Atheism- A Denial Of Reality

[Heddi]

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20170123/ewin-james-atheism-denial-reality

I don't believe that there are any true atheists - men who are born without any awareness of the existence of God and who involuntarily sustain that absence of awareness of God throughout their lives. There are only pretenders who, for moral rather than intellectual reasons, profess to be atheists; usually they have the intellect and the vocabulary to verbalise and record their positions better than most people are able to. It is for this reason than many noted philosophers have professed atheism.

One of the most famous so-called atheists of the 19th century was German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), who popularised the oxymoron that God is dead. He is revered as a true atheist, but was he really? His father was a minister and he was born in the Church and professed faith in God as a young boy.

Then as a teenager, he declared he no longer believed God exists. But was he truthful? I think not. He was just fighting against the God he had so lovingly worshipped as a child. Durant says. "He attacked Christianity because there was so much of its moral spirit in him." (p. 438). He tried valiantly, but didn't quite succeed: the effort made him mad, and at one time he was committed to an asylum.

It's the same with men today who profess that there is no God - they are fighting against what they know in their heart to be true.

- Ewin James is a minister and freelance journalist. He lives in Longwood, Florida.

--

I wonder if Mr. James is a regular poster on DU, as I have read many of these same arguments that doubt the veracity of atheism RIGHT HERE IN THIS VERY FORUM how strange.

[wcmagumba]

1. Sounds like Mr. James is rather insecure about his own particular beliefs,

why else would he care about a non theist's level of sincerity.

[Warpy]

2. Ewin James should stop talking about people he doesn't know.

He should also stop ASSuming everybody thinks like he does.

That will keep him out of a hell of a lot of trouble.

(Shoot, this whole thing reads like he's trying to convince himself; the rest of us are irrelevant)

[yankeepants]

3. This is a pot argument at best.

[Eliot Rosewater]

4. Atheism is an unnecessary construct. If I dont believe

in



for example, does this make me a minionist?

No need for atheism. God does not exist. Silly.

[uriel1972]

5. let me think on this...

Nope can't agree.

For a start, no evidence is presented. Aaaaannnnd as they say, what is presented without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.

[guillaumeb]

6. So are these proclamations of being a non-theist a way of getting the attention of the Creator?

A cry for help?

[Docreed2003]

7. I consider myself an Agnostic Catholic....

At the end of the day, we're all searching for answers for why and what purpose we are serving in this thing we call the world and universe. I don't know, you don't know, and neither does anyone else with any certainty. If religion provides comfort, I have no issue with that, as long as that personal experience is kept personal. Why knock an atheist who, in their belief, finds no comfort in organized religion? It's not my place nor anyone else's to knock that belief.

[A HERETIC I AM]

8. Erwin James is what is known as a "presuppositionalist"

Meaning he presupposes the existence of god and that's just all there is to it.

It is a lazy, bullshit, baseless and incredibly arrogant flawed position and the theistic equivalent of sticking ones fingers in ones ears and yelling "LA LA LA LA I CANT HEAR YOU "

If you want a taste of the dopey, groundless circular arguments employed by these nutbags, go to YouTube and search "Sye Ten Bruggencate" (yes, that's the dudes name) and watch a video or two of him debate someone. He is an asshole extraordinaire

[PsychoBabble]

9. Now we atheists know how women feel ...

... having someone else tell you what YOUR experience means ... "mansplaining" as it often happens to women .... so is this now "churchsplaining?"

Nonsense.

The pastor can believe whatever the hell he wants, but this makes about as much sense as all of the conservatives that attribute our resistance to Trump as mere sour grapes for losing the election.

NO. I have lost things MANY times before. (in fact, I actually win/lose for a living.)

THIS resistance is because Donald and his followers are an existential threat to democracy. Period.

And there isn't an ounce of my being that believes that God exists, and I grew up with a Minister as a father. As soon as I got old enough to think clearly for myself (8th grade), I embraced the good stories, ethics, and morals of the Bible, and rejected the Big Guy in the Sky stories. (Yes, it made for some vicious in-family drama. Parents don't generally like 12 year olds rejecting their whole life philosophy, LOL. Just sayin'.)

Peace be to all those who DO believe, that is your right. We all need to organize the world, our minds, and relationships in a way that makes sense to us. (A broad science-based education helps in that regard.) I have no quarrel with anyone except those who try to force their worldview ON me. Live it, put it out there for others to see and reflect on, and let people alone!

[safeinOhio]

10. Secular Humanism is

the way.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

11. +1

Carpet bomb!

[Goblinmonger]

12. Yup. I see this here quite a bit.

[guillaumeb]

13. Dare I ask for evidence of this assertion?:

I wonder if Mr. James is a regular poster on DU, as I have read many of these same arguments that doubt the veracity of atheism RIGHT HERE IN THIS VERY FORUM how strange.

[guillaumeb]

15. But I am called out on my "editorializing" regularly

in this forum by others. And asked why exactly I express my opinion.

If you received a hide it was unwarranted in my view. While we disagree, I do not feel any of your responses deserved a hide.