8
Imprint,
Friday,
November
8, 1991
Good points, bad points, and To the editor, Normally it’s a complete waste of time arguing with drunks or religious fanatics, nonetheless I feel compelled to come to the defence of a fellow atheist Last week’s outpouring of venom, no doubt the orchestrated product of the dozen or so people whose organization plasters the campus with posters advertising the imminent return of the late JC, gives the impression that the entire campus believes in some god or other. Not so, there are lots of us with the sense to reject the whole silly business, we just don’t travel in noisy packs the way believers in religion do. Fortunately society has progressed to where we can safely point out the stupidity of religion without being tortured to death in the name of brotherly Iove, otherwise Dave Thomson would be only a pile of cinders by now. It was highly amusing to read the attacks on Mr. Thomson’s supposed lack of logic when the best argument that any of his opponents could come up with for the existence of god(s) was that there was no evidence against it. If 1 tried to publish a scientific theory on that basis my manuscript would be immediately consigned to the trash by any reputable journal. Only in religion does this pass for brilliant argument. One would expect that after several thousand years they would have come up something better. Even this lame argument is instantly refutable. Only an idiot would believe that a world where millions are dying from starvation, war, and disease is the plan of a benevolent, omniscient, omnipotent, etc. deity. To anyone with a shred of inteilectual honesty a quick look at the daily would provide conclusive newspaper evidence against the existence of any god, with the possible exception of Kali the Destroyer. If religion were logical one would expect that there would be general agreement among believers. Instead even different sects of Christianity, supposedly working from the same “holy revelations,” have wildly divergent opinions on everything except the
existence of a god. When one includes nonChristian religions the situation becomes even more ludicrous. Any belief, any behaviour, ,no matter how bizarre, is proclaimed as “God’s will” by some religious group. Of course, to a neutral observer it is obvious that “God’s will” invariably instructs people to do what they were going to do anyway. It’s about time atheists went on the attack against the superstition that still lingers. Reasoned argument is a waste of time since believers in religion have constructed a system of evasions, half-truths, rationalizations, and flat-out lies that couldn’t be demolished by a nuclear explosion. Our best response is to simply laugh in their faces. After all, the whole idea of religion is hilarious to any rationa human being. Maybe in a few more centuries we can laugh it entirely out of existence. The world will then be a much better place to live. Robert Callaghan Chemistry To the editor, In response to your recent article, “Faith vs* Logic,” please accept the following comments. Firstly, as a Christian, I don’t discount logic. In fact, logic was and is a very necessary ’ catalyst to my faith. In other words, it makes more sense logically to believe in an Almighty God than one’s self. Since finite cannot comprehend infinite through logic alone, faith is central to my Christian belief in an infinite God. It is quite impossible to reconcile yourself to an almighty spiritual deity without it. Sadly, the very thing you accuse Christians of doing (in attacking what atheism lacks), you are guilty of yourself. Can you not present your views for not believing in Christ without making Him the object of your demented delusions (the wanted poster).
Some things never change, they mocked Him at the Crucifixion and you mock Him now while crucifying His character in the paper. You champion the case for reason/logic, while matter treating the subject unreasonably. You stated that “if God exists, why doesn’t he come down and show Himself to the masses and demonstrate some super power, then it obviously would be hard to deny his existence.” Not really. Thousands of skeptics saw a man build a boat for 120 years, who prophesied that one day God would close the door of their only hope for salvation. That day came, the flood made them all believers. Granted, God wasn’t visible, but His effect on humanity was. In your limited wisdom, you and others will no doubt discount this story as fantasy, even though the tangible evidence rests on a mountain exactly where the Bible says it is. Logic or opinion? * Thousands of people saw Jesus Christ, who, by His own admission claimed to be a deity. He did supernatural wonders, personal and impersonal in nature, His existence being documented historically, exclusive of the Bible. Obviously, they should all have become believers, after all, this was God doing the impossible in their very midst. It didn’t. It didn’t happen because man though wisdom/logic alone cannot embrace spiritual truth. Faith is a necessary prerequisite. The reason for this is simple. If logic/reason also was required to believe, then only the academically proficient would have opportunity, thereby, making a relationship with God, the Creator of all, elitist and God Himself totally unjust. But God saw fit to give every person on earth “a measure of faith.” Unfortunately, many people choose to fill that faith with false goods like money, knowledge, alcohol, drugs, etc., in an effort to find happiness. Some turn to false religions and some, like the atheists, turn to themselves or more specifically, their ability to reason things out. Since God gave the capacity for faith, He alone can satisfy it.
Because God is all-loving and patient, the atheist is afforded the same opportunity as the rest of humanity to accept Him as your God through Jesus Christ. The choice is still yours, at least tiil your heart stops! Ryan Kuehnel St. Catharines To the editor, Only the weak feel the need to believe in God there should be no further dilemma. G. Zimmerman Graduate Studies,
Philosophy
As interesting as the proGod/no-God debate is, some of the letters are becoming redundant. New letters that cover the same points already presented will not be printed. So please, keep your ideas new and interesting. To the editor, I read your article, “Faith Versus Logic,” with great interest, and wonder where in your article “Logic” comes in to play. Your first mistake is the assumption that all Atheists are logical, and all Theists are illogical. Would you calI Hitler or Stalin logical just because they were Atheists? Would you call
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