Atheist Literature

[naomi24]

Do any of the religious people here ever read books written by atheist authors such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris? If ‘yes’, what have you read and what are your thoughts - and if ‘no’ why not?

[AB Editor]

That's a fairly unhelpful statement Sandy, and different from your position how?

[sith123]

ok. but im not converting sandy. if anyone is trying its you atheists.

[AB Editor]

This is probably true Sith. It's not really conversion though is it? It's not swapping your football team support, it's deciding you don't believe in football at all and that maybe football's claimed contributions to culture don't outweigh the damages done in the name of football (and anyone who has watched the MOTD punditry will know football has a lot to answer for!).

[AB Editor]

Also, I speak with some authority on the matter of God... as I am one: http://www.theanswerb.../Question1066858.html

We're cult currently, but once we've been properly persecuted we might be able to take on a proper religious label.

[naomi24]

Sandy, //The evidence that helped set Doubting Thomas back on the straight and narrow would even be twisted to suit their argument.//

You need to read the book we discussed here. :o)

http://www.theanswerb.../Question1106005.html

[FredPuli43]

Crisis of faith? Most atheists have had that, since most of us were brought up in some faith or other, to a greater or lesser degree!
But religious people do speak of a crisis of faith. What do they mean by that? It sounds like ours viz. something happens which tends to prove the illogicality of the belief. Why should you continue to believe what you've been taught or come to believe if the evidence now disproves it, or casts such doubt upon it that it no longer seems likely, or that observation shows it inconsistent ? We don't do it in other areas of life, or we hope not to. (All areas of knowledge contain examples of people who stubbornly maintained disproved theories)

[sith123]

islam does believe in evolution, however we do not believe it happens by itself. we believe it happens with the help of god.

[naomi24]

Can't help wondering why he has to keep making adjustments. I'd have thought, being such a clever chap, he'd have got it right first time.

[jomifl]

Sith, You say that you 'believe' in evolution, OK I will take that to mean that you accept it as a theory that explains how life has changed over time. However you cannot really understand it if you think that it is managed or influenced by god. Now we atheists are often challenged to explain why we think things work the way they do, so since you have chosen to involve god in evolution, perhaps you would care to explain what part god plays in the process. No cop outs please , I would like a proper answer otherwise I will have to assume that you haven't got one.

[sandyRoe]

Naomi, he did get it right the first time. He put us in an earthly paradise. But we, with our overweaning pride, forced him to evict us. We were turfed out like so many scruffy squatters to enter the imperfect world, with all its perils.

[vetuste_ennemi]

Sandy, how is it that a man whose heart is so clearly in the right place in many ways have is head so clearly in the wrong place in others?

[sandyRoe]

None of us are perfect.

[vetuste_ennemi]

Indeed, Sandy. But Naomi comes close, don't you think?

[sandyRoe]

A formidable intellect, erudite, and not afraid to voice an opinion. There must have been weeping and gnashing of teeth in Heaven when she started to drift away from faith.

[jomifl]

I expect god had is own mysterious reasons for letting Naomi drift, we shouldn't question them, it would be arrogant to even think of it. I can only think that he saw that his flock was falling into smug complacency and was in danger of becoming vain and arrogant so it needed to be made to question it's assumptions. This is only hypothetical as I am an atheist, but I do try to see things from the viewpoint of the believer.

[naomi24]

Tut! You lot are incorrigible! :o)