Why do athiests think that rationality and reason are the answer to everything?

Question

Eistenian physics and quantum physics can't both be true. It doesn't mean we reject science.

I think there is a misunderstanding. I am not implying science is at odds with one's religion at all.

In my own faith we have scietific facts in our text before they were even discovered in this life.

Answer 1

All over the place I'm finding all kinds of atheists. What's up with this? A lot of these hardcore athesists are converts, especially from Catholicism, which is totally beyond me. It annoys me that they'd throw out hundreds of years of human tradition in favor of the modern trends, and the hundreds of years of human reasoning that most of them lean upon is rather thin. They fall into the category of idiots who believe that something that is new must be better.

They cling to science, saying that because the Creation story is false, the whole Bible must be false. I find that most of these people don't understand poetry, which is what much (if not most) of the Bible really is. A lot of these people come from Protestant variants of Christianity that believe that the Bible is a book that fell out of the sky, ignoring that it was compiled by the Council of Nicea under the guidance of Saint Jerome from hundreds of ancient texts, almost all of which were part of oral tradition long before they were even written. I guess if you believe that the Bible is a bunch of fairy tales used to replace science in ignorant ancient peoples, then it's easy to reject the whole thing. Perhaps the breakdown of modern catechism education is to blame. I've yet to find an atheist who really understands what they rejected. I believe what I do because I understand that, if you accept the Bible for what it is, there's plenty of room for science to do what it does best: explain those things that have nothing to do with souls, angels, and God Himself.

One of my favorite webpages was written by atheists in an attempt to help disprove God. I read it often as a debate text because it's very informative.

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/mathew/logic.html

"... logical reasoning is not an absolute law which governs the universe."

Ok, using their deductive reasoning with their premise...
1. We're trying to determine whether God exists in the universe.
2. Logical reasoning is not an absolute law which governs the universe.
3. Logical reasoning is not a valid tool for determining whether God exists in the universe.

...so why is logic such a common tool for "disproving" or "proving" whether God exists? Move over, Summa Theologica... it's almost ALL faith with a sprinkle of pseudo-logic to keep stuff in check.

Answer 2

What, no dualism? Of course they can both be true. The spiritual and the physical are both true. As a matter of fact people are finding quantum theory explains the bible and it builds their faith immeasuably. Faith is in evidence unless we have faith only in thing that have no evidence. Religion can be faith in a God or something else, but religion is a faith system based on evidence and reasoning, either atheism or not. You can put your faith in someone elses reasoning or your own or if you your beliefs coincide, both your reasoning.
Personally I like the idea of believing in nothing to start a question and build from there. That way I am not limiting my minds ability to think. Roadblocks hinder or even keep you from getting anywhere and so do opinions, beliefs and even religions. Of course you start out with and don't have to do redo everything everytime, that 'I must be here at least in my mind and there are some things out there that look strangely like me and some not.' I believe that, but it is up for discussion. So I don't say I absolutely believe in anything. If God decides something is otherwise or reason does, then there I will go. You might call that the spirit of truth, that is I will go where the evidence leads and back again if necessary. As far as I can see, the evidence for God is overwhelming, everything points to a creator. Religion gives me a problem because it makes assertions about God. I don't think that he is limited by assertions or assumptions. They all can get in the way of a direct relationship because our knowledge is limited. That is we are finite beings, in a finite world and couldn't understand absolutes absolutely, so if we believe in them it's in a finite, limited way. Beliefs can get in the way. They don't have to but I don't put them first, let's say.
If each of you thinks the other is an idiot then why do you hang out with idiots. Does that make you an idiot? It does, it is just that I admit I am an idiot up front. That levels the playing field so we can stop revealing ourselves by calling names. It's not Christian or civilized if you believe in either Christianity or civilization, civility. It has been my vast experience that if everyone here were reasonable, then we could reach an agreement eventually. The bible is divided in two parts. The first is dealing with unreasonable men and was put in terms they would understand. The second half was for a whole new time for our capacities. There is no third option, so we can reach agreement now, it is only a matter of time. Pure logic got me where I am so I know that if you're logical long enough you will find God. If you are illogical long enough, religion, you will not have any evidence and become an atheist from which you can use logic and get back to God, but this time you will stick, because you will, "know in whom you believe."
There is a real problem with understand my reasoning. It requires so many words to explain everything that you couldn't possibly. Enter sybolic logic used by the subconscious. It can handle as much logic as you want in pictures, the base language of the mind. When we say use your mind and don't understand symbolic logic and the subconscious we are only using half of our mind, hence these lame brained discussions. Anyone can make a jump,though, by just interpreting the symbolic picture logic of our intuition.

