Tercel

I would guess that in a hundred years, atheism will be all but a quaint relic of the past held on to by only a few tenacious die-hards in the face of reason. I don't doubt that our increasing knowledge will eventually establish the existence of God as a scientific fact, and atheism of the gaps will be gone once and for all.

malookiemaloo

From memory Voltaire said something similar!! His daughter became a Christian and Voltaire's house was used as a home for a press printing Bibles. So don't say God does not possess a sense of humour.

Also are you aware that conservative estimates by Bible Societies show around 60, 000 people per around the world joining Christian Churches?


m

lpetrich

Tercel:
... I don't doubt that our increasing knowledge will eventually establish the existence of God as a scientific fact, and atheism of the gaps will be gone once and for all.

Atheism of the gaps?

Is this supposed to be satire?

lpetrich

First, O malookiemaloo and Tercel, don't you ever wonder why unmistakable miracles simply don't happen anymore?

And malookiemaloo may be very interested in the fate of many old churches in Europe -- some of them get turned into discos and the like.

I tried to check on that story of Voltaire's house becoming a printing and distribution spot for Bibles, and I didn't find any site that critically evaluated that story -- Snopes did not have it.

Voltaire was not an atheist; there was even a church on his estate with the inscription "Deo erexit Voltaire". However, his view of the Catholic Church was that that it was "infamy" to be "erased".

I think that he would have wanted the Bible to be viewed like the Iliad and the Odyssey -- some half-historical, half-mythical book.

Anomalocaris

Judges 1:19

Like many supernatural entities, the Christian god seems to have problems with iron. Perhaps the increase in iron use across the world corresponds with the decrease of miracles and perhaps divine intervention(*) is somehow thwarted by the presence of iron. So much for an all-powerful diety.



(*) Maybe it's just me but I can never hear the words "divine intervention" without thinking of a certain scene from the movie Braindead (or Dead Alive depending on where you live). "I kick ass for the lord!"

Starboy

I suppose it would be a workable definition if anyone actually knew what god normally did. Because there is no test for a god given event god could be doing everything or nothing or anything in between. As far as anyone can tell god doesn't appear to matter.

Starboy

malookiemaloo

Well there a wole Bible full of how God operates. The 'miraculous' is in fact quite rare.


m

Starboy

So let me get this strait. You (a finite being) think you know the mind of god (an infinite being) by reading a book written two millennia ago (different culture, different standards of knowing). Is that what you are saying?

Starboy

malookiemaloo

I am saying all I need to know about God is contained in the Bible.


m

Starboy

malookiemaloo, couldn't agree with you more. The bible cuts both ways.

Starboy