Atheists...what about this paradigm?

Question

I'm wondering if you are familiar with a paradigm. It's the idea that you can only consider something that fits into a certain mindset. Until that mindset no longer works. A good example was the Swiss Watch manufacturers when they saw a quartz watch. They thought it was ridiculous and lost the market share to the Japanese, because they could not consider that a feasible watch without the gears, etc.

So, to the atheists on here...you say you cannot believe in God because it does not fit in your logical world, or there is no scientific proof. Could it be simply that you are not open to a different paradigm? Perhaps it's because you want God to fit into your nice neat little box of rules and guidelines?

Just so you know, I HAVE considered the possibility that there is no God, and realized that it does not work for me. Because when I started to have the FAITH, just that mustard seed, I saw evidence that He is real. I've had too many answered prayers to be coincidental, on an almost-daily basis. So I started to think outside the box and realized when I stopped putting God into MY rules, He showed me He was real. But on HIS terms.

sllikyllo...I'm not attacking ANYONE. I'm just asking you to consider this viewpoint. For your instance, I ask questions to LEARN about others. I'm sorry that this question came off as offensive, because that is not the intention here.

Prayer works because of one key issue. I believe in the person I'm talking to. If I addressed a question to "hey you" or "hello is anyone listening" I probably would not get the attention of God. But when I truly tried to talk to him, one on one, He answered.

Including a miracle to save my husband.

Answer 1

It's interesting because I use the same thought process as you to arrive at a totally different conclusion. For me it is like, God doesn't fit into my "nice neat little box" so he can't exist. That might sound close-minded so I'll elaborate. In my eyes, science is beginning to understand more and more of the world and our origins. Now when I look at the overwhelming evidence of evolution and even just the happenings around me, I form a general understanding of the world that I am comfortable with. Now when something enters my world view (God) I have to examine the evidence and tinker with the idea to see if it fits. The problem with God is, I've seen no evidence and he just plain does not fit. With science, no matter what your mindset, the evidence is right there for you to see regardless of your bias or what conclusions you draw from it. Basically, if I saw real evidence of God, I could attempt to rearrange the rules and see if he fits, but I don't believe I should have to break the rules to even see evidence of him. That makes it sound like the first step to becoming a Christian is to delude yourself.

Answer 2

Your argument has a few problems:

"Until that mindset no longer works". Um...logic works. PERIOD. Everytime a human figures out how something works, or what happened, it is logic. Logic is "inexorable truth" according to the dictionary definition. It is not a paradigm.

"A good example was the Swiss Watch manufacturers when they saw a quartz watch." This unravels any point you try to make, for one simple reason. THE SWISS WATCH MAKERS SAW THE QUARTZ WATCH. They didn't have to believe that this watch existed based off of hearsay. The only example of a paradigm here was their belief that this type of watch couldn't work.

"Could it be simply that you are not open to a different paradigm?" No. One who is searching for "inexorable truth" is not the person closed to a new paradigm. It is the person, who refuses to change their stance or belief regardless of how much evidence there is to the contrary, that is closed to the new paradigm.

"Perhaps it's because you want God to fit into your nice neat little box of rules and guidelines?" The universe is guided by laws. This is fact. Claiming that "god" wouldn't fit into those same laws is the most illogical argument one can pose.

Answer 3

Well, what can I say? The logical world is the Athiest's paradigm and God doesn't fit into that. Neither does Santa or the tooth fairy. But if I ever get a reason that would justify my believing in any one of them I will definately reorganize my neat little scientific box to make room.

Answer 4

Well, I'm not an atheist, but an agnostic. So I pretty much agree with what you're saying. I can't conceive of God existing logically, and I have never had a personal experience of God. However, I am not arrogant enough to believe that I can possibly rule it out because my understanding of the universe is so complete.

Answer 5

I'll agree with that. God doesn't fit in my picture of a natural world. Everything I have EVER encountered does. So I'm willing to dismiss god and the things that don't - like leprechans, fairies, and cold fusion. If god ever manages to fit himself into the natural world in some way - by, say, preforming a miracle that can be observed and documented without anecdotal evidence - then I'd be willing to change my mind. But it's been 2000 years - no sign yet.

How open are you? Are you willing to be open to the paradigm of fairies, Santa Claus, and the other 10,000 gods people believe in across the world?

Answer 6

You don't even know what you are talking about. I believe that everything you're saying is wrong. That is very judgmental of you to start attacking people on what they want to believe. If they chose to not believe in god, then that's fine by me. you are so ridiculous. you preach about how your god is the only one who can judge anyone, but look at you now. Also, think about it god said "I am not of this world" So hell he could be a alien for all we know.. and all you really have to go by is a book. it could have been just a bunch of made up things that people wrote a long time ago. You don't know. i'm not atheist just let you know.

Answer 7

The idea of god is based on a being that is all powerful, all knowing, and that loves us and actually interferes (at will) in the lives of people here on earth. From what I see, have seen and have read and learned about the suffering on this earth as long as mankind has been on this earth there is no such being. If there is a supernatural being who is all knowing and all powerfull but does nothing then it is a being not to be worshiped or given a second thought.

Answer 8

what about his paradigm? We abandoning an ancient myth and becoming a society confident in our own abilities to apply thought, deduction and reason to understand what we cannot answer. We no longer need religion as a crutch for our lack of understanding. We focus on exploring the problems facing the world in a logical manner instead of relying on the intrepretation of various fables from thousands of years ago to guide us. we want to seek truth, not accept it blindly.

Religion is Swiss Watch in your analogy.

Answer 9

Couldn't that be the same for you, or any religion? People ALL just accept what fits into their ideas of logic. What else can you do? Ignore what your mind is telling you and believe something less feasible just because there's a slight possibility that it's real?

Answer 10

Atheist are not the antiquated ones my friend .you defind the antiquated and corrupt paradigms of the past open your mind to the future and don't be so silly.
As Albert Einstein once asknowledged ;
the kind of thinking that created the problem can not be used to solve the problem.