keyser_soze

Anyone with a brain care to weigh in on this one? we'll open it up to the atheists now...How to avoid the trap for the theists? Anyone got any ideas? You'll have to go with something besides the "I have no basis, only my faith", that tends to kill arguments...because that still leaves everyone seeing the theist as a moron. It's getting old with them using the same old arguments, and them getting nailed in the same old way. I know it's kind of a "not good" thing to give them a leg up...but damn, the same old arguments are getting tired. Perhaps they will up the caliber of the debate if we give them some help? I dunno, wishful thinking I guess...I just miss the apologist with more than minimal data, with the balls to come out and say "uncle" when it was obvious they had lost, and the good sportsmanship to congratulate their opponent. The apologists these days are nothing more than blowhards, who rely on the rhetoric from fundy websites. They all seem like they come from CF or RR...and they are all pathetic.

The AntiChris

If I were a theist, I'd probably say the question is meaningless. Given God's nature he'd never make such a request. This is of course because theists project their personal moral feelings onto their God.

A question theists often ask non-theists is "what would you do if God revealed himself to you?". As a strong atheist I find this question meaningless - you might as well ask me to describe a square circle.

I suspect theists would have a similar problem with your question.

Chris

keyser_soze

The AntiChris

You don't really believe all theists are bible literalists do you?
Nope. Not even for the sake of argument. I really don't even know how to start describing a square circle.
I guess it depends on the degree to which you've been exposed to theistic inconsistencies in the past. I've long since ceased to be amazed at the logical gymnastics theists go through to reconcile their faith with the real world.

Chris

bocajeff

Is there a link to that thread on rapture ready? Sounds like an interesting read.

keyser_soze

You can go to www.rr-bb.com that is the bulletin board. You'll have to search for the thread, I think it was in "anything goes" or "apologetics" but I'm unsure...Doesn't matter if you can't find it, their turnover is rapid, but you'll find something equally interesting. There are some REALLY fun topics.

semiotician

Interesting question and yes it is one of those tricky ones to answer.

As a hypothetical question it would be interesting to see how atheists would answer it.

Jinto

Which question? The one about what I would do if God revealed himself to me? Simple: "What does God want with an evolved monkey?"

semiotician

To kill a child, wasn't that the question?

Why would God want an "evolved monkey" to kill a child? How would the "evolved monkey" feel about meeting their evolver?

Chiron

semiotician: "Why would God want an "evolved monkey" to kill a child? How would the "evolved monkey" feel about meeting their evolver?"
I believe you're misusing the word "meet." I mean, how would someone feel about meeting, say, the law of gravity, or the Second Law of Thermodynamics, or capitalism? Inasmuch as evolution is a process perpetuated by environmental, non-sentient factors, I'd think it impossible for one to meet evolution.

More meaningfully, I think I'd get my head checked (instead of killing the child). There's a nasty disorder known as schizophrenia that is often characterized by hearing voices. While these voices generally try to degrade the victim or lower his/her self esteem (causing suicide, the leading cause of death in people who suffer from schizophrenia; this is from the Psychology class at my school), I wouldn't rule out voices that assume divinity and ask for infanticide.

-Chiron