Why Would One
Not Believe In God?
Dean McCarroll
From: Dean McCarroll
To: Positive Atheism
Sent: Thursday, May 03, 2001 5:59 PM
Subject: hello , I am a theist (monothiest that is)
Hello friend , Im just interested in why one would not believe in God. Now one could try to use science or some type of logical argument, but that would just be futile, considering if one did not hold a bias argument (not to say you do) and looked at both sides of the argument (creationism, and atheism) one would or at least should come to that obvious conclusion of intelligent design as did notably the smartest (at lest in his field) Stephen Hawking has "I think that there are clearly religious implications whenever you start to discuss the origins of the universe. There must be religious overtones. but I think most scientists prefer to shy away from the religious side of it. ...The odds against a universe that has produced life like ours are immense. - Stephen Hawking. Now one may say well that's his opinion (that's true) yet his various studies have led him to this conclusion. Well one may say what about the rest of the intelligent scientist? Well what about them? There are intelligent yes but does their or your argument hold up to a close analysis (un-bias) and study? The answer is NO! Micro evolution is held amongst all scholars as fact. Macro on the other hand does not. The thought of positive mutations, and genetic gains (which never take place a mutation is always a result of genetic loss) is with out proof or may I dare to say logic. I don't know all of your beliefs, but do have the just of your beliefs. Now lets think about it. In the biological world of living things lie the most complex concepts of engineering known to mankind. The information content of a simple cell has been estimated as around 10 to the power of 12 bits, comparable to one hundred million pages of Encyclopaedia Britannica. If a single part of a cell fails, the entire cell will die. The human body comprises a conglomeration of some 100,000,000,000,000 (which is 10 to the power of 14) cells which work together in perfect harmony to maintain human life. Well logic should point to intelligent design, but some may not go that direction. I can go on about the age of the earth , secular dating methods, impossibilities concerning the earth's existence away from intelligent design, but it would take for ever. You know atheist would make wonderful theist , because it takes more faith to believe in a self created universe then it does to believe in a created universe by a creator. Think about it. You can contact me at [suppressed], please do not contact me at the computer presently being used to write to you. By the way if you are wondering what God, or God's I believe in. Like most creationist I am Christian (born again), I will be looking forward to your reply. God Bless you friend. :0)
From: "Positive Atheism Magazine" <editor@positiveatheism.org>
To: "Dean McCarroll"
Subject: Re: hello , I am a theist (monothiest that is)
Date: Thursday, May 03, 2001 6:28 PM
Hello friend ,
Only very special people get to call me "friend," and only the shallowest of salesmen will address a letter to a complete stranger by using the word friend. Please don't cheapen the concept of friendship by using this word in patronizing me.
Im just interested in why one would not believe in God.
This is not the question. The question is why one would believe that a god exists. I have spent almost my entire life listening to people try to explain to me why I should think that gods exist, and nobody has been able to show me why I ought to go along with them in this matter.
The people who say that gods exist are the ones who have some explaining to do. The rest of us have nothing to explain because we are making no claims in this regard. We do not assent to your claims (because they are so utterly vacant) and we don't need to explain why, other than to show that your claims do not warrant our assent (being either weak or based on falsehood). Because we are not the ones having asserted that gods exist, we have no positive arguments in this discussion. Had you read anything in our website other than the word atheist, you would have encountered this one.
The odds against a universe that has produced life like ours are immense.
If Hawking said this, shame on him! (I'd like to see the documentation, as I don't think he did say this.)
The odds of this universe producing life are exactly one: this universe has produced life. We have no other universes with which to compare this one, so we cannot lay odds on whether "a universe" will produce life. The only universe that we know about has produced life. Hawking knows this.
Micro evolution is held amongst all scholars as fact. Macro on the other hand does not.
Okay, again I would like to see your documentation: Please show me the poll among zoologists and biologists (those scientists who deal directly with evolution -- as opposed to mathematicians, who don't need to know diddly about evolution). Please tell me which prominent biologists and zoologists reject macro-evolution for the biblical account of creation? Please name names and show your work.
I don't know all of your beliefs, but do have the just of your beliefs.
If so, then why have you misrepresented my position here?
If a single part of a cell fails, the entire cell will die.
This is falsehood, and you know it.
Or perhaps you don't know this, because you get all your biology information from a preacher, rather than from biologists and zoologists?
The human body comprises a conglomeration of some 100,000,000,000,000 (which is 10 to the power of 14) cells which work together in perfect harmony to maintain human life.
Again, this shows only that you have obtained your science education with your eyes closed -- unless you have a unique understand of the concept of "working together in perfect harmony."
I can go on about the age of the earth , secular dating methods, impossibilities concerning the earth's existence away from intelligent design, but it would take for ever.
Only because you don't know biology of zoology or geology or astronomy or physics.
Perhaps you would be more honest if you simply said, "I believe gods exist, and that's that!"
You know atheist would make wonderful theist , because it takes more faith to believe in a self created universe then it does to believe in a created universe by a creator.
I don't know what you mean by "more faith" because faith is faith: you either kneel with your eyes closed and believe whatever the preachers tell you to believe (faith) or you stand up in the world with open eyes and submit your findings to the scrutiny of your fellows (science).
By the way if you are wondering what God, or God's I believe in. Like most creationist I am Christian (born again),
Gee, how did I guess after reading only the first two words of your letter?
Cliff Walker
"Positive Atheism" Magazine
Five years of service to
people with no reason to believe
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