| 5 Tough Questions for Atheists |
| Written by Rich Bordner | |
| Saturday, 15 August 2009 | |
|
"Why is there so much suffering if God exists?"
"Why is there so much suffering if God exists?" "Why are there so many hypocrites in the church?" "Why isn't there more evidence? Why is God so hidden?" Usually, it is Christians and sometimes other religious believers who must justify their beliefs, but most don't realize that atheists, agnostics, and skeptics also must answer tough questions and have their beliefs placed under the microscope! Rest assured, the questions above have good answers, but they shouldn't be the only focus; the skeptic should be in the hotseat too: 1) Why is there something rather than nothing? The "big bang" has a lot going for it, both scientifically and philosophically. If the "big bang" happened, then the universe began a finite time ago. Atheism runs smack dab into this--out of nothing, nothing comes. How could the universe just pop into existence uncaused? Either something outside the physical universe brought it into existence, or it all came ex nihilo. If the big bang happened, those are our options. Which is more solid? 2) What does it mean for an action to be "good"? Sometimes atheists say "you can be good without God," but this goes much deeper than that. If all we have is the physical cosmos, then everyone, Christian included, *thinks* he is acting good, but it's all a farce. I like cheese, you don't. I like killing people, you don't. How horrible would that be! In the absence of a universal moral good, the only thing left are preferences, pragmatics, and the herd morality. How can the atheist ground and justify a universal moral good? How can he say that racism or misogyny is not just wrong "for me," but wrong, end of story? If someone from another culture says that beating homosexuals is ok, is he really wrong? 3) No matter how complicated you arrange a chunk of material, it will remain inanimate. If there is nothing akin to a non-physical substance mind, how can consciousness arise from purely physical, inanimate matter? This is something different than merely identifying a brain state that causes a mental state. Mental states undoubtedly exist, yet they are not part of the physical world because they possess properties that no physical state can have (they are internal and private, for instance, immediately accessible to the subject). 4) How can free will exist if the physical world is all there is? 5) The last one comes from another blogger: if Christ appeared to you and said that He really rose from the dead and is God, how would you respond? Witnesses and tests confirm you weren't dreaming--it was really God! What's next? Their answer will show you a lot about their true motivations. For many, the supposed lack of evidence is mere window dressing; their attitude is the real issue. The next time you talk about beliefs with an atheist or agnostic, ask them some of the questions above. The answers you get might surprise you. The Article Author: Rich Bordner is a teacher in California who earned his B.A in English an Philosophy from Ohio State University in 2002. He blogs about philosophy, religion, spirituality, and politics at The Pugnacious Irishman and is currently obtaining an M.A in Philosophy from Biola University. If this article sparked interest in you, or if you want to discuss politics, sprituality, or philosophy, stop on by! |
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