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Answer 3

Somehow I don't think you know much about relativity or quantum mechanics. You made an error already by making an absolute statement that isn't true. It isn't that relativity and quantum theory can't both be true, it is that their relationship hasn't been proven. Since you didn't mention string theory, I'll be safe in assuming you aren't really into physics. (If string theory has some of its hypothesis confirmed in the not-too-distant future, relativity and quantum mechanics won't be at odds.)

To answer your question I am going to instead use an example of known science rather than theoretical science. If we didn't use rationality and reason to explore the cause of various diseases, we would still be using priests to chase demons out of people with epilepsy, Tourette's, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, autism, and many other neurological disorders. Superstition, "faith", and prayer didn't give us these answers. Rationality and reason did. That is a pretty good reason to value such a way of thinking.

Answer 4

And what alternative are you offering that is better? As far as I can tell, all arguments for support of religious thinking come down to these two basic themes:

1) I feel God's presence.
2) I believe some ancient texts were inspired in a way that no modern texts have been.

The first argument is that profound feelings trump reason and rationality, as if these feelings are more than just internal processes and states of our bodies.

The second argument requires a large leap of faith. Why would a God choose to directly affect what was written in ancient times and then withdraw in modern times?

The great thing about science is that it restricts itself to explaining the natural world. The conflicts between science and religion usually come because religions have difficulty adapting to new understandings about the natural world. A few hundred years ago it was the conflict over the Earth's position in the solar system. Today it is the huge conflict over how life evolved. Science has revealed truth about the natural world in both of these areas that conflict with ancient beliefs. I personally think the solution is to adapt ones beliefs to truth, rather than trying to force truth to adapt to ones beliefs.

Answer 5

Atheists hold onto rationality and reason because all the faith parking spots have been taken over by fanaticals. Balance is achieved when, one position is taken strongly, so too is the opposite position held equally strong.

If you want atheists to stop emphasizing rational and reason, then stop being a person who emphasizes faith (however illogical) over logic. Science cannot answer every question, but neither can faith undermine the importance of science and reason. If God cannot be found in a science textbook, then God cannot be found in the example "Anyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house on rock. When the rainy seasons set in, the torrents came and the winds blew and buffeted his house. It did not collapse; it had been solidly set on rock."

Answer 6

Science can be depended on. Rationality and reason are beautiful things. Knowledge is what we should all achieve to have. If not then why does education even exist? Why all the hard work put into children so they'll grow up to have a good job, make money and thus have a good life? *gasp* Well what do you know? I just answered my question.

Seriously... think about it. Why NOT be reasonable and rational? It's a sane way to live. Helps us live longer and fuller - helps us create technology that make our life easier and medicine to keep us healthy. No down side to it.

Answer 7

It's a bit of a misunderstanding to believe that atheism think that rationality and reason are the answer to everything. In actuality it's more like this. Atheists think that in order to find truth one must approach it with a rational mind and use the tools of reason and science to discern what is fact, and what is not.

Answer 8

I'm not familiar with Eistenian and quantum physics, so i won't comment on that. I will say that rationality and reason are usually better at sovling problems than faith and prayer, which are basically glorified wishing. For me, matters of fact will always come ahead of matters of faith.

Answer 9

I hate to sound like a smart @$$, but if I did, how would you know. A lesson perhaps instead;
Why wouldn't I want to believe in Jesus?
because that closes me off to any and all other perspectives that make more sense to me regarding life, i would stop questioning, I would settle, and I would never listen, compromise, or find enjoyment with those that oppose or challenge my view. I would become less interesting because all my answers would be limited to a teaching of a book, people I know would stop having well-rounded conversations with me because they knew inevitably I would eventually try to convert them.

In my travels through the world, I would be viewing the world with a closed perspective, and other cultures that weren't Christian, I would see as those I need to 'change' for the better. Instead of listening and appreciating their views, I would only be concentrating on an angle to get them saved.

I would basically being lying to myself, I would surrender logic to blind faith, and I would lose the creativity and shock value humor I currently have. I would be unhappy, and unsure of my decisions. get it?

Answer 10

Because that is the way humans survive. If you behave irrationally and unreasonably you end up with a chaotic life whether personally as with drug addicts or socially as with religious people who have reduced the Middle East to a bloodbath with christians, jews and muslims all knocking seven kinds of s h i t out of each other.

Answer 11

Of course you don't "reject" the science that you use day to day..Just the science that contradicts your religious beliefs.
I am not an atheist but I do use rationality and reason in my decision making...ie) the bible is lacking in consistencies which makes it hard for me to rationalize believing in it.
Atheist's choose not to believe because there is no proof. Believers believe blindly because it gives us comfort to do so.