Illustration by Ali Almossawi
I have found that debate with persons who assert there is no evidence for God is an illogical endeavor. Persons who object to something which is clearly defined by empirical and visible evidence, are not helped or convinced by logical argument.
The assertion that God does not exist is not a conclusion that is made by lack of evidence but by the will.
People who espouse these statements often use the information of other atheists without any original thoughts or research of their own. It is impossible to change the mind of someone who has determined the outcome before the journey has concluded.
The mere idea that some person has examined all of the evidence which exists in the universe for God, is an impossibility. Since it is not possible that anyone has examined all of the evidence, it is not possible to conclude there is no evidence. At best, all that any person of intellectual integrity can state with certainty, is that they don’t know if God exists.
The fact that a person can say emphatically, something is not possible, reveals the disingenuous intent of a claim that, “there is no evidence God exists.”
For this reason, I find it a waste of time to debate an illogical premise.
A challenge to those who are still on the journey of discovery is to take an adversarial approach to the idea that God does not exist. Instead of writing and posting information that other atheists have written, cast aside all of these ideas and do something profoundly original:
Take the stance that God does exist and do a year of research to find everything you can to support this idea. At the end of one year, spend two months defending the idea that God exists against atheists who assert that He does not.
People who are genuine in their desire to know the truth about God’s existence, will take up this challenge and do their own research properly and honestly. Those who are not really interested in truth, but in supporting their own views will never consider such an idea.
When I began my search for whether God exists, I commenced with the idea that I really didn’t know. I spent several years trying to support both sides of the argument. I reached a point where the evidence that is available to support the existence of God was considerably greater than the ideas that God does not exist.
I spent the next 30 years debating these ideas with atheists. In the past 10 years, I realized that atheists, in majority, do not want to find evidence to support the idea that God exists. They want only to continue in their unbelief by reading, viewing, and hearing information that will allow them to continue as an atheist.
Categories: Agnostics and Skeptics, Atheists, The Existence of God
Robert Clifton Robinson 
@Nation of hope: Jesus was not born on December 25th, though many who call themselves Christian celebrate his birth on that heathen feast-day.
Concerning conflicting data one should wonder why our brain is often forced by ourself to make certain conclusions we consider based on prior assigned truths or which we would love to see as a truth, though it might be a battle in our inner feeling.
As Rob Robinson rightly argues “God has placed a knowledge of Himself inside the human heart.” As the Supreme Divine Creator Being He did this not only so that we would feel the need to search for Him, but as a part of our self being created in the image of God, we all as children of God having some DNA of God.
Those people who doubt the existence of God or who say they do not believe in God often want to see evidence for the existence of God, though for many other things they would never demand to see proof of existence thought they never saw such matter or person. Often their attitude of not wanting to believe in such existence says more about the inner thought of such person and often hides a person who thinks of himself ‘high’ and has problems with the fact that there would be Something or Someone able to control him or her.
In many cases such people who say God does not exist, we do find what we call “not having a conscience” which is simply to declare that knowledge of God comes by way of our conscience and our way of reacting in an orderly manner on our inner feeling.
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Excellent article! I actually made two YouTube videos on the topic of the atheist article of faith, “There is No Evidence For God”, and I hope you appreciate my approach to disputing this claim.
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Your views are interesting but I wanted to note here that I have been debating atheists for over 30 years and even the idea of evidence is a non-starter for the majority. I have found that there are three types of atheists and only one is a sincere individual who really has not seen sufficient evidence to believe. Only about one out of a thousand fall into this category. They are quite apparent as they actually ask logical questions and do not present arguments for the sake of argument.
The second type is the militant atheist who doesn’t care what anyone says, nor what evidence is presented, they will never go forward and try to find evidence to believe. They are happy with their life the way it is and atheism is only an excuse to continue as they are.
The third is not really an atheist at all, but uses the name only. They hate God and those who love Him and their approach is similar to the second type; argue, dispute, mock, and deny everything that is said regarding evidence for God.
In one of the comments that I made to another who posted at this article, I detailed my belief that there is really no such thing as an atheist as God said that He placed a knowledge of Himself in us so that we are without excuse.
My advice is to not engage in disputes with atheists at all. It is fruitless for you and only irritates or entertains them…
These individuals are not searching for truth and they really don’t care about evidence. Better to spend time with sincere people who want to learn the truth.
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Projection
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Thank you for your comments, although is appears that you have made a few assumptions.
First, there are no Bible verses in this article.
Second, my education, you don’t know me.
Third, that you are correct in your view that God does not exist.
I welcome you comments here, but please come with evidence to support any assertion you make.
Some people ask questions about God because they have a sincere desire for knowledge or understanding.
