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Appealing to the Supernatural

On May 16, 2010, In Arguments Against Religion, Religious Arguments, By The Armchair Antichrist

Fan service?

It is time once again to beat the dead horse which is Christian apologetics.

One of the things that Christians like to do is appeal to the supernatural. They say that if there is no apparent natural explanation it is logical to appeal to the supernatural. This applies to the resurrection of Jesus Christ and many other seemingly miraculous circumstances.

Let’s just assume for their sake that there is no apparent natural explanation. No natural explanation can adequately explain the circumstances of a given event. Let’s assume that the most ‘logical’ thing to do is to appeal to the supernatural.

What you want to do next is to make this supernatural thing congruent with your religion. So what was once very vague becomes much more specific. There are problems with this. By appealing to the supernatural you have just thrown away all logic and reason. So, there is no way to articulate why one specific supernatural explanation is better than all the others.

You might say that it is only logical for the Christian God to have raised Jesus from the dead. But, by appealing to the supernatural you can no longer appeal to logic and reason. There is no reason why the Hindu God Krishna could not have performed the deed because within the realm of the supernatural anything is possible. Therefore, there is no logical basis to say that X was specifically caused by Jesus, God or any number of deities. It could have been any of them.

And as you can see such ‘reasoning’ is very self-defeating. By appealing to the supernatural you can really only appeal to a vague and indefinite concept. You certainly cannot make it a specific god or deity.

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Tagged with: apologetics • christ • christian • deity • god • jesus • logic • logical • natural • reason • Religion

Hooray for the Marketplace of Ideas!

On May 12, 2010, In Religious Arguments, Religious Stupidity, By The Armchair Antichrist

What do you do when your religious beliefs aren’t accepted in academia, law, or other areas of life? You invoke the marketplace of ideas concept. Conservative pundits like Bill O’reilly have done it and so can you.

For example, there was no need to fret when U.S. District (federal) Judge Barbara Crabb ruled that the National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional. Ignore the well thought out reasoning about the National Day of Prayer serving no secular function and violating the separation of church and state by encouraging citizens to pray. Just accuse her and others who share the same reasons of being afraid of different ideas entering into the ‘marketplace of ideas’.

Now, what is this so-called ‘marketplace of ideas’. Well it’s the concept that ideas should be in competition with each other in a free market. And since the majority of Americans are Christian and share similar beliefs they control the market and should therefore decide what ideas are accepted. It’s not about whether an idea is good or bad or even correct. It’s all about the majority which makes it very convenient to be a Christian.

Big on creationism, but sour on evolution? No problem. Forget about doing real scientific research. Forget about the actual process of ideas going through peer-review where they are subject to scientific scrutiny by scientists and subsequent scrutiny after they are published and read by even more scientists some of who will replicate your experiments. All you need to do is A) have religious beliefs (preferably Christian) and B) invoke the the ‘marketplace of ideas’ concept.

Try this two-step process today and have your religious ideas accepted everywhere!

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Tagged with: american • christian • conservative • free market • majority • o'reilly • peer review • prayer • religious • scientific • scientist • unconstitutional

Popularity Contest

On May 9, 2010, In Religious Arguments, Religious Stupidity, By The Armchair Antichrist

Unfortunately, there is no good evidence to support any religion. So, some people resort to making it into a popularity contest.

“How could Christianity have spread so quickly if it wasn’t for divine intervention?” It’s called having the patronage of the Roman Empire.

“Jesus is now the most popular person in the world.” Good for him.

“Islam is the fastest growing religion.” If that is true then it’s very unfortunate for the world.

What does the number of believers have to do with the veracity of the beliefs? Absolutely nothing. I understand that it’s makes you feel all good inside to know that you have so many brothers and sisters in Christ, Muhammad, or what have you. But, please understand that you’re only making a lot of noise; there is no substance in what you are saying.

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Tagged with: Christianity • divine • empire • intervention • Islam • jesus • muhammad • Religion • roman

Sunshine and Lollipops

On April 5, 2010, In Christianity, Religious Arguments, Religious Stupidity, By The Armchair Antichrist

I’ve heard that atheism is a religion. But, there’s also this ‘Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a way of life’ thing too which is just as absurd as the first statement. The fact that I have to write posts to correct these mistakes is a testament to the strength of the indoctrination that people who make these inane statements have received or given to themselves.

I’m sorry to be the one to burst your bubble, but Christianity is not merely a ‘way of life’ or a ‘personal relationship with Jesus’. It is a pervasive cultural phenomenon grounded in a set of supernatural beliefs and rituals with a whole social infrastructure behind it. So, yes it is a religion. If it was merely a way of life then it need not have all those supernatural beliefs and rituals (e.g. baptism).

