Atheists,
I’m going to leave you now.
You’re boring.
I’m tired of childish conversations.
David Bentley helped me make the decision to quit featuring drivel on my blog.
A truly profound atheist is someone who has taken the trouble to understand, in its most sophisticated forms, the belief he or she rejects, and to understand the consequences of that rejection. Among the New Atheists, there is no one of whom this can be said, and the movement as a whole has yet to produce a single book or essay that is anything more than an insipidly doctrinaire and appallingly ignorant diatribe.
If that seems a harsh judgment, I can only say that I have arrived at it honestly. In the course of writing a book published just this last year, I dutifully acquainted myself not only with all the recent New Atheist bestsellers, but also with a whole constellation of other texts in the same line, and I did so, I believe, without prejudice. No matter how patiently I read, though, and no matter how Herculean the efforts I made at sympathy, I simply could not find many intellectually serious arguments in their pages, and I came finally to believe that their authors were not much concerned to make any.
What I did take away from the experience was a fairly good sense of the real scope and ambition of the New Atheist project. I came to realize that the whole enterprise, when purged of its hugely preponderant alloy of sanctimonious bombast, is reducible to only a handful of arguments, most of which consist in simple category mistakes or the kind of historical oversimplifications that are either demonstrably false or irrelevantly true. And arguments of that sort are easily dismissed, if one is hardy enough to go on pointing out the obvious with sufficient indefatigability.
So…I’m moving on.
I’m not “hardy enough” to continue the dull task of pointing out the obvious.
You’re always welcome to comment on anything I write.
Or you could belch and render the same intellectual consequence.
23 Responses
“David Bentley helped me make the decision to quit featuring drivel on my blog.”
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Somehow I can buy it. This post seems to be evidence against your premise. But, here’s to hope that you’ll make good on your promise.
-kia
Kia, I’ve learned a great bit of wisdom from Romans 1:8–>
It basically says that EVERYONE… yes, even little anonymous you, KNOWS that God exists. Everyone!!! It’s just that you and lots of people like you, deny the truth in unrighteousness. (That means that even though you KNOW the truth in your heart… you still stand there, straight-faced and deny the Creator of the universe exists, even as you stand in His creation, breathing every breath by His grace and patience.)
So since you can’t know everything, and deny the one being/person who could reveal knowledge to you… you can’t know ANYTHING for sure… including that you aren’t just some brain in a vat, hooked up to the matrix.
And since you can’t know anything for sure, especially since you find it so easy to deny the God who created you and your entire reality, you really aren’t worth having a rational conversation with.
Because of this chapter in the Bible, I’m not LMAO every time a heathen like you asks for “evidence” of God!!! You deny the evidence of our own creation!! You deny the claim to ANY objective knowledge or truth. Why mess with someone who easily says… “I don’t believe that’s true?”
Why believe anything YOU say? You could be wrong about EVERYTHING!!
Want to know why you have problems thinking rationally and logically, no matter how smart you think you are? Read all of Romans 1 and see if you can find the answer.
The truth.
JB, a number of passages in Proverbs support your conclusion. There’s also the advice in Matthew 7:6 about where not to throw your pearls.
Good for you, John Branyan.
I have made myself incredibly popular and well loved by suggesting that neo atheism is actually an emotional and psychological disorder. It is stinking thinking originating from the emotional and spiritual realm and not the intellectual at all. I don’t mean that unkindly, I am insanitybytes after all.
Heard this pastor speak of how in ancient days, all our literary parts where about six inches lower on the body then they are today. So when the bible speaks of our “heart” they mean what we would today call our “mind.” And our emotions? Well those are actually down in our bowels. This is somewhat unrelated to anything, I just found it funny and interesting.
I have been known to tell a few atheists they are just emotionally constipated. It turns out that may actually now be biblical….
I’m starting to like using presuppositional apologetics and starting a conversation with one question: “If Christianity were true, would you become a Christian?”
If the answer is no, the conversation is over. Only a person that was truly rational and logical would say yes. With Him there might be a little hope.
That is a perfect question! I love this, thank you!
(Putting this little pearl into my treasury 😊)
If atheism were proved true, would stop being a Christian?
Yep.
That would happen automatically.
That would logically follow, of course.
I spent decades as a logical, rational scientist questioning the reality of God.
I have to say, my search is over. God was gracious enough to reveal Himself. God has proven Himself to me. He rewards those who truly seek Him. I’m so grateful He does exist, and has proven it to me, personally, so there are no longer any doubts on my part.
Because He wants a loving relationship with each one of His creatures, it has to be on a personal level. It takes a certain type of seeking, with the whole self, rather than just a distant curiosity.
The intellect is not left out, however. Pascal’s Wager is a powerful example of using reason to accept God, which can lead to the crucial willingness to open ones heart, as well as the intellect.
Many have come to the awareness of God’s presence by studying scripture, even with the intent of disproving God’s existence, to prove Christians wrong.
The key is truly wanting to know and searching.
I think when you’re passionate about discovering the Truth, either for or against, its when you get a definite answer.
Lukewarm, with an attitude of show me without my having to invest myself, doesn’t bring results.
