The fallacy of hindsight, it seems, is one of life's ignominious bitches: When I started this blog, I did it under no delusions that this would be a popular blog.
My posts, if anything else, is verbose, and almost every article I have written is a long, tedious read. Although I have attempted, more or less to circumvent this problem by the use of pictures, blogspot can be a huge wussed up pain in the ass when it comes to pasting pictures. In short, I am not looking forward to a huge readership.
Writing does require a certain amount of brain work, and some readers have, at one time or another, asked about my agenda and my motives with regards to what they deem as an unnecessary expending of time and effort.
First and foremost, I think every human individual has an obsessive need for expression. Some people hunt, some go for kart racing, and so on, and as for myself, writing has a therapeutic effect upon my inner self (Some would call it a soul, but I prefer not to juxtapose myself with any form of religious intent).
I know some people feel aggrieved with my writings. I have said and expressed my feelings without reservations, and I probably should, with hindsight, establish a more coherent agenda.
But truth be told, I have none. I guess this blog is a good online congregation for atheists who have an axe to grind, although in recent weeks I have noticed a surge in Christians who have come here to express their views, and I have also taken to task a couple of Christians who attempted to destroy the liberties that I have granted to just about everyone else.
I will continue to write, and to a certain extent, allow readers to post, simply because it find it invigorating to post my thoughts and what I feel is a grave injustice being inflicted by the unruly, pious mobs on this little planet.
For Christians who wish to spill their vitriol, I think it is a good time for me to remind you that curtailing someone's right to free speech is a definite no-no. I have allowed free speech to reign, and if you wish to take that right from others, then me, the "deity" of this blog, will impose some godless justice upon you.
And given the fact that I have a full-time job as well as a freelance one, debates may or may not be entertained. If you wish to debate with me, keep it civil within reasonable limits. Ad hominems are a complete waste of my time.
Lastly, I wish all readers the best of luck in your personal endeavors.
Viva Atheism!
Beast
Try and convince yourself of whatever you want, but if you write for your own satisfaction, you should consider writing in a diary and keeping it private, because your sin will be compounded every time someone reads your blog and decides atheism makes sense, or an atheist who wants to try Christianity reads your blog and decides not to.
ReplyDeleteGee, I can feel the flames of hell enveloping around me.......oh shucks I forgot to turn off the kettle.....
ReplyDeleteOk, jokes aside, Shaun, I don't think I come across to most Christians as a proselytizer. In fact, I will admit and attest to the fact that my short fuse and eagerness to drone in my articles as terrible obstacles against any notion of being a career preacher of any creed.
If your deity wishes to punish me for my writings, I assume that maybe I am in good company: Dawkins, Hitchens, Sam Harris, Dan Barker, etc.......
Beast
What's your point? you'll still be punished, whether in good company or not.
ReplyDeleteMy point? There is no hell nor godly punishment for atheists.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, it is not my intention to deconvert religious people. If they derive logic and enlightenment here, fine, if not, fine as well.
It is up to the individual to wake up from his or her delusion, just as I did more than ten yrs ago.
Beast
you have convinced me that there is nothing I can do for you. Maybe it takes someone who knows more about God that I do to try and help atheists see the truth. What I can tell you is that whether or not you intend to spread atheism, you will still be punished for it, and whether you believe in God or not, you will still be judged by him.
ReplyDeleteShaun:
ReplyDeleteAre you a pastor or something? Kindly provide some details of your background. Thanks.
Beast
Good sentiments beast, and I agree with you. I too have just started a blog and if people wanna read it that's good, but it's really about me finding a medium to get out stuff that's in my head. I write some stuff which others may find offensive, but that is their problem. I find shaun's comments offensive, but would never deign to criticise him for saying what he thinks. He's entitled to an opinion, but in my humble opinion anything any of us says or thinks must always be tempered by the phrase "..i could be wrong....".
ReplyDeleteI myself have been wrong before, so am now happy to have opinions and beliefs in the knowledge that this is what I think for now, but i am prepared to change if I find a better way of looking at things.
What is shaun?
ReplyDeleteTo me shaun is that self righteous & unintellegent type of Christian who wants to convert the unbeliever by conviction.
(To convict someone in evangelical Christian terms means, to throw little darts at them until you find their personal guilt button.)
It doesn't take any brains to do it. just convince them they are a *shudder* sinner...
I doubt he is a pastor. He might like to be one though.
Actually, shaun could be a product of a Christian camp.
