One Atheist’s view

Posted by Mike O on: 10.26.2006 /

Earlier this month, Helen posted a link to The Backyard Missionary. It is a Christian blog, but when the owner, Hamo, went on vacation for two weeks, he left it under the watchful care of Grendel, an atheist.

Just before Grendel’s stint ended, he was asked, “So, if Atheists don’t believe in God, what do they believe in?” and this is his reply.

He starts off by saying

I’m willing to answer this question, as I have already commented on the understanding that the response refers to what I believe and isn’t an attempt to gather atheists within a broader church (too good to pass up, that one!).

That piqued my interest because, as a Christian, I had assumed all atheists held basically the same world view. But apparently that isn’t the case.

How does your world view compare to his?

15 Responses to "One Atheist’s view"

  • Comment by: Simon

    1 10/26/06 6:03 AM | Comment Link |

    I think everyone should be required to sing a silly song to their neighbour once every third thursday of the month. Other than that, my world view is identical to his.

  • Comment by: Ir (Helen)

    2 10/26/06 8:56 AM | Comment Link |

    Simon, you definitely have the day wrong for singing the silly song ;-)

    From what Grendel wrote:

    Coffee beans might convince me of the existence of a benevolent creator (with Nescafe being the evidence of the evil-one at work in the world) except that Guinea Worms and Filarial Worms point to a non-created life origin with nastiness, but not malign intent.

    I’m not sure whether US atheists have Nescafe enough to understand the profound truth in this ;-)

    Sometimes I wish that I did believe in God. It would make things easier in some ways — someone to blame or thank, to scream at or to plead with, and then I could just ‘accept’ things that happen as the will of God. That would be just a bit too easy for me and it would not resolve my questions.

    This fascinates me because I actually think it’s harder for Christians to accept suffering, since they have ‘Why?’ questions nontheists don’t have. If there is no God, suffering just happens. If there is a God, then we struggle with why an omnipotent loving God allows such things to happen instead of preventing them.

  • Comment by: Siamang

    3 10/26/06 11:04 AM | Comment Link |

    I think he’s got it pretty similar to me.

    Although he messed up the monkey thing. Yep, way, way back, before homonids, all apes evolved from old world monkeys.

    I’m frankly amazed at the wealth of misinformation about that, made by people who are trying to make a pro evolution point, but they overreach and misstate the science.

    I even see people arguing man didn’t evolve from apes, but from ape-like common ancestors we share with Chimps!

    I hate to tell em, that common ancestor WAS an ape. It wasn’t a non-ape thing with long swingy arms, simian features, and no tail! It was an ape!

    I’m an ape. I’m happy to be an ape. Apes are cool!

    http://williamcalvin.com/portraits/apes.htm

    -Siamang

  • Comment by: NCxian

    4 10/26/06 11:52 AM | Comment Link |

    My 7 year old is going to love those ape pictures, Siamang. Thanks!

    Now that I’ve perused the pictures, I am thinking that if you are going to call yourself Siamang, you’ve got to have a great hairstyle, parted in the middle with 1970s waves on each side! (I can’t remember where your Paris video is, so I can’t double-check.) :)

  • Comment by: Siamang

    5 10/26/06 12:05 PM | Comment Link |

    Here’s some beautiful pictures of Siamangs

    http://williamcalvin.com/portraits/LesserApes.htm

    Here’s I love paris…. no resemblence

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNcONhXEOMc

  • Comment by: Karen

    6 10/26/06 1:15 PM | Comment Link |

    I think there must be some deep-seated psychological taboo - maybe with its roots in evolutionary history? - that makes some of us reluctant to acknowledge our ape ancestors. It’s rather fascinating, actually.

    I haven’t really researched it, but I know that colonial-era African explorers sometimes equated the “natives” with apes, or (reprehensibly, of course) speculated that they were not fully human but some form of ape-hybrids. Of course, they were regarded with a great deal of distaste.

    You almost have to wonder whether that reaction goes back to the idea of humans becoming “civilized” and differentiating ourselves from other animals and even reaching the biological level where we couldn’t reproduce with other species.

    Certainly one of the major creationist objections to evolution is the idea that humans are “set apart” from the animals.

  • Comment by: Siamang

    7 10/26/06 2:42 PM | Comment Link |

    But these apes are so lovely! How could you not love being one?!?

    Looking at that image of the siamang brachiating all I can say is that we made a huge mistake leaving the trees. We only finally made up for it by learning how to fly.

    Ditto mammals. Every heterosexual man must now admit to loving the fact that we’re mammals!

  • Comment by: NCxian

    8 10/26/06 2:58 PM | Comment Link |

    Your right, Siamang, not much resemblance (although you could work on the hairstyle a little, a little mousse . . .)

    Speaking of resemblance, though, I did notice a little blond girl who looks a lot like you in the Paris video!

  • Comment by: Siamang

    9 10/26/06 3:07 PM | Comment Link |

    Hehehe….

  • Comment by: Ir (Helen)

    10 10/26/06 3:18 PM | Comment Link |

    Siamang, as apes go, I think you did choose a good-looking species. I don’t care as much for how some of the other species look but the siamangs are pretty cute!

  • Comment by: Siamang

    11 10/26/06 3:20 PM | Comment Link |

    They’re beautiful in motion.

  • Comment by: Siamang

    12 10/26/06 3:22 PM | Comment Link |

    Check this link for some brachiating.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvpMi5LCGNk

  • Comment by: Mike O

    13 10/27/06 5:30 PM | Comment Link |

    So that was you in the Paris video? Cool.

  • Comment by: Siamang

    14 10/30/06 1:11 PM | Comment Link |

    Thanks!

  • Comment by: Ir (Helen)

    15 10/30/06 2:24 PM | Comment Link |

    I liked that video too, Siamang. Thanks for sharing it!