Still I personally like this specific 1, Window Shades “That�s My King!
| Sapphire Sky” the very best. Cya ,Sandy

Happy Valentines Day!

First, one would not know from your “review” the point of my post, which you do not mention. The point being made was that there is not a persuasive explanation for transcendent values such as truth, hope, faith and love in a purely mechanical reality, the atheist’s paradigm. (This issue is more often made with regard to the “universal” display of logic imbedded throughout reality, to which I obliquely referred in the post.) My post focused primarily on the transcendent concept of truth.

Instead of tackling that issue, you attack a straw man; leading readers to suppose that I claim atheists should not care about truth. That’s not a fair reading of what I wrote. As an aside to the main point, I commented how curious it is that atheists care what Christians hold to be true about God. I did not state that atheists should have no concern regarding empirical truths, to which you ultimately make arguments, specifically about global warming.

Second, you argue that atheists ought to care at least to some extent about what Christians think (or teach others to think) because, according to you, Christians get distracted from more immediate issues like global warming, etc. By focusing on eternity, Christians give short shrift to temporal matters, again according to you. Of course, that argument while a bit of a non sequitur could be equally applied against atheists, like say former pastors who spend their limited time focusing on what Christians think and do instead of say, measuring carbon emissions from volcanoes or studying sun spots. Regardless, I’m not aware of any credible data that Christians as opposed to others are less prone to engage and form opinions regarding current issues, to include global warming or most other popular issues.

More importantly, your argument appears to be a pragmatic one – that Christians are somehow less productive citizens because of their focus on eternity. On pragmatic considerations, atheists have even less reason to argue the “truth” of Christianity. Studies repeatedly disclose that Christians rate above average when it comes to positive social pathologies – economic productivity, life expectancy, crime, psychological health, etc. This underscores my point that atheists should not care (indeed may even encourage) whether their fellow citizens profess faith in Jesus Christ and strive to live like him. No, it seems to me that something other than pragmatics about global warming, etc. fuels the atheist’s vigor against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Something deeper.

Third, you take issue with Pascal’s Wager and claim your link explains why one should never ever etc. use it. The supposed refutation given at the link is that Pascal’s Wager does not prove the existence of God. After your breathless prelude to the link, that proved entirely underwhelming. PW is not a proof theorem for the existence of God; it’s a consequential logical argument for faith. Subtle difference, perhaps, but material distinction. The error in your criticism can be understood perhaps more easily when applied to another context.

Suppose you were hungry and I offered you a closed box with the promise it contained food. All you had to do was take the box from me and open it; the food inside would be yours. Logical dictates that you ought to take the box and open it. The consequence you do is that you will either be fed or you will remain in the same condition. The logic in favor of taking and opening the box does not prove there is food in the box; it just suggests it is foolish to refuse the offer. Pascal’s wager.

PW contains another inherent dilemma for atheists – why would a purely mechanical reality create a logical consequential argument that points only towards faith in God? Like so many other areas of our reality, there’s no material explanation, however, this logical bias makes perfect sense and there is no dilemma if God exists and created logic (and of course, he created the consequence of eternal life).

There are other inaccuracies and assertions with which I take issue in your post, however, I approach my page limit …

As an aside, it appears our ships started from opposite ports and have passed. I started life as an atheist, then Roman Catholic to nihilism to Buddhism and eventually to intellectual Christianity. As I approached thirty, and after several years of “believing” the Bible, Christ opened my eyes to whom he is (and to whom I’m not) and “saved” me. That made all the difference.

Oh yeah, having grown up near Lake Michigan, I like your banner photo. Truly … Tony