I Like (Friendly) Atheists Because…

Comment by: Ir

I like what others have said already.

Hmmm…I wanted to answer the question positively but it kept turning into ‘I like friendly atheists because they don’t do this list of things that some Christians do”. So — it’s a bit of a rant, I’m afraid. Bear in mind that I know not all Christians do those things which I appreciate friendly atheists for not doing. And I know that friendly atheists can be irrational and prejudiced in their own ways. We probably all are in some way or other.

Having said that, here’s my list, for what it’s worth:

Friendly atheists make the most of this life because they believe it’s all there is

I know that they’re friendly simply because they want to be, not because they’re supposed to be

They believe in women being smart, capable and having equal roles with men

They’re not afraid of God

They’re not afraid of the possibility that there is no-one ensuring everything ‘bad’ happens for a good reason

They’re not afraid of the possibility that there’s no ‘happy ending’ aka heaven

They don’t feel a mystical bond with people who agree with their beliefs

They have a balanced view of humanity rather than believing ‘everyone deserves eternal torment’

They can relax, period, instead of only being able to relax because of God’s grace

They can be themselves — they don’t suppress whatever in them seems not to line up with what the Bible says

They weren’t drawn to their viewpoint or kept there by emotional appeals

They affirm personal choice (as long as it doesn’t hurt others) rather than believing the only right choice is the one they think God approves of

They apply a skeptical approach across the board rather than suspending disbelief when it comes to what the Bible says

It’s very easy to tell them the truth about my change in belief

Comment by: Mark

I feel the same way about religion as most of the others. I am a follower of Christ and my relationship with Him is evidenced by my obedience to Him, not by following some religion.

Comment by: Lisa W.

Ir, I hope you take this as a compliment: You’re the most Christ-like Athesist I have come across. I like that about you. thanks for your list.

Comment by: Lynn I.

After a brief hiatus from this site I am back and looking forward to some interesting dialogue once again.

One of the things I’ve seen repeated on this site by non-believers is, “if God really exists how can He or why would He let evil exist”? That statement is somehow meant to prove God doesn’t exist. As you read this, I challenge the non-believers here to really let its meaning sink in.
Then if you have a response, I’d love to read it. (As much as I’d like to take credit for this I can’t, but it does provide a great floor for beginning a new dialogue.)

Did God Create Evil?

The university professor challenged his students with this question:

“Did God create everything that exists?”

A student bravely replied “Yes, he did!”

“God created everything?” the professor asked.

“Yes sir,” the student replied.

The professor answered, “If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then God is evil.”

The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, “Can I ask you a question professor?”

“Of course,” replied the professor.

The student stood up and asked, “Professor, does cold exist?”

The professor replied “Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?”

The students snickered at the young man’s question.

The young man replied, “In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat.

Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body, or matter, have or transmit energy.
Absolute zero (- 460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat.

The student continued. “Professor, does darkness exist?”

The professor responded, “Of course it does.”

The student replied, “Once again you are wrong sir. Darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light, we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton’s prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn’t this correct? Darkness is a
term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present.”

Finally the young man asked the professor. “Sir, does evil exist?”

Now uncertain, the professor responded, “Of course, as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world.
These manifestations are nothing else but evil.”

To this the student replied, “Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that
comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.”

The professor sat down.

The young man’s name — Albert Einstein

Comment by: HumanistEditor

Lynn,

Are you familiar with the website Snopes It is a website that collects and investigates urban legends. According to their research, the Einstein story is not true.

Please read the entry about this on Snopes.

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Religion (Malice of Absence)

Comment by: Rick

Oh dear - one of those chain letters that has been discussed to death in numerous forums and listservs!

Its just one of those stories that contributes a little to the feel good factor of bluff bunny believers. Seriously, this chain letter has been ripped to its sub-atomic levels in in its philosophical and scientific content.

And since there has been a mention of “bottom line irrespective of whether or not it was said by Einstein”, how about using Saddam Hussein in that example? It causes a big PR failure.

Darling, the name Einstein was chosen for a purpose you know!

Comment by: Ir

Lynn, welcome back - I posted to you in #10 but it showed up late so I’m not sure whether you saw it.

Comment by: Ir

I like friendly atheists because, like HumanistEditor above, they will respectfully say “have you considered that the story you are passing along might not be true” 1000 times, because they know that the last 999 times, they were not addressing this particular person. Thanks for the kind tone, HumanistEditor!

Wonderful point, NCxian.

Comment by: Rick L in TX

I’m listening as I speak to the Infidel Guy interview and I feel a sense of pride to be part of the community that is creating this experience for people to learn from. Thanks H & J.