Dear readers, this morning I like to share with you an article from a Roman Catholic priest on
“
Twelve Reasons Why I Never Argue With Internet Atheists.” See ANNEX 2 below.
The article is very good for atheists here and everywhere to know about themselves, and realize as I always see them to be, namely, they are always into nothing but self-obfuscation and self-obscurantism when the issue is God exists or not, in concept as first and foremost the creator cause and operator cause of the universe and man and everything with a beginning.
(Please continue reading, I will go now and see whether our good lady atheist here, one KTS, has answered to my request to tell me whether she knows about the reality in existence of the phenomenon of causation.)
Take these Nos. 6 and 7 reasons from Fr. Longenecker, about atheists continuous drumming on no evidence for God existing:
[From Fr. Longenecker, see ANNEX 1 below for bio of the good padre.]
6. Evidence? What Evidence? Very often atheists will ask for “evidence” for the existence of God, but I have never been able to ascertain from any of them what they mean by evidence. Do they want scientific evidence of the sort you produce in a laboratory? Archeological evidence? Documentary evidence? Historical evidence? Eyewitness evidence? Contemporary sociological evidence? Psychological evidence? Forensic evidence? I can provide all those kinds of evidence for the existence of God, but whenever one produces such evidence the atheist disputes the evidence. Interested in evidence? You tell me what kind of evidence you want and I’ll try to provide it. None have. Meh. Fuhgeddaboudit.
7. I’m called to produce first hand evidence - The most astounding evidence for the existence of God is the work he does in the lives of real people. He turns them into super humans we call saints. I’m trying to get to that place in my own life and thus produce irrefutable evidence of God’s existence–proof that will convince the people who meet me and who are touched by God through my life. That’s hard work and I’m still climbing that mountain. If I ever get to that point, then my life, I hope, will be my greatest argument for the existence of God for those who have eyes to see.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standin...-atheists.html
[End of except from Fr. Longenecker]
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ANNEX 1
About Fr. Longenecker | Fr. Dwight Longenecker
About Fr. Longenecker
Fr. Dwight Longenecker is an American who has spent most of his life living and working in England.
Fr Longenecker was brought up in an Evangelical home in Pennsylvania. After graduating from the fundamentalist Bob Jones University with a degree in Speech and English, he went to study theology at Oxford University. He was eventually ordained as an Anglican priest and served as a curate, a school chaplain in Cambridge and a country parson on the Isle of Wight.
Realizing that he and the Anglican Church were on divergent paths, in 1995 Fr. Dwight and his family were received into the Catholic Church. To read Fr Longenecker’s conversion story or to listen to the audio version
connect to the archived articles section of his blog.
Fr Dwight spent the next ten years working as a freelance Catholic writer, contributing to over twenty-five magazines, papers and journals in Britain, Ireland and the USA.
His first book is the best-selling book of English conversion stories called
The Path to Rome– Modern Journeys to the Catholic Faith. He has written
Listen My Son—a daily Benedictine devotional book which applies the Rule of St Benedict to the task of modern parenting. …
[…]
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ANNEX 2
Religion and Politics·
Twelve Reasons Why I Never Argue With Internet Atheists
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Some atheists trying to pick a fight with padre, but I never argue with atheists
Here’s why:
(Part One: Twelve Reasons Why I Never Argue With Internet Atheists)
1. Most of the internet atheists I’ve come across are ignorant - I don’t mean they’re stupid necessarily, or that they are bad people. I don’t even mean they are uneducated in their particular field, but most of them are ignorant when it comes to religion. By this I mean they just don’t know stuff. I don’t blame them for that, I’m ignorant about rocket science, how to do break job on a car, the rules of cricket and micro biology. Religion is one of the areas I do know something about so it’s difficult arguing with people who think they know it all about religion, but don’t.
2. Most of the internet atheists are “religion blind” the way a person might be color blind - Arguing religion with this kind of atheist is like expecting a color blind person to be an art critic. Furthermore, many of them are “religion blind” but think they’re not. Tough one.
3. Arguing religion doesn’t work - This is also why I don’t argue with Protestants, Buddhists, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists and Moonies or members of the Church of the Four Square Gospel of the Fourth Revision. For a person to understand and connect with religion they have to go on an honest search themselves and really seek the answers. “Seek and you shall find” and all that. Arguments don’t really fit with that model. However, if a person–any person is an honest enquirer and wants to learn more about religion I’ll spend all the time in the world trying to point the way.