Some people ask questions about God because they are seeking an argument, not because they really want to understand or learn. In these instances, an answer serves no purpose but to provide fuel for ridicule.
These person are not asking a question for the purpose of gaining knowledge or conveying knowledge but to enhance the ego of the one who wrote the question for an ulterior motive.
The purpose of asking questions is to acquire knowledge or information to assist a person in learning.
When a person asks a question for the purpose of returning to criticize and create conflict, this allows us to see that the person has overt motives.
In these cases, neither an answer nor continued discussion is merited as the person who asked this question for the purpose of conflict is not an honorable person.
In my view, there are three types of self-asserted atheists:
1. Those who genuinely want evidence for God but as yet, are not satisfied with the evidence they have found.
2. Those who are not on a quest for evidence, but seek argument and validation to continue in their unbelief.
3. Those who hate God and seek to oppose Him, His word, and those who love Him.
If you return here to make comments, kindly inform me which type of atheist you are so that I know how to understand your views.
Sincerely,
Rob
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Those who sufficiently believe in God, to hate Him, and seek to oppose him and His Word, are not , by definition, Atheists! One of several invalid assumptions here.
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Thank you for your comments.
Could you please tell me what your personal definition of your atheism is.
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I don’t recall stating that I am an atheist. I am, however, sufficiently proficient in the use of English to feel justified in correcting your misusage.
If pressed, I might say, the type who doesn’t find enough evidence to believe in your specific, idiosyncratic definition of God. 😛
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My original comment was:
“In my view, there are three types of self-asserted atheists:
1. Those who genuinely want evidence for God but as yet, are not satisfied with the evidence they have found.
2. Those who are not on a quest for evidence, but seek argument and validation to continue in their unbelief.
3. Those who hate God and seek to oppose Him, His word, and those who love Him”.
I developed these three views after 30 years of conversing with those who assert that they are atheists, not as a definition that atheists themselves present.
The third, which you object; a person who claims to be an atheist, while their true objective is a hatred for God in who they claim not to believe, is absolutely true.
Simply because someone claims to be an atheist, does not necessarily mean they are. I have found evidence in my dialogue with atheists that some do believe that God exists, but despise Him and those who love Him. They use this label for themselves as a cover but in fact, it is not true.
You should know that I do not believe that it is possible for a human being to not believe that God exists. I believe this, not based upon what atheists say about themselves, but what God says about man.
God has placed a knowledge of Himself inside the human heart. He did this so that we would feel the need to search for Him. When a person tells us they do not believe in God because they have seen no evidence that He exists, they are not telling the truth. This is because this knowledge that God exists is hardwired into us by our Creator when we were created. This knowledge of God comes by way of our conscience.
I am writing this response on a MacBook that exists as a piece of hardware. Inside the hardware there is a software program that allows the hardware to function. When people write software for computers, they frequently leave evidence of their existence inside the software code. Often referred to as a “backdoor,” its embodiment as part of a cryptosystem, algorithm, chipset, or homunculus computer, allows entrance into the code in secret, bypassing the normal authentication or encryption of a computer system.
Our bodies are hardware that permits the software of our spirit to function. When God wrote the code for our spirit and placed it inside our bodies, He also installed a backdoor. It is by this backdoor, or conscience that He is able to reach us. If we damage this system then it becomes impossible for us to see, hear, or know God.
There are many atheists today who have so severely damaged their conscience towards God that they really cannot detect His presence any longer.
Once we seek to suppress our conscience, and deny God, our ability to discern Him becomes less functional. Over the process of time by a continual denial of God the conscience become “seared,” and we no longer have use of our conscience.
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. ~Romans 1:20-22 (NLT)
The reason that people who claim to be atheists spend so much time trying to refute the idea that God exists is because this truth is so powerfully presented. Things which are true stand the test of time and are never hindered or impinged by assault.
We see atheists preoccupied by criticism of God because they know He exists. How do we know this is true? God stated that He created us with a knowledge that He exists. Men must work very hard to assert that God does not exist because his conscience is in opposition to this idea.
Only after denying what is known to be true for a very long time can a man finally sear his conscience so that he can continue to assert God does not exist with impunity.
I pray that you might still be able to hear His Voice and respond…
BTW. Do you use the ancient name “Archon” because you are a part of the rulers of this world who follow the fallen Lucifer or one of his false gods?
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I did not name myself for modern imaginary bogeymen, but rather for 9 wise, intelligent, educated, rather real, elder statesmen who, when the King of Sparta was killed, advised and guided his young son for seven years, until he was old enough to rule on his own. I have achieved the age, and intelligence, if not perhaps, the education and wisdom. 😛
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The archons in the Greek language, were the demonic rulers of this world who were defeated by the death and resurrection of Jesus. They are described in the Bible as evil, murderous, liars, and destroyers. If you identify with the archon’s that is your choice. Today they all reside in hell where they are tormented and will remain in prison for eternity.
