Posts by EdenOne

42

#1 ANSWER THIS: Why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?

by EdenOne in

i'll be starting a series "answer this:" with thought-provoking questions for debate.

your arguments for and against are most welcome.. i'll start with this: .

why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?.

EdenOne

I think that's why the majority of formal definitions of atheism have denial and/or lack.

Even conceptually, denial of god's existence is but a subset of a broader lack of belief. Someone who denies the existence of god necessarily doesn't believe in a god; however, someone who doesn't believe in god isn't necessarily making any statement about god's existence.

An agnostic lacks belief in god, not primarily because of lack of convincing evidence, but because he is persuaded that the existence or non-existence of god(s) is in principle unknowable. As a consequence, he is only sure that he has unsolvable doubts; when in doubt, he will generally opt for the most reliable knowledge available: empirical knowledge and reason. He may also take the apatheist position which is: the existence or not of deities is irrelevant.

Free-will is imprevisible and the future it's unknown by nature.

Not according to texts like Isaiah 46:10 and 1 Samuel 23:12, 1 John 3:20. The future is knowable to god. Again, special pleading.

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#1 ANSWER THIS: Why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?

by EdenOne in

i'll be starting a series "answer this:" with thought-provoking questions for debate.

your arguments for and against are most welcome.. i'll start with this: .

why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?.

EdenOne

If god is bound by his own nature, and his own nature is being omniscient, isn't it true that restricting the exercise of his power goes against the nature of god? For what purpose?

Why is it necessary that god shuts down his omniscience to allow the exercise of free will? I'll tell you why: Because, if god knew in advance the negative outcome of each individual's choices and did nothing about it to stop evil from happening, that would make god complicit with evil, and that is something a true believer would not have. That's why believers demand that god shuts down his "exercise of omniscience" - so that god doesn't look bad. But you can't have the cake and eat it too, can you?

In any judicial system, failing to provide assistance to someone in distress when you are able to do so is considered a crime. Why are believers seeking a "special pleading" for god, exempting him from the same principles and standards that universally accepted ethics entail?

How much more serious, then, would be to actively subject someone to distress, usually with third-party innocents being hurt, just to test their faith or integrity? That isn't consistent with the idea of a 'god of love'.

44

Red Alert - Propaganda is Being Used!!!!!!!!

by The Searcher in

check out the latest watchtower:.

"your defense?

be determined to stick to jehovah’s organization and loyally support the leadership he provides—no matter what imperfections may surface.

EdenOne

How true!

So, per their own words, they discourage JW's from thinking critically, so that their propaganda can persuade them more effectively!

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#1 ANSWER THIS: Why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?

by EdenOne in

i'll be starting a series "answer this:" with thought-provoking questions for debate.

your arguments for and against are most welcome.. i'll start with this: .

why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?.

EdenOne

Au contraire. "Lack" encompasses denial. Denial necessitates "lack".

44

Red Alert - Propaganda is Being Used!!!!!!!!

by The Searcher in

check out the latest watchtower:.

"your defense?

be determined to stick to jehovah’s organization and loyally support the leadership he provides—no matter what imperfections may surface.

EdenOne

So, even if it ever comes to notice that all members of the Governing Body are pedophiles and the Organization has been used as a money-making scheme .... doesn't matter. Obey and be loyal because Jehovah surely wants you to keep serving this organization. Makes perfect sense.

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#1 ANSWER THIS: Why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?

by EdenOne in

i'll be starting a series "answer this:" with thought-provoking questions for debate.

your arguments for and against are most welcome.. i'll start with this: .

why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?.

EdenOne

So you cannot find a better term to define "lack of belief in deities". Just accept that atheism has a broad spectrum of positions towards god. From the assertion that god doesn't exist (a minority; how most theists imagine the atheist position) to those who say "I lack belief in god because there's no compelling evidence for it" (the majority).

But shall we go back to the OP topic?

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#1 ANSWER THIS: Why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?

by EdenOne in

i'll be starting a series "answer this:" with thought-provoking questions for debate.

your arguments for and against are most welcome.. i'll start with this: .

why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?.

EdenOne

"Lack" imply an "I don't care" attitude.

Wrong: That's not atheism; that's apatheism. Atheism and apatheism aren't mutually exclusive. Just as agnosticism and apatheism aren't. I consider myself apatheist AND agnostic.

42

#1 ANSWER THIS: Why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?

by EdenOne in

i'll be starting a series "answer this:" with thought-provoking questions for debate.

your arguments for and against are most welcome.. i'll start with this: .

why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?.

EdenOne

How would you then define someone who lacks belief in deities for lack of sufficient evidence, but stops short of saying "deities do not exist"? Do you have a term for that?

42

#1 ANSWER THIS: Why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?

by EdenOne in

i'll be starting a series "answer this:" with thought-provoking questions for debate.

your arguments for and against are most welcome.. i'll start with this: .

why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?.

EdenOne

Deleted because of repetition.

42

#1 ANSWER THIS: Why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?

by EdenOne in

i'll be starting a series "answer this:" with thought-provoking questions for debate.

your arguments for and against are most welcome.. i'll start with this: .

why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?.

EdenOne

i've accepted my agnosticism, but doesn't mean I'm comfortable with it.

I would LOVE that a big loving daddy in the sky would welcome me to heaven after my physical death. Why not?

I just don't see any convincing evidence. Actually, all unequivocal evidence supports the contrary. Yet, I leave room for doubt.

And just before you strum the old mantra "you are a follower of scientism because you only accept evidence through the scientific method", that's a strawman argument, because you are misrepresenting my position. Just because I don't accept magical thinking and appeal to supernatural causation doesn't mean I fall into the category you desire to put me in. Another straw man argument is to define "atheism" as denial of god's existence. Most atheists won't subscribe to that statement.

Now, you can chose between making your contribution to the debate, or derail the debate by questioning my worldview. Your choice.