Atheism

Maybe something like: Good luck!

Answer:

The concept of blessing someone (asking deity to care for the person) is outside of the atheist thought process. By definition an atheist does not see there being any deities with special powers to interfere in human life. Asking deity to do something is unsupportable.

The supposed "Atheist's riddle appears to be a rehash of the teleological argument in pseudo-scientific terms:

1. DNA is not merely a molecule with a pattern; it is a code, a language, and an information storage mechanism.
2. All codes are created by a conscious mind; there is no natural process known to science that creates coded information.
3. Therefore DNA was designed by a mind.

Apart from the logical flaws, it ignores the fact that DNA contains so much 'garbage' or meaningless code that it clearly was not designed by an intelligent mind.

The majority have two angles.

• Agnostic: Those who believe God does not exist but are open to proof.
• Atheist: Those who believe God does not exist

If you mean the old clunker about an atheist professor daring God to stop a piece of chalk from breaking it has been debunked several times. Snopes had a rather complete summary of the debunking (see Link). Basically it comes down to:

• No class or professor as described has worked at USC
• No incident was reported at the time
• University students don't hang around to be preached to by a fellow student

There's little evidence that atheism is actually dangerous; occasionally some atheist apologists "over" attack theists, but it's difficult to imagine atheist extremists blowing up statues of the Buddha or becoming suicide bombers - why would they?

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Answer.

I am going to try to precise the answer above.

As any religion or ideology, the danger is not in what one believes in.

As a book has never killed a man. But Men have.

The danger in a system of thinking appears when this thinking (whatever it is political ideology or Religion) is considered more important than mankind : it is called Fanatism or Intolerance.

An opinion often used by believers to criticize those who don't is : Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot or other dictators were atheists.

First, Hitler was a catholic. But this is not the point.

If I follow the same logical path, as there are some pedophile priests, Christianity is a religion for pedophiles.

In France (i take this example because it is my country), you are free to believe in what you want.

I am a atheist but I can attend church for Christmas because I think it is a nice way to share with others. I also attended the funeral in a church when my father died : it was his will. What I believe in is not important compared to my responsabilities as a man and a son.

You may ask : why do you if you don't believe ? or you can claim I am not an atheist.

I am an atheist, but I think that my beliefs are my own, that they should never be a source of division with others. That is what I call respect.

A friend of mine is a Muslim, we sometimes debate on religion but it has never been a problem because we do not try to convert each other. Islam is his faith, and as a friend and a human, I considere what we have in common much more relevant than our differences. Same for him.

I've met so many good men and woman that believe in God to reject them only because they were believers. As I met "militant atheists" who disgusted me because their behavior was only based on their rejection.

The problem in the Theism-atheism debate (war ?) .

In Europe, there is no such a debate : religion does not interfere in political life and seldom occurs in social life.

The main problem is this debate in the US is a gordian knot. And it always comes down to a deafs dialogue. And the blame is often on both sides, because it is passionate and irreasonable.

The faith over facts.

Take a look at some videos about atheism. The "facts" used to argue always lead to

- you cannot prove ... so I am right.

or as atheism failed to explain this or that, so Religion is right.

What is Atheism ?

Atheists are people who do not believe in a religion. That's all.

Some are good, others are bad. Some are clever, some are not.

Atheism must not be a rejection of religion, but a rationnalistic way to live and to think.

Atheist should also stop to think that Religions are "the root of all evil" on Earth.

And religions should be a way chosen to become better.

Nothing is impossible for God. Jesus was/is God in Human form. Jesus performed miracles. Miracles are acts that defy logic and science. Jesus did the "impossible".

This sounds possibly like another way of stating the 'can God make a rock so heavy He cannot lift it' proposal. Certainly God can do what is impossible for man. But there are things which are impossible to God such as things which contradict His own nature. Examples of this are such as: God cannot lie. There is nothing that God cannot know, that is, He cannot be ignorant etc. His power is only limited by what is in accord with His own nature and sovereign will.

It is possible that the event alluded to is the temptation of Jesus by Satan after His baptism. Jesus manifested a perfect knowledge of scripture which Satan deliberately mis-quoted in order to get Jesus to sin. Jesus also used the scripture correctly in reply to Satan. The issue in this case was not Jesus' omnipotence as God's Son (God Himself in human form) but His willingness to what Satan wanted which would have amounted to submission to Satan and disobedience to His heavenly Father.

There is no doubt that in this case Jesus had the power to do whatever He wanted. But to here do what Satan wanted (and He was most certainly hungry) would have been wrong.

In any case there is no such thing as 'the logical contradiction of God's omnipotence'. God's omnipotence as well as His love or any other trait one wishes to mention is never exercised in isolation from all else that He is. Thus a loving God sends people to hell because He is also a God of perfect justice as well and has, in His love provided a way of escape for any who want it.

Similarly God's omnipotence is never in isolation from His sovereign will. Thus, even though on occasion He could have destroyed the nation of Israel He chose to heed Moses' intercession and spare them (or most of them). His omnipotence is exercised when and where He pleases and is not subject to the authority of mere mortals. If this were so He would then cease to be God, either in omnipotence and in sovereignty.

So, in relation to the Bible, there are no specific stories which illustrate the proposition of the question, since the Bible does not have material regarding God which is untrue, although it does record the many misdeeds and lies of men, including false ideas of men about God.

This verse, spoken by the angel to Mary in the context of the conception of Jesus, illustrates the principal assumed in all of scripture.

The Bible does not have any record of such a test. The closest it gets are attempted tests of God's power over the natural world (which are not tests of omnipotence, and are never met - the challenge is dismissed with "thou shalt not test the Lord thy god", implying that either God refuses to be tested or that God is inherently untestable).

They may, for example, be Hindus, and believe that Brahma did not send Jesus. Therefore, to a Hindu, Jesus was merely a man.

They may be Jews, who believe in God, but do not believe that Jesus was sent by their God.

They may be Muslims, who believe in the same God, but do not believe that Jesus was sent by God to save us from our sins. They believe that Jesus was merely a prophet.

They may not believe in God. If God does not exist, he could not have sent Jesus.

Don't think many atheists actually hate religion.

Most would simply find it pointless and misleading.

It'd make more sense to hate what some people do in the name of religion. Religion has been the root cause for several wars and many, many acts of terrorism.