One of those Christian warrior types.
Himself, convicted to put on the Armour(?)of righteousness, truth, whatever...strapping up to do battle with the heathen beast.
Oh my! This is exciting!
I'm not a pastor, I don't want to be one. I'm not very religious, I've never been to a Christian camp, and you got everything wrong, including your belief that god doesn't exist, l>T.
ReplyDeleteWhat else? it's not "what is Shaun", it's "who is Shaun", l>t. I'm 21, I'm and undergrad, I'm not unintelligent, not self righteous. I've been a Christian since I was born, but what I have is not blind faith, my faith is renewed at least 5 to 6 times a year, when awesome things happen that only god could have done.
ReplyDeleteI used to hate atheists, then I realized they're just sinners like all of humanity. Now I just try and
help them see the truth.
I'm not rude to atheists anymore, but they're still rude to me.
I would like to help an atheist see the truth one day, but I don't know when that will happen.
I find it hard to understand why people choose to believe that the existence of God is proven by the occurrence of events which "only God could have done". Surely there are many things which occur which we/I/you may not immediately be able to explain, and which later prove to have an easily explainable reason and which are obviously not acts of God.
ReplyDeleteOther things happen which remain unexplained for centuries or longer and yet when we do gain an understanding of them, they to turn out to not have been caused by God directly (though I suppose if you accept that He created the world and everything you could argue that everything is caused by God).
There are shit loads of things I don't understand, but to label everything (or even anything) I don't understand as an act of God would seem to me to be extremely naive. It's ok to not know something, it's O.K. to not be able to see the reasons, so why not just accept that, or accept that you don't know for now while you seek answers. The invention of a wild explanation such as "magic" or any other sort of supernatural force is really an attempt to explain the unknown, and while understandable, ultimately leads away from truth, not towards it.
It seems to me if faith is so strong in someone and their belief is unshakable then they would not feel a constant need to keep proving the existence of their God. Are you trying to prove the existence of God to others Shaun, or to yourself?
Shaun - I would suggest taking an apologetics course to learn appropriate ways to defend/explain your faith. Your effort is commendable, but your technique is highly questionable.
ReplyDeleteBeast said "If you wish to debate with me, keep it civil within reasonable limits." - Are you serious? I mean, did you really say that? Seriously? Shall we go back and discuss your verbally violent/boarderline criminal behavior from just a few weeks ago on Tim's blog? Why don't YOU practice what you preach?
And Christian's are the hypocrites... what a joke!
Tex, I already said I've given up on trying to prove god to others here, I don't need to prove God to myself. Could you explain a bit more about the loads of things you don't understand? Please give a few examples of these things that have been unexplained for centuries.
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant by unexplainable things are things that happen after prayer, families that have started living much better after converting to Christianity, things like these that I have witnessed. These can only be explained as the doings of God.
You'll find many witnesses on the internet if you look.
Another thing you cannot ignore is miracle healing, I have witnessed a few of these in my own family. While this might be something for you to poke fun at, and claim is just something that Christians fool themselves into believing, try explaining why no other religion has miracle healings, at least not nearly as common as Christian miracle healings. I have never heard of a Muslim, or a Hindu claim to have witnessed miracle healings with their religions.
Conversion is also very one sided this way, the number of people converting from other religions to Christianity is greater than Christians converting to other religions. If you do a google search on religious conversion this will become very obvious. You have to try and make sense of these numbers
That is why I believe in the existence of God.
Why I respond to what atheists write:
ReplyDeleteI usually find overtly, or covertly, a bitterness, and anger, and maybe responding will allow an atheist to see it too. My alturistic reason.
Reading the attempt at logic from an atheist is usually comical, and I actually (God forgive me) enjoy watching the atheists squirm when confronted with facts and real logic.
I also find it amuzing how atheists have such huge misconceptions about Christianity in particular, but faith in general.
In the end, I really honestly do hope that an atheist can see the sense of peace that comes with understanding they were made for eternity: an eternity with their Maker.
I have seen the evidence that the heavens declare the glory of God.
As a physician, I see it in the wonder of the workings of the human body.
As a Christian, I see the outworkings of sin, and the chaos it brings in peoples lives. Atheists will claim if there is a god he is mean and unkind. However, if you jump from a roof, and gravity has its natural effect, then don't blame God when you break your leg. Of course, an atheist would never do that, but they would certainly claim that the pain and suffering is one reason they don't believe.
I am glad you write Beast. Its a great diversion.