Better to serve the risen Lord of Glory who gives eternal life, beauty, peace, perfect love, and power to those who love Him. Every knee will bow to Him, every tongue will confess that He is Lord, even yours.
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Could you please provide chapter and verse Bible references to Archons? My one Bible doesn’t have a Concordance, and the other’s skips from ‘archangel’ to ‘ark.’
He who takes offense when none is offered, is a fool.
Just because two very different things are described by the same name, does not make one into the other. My ‘Archons’ reference is to 9 helpful and guiding men, where yours is to 7 different evil ones. I tried to Google Biblical Archon references, but only got this quote, In the classical Mediterranean world, archon was commonly used for the governor of a province, or, more loosely, any religious or governmental authority. Hence the plural, Archons, is often translated in Gnostic texts as “the Authorities.” , showing the benign, secular meaning before superstitious, paranoid Christians co-opted the term.
Your claim/argument is as silly as a local one where some people (who don’t live there) are trying to get the name of Swastika Lane changed, even though that name was given in 1928, long before the Nazi Party or its flag even existed.
The swastika originally was the Sanskrit symbol of good luck, and the Zuni Indian symbol of the sun god.
I recognize Christ as my Savior, I just don’t worry much about words or definitions, especially where they are wrong.
BTW; Linguistically Archons is the name of something, a proper noun. Like God, or Republicans, it deserves to be capitalized. Also, it is a simple plural, not a possessive, and has no apostrophe.
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Archon
1 Corinthians 2:7-8 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
“rulers,” gr. ἄρχων archōn, prince, chief, ruler, leader.
Archon In this context; evil forces of darkness, both cosmic and terrestrial, that is, the rulers of this age, did not “understand” God’s wisdom in sending Christ to die. The Jewish rulers did not understand who Jesus was, the rulers of the demons did not understand that Jesus’ death would defeat them and make Christ ruler of the world.
The devil is the present ruler of this age, but he was defeated by Jesus’ death and resurrection. The rulership which he now has is limited by God’s sovereignty, just as we see in the book of Job. Jesus acknowledged satan’s temporary rule when the devil claimed to have power to give Jesus all the kingdoms of this world. Adam first had dominion of the earth, he lost it to satan at the fall. Jesus took dominion at His resurrection, though He delays the acquisition of rulership until His return. Until that time, satan acts as the “god of this present world.” This is the reason the world is filled with evil and violence. Those who follow and are servants of these Archons will share their fate upon Jesus triumphant return.
See my article: https://robertcliftonrobinson.com/the-right-to-rule/
Archon also used in context with spiritual rulers, in referencing the demons.
Matthew 12:24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
Matthew 9:34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.”
Jesus called satan the “ruler,” (archon) of this world:
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
Paul described satan as the “god of this age,” and Archon. The eyes of people who follow him are blinded by his lies and they will share his fate in the Lake of Fire.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
The destiny of these Archons, the demons and those who follow and worship them:
Revelation 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
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Hey guys…
Quite a lively little discussion we have going here!
Not knowing exactly where to chime in I would like to again support Nationofnohope!
Your statement that, to ignore data is by definition “willful ignorance”! Yes,this can be!
Self Will! That’s it…you’ve hit it man!
Self Will is indeed the block we are stumbling over!
Self Will will continue to be the bane of our existence until we have taken our last breath.
The question is what lies beyond this discussion!
What lies beyond the pushing of our will?
We each have the freedom of self will to roll the dice if we choose.
Your will is yours to will.
We allow that in each other!
Your are on a great web-site here Ron, find comfort in the search of Knowing!
ricardo – Leyte
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Here you go referencing bible verses as if they are the fount of wisdom and truth. I’ll bet dollars to donuts you know next to nothing as to how that sausage fest was involved in the assembly of total nonsense. You should look in to auditing courses on the book by Bible History scholars. I recommend Harvard or University of North Carolina Chapel Hill or Princeton. They’re free and at least you’ll know what you’re talking about.
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Poster “nationof”,
Your opening words are inspiring!
You are correct! “Bible verses are indeed the fount of wisdom and truth”!
The remainder of your post is equally encouraging!
Encouraging readers to again review the wisdom of Proverbs 29:9.
ricardo – bogo/palompon
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“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored” Aldous Huxley.
Then I apologize for my erroneous assumption that when confronted with evidence to the contrary an intelligent, literate, introspective, analytical minded person can ignore data supported conclusions. This is by definition “willful ignorance”. I sometimes use the word “deflection” or “Teflon reasoning” but it’s all one.