Straight edge is an example of a ‘way of life’. It merely prescribes life without drugs, alcohol and for some even promiscuous sex. There is no mention of God or any deity because it isn’t necessary. If it takes faith to be a Christian then it cannot be just a ‘way of life’. It is much much more than that. At the very least Christianity includes the belief that there is a God who will send you to hell if you disobey him or even not believe in his existence. How this kind of perverse coercion can fit into the description of a ‘way of life’ is beyond me.

There is an easy way to test if you have a ‘way of life’ or a religion. If you have a holy book which you believe was written by God that holds infallible knowledge you have a religion. If you believe that there is an otherworldly being who watches your every move and cares about what you eat, who you are friends with and other mundane things you have a religion. Lastly, if you believe that you have a personal relationship with said otherwordly being you have a religion. However, if you have answered ‘no’ to the above you just might have a ‘way of life’.

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Tagged with: Atheism • christian • Christianity • deity • god • holy book • indoctrination • infallible • jesus • Religion • supernatural

Disagreement is not Hate

On March 13, 2010, In Misconceptions About Atheism, Religious Arguments, Religious Stupidity, By The Armchair Antichrist

Some religious people like to make the atheist the aggressor and themselves the victim. The whole persecution complex is getting old. Atheists are not promoting hatred against any religion nor are they ‘hating’ on any religious group. We simply disagree. And while we may be passionate about disagreeing our disagreement usually has some substance behind it. We present arguments and we find inconsistencies and holes in your religion. Therefore, it would be best to address those arguments instead of dancing around them.

So, it goes without saying that we are not trying to take away the freedom of the religious to practice their religion. That is just a bold faced lie. On the contrary, it is usually the religious who cannot accept that an atheist does not believe in their God. This kind of religious arrogance can be unbearable. To think that you have absolute knowledge with no chance of being wrong is fundamentalist to say the least. And no, science does not claim to have all the answers.

I think it was Ricky Gervais who said that if science had all the answers then it would have already stopped. That is one of the major differences between science and religion. Science actually looks for answers. Religion just tells you to have faith in whatever is dictated to you. So, with science you will only believe that which can be demonstrated with evidence. And with religion you’ll be led to believe in anything.

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Tagged with: absolute • atheist • faith • fundamentalist • god • persecution • Religion • religious • Science

Deny God to Cope with Reality?

On March 10, 2010, In Heaven and Hell, Religious Arguments, Religious Stupidity, By The Armchair Antichrist

Have you seen this before?

Atheists try to make belief in God seem like something just to help people cope, but it is the exact opposite! They deny God to help them cope with the coming judgment.

You can find it on a number of Christian YouTube profiles. I don’t know why it is so popular because it is just so damn idiotic. It rings of the same bell as Satan going against God even though he knows that he exists and will destroy him. Similarly, this concept assumes that atheists believe in God and know that they will burn in hell for eternity for denying God.

This doesn’t make any sense firstly because by definition an atheist does not believe in God. Furthermore, it assumes that people with the knowledge that there are only two paths: one that leads to eternal life and happiness and another that leads to eternal suffering and damnation that people would actually choose the latter.

There is no amount of sin that you religious people think atheists enjoy so much that can persuade us to choose hell. And implying that people choose to go to hell is just disgusting. So, religious people please get your concepts straight and try using some logic and reason before spouting out nonsense.

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Tagged with: atheist • christian • damnation • eternal • god • judgment • logic • reason • religious • satan • suffering • youtube

A Defence of New Atheism

On February 28, 2010, In Misconceptions About Atheism, Religious Arguments, By The Armchair Antichrist

New atheism isn’t actually anything new at all. Intellectual atheist thought in the Western world can be traced back to pre-Socratic Greek philosophy. What’s new is the attitude. It is the stance that all matters of discussion are at the same level. Nothing is given preferential treatment or respect including religion. This philosophical viewpoint is called freethought.

Unsurprisingly, some religious people don’t like this new attitude that atheists are adopting. They want the beliefs that they consider sacred and holy to be respected by everyone. And one of the methods they use to try to counter new atheism is by creating labels to demonize atheists. The ‘new’ atheists are called militant even though they maybe considered militant only in their words. Some of the religious even feign persecution when in reality they represent the vast majority of the population and suffer no threat from atheists.

But, the religious are not the only ones to be blamed. There are atheists, some trying to feel more unique and others too resistant to social change who try to distance themselves from new atheism. Particularly, they denounce Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris and other atheists leading the charge as too aggressive and as hindrances to fruitful discussion. These atheists have fallen blindly into the trap set by the religious. They have embraced the labels that were created by the religious to demonize new atheism.

The four horsemen of atheism and other prominent atheists have actually opened the door for discussion by destroying the stigma that made discussion of religion taboo. And in doing so they have given atheists a new found voice. Instead of being denounced they should be applauded for all they have done to advance social change.

