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  1. J

    The Image Christians Have of People

    Yes, there's really no getting around subjective values and morals because there are no objective morals or values. Believing in God(s) is personal, and obeying the morality they demand is as much a preferred choice as obeying Confucius. Christian apologists bemoan subjective morality, but it...
  2. J

    The Image Christians Have of People

    The problem with categorizing all people as sinners is that "sin" is essentially innate human behavior. So when we are said to sin we are just acting like the people we are, and, of course, we can't act any other way. So there's no way out of sin for us; it's an idea that traps us. That's fine...
  3. J

    The Image Christians Have of People

    Good and evil in people is more like a volume control than a power switch. It is a continuum between two extremes rather than the two extremes only. So almost any person has both good and bad in her or him. Ted Bundy, for example, I think would have helped a stranger on the street who had...
  4. J

    The Image Christians Have of People

    Obviously if you want to sell a savior, then you want to convince people that they need one.
  5. J

    The Image Christians Have of People

    I'm focusing this discussion on Psalm 14, but yes, the Bible says very little about atheists no doubt because there were very few avowed atheists at that time. I agree that the Psalmist includes himself in "all mankind" because he's a man, of course. I also agree that the Psalmist thought he...
  6. J

    The Image Christians Have of People

    I agree that God's image is a bit tarnished, but most Christian apologists will still insist that God is perfectly righteous regardless of what he does to people. William Lane Craig says, for instance, that: "God has the power of life and death." This "power" grants God the right to do what he...
  7. J

    The Image Christians Have of People

    I tend to say I'm bad based on what I see as bad.
  8. J

    The Image Christians Have of People

    Yes. I noticed the same equivocation in the passage. It goes something like this: Atheists are fools. Everybody is really bad! Why pick on atheists when you want to libel everybody in the very next verse? ;) Anyway, Psalm 14 is libel. Contrary to what it says, most people are good most of the...
  9. J

    Belief in God will always require ‘some’ faith

    How do you define "faith"? Most theists don't define faith as necessarily without reason or evidence. For them faith is trusting God to tell the truth and fulfill his promises. That trust is, at least in some cases, based on reason and/or evidence that supports the conclusion that God will do...
  10. J

    The Image Christians Have of People

    We are told we are made in the image of God which I suppose is good. However, our being made in God's image doesn't keep us people from being really bad. Christianity tells us that we are all sinners falling short of God's glory. We simply cannot be trusted to make our own moral decisions and...
  11. J

    The Alleged Troubles With Atheism

    I can only take so much ignorance. Go insult somebody else. I don't waste my time with jerks.
  12. J

    The Alleged Troubles With Atheism

    I already read that article, and I don't believe that one, short internet page is enough for me to acquire a good familiarity with the subject of ideology. The article simply does not go into much detail about ideology in general and Marxist violence in particular. I'm looking for a short book...
  13. J

    The Alleged Troubles With Atheism

    I plan to read a book on the subject of ideology when I get the time. I'll get back to you then. I want to see if I can find something that clearly describes what ideology is and what causes it. I'm also curious how people use ideology to describe and justify their behavior especially violent...
  14. J

    The Alleged Troubles With Atheism

    I'm not asking about the article's comments about the "role" of ideology in violence but want to know where the article states that ideology causes violence. Do you remember my poodle versus pit-bull analogy from a prior post? I ask about ideology as a cause, and you reply about ideology playing...
  15. J

    The Alleged Troubles With Atheism

    But where does that article state unequivocally that ideology causes violence, terrorism in particular? How does that mean that ideology causes violence? All it says is that ideology "affects" people, a claim I do not agree with. Where does that article say that ideology causes violence...
  16. J

    The Alleged Troubles With Atheism

    OK, I can't find anything in that article that states definitively that we know that ideology causes violence, terrorism in particular. In fact, the article seems to argue the opposite--we really don't know if ideology causes violence. Consider these excerpts from the article: Sorry, but...
  17. J

    The Alleged Troubles With Atheism

    I just want to make sure that you reply to and/or rebut what I actually said. Substituting words that have different meanings for the words I use is a textbook case of a straw-man argument. In what way is my argumentation "excessive literalism"? Are you using metaphors in your arguments that...
  18. J

    The Alleged Troubles With Atheism

    I'm asking you to explain your position to the best of your ability and clarify it to my satisfaction, from now on. That's not my position! Let's take another look at what I just posted: Jagella: ... But what I do dispute is the supposed causal property of ideology itself.. Your Response: If...
  19. J

    The Alleged Troubles With Atheism

    Please explain your position to the best of your ability and clarify it to my satisfaction. Doing so will greatly decrease any presumed misrepresentation of your position on my part. I will try to make myself as clear as possible too. In that case the person explaining science to the...
  20. J

    The Alleged Troubles With Atheism

    Of course. I'm the only person you're trying to convince. But seriously, I should remind you that you have the burden of proving that ideology causes changes in behavior; namely, violence. If your arguments are confusing (disorderly, unstable, cryptic, ambiguous, etc.), then you have not met...
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