Atheists and Christians: Some Common Ground? Part 2?

Question

I'd like to invite people to see the responses to my last question and see how it further makes my point.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqKdhJZ2q6Zbrswcson4mhrsy6IX?qid=20060915110608AA1aqUD

Bias is the fundemental element to all opinions. I assure to all Atheist that I have a very deep understanding of science. I've studied it most of my life and continue doing so as an engineer soon to be a graduate student. My bias while studying science has been to assume a God-made universe. This has lead me to interpret my observations in such a way that I see God behind it all. Though if I was to start with the assumption that God doesn't exist I would have used the same evidence to confirm that He doesn't.

The same thing will happen if you study the BIble. If you study it assuming it to be false you will find fault because you want it to be there. However if you look to it for God's truth that's what you'll find

It's your choice.

Answer 1

The CORRECT, SCIENTIFIC approach is to assume NOTHING -- you observe the world about you, and then pose the question, "What hypothesis offers the best, most comprehensive explanation for what I'm seeing? How can I verify my hypothesis, or falsify it?"

When we observe the world objectively, we see natural causes for it, not supernatural ones; and as our knowledge of the universe increases, the things that we once thought had supernatural origins turn out to be explainable by natural law.

There is no common ground in this -- at the end of the day, there IS a simple yes-or-no answer to questions like, "Does God exist? Does faith in Jesus guarantee eternal life?" and so on. There can't NOT be. And there's simply no empirical, verifiable, repeatable evidence backing up the theists' claims (Seen God lately? Have you spoken to anyone currently enjoying eternal life in heaven because he believed in Jesus?) And until such evidence is offered up for critical analysis, there's NO reason to treat theism as anything other than unsubstantiated "ad hoc" speculation (that's "something pulled out of your @ss", for those of you in Rio Linda...)

Answer 2

Rather than "assure" us that you have a "deep understanding of science", you might instead demonstrate it to us. Frankly, I doubt your claim. A quick look at your past writing here suggests a fairly shallow understanding of science, though it is true that I didn't see any of the typical creationist strawman arguments. Still, you did say at one point something to the effect that a one-celled organism "can't be that complex if it all happened on it's own right?", and that reflects a fairly shallow understanding of the natural world.

I do agree with you about the role of bias, and appreciate that you recognize it in your own beliefs. However, I think you're wrong in your last claim: American atheists in general are people who were once Christians. LIke most of us, I did look to the Bible for "God's truth", but that truth failed to appear. I suppose that I could have ignored the falsehoods and convinced myself that it was true, but the fact is that it isn't, and doing so would have required quite a bit of intellectual dishonesty.

Answer 3

The bible depicts God as a type of humanoid being, with emotions and a spiteful and cruel temperament, who made a mess of creating the world and had to backtrack and make adjustments to straighten out the mess he made, or to appease his own wrath. That is not the deity who could ever be the source of the universe. The God of the bible is a mythological character woven into ancient folklore tales.

Answer 4

Sounds like people are basing their opinions and "knowledge" on things, words and evidence, not a MAN, not the LORD, someone Who has a ministering Spririt with Whom we all have the opportunity to form a RELATIONSHIP. I'm not assuming anything. I KNOW God. The bible supports what I believe. As far as finding common ground with an atheist, uh, no, I'll pass. I continue to pray that they would come to know the LORD, but that tends to truly offend them. You have a good heart Josh, but you'd have better success splitting atoms in your kitchen. Bless your heart. Your intelligence is very appealing and your hope assuring.

Answer 5

Whether the Bible is truth or not doesn't change the fact that it sanctions religious bigotry, massacres of entire cities, and messages of love backed up by threats to torture us for all eternity and to throw us into a lake of fire if we don't fall down on our knees and worship a being by drinking the blood of his son (among other things).

Point of view doesn't change any of that unless you don't consider to be human all the innocents in the Bible who were slaughtered in God's perfect wisdom.. in which case I submit that you are a bigot. It's your choice.

Answer 6

Amen.
We both believe the "unbelievable" by faith.

Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; no one does good!
The LORD looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if there is even one with real understanding, one who seeks for God. But no, all have turned away from God; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not even one! Psalm 14:1-3

Answer 7

I am reading the Old Testament currently. Still not convinced as of yet, but I'm only up to Exodus

Answer 8

There is no common ground, there are common traits in people, but there is no common ground between Christians and atheists.

Answer 9

Thats why i have to stand with the Atheist Parade. We say their is nothing their, Christians say God is behind it all. They lack evidence, we don't need any.

I just makes more sense, logically

Answer 10

there could never be a common ground between christians and atheist, light can not be a friend of darkness, the ones' who do not acknowledge God or his son Jesus Christ are really anti christ....we are supossed to love everyone, but we do not have to "hang" around them, in the bible, Jesus calls them pagans, other religions are referred to "PAGAN RELIGIONS", that is what they are called in the Holy Bible.