4. There are better debaters out there - Sometimes argument works for some people if they are really searching for an answer and want to have an honest discussion. I think there are a many good natured atheists out there who do want to argue in an open minded and intelligent fashion. They should connect with website like
Strange Notions run by my friend Brandon Vogt. He’s set up an excellent site where people can conduct good tempered, rational conversations about God and religion.
5. I’m not that convinced about the usefulness of the “arguments” for God - Sure, I know the arguments and can explain them if I need to, but the whole religious-God thing is so much larger than intellectual arguments. For me it’s a bigger adventure and a grander love affair. The arguments for the existence of God boil the whole thing down to an intellectual game and I find that unsatisfying. It’s kind of like arguing about the existence of music. I’d rather listen to the symphony and invite another person to join me.
6. Evidence? What Evidence? Very often atheists will ask for “evidence” for the existence of God, but I have never been able to ascertain from any of them what they mean by evidence. Do they want scientific evidence of the sort you produce in a laboratory? Archeological evidence? Documentary evidence? Historical evidence? Eyewitness evidence? Contemporary sociological evidence? Psychological evidence? Forensic evidence? I can provide all those kinds of evidence for the existence of God, but whenever one produces such evidence the atheist disputes the evidence. Interested in evidence? You tell me what kind of evidence you want and I’ll try to provide it. None have. Meh. Fuhgeddaboudit.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standin...-atheists.html
(Part Two: Twelve Reasons Why I Never Argue With Internet Atheists)
7. I’m called to produce first hand evidence - The most astounding evidence for the existence of God is the work he does in the lives of real people. He turns them into super humans we call saints. I’m trying to get to that place in my own life and thus produce irrefutable evidence of God’s existence–proof that will convince the people who meet me and who are touched by God through my life. That’s hard work and I’m still climbing that mountain. If I ever get to that point, then my life, I hope, will be my greatest argument for the existence of God for those who have eyes to see.
8. Many atheists aren’t atheists at all - One of the reasons I don’t argue with atheists is because many of them aren’t even atheists. They’re just people who hate religion or maybe they are rebelling against the dumb religion they were brought up in, or for good reasons have rejected religion because of bad, mad or stupid religious people. I don’t blame them for doing so. They’re often more honest, up front and articulate in their rejection of religion than many of the people who accept religion without thinking. It’s just that they’re not atheists. They call themselves atheists, but they’re really anti-religionists.
9. I usually don’t believe in the God they don’t believe in - When I sometimes do get down to talking to atheists and ask what they think God is, I find that I don’t believe in that God either. So they reject a God who is the big grandaddy in the sky who gives his children stuff when they’re good and smacks them when they’re bad. Or maybe they think God is like Zeus or Thor or some such and they don’t believe in that God. Neither do I.
10. There’s often a lot of rage, vulgarity and dumb stuff you have to wade through - Why do atheists think it’s so smart to say stuff like, “Oh, you believe in talking snakes do you?” That sort of statement only shows their own ignorance of ancient cultures, religious language, literature in general, symbolism, types of literary genre, human psychology etc. I certainly wouldn’t mind if they picked up on some of the absurdities, hypocrisies and idiotic things in religion, but why can’t they do a better job of it? When these “arguments” are combined with aggression, arrogance, rude behavior, vulgarity and an amazing lack of any sense of humor it makes any discussion a rather unpleasant experience.
11. My religion is precious to me I actually believe what I believe and try to live my whole life around it. It’s something that is, as I grow older, precious, fragile and dear to me. It’s like an old Chinese vase that I have inherited from my ancestors. It is easily broken, soiled and marred. I would prefer not to bring it out for people who think it’s nothing more than a Walmart trinket to take pot shots at.
12, Atheism is dull - Atheists themselves may be exciting, charming, entertaining and vivacious people. It is not the atheists I object to as much as atheism. I say it is dull because it is, at its essence, a negation and a denial. There can be nothing festive about it. There can be nothing intriguing or mysterious about it. It is not fecund. It is a reduction not an addition. It is a negative not a positive. It is something empty, not full. It is therefore as empty as a yawn… and as interesting.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standin...ernet-atheists
[End of ANNEXES]