You’re dealing with a scary, powerful, awesome being – one far more intelligent than you are, Who wants to have a loving relationship with you that is far beyond, and more wonderful, than anything you’ve ever known. It comes at a great cost, however, in this life.
Ultimately, you lose everything at the end of your life, if you don’t make the effort and take the risk.
It’s why those of us who now KNOW want very much for our fellow humans to find Him, before it’s too late. Please don’t get too exasperated with us – we want to share with you the most important and wonderful gift possible.
Just please know, you can’t judge God by the people who claim to know Him. There are a lot of fakers/Judases who pretend for their own twisted reasons. They are responsible for more people disbelieving in God, a great tragedy and loss… Those of us who are genuine, are still mere mortals. We change, but we still sin, do wrong and inadvertently hurt others, as human beings do. God is better than us, and more worthy to be trusted and loved. We keep striving to become more loving, compassionate, kind, truthful, less evil, more humble each day. In the meantime, please be patient with us, as many of us are works in progress.
I hope you find Him!
❤️
Love this comment. Right now, my husband is taking a class on apologetics and he has a project where he has to interview with an atheist…I’d pay tickets to see that since he chose my ex-husband.
I agree with Hart. It is pretty boring dealing with the New Atheist’s fallacious argumentation and their cartoon depictions of theism. But it also bothers me is how any Christian would be convinced by their vacuous and incoherent drivel. Kind of says a lot about the superficiality of the modern believer.
The absolute irony is the best part tbh 😂
I have come to the same conclusion.
I started to wonder why they wouldn’t use their real names.
They were afraid of kickback in their real lives if their friends and family knew what they “didn’t believe”.
And…I guess it’s easier to condescend if no one knows who you really are.
Atheists persecution is another mythical philosophy popularized by the dingbat heathens. I’m just tired of entertaining their silliness.
I grew up in a country with a significant majority of believers. I was taught from a very young age that not believing or perhaps even doubting would result in eternal torture. Certainly history holds stories of Christian persecution, but can you really pretend that heathens haven’t suffered persecution at the hands of Christians? I still live in an environment where speaking openly of non belief has significant social consequences. I’m actually quite surprised at the tone and name calling. That has never seemed to be your M.O.
My tone surprises you?!!
You haven’t read much of this blog.
Atheist persecution in western society is a myth. There are social consequences to expressing ANY beliefs. Atheists conflate disagreement with persecution.
Indeed I have not. My information is dated. I wonder how many Christians fear losing friends and alienating neighbors by simply voicing their beliefs. Honestly I don’t personally feel persecuted, maybe a little intimidated, but I’d seriously like to hear Christians stop bemoaning their mythical persecution as well. It’s voice is much louder and at least equally as annoying and boring as you find the atheist version.
Yep. Faux persecution is tedious no matter who professes it.
There is nothing mythical about what has been happening to Jack Phillips of Master Cakeshop in Colorado, or Barronelle Stutzman of Arlene’s Flowers in Washington, or Pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkey, or Asia Bibi in Pakistan, to name but a few.
Yes, Mr. Ron.
It only takes a regime change, or a cultural paradigm shift, and in a flash Christians are in a SHTF situation.
The rot is already spreading throughout the Catholic Church, and other denominations. (Let’s be inclusive! We accept everyone unconditionally and with open arms! We won’t challenge you with our restrictive beliefs, or make you feel ashamed by continuing the old-fashioned, painful and unpopular sermons about sin…)
As rot spreads through society, and inattentive hired hands allow it to enter the culture, sanctuaries and flocks, so the stinking darkness threatens to snuff out our lights. I heard a pastor say it only takes the loss of 1 generation to plunge us back into apostasy.
I had a wonderful professor who had to flee Cuba, with nothing, when Castro took over. I had a schoolmate whose family fled the horrific persecution in Hungary, just making it out before being loaded on a death train.
We have been very fortunate, here in the States, for many generations. I fear the hedges around His vineyard are being taken down. The US cases you mention are perhaps the beginning casualties from the first wave of barbarians, pushing through the breach.
Terrible atrocities are occurring throughout the world.
🙏🏻
Persecution might be too strong a word (and it may depend on where one lives in the USA), but tell me, have we ever had an openly atheist president? How many members of Congress are openly atheist? Would you vote for an openly secular person for any office? Atheists are regularly stated in polls to be the last trustworthy of any category surveyed. Maybe not persecution, but definitely prejudice.
Atheists are viewed as untrustworthy because atheism has no grounded ethics or morality. That’s not prejudice. It’s the result of following atheism to it’s rational conclusion. No rational person will vote for an openly atheist candidate.
I just worry about the very irrational voting snowflakes, and the oddball teachers creating legions of of new ones.
Thank you, John, for your great posts engaging atheists. I had become frightened because the foaming at the mouth rants from them, but your prevailing with humor, insight and handily exposing them has given me courage. It’s amazing to discover they literally have nothing to stand on.
It’s good to stand on the Rock!
Thank you, John!
I’m looking forward to seeing what your creative spirit comes up with, next.
May God greatly bless you and your loved ones