to sort this out. If you think I spent one minute trying to figure out if my old religion was true, then you overestimated by 60 seconds.

2PhiloVoid · Sunday at 9:28 PM

Hans Blaster said:
One not even intend to investigated to sort this out. If you think I spent one minute trying to figure out if my old religion was true, then you overestimated by 60 seconds.

.... at least you're honest about it, I give you that. Not everyone is.

dlamberth · Sunday at 10:43 PM

2PhiloVoid said:
It often happens that those who have abandoned the faith have done so for one of two reasons 1) they experienced abuse and or severe disappointment with the Christian faith (or with the interpretation given to them at their local church, or 2) they tend to have a more inquisitive nature and require firmer expositions of evidence and proof than other people do. I can actually respect the latter outcome if I know they're being honest about their doubts.

I think this is all true not only for those who left Christianity and became atheist, but I think it also hits home for many of us who went elsewhere for spiritual understanding.

Bradskii · Sunday at 11:29 PM

zippy2006 said:
Yes...

For example..?

zippy2006 said:
...and anyone who believes that Jesus never existed...

There's probably a higher proportion of atheists on this forum then there are in the general population. And I've not known any of them deny that someone matching the description of Jesus in the bible actually existed.

zippy2006 said:
...is probably already a highly irrational individual in the first place.

Why don't we meet up in the latest flat earth thread and discuss that.

Oompa Loompa · 2026-02-16T04:08:45-0600

the Vital One said:
It seems like whenever one tries to provide evidence of God, the Bible, ect. to an atheist they keep changing the goalposts.

One example is the simple fact of Jesus being a historical person.

You give them the Gospels as proof and that isn't good enough because it was written by Christians and therefore biased. You give them secular sources close to the time of Christ and those aren't good enough because they've been tainted by Christians. You give them other secular sources and they don't count because they came too late.

Atheists think they're governed by logic and science and have an incorruptible, rational view of everything. There's a least one fallacy they keep coming back to and it's changing the goalposts.

Romans 1:18-32 ESV
[18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. [19] For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. [20] For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. [21] For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. [22] Claiming to be wise, they became fools, [23] and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. [24] Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, [25] because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. [26] For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; [27] and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. [28] And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. [29] They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, [30] slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, [31] foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. [32] Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Aryeh Jay · 2026-02-16T04:14:42-0600

Desk trauma said:
No.

That sounds like something an atheist would say.

o_mlly · 2026-02-16T06:54:52-0600

2PhiloVoid said:
It often happens that those who have abandoned the faith have done so for one of two reasons 1) they experienced abuse and or severe disappointment with the Christian faith (or with the interpretation given to them at their local church, or 2) they tend to have a more inquisitive nature and require firmer expositions of evidence and proof than other people do.

There's a third reason. Some apostates are unwilling to order their (or their loved ones) appetites to the norms prescribed by the moral codes of their faith and wish to engage in licentious behaviors.

o_mlly · 2026-02-16T06:58:14-0600

Desk trauma said:
You're not this dense.

No need to go negative.

Desk trauma said:
On the singular question of do they believe there are god/s the answer is no.

Yes, that's right --"no-thing".

Desk trauma · 2026-02-16T07:01:19-0600

o_mlly said:
No need to go negative.

Yes, that's right --"no-thing".

Thank you for reminding me why this is a waste of time.

2PhiloVoid · 2026-02-16T07:07:55-0600

o_mlly said:
There's a third reason. Some apostates are unwilling to order their (or their loved ones) appetites to the norms prescribed by the moral codes of their faith and wish to engage in licentious behaviors.

I don't think it's quite that simple, and where your citation of a 3rd reason is applicable, I would simply role it up into the 1st reason: they prayed and prayed for help from God to deal with their sins and ................................ they feel that they instead received the manifold chirps of crickets. This is where the 'Grand Disappointment' with the Christian faith manifests for quite a few people.

And then, of course, to top it off, once folks apostasize, there's folks like yourself who show up to make sure that those apostates have a finger of shame wagged in their face as the first line of defense against their leaving the fold. All of which helps so very much...............

o_mlly · 2026-02-16T07:30:14-0600

2PhiloVoid said:
I don't think it's quite that simple, and where your citation of a 3rd reason is applicable, I would simply role it up into the 1st reason: they prayed and prayed for help from God to deal with their sins and ................................ they feel that they instead received the manifold chirps of crickets. This is where the 'Grand Disappointment' with the Christian faith manifests for quite a few people.

Read the Book of Job again. Pray harder. He won't change His answer but your praying will make you more receptive to His response.

2PhiloVoid said:
And then, of course, to top it off, once folks apostasize, there's folks like yourself who show up to make sure that those apostates have a finger of shame wagged in their face as the first line of defense against their leaving the fold. All of which helps so very much...............

No need to get defensive. There's no shame in being confused. But there is guilt in being vincibly ignorant.

2PhiloVoid · 2026-02-16T07:32:48-0600

o_mlly said:
Read the Book of Job again. Pray harder. He won't change His answer but your praying will make you more receptive to His response.

Remember, I'm not the atheist here, and I'm not asking you for advice on how to go about making prayer more effective.

o_mlly said:
No need to get defensive. There's no shame in being confused. But there is guilt in being vincibly ignorant.

And who are you directing these last statements to? Me? If so, I'd suggest you find a more appropriate target for your preaching.

You see, I'm not the one who is confused.

We hope the site problems here are now solved, however, if you still have any issues, please start a ticket in Contact Us

Do atheists constantly change the goalposts?

[redacted]

God is Love

Under the Southern Cross I stand...

Senior Contributor

"Larniavc sir, how are you so smart?"

Dragonsworn

Call Me Al

It's Metropolis! Enjoy the stay!

Call Me Al

It's Metropolis! Enjoy the stay!

Senior Contributor

Under the Southern Cross I stand...

Well-Known Member

Stuck on a ship.

“Behold, I make all things new.”

“Behold, I make all things new.”

[redacted]

It's Metropolis! Enjoy the stay!

“Behold, I make all things new.”

It's Metropolis! Enjoy the stay!

Similar threads