Think about the labels: dogmatic, militant, fundamentalist and so on that have been given to atheists by the religious. These are only projections of all the faults they find in their religion. It is best to ignore these labels and not be distracted by them. We need to focus on the arguments (as in premises and conclusions) that make debate and discussion meaningful. Playing into the emotional games of the religious will go nowhere.

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Tagged with: Atheism • atheist • dawkins • freethought • fundamentalist • hitchens • militant • Philosophy • pre socratic • Religion • religious

Fail Mail

On February 15, 2010, In Answers to Stupid People, E-mails, Religious Arguments, Religious Stupidity, By The Armchair Antichrist

So, someone came to this blog and sent me a message to try to convince me about the truth of Christianity or something. I will be analyzing it here.

Here we go:

From: Bruce McKeever <labruce1@hotmail.com>
Subject: Let me prove to you that there is a God

Message Body:
Brother you would ask that everyone keep an open mind.I ask this of you.Take a chance.Give me a chance to convince you that God exists.Repressive morals.Wich moral law given to us by God is repressive

Thou shalt not kill(murder)
Love thine enemy
Dont steal
Honor thy father and thy mother
Do unto others as you would have done to you.
I dont feel repressed not so far.

You conveniently left out the commandments which have nothing to do with morality. Cherry picking already? Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make for yourself an idol. Thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Remember those? These ones only show us that the Christian God is a jealous and petty god. Heck, I even wrote a post about it. You should do a little research about the person you’re trying to convert before you attempt to do so. I’ve already smoked you before you’ve even started.

Anyways, morality has nothing to do with obeying commands. You do not need any supernatural dictator’s commandments to understand that murder and theft are wrong. Goodness is in itself good and whether it is commanded or not has no bearing on its value. Furthermore, commandments are absolute which does not reflect the relative nature of morality. For example, stealing food to feed your starving child would be immoral according to the ten commandments. But, any moral person would be able to see how that is acceptable.

Help me out here.
Are you speaking about all the crimes carried out in the name of Christianity.
They were crimes,they werent operating as truly Faithful.

Don’t play the no true Scotsman please. Also, you can’t have it both ways and say that all the good done in the name of Christianity is evidence that it is true.

Does that mean God does not exist.
Nope ,it does not mean that at all.

Sure, that doesn’t mean God does not exist. But, who here is saying that the fact that Christians have done bad things in the past disproves God? I certainly haven’t. But, I have wrote some posts that demonstrate that the existence of God is very unlikely and show how the concept of God itself is troublesome. Regardless, the burden is on the believer to prove the existence of God, not on the atheist to disprove its existence.

It just means that man will manipulate Faith to suit his own needs.

No, your holy scriptures themselves teach some very barbaric and unjust things. I would like to list them all here, but that would be too lengthy of a list.

Talk to me,Talk to someoneJust for you, I will state that orginised religion has done more damage than good.

You are correct about one thing. Religion has done more bad than good.

Does this mean that God doesnt exist,
nope .It just means that mankind is flawed.

This is getting repetitive.

One thing that is true through all this,
God is real.

That’s one hefty claim you make here. Have you anything to back it up with?

Christ is real and you are painfully and completely wrong.

Again what reasonable grounds do you have for your claims? And please don’t give me that crap about the bible being historical. The bible is as much an account of history as The Flintstones (if you believe that the earth is 6000 years old, then even more so). I have a post about this too.

Your Brother in Christ
Bruce

Considering that the subject for your message was “Let me prove to you that there is a God” I am very disappointed. You did not give me even one reason to believe in God. All you did was make a poor defence of Christianity.

*spelling errors and the such were all present in the original message

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Tagged with: bible • cherry picking • Christianity • faithful • god • historical • jesus christ • Morality • Religion • scripture • ten commandments • true scotsman

God is Weak

On February 1, 2010, In Arguments against God, Nature of God, Religious Arguments, By The Armchair Antichrist

There is just so much mental gymnastics that religious people engage in. It really is a mystery how they handle all the cognitive dissonance so well.This time it is the claim that God cannot do something that is contrary to his nature. His nature is the basis of our morality so it is claimed that God cannot lie or sin. This is such an easily refutable statement that it is a wonder to me that why a large number of Christian debaters including William Lane Craig have used it.

If God cannot do even one thing then he cannot be all-powerful. In an effort to reinforce the ‘morality comes from God’ argument they have sacrificed one of God’s key attributes: omnipotence. Heck, if I can do two things that God cannot then I am technically more powerful than God in some regard. It seems that the concept of God is so fragile that it will fall apart at any moment.

Related to this is the claim that God is bound to the laws of logic. And this is of course to counter the paradoxes of whether God can make a rock so heavy that even he can’t lift it or whether he can make a square circle. This approach again fails miserably. Omnipotence is by definition ‘unlimited’ power. So, God cannot be limited by anything especially if he is supposedly the author of the laws of logic which is suggested by the transcendental argument (which of course also fails epicly).

First, a weak hell. Now, a weak God. What’s next?

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