Originally posted by robbie carrobieI don't think he denies their existence. Nor does he reject their authority. I think that he denies that they have any authority to reject. I am sure he will correct me if my understanding is wrong.
No this is a fallacious argument, the Bible exits, Biblical teaching exists, Bible morality exists irrespective of whether a creator exists, so my bold putty cat friend are you willing to deny that these exist?
Personally, I think I disagree with (my understanding of) his position. I think the Bible does have a certain amount of authority over those who subscribe to it, and atheists do reject this authority. But I disagree that this makes 'rejection of authority' any more of a character trait of atheists than anyone else.
The majority of people in the world reject the authority of the Bible, whether they are atheist or not.
Likewise the majority of people (you included) reject the authority of the Koran.
The majority of people (you included) reject the authority of the Vedas.
The majority of people (you included) reject the authority of every religious text in which you do not believe.
We are no different to you in rejecting authority: we reject the authority of that in which we do not believe.
Penguin
03 Feb 14
Originally posted by robbie carrobieCertainly the bible exists. Certainly biblical teaching exists. But I see no authority therein. Human morality exists independently of scripture, and it is richer and more positive when discussed and subjected to consensus rather than taken without examination from ancient texts. Biblical morality comes in a poor second.
No this is a fallacious argument, the Bible exits, Biblical teaching exists, Bible morality exists irrespective of whether a creator exists, so my bold putty cat friend are you willing to deny that these exist?
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03 Feb 14
Originally posted by avalanchethecat
Certainly the bible exists. Certainly biblical teaching exists. But I see no authority therein. Human morality exists independently of scripture, and it is richer and more positive when discussed and subjected to consensus rather than taken without examination from ancient texts. Biblical morality comes in a poor second.
Human morality exists independently of the scripture. But the Scripture tells us why. The God who created man in His own image and likeness made this created distinct from animals in this sense of morality.
Granted, men may not know the Scriptures. But where is their alternative explanation why they have the moral sense ?
Having morality independent of knowing about or knowing the Bible does make man created in the image of God go away.
Unless you have another explanation for the moral sense. Something like rape goes on in the animal kingdom all the time. They have no guilt about it. One hawk may "steal" a fish out of the talons of a weaker hawk. There is no sin in doing so. The older cat will kill the younger male kitten to eliminate competition for females. He does so seemingly without a twinge of any guilty feeling.
So where did some threshold of evolution, once crossed, endow human beings with a higher moral consciousness of the good and the evil ?
03 Feb 14
Originally posted by sonship[b]Certainly the bible exists. Certainly biblical teaching exists. But I see no authority therein. Human morality exists independently of scripture, and it is richer and more positive when discussed and subjected to consensus rather than taken without examination from ancient texts. Biblical morality comes in a poor second.
Human mor ...[text shortened]... n, once crossed, endow human beings with a higher moral consciousness of the good and the evil ?[/b]Biblical scripture gives one explanation. There are others. I see no good reason to believe any that are based on any variety of scripture. Why yours and not another?
03 Feb 14
Originally posted by PenguinNow this makes sense.
I don't think he denies their existence. Nor does he reject their authority. I think that he denies that they have any authority to reject. I am sure he will correct me if my understanding is wrong.
Personally, I think I disagree with (my understanding of) his position. I think the Bible does have a certain amount of authority over those who subscribe to ...[text shortened]... rejecting authority: we reject the authority of that in which we do not believe.
Penguin[/b]
03 Feb 14
1 edit
Originally posted by Proper Knob"What they all have in common, of course, is the rejection of deity and rebellion against authority. [1]"
What authority is an atheist 'rebelling' against?
[1] Biet-Hallahmi, Benjamin; Atheists: A Psychological Profile; The Cambridge Companion to ATHEISM, Cambridge University Press, 2007
Perhaps one of us will become sufficiently curious to purchase the book (or search for an online site review or critique).