Originally Posted by spuleeah

I, as a christian theist, depend on scripture for knowledge. Thus, I have a wealth of knowledge that the atheist can not claim to have.

Originally Posted by Bill B

To me, this post simply reeks of arrogance--the type of arrogance which literally shouts out "I have a special and personal relationship to my creator. I transcend the process of evolution and natural selection. I am fundamentally different than pigeons, dogs, cows, the lassa virus, and termites etc. And how dare anyone be arrogant enough to suggest that I am wrong." An atheist humbly admits his cosmological ignorance. Why can't you?

Originally Posted by Bill B

To me, every fibre of my being tells me that your worldview is the very definition of arrogance. To you, my worldview is the very definition of arrogance. Conclusion--- I don't see how to move the ball forward. I guess we agree to disagree.

Originally Posted by spuleeah

I can show you how my conclusions follow from my epistemology.

Originally Posted by Proud atheist

The theist is wrong because a considerable number of claims his religion make are demonstrably wrong on scientific and historical grounds. I'll repeat this, wrong as in clearly untrue.

Originally Posted by Proud atheist

That is why this atheist rejects religious explanations because there is no point in backing a deeply flawed proposition, simple as that.

Originally Posted by Proud atheist

I am not "arrogant" enough to assume that we know everything about the origins of the universe yet and acknowledge that speculation is involved.

Originally Posted by Proud atheist

None the less the current theories at least involve logical reasoning and scientific consistency behind them. No doubt they will be improved and some parts discarded but they haven't been discredited yet, unlike theist ones.

Originally Posted by Proud atheist

Spuleah on the other hand blindly attacks atheists for the lack of knowledge while failing to see the infinitely larger number of gaps and faults in his own position, that's arrogance for you.

Originally Posted by Classical

Knowing many christians, I have found them to be some of the most arrogant, rude, self-centered, opinionated, stubborn and uncaring people I have ever known. I've known few who could continue any type of pretense of kindness once you have questioned their wonder jesus religion. This does not apply to all by any means, but A LOT I have known in my family, among friends and in places of leadership.

I have not met nearly as many atheists, but I have found them to be quite the opposite so far. Because they are not forgiven no matter what they do, they seem to be much more compassionate and mindful of the fact that we are here only briefly and how important our actions are to those around us.

Originally Posted by mirage

Quite the opposite. I was responding to an accusation of inflated self-important arrogance from you believers, pointing out, as Stephen TB has done in a more balanced way, that the arrogance depends on your perspective. I don't think most believers are arrogant any more than atheists. But I would at least point out elements in the belief system that coincidentally place humankind at the very center of the universe. The atheist position is that we have insufficient evidence for any such belief, which is a natural null position that can hardly be described as arrogant.

Originally Posted by newtype_alpha

I don't consider myself wise for understanding what seems perfectly obvious in this statement. The people who first followed Jesus were naive and gullible...

Originally Posted by spuleeah

The atheist is wrong because a considerable number of claims his worldview makes are demonstrably wrong on scriptural grounds. I'll repeat this, wrong as in clearly untrue.

Originally Posted by pharmakos

Some people may be atheists because they want to be atheists. I don't want to be an atheist. I am an atheist. It's not a choice that I made. I've never had a motivation to believe in gods. I've read my share of mythology, but I don't take any of it seriously. Why would I? Why do theists believe that their story, because it contains historical information, is non-fiction. Plenty of fiction incorporates real events. It's still fiction.

Religious faith boggles my mind. So does all belief in the supernatural. Living in the United States my lack of religious faith and my lack of belief in the supernatural often cause me to feel a deep disconnection with my peers. Most of the people around me have religious faith. Most of the people around me believe in the supernatural. They went to the same schools that I did. I didn't go to the churches that they went to. Is a lack of early exposure to belief in the supernatural the only reason that I'm an atheist today?

No, of course not. My lack of belief has been supported by a lifetime of experiences that have given me no reason to adopt a belief in the supernatural, and by a lifetime of experiences that have given me many reasons to disbelieve the supernatural. I have drawn incorrect conclusions from my observations (e.g. There's a person in the dark ahead of me.), and corrected them when the evidence showed that they were wrong (No, it's a bush shaped like a person), and thus understand how someone could think that they saw a ghost (though I don't understand how anyone can maintain a belief in ghosts with all of the evidence against them).

I have at times wished that I could be a theist. It would be so much easier to be a theist in the United States. But I can't be a theist, anymore than I change the color of my eyes from blue to grey. Maybe it's in the genes? Same as my eyes. Not the ability to suspend disbelief (I can do that; I love movies and plays), but the ability to maintain a belief that is inconsistent with, even contrary to, a persons usual experiences. The ability to turn a blind eye to conclusions reached through methodological research in favor of invented rationalizations.

Originally Posted by greyline

Atheists are unable to read the scriptures?