Special message for Dr. James Penton

by Nathan Natas 9 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Nathan Natas

  Many of you are familiar with the CHANNEL C discussion group, a Christians-only discussion group with a fairly large XJW component.

  Even though I would never be permitted to post on CHANNEL C (I'm the lowest form of creation, you know, an ATHEIST), I like to check in with the Channel C crowd every so often to see what "Watchtower World" stories I might have missed. I hold no antipathy toward Christians, I just don't agree with their conclusions. Live and let live and all that. It's also a bit of fun to see the internecine "conversations" between the various flavors of Xtiananity represented over there, I'll admit. How many angels CAN dance on the head of a pin, after all?

  But a fairly recent posting by Dr. James Penton, decorated author of APOCALYPSE DELAYED and JWs AND THE THIRD REICH, irritated me a bit. Perhaps because it was expressed in a forum that gave no opportunity for rebuttal. A VERY safe environment.

  Since I cannot address Mr. Penton on the closed discussion group where he made his posting, I thought I'd mention it here. This environment is not as safe as CHANNEL C. Some of my atheist friends will, naturally agree with me. Some of my agnostic friends will say, "Well, I don't know..." and some of my Christian friends will say, "O God, here he goes AGAIN." But I'll take the risk. After all, I've got my Kevlar hat!

  The post was titled

  Atheism - JimPenton - 10:18:08 AM on 12/21/2009

  and Dr. Penton said,

  The definition of “atheism” was once posted on the Internet: “the belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing and the nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything and then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason whatsoever into self replicating bits which turned into dinosaurs.”
  
  No wonder G. K. Chesterton once quipped that, if there were no God, there would be no atheists.
  
  Jim

  Oh, Doctor Penton, please, that if SO FUNNY! Oh PLEASE, you're KILLING me! Oh, HA HA HA HA HA!

  I surely am Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Flabby Gluteus Maximus Off! (ROTFLMFGMO!) I hope my yielding to hilarity was not inappropriately excessive, may God forgive me and preserve my immortal soul from eternal hellfire.

  But have you heard this one, Sir?

  "If it wasn't for evolution, protons would never have become superstitious deists with imaginary invisible friends!"

  Isn't that RICH! Oh, what would G. K. Chesterton say to that?

  Such cutting humor is indeed double-edged, isn't it?

  Yours in good humor,

  - Natas
• 

  dgp

  Natas, I'm your fellow atheist and I see your point. However, I would also like to take this with a grain of salt. Check Pat Condell on YouTube and have a good payback laugh. Just as we make fun of religious people, they will make fun of us. Live and let die. We're the guys who stand up for free discussion of everything, ourselves included. Our pal Mark Twain would say that "sacred cows make the best hamburgers".

  Just think that the definition of atheism cannot begin by saying that "in the beginning there was nothing". That is what Christians believe. Er, sort of; Wasn't God in existence already? And, then it was God that rearrranged "nothing" to produce "everything".

  I will certainly give in to the temptation of humming "Making Love Out of Nothing At All", but I won't exactly be thinking of Air Supply.
• 

  Farkel

  I wouldn't be so hard on Christians. They have a "rich spiritual heritage" of "expressing their Christian values." This includes, crusades, inquisitions, torture chambers, stake burnings, regime changes, beheadings and good old iron maidens. They had full time workers who thought up ways to help unbelievers like yourself "see their shining light of Goodness(tm)."

  The Atheists Prayer:

  "Dear God:

  "Please protect me from your true believers."

  Farkel
• 

  onceawitness

  The definition of “atheism” was once posted on the Internet: “the belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing and the nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything and then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason whatsoever into self replicating bits which turned into dinosaurs.”

  Theism: "The only POSSIBLE way ANYTHING could come into existence is by creation. Except God. Nope, God always was. Always will be. We can't comprehend where God came from, so don't even try. But we know he HAS to be there, because SOMEONE has to be a creator. But God didn't have a creator, even though He is more complicated than anything He created. Nope, He's the exception, but there are no exceptions. EVERYTHING has to be created. (Except God)."

  OAW
• 

  onceawitness

  PS to Nathan Natas: I like your avatar.

  OAW.
• 

  mouthy

  Nathan I sent all you said to my friend JIM...I am sure he will answer you.
  But then again maybe he will not ....I believe we can ALL believe as we choose

  He has that right just as you do too
• 

  CharlieBrownsLovelyDaughter

  I thought I'd read that Dr Penton had died. Guess not.
• 

  Farkel

  :I thought I'd read that Dr Penton had died. Guess not

  He never gave me any credit for my work on the Berta and Bonnie piece he casually mentioned in his book. But that's ok. I still admire his work. I certainly don't wish his demise. Unless he gets on the Governing Body and then all bets are off.

  Farkel
• 

  wobble

  Dear Farkel,

  I pray the "Atheists Prayer" each day, it is working so far, but does that mean there IS a God ?

  Love

  Wobble
• 

  cantleave

  Wobble, don't you know an Atheists prayers are answered by the Flying Speghetti Monster?