Atheists, Why Do You Believe That Christians Cannot Accept Evolution?

[Occams Barber]

I'm with @Rose2020 and @Strathos on this one. Wanting something does not mean it has to be true. I can want God to exist, I can want to believe in God - it makes no difference if God exists or not. If it gives me comfort, is that not a good enough reason?

I'm not denying that belief provides comfort. I'll even accept that for some people the value of comfort will be greater than a discomforting objective truth. But, however useful or consoling comfort may be, it cannot make something true.

OB

 

[Gene2memE]

True, I completely agree with you, but doesn't it also make more sense than being descended from monkeys?

Humans aren't "descended from monkeys".

Humans and modern ape species (Chimpanzes and Bonobos) share a common ancestor, with evidence suggesting this last common ancestor lived somewhere between six and eight million years ago.

After that the Hominini taxonomic group split into Pan (which led to modern Chimpanzes and Bonobos) and Hominia (which led to the Homo genus, which includes modern Humans).

 

[April_Rose]

I'm not denying that belief provides comfort. I'll even accept that for some people the value of comfort will be greater than a discomforting objective truth. But, however useful or consoling comfort may be, it cannot make something true.

OB

If God comforts you, doesn't that make Him real though?

 

[SkyWriting]

Bats literally hang out in caves.

A valid point.

 

[Occams Barber]

If God comforts you, doesn't that make Him real though?

It makes him real in your mind Rose so that's probably all that matters. If it gives you comfort I'm not here to change your thinking.

OB

 

[April_Rose]

It makes him real in your mind Rose so that's probably all that matters. If it gives you comfort I'm not here to change your thinking.

OB

I feel sad for you. Praying for you to find the truth and God's love.

 

[Strathos]

I find your statement honestly confusing.

Apart from seeing belief in God as a rational thing to do based on reasonable evidence, what other reason could I possibly have? Wanting to believe is not, in itself, a valid reason to believe.

OB

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

 

[Bungle_Bear]

I'm not denying that belief provides comfort. I'll even accept that for some people the value of comfort will be greater than a discomforting objective truth. But, however useful or consoling comfort may be, it cannot make something true.

I think we're at the same place, but that's not what you claimed:

Wanting to believe is not, in itself, a valid reason to believe

I think you and I would both argue that comfort is a perfectly valid reason to want to believe, but it doesn't make the desired outcome true.

 

[Caliban]

One should believe in God because they have faith, not just because God "makes sense", IMO.

I consider faith a bad thing. Why do you think it is good?

 

[April_Rose]

I consider faith a bad thing. Why do you think it is good?

Well, why do you say it's bad?

 

[Occams Barber]

I've seen that quote many times but I've never been able to make sense of making a virtue out of unevidenced belief.

OB

 

[Occams Barber]

I think we're at the same place, but that's not what you claimed:

I think you and I would both argue that comfort is a perfectly valid reason to want to believe, but it doesn't make the desired outcome true.

You're right - I could have phrased that better. Perhaps I should have said:

Wanting to believe does not make something true.

OB

 

[April_Rose]

I've seen that quote many times but I've never been able to make sense of making a virtue out of unevidenced belief.

OB

Which quote would that be?

 

[Occams Barber]

I feel sad for you. Praying for you to find the truth and God's love.

Thanks. So far I've managed more than seven relatively happy decades without feeling a need for a god. I have a couple of well adjusted (adult) children who share my (lack of) belief.

Believe it or not, for some of us, it is possible to live a fulfilled life without a god.

OB

 

[Occams Barber]

Which quote would that be?

I was replying to @Strathos' post #307.

The quote was from John 20:29

Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
​

OB

 

[AV1611VET]

Think of monkeys as (very) distant cousins and your common ancestors as the great, great, great, great .... grandfathers and grandmothers you share with them.

Luke traced our genealogy right back to ... God.

Luke 3:38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

 

[AV1611VET]

There's plenty of evidence showing that primates descended from a common ancestor.

Only on paper.

QV:

Ontological reductionism: a belief that the whole of reality consists of a minimal number of parts.

SOURCE

 

[Occams Barber]

Luke traced our genealogy right back to ... God.

Luke 3:38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

That makes you the great, great, great, great........grandson of God.

I will be more respectful from here on

AV

 

[AV1611VET]

Thanks. So far I've managed more than seven relatively happy decades without feeling a need for a god. I have a couple of well adjusted (adult) children who share my (lack of) belief.

Believe it or not, for some of us, it is possible to live a fulfilled life without a god.

OB

You're not alone.

See Psalm 73.

 

[AV1611VET]

That makes you the great, great, great, great........grandson of God.

I will be more respectful from here on

AV

No disrespect detected.