For the most part we share the same paradigm and our realities are in-sink but for one not so itsy-bitsy problem with having any continued discourse. This shared reality diverges at the junction of our natural world and a supernatural realm.
I’m making a best guess assumption that you are bedrock certain of the validity and truth of your foundational views on reality and that I too have a similar position. It would seem an obvious conclusion but it would be wrong. I have a simple mnemonic method I use to become receptive to new information and it’s fun. My name is Ron and I create a visual image of the word wrong but spelled RONG (the g’s silent) in my head to remind me that I’m as likely to be in error as I am to be correct about everything. Its not hard to to see why. It’s part of being human. We have to make do with what we got. Right?
Our brains make cognitive processes possible by consolidating, categorizing and prioritizing an uninterrupted stream of sensory input provided be our bodies. Its really quite remarkable. This sensory data comes with varying time delays, level of intensity, conflicting patterns, chemical overrides, it’s complexity is breathtaking and completely understandable. Like balancing tea cups on your nose while spinning plates on a pole as you walk on a tightrope in a breeze. It’s an evolutionary adaptation of our marvelous malleable brains.
Because of this it can also be an impediment. Conflicting data happens constantly and your brain makes conclusions based on prior assigned truths. A challenge to the validity of a individuals foundational belief will often trigger an array of amplified emotional defense response strategies. It’s reflexive and it’s learned.
There’s an irony here and I’m sure you see it once explained. To you I’m guilty of blithely ignoring what to you seems obvious. Our lives are replete with examples of this. Here are a few of the more common ones. Days get longer in the summer and shorter in the winter, Jesus was born on December 25th., fortune cookies come from China and the suns color is yellow. People were sure of a earth centered universe theory and the earth is flat and that human sacrifice will influence nature, etcetera. The more certain we are about our knowledge the more difficult it is to process conflicting data. This is why critical thinking and deductive reasoning skills are so important for assigning a confidence level to our conclusions. I believe that recognizing our species sensory processes to be imperfect for processing information is key for assessing your confidence level of any proposition or problem.
I have cribbed together definitions plus examples of the terms.
Willful ignorance is the state and practice of ignoring any sensory input that appears to contradict one’s inner model of reality. At heart, it is almost certainly driven by confirmation bias. Willful ignorance differs from ordinary “ignorance“ — when someone is simply unaware of something — in that willfully ignorant people are fully aware of facts, resources and sources, but refuse to acknowledge them. Indeed, calling someone “ignorant” shouldn’t really be a pejorative, but intentional and willful ignorance is an entirely different matter. In practice though, the word “ignorance” has often come to mean “willful ignorance”, and indeed, in many non-English languages, the word based on the same stem (“ignore”) actually carries that meaning.
Willful ignorance is sometimes referred to as tactical stupidity.
Depending on the nature and strength of an individual’s pre-existing beliefs, willful ignorance can manifest itself in different ways. The practice can entail completely disregarding established facts, evidence and/or reasonable opinions if they fail to meet one’s expectations. Often the willfully ignorant will make excuses, claiming that a source is unreliable, suggesting that an experiment was flawed or asserting that an opinion is too biased. More often than not this is simple circular reasoning: “I cannot agree with that source because it is untrustworthy because it disagrees with me”.
In other slightly more extreme cases, willful ignorance can involve outright refusal to read, hear or study, in any way, anything that does not conform to the willfully ignorant persons worldview.
With regard to oneself, this can even extend to fake locked-in syndrome with complete unresponsiveness. Or with regard to others, to outright censorship of the material from others.
source: RationalWiki
Like they say, you call lead a horse to water…..
Out, Nationofnope.
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Again, a few assumptions that are not correct:
You said:
“Jesus was born on December 25th….People were sure of a earth centered universe theory and the earth is flat and that human sacrifice will influence nature, etcetera”
1. Jesus was not born on December 25. According to the timeline provided by the Bible, He was likely born on September 28-29.
2. The Bible does not teach an earth centered universe.The alleged evidence in support of a geocentric model is often asserted from Joshua 10:12-13 and Habakkuk 3:11. In fact, this text does not indicate the sun ceased its rotation around the earth, but that earth in its rotation around the sun, slowed its own axial rotation, which caused the effect of the sun standing still. Errors like this are often asserted incorrectly by those who criticize the Bible in ignorance.
3. The Bible revealed that earth is a sphere, almost 100 years before any scientists knew this fact. It also reveals that earth hangs in space because of gravity. It teaches that the universe is expanding, before cosmology knew this fact. (see the list below).
4. The Bible does not teach human sacrifice. You have not correctly understood why Jesus died. His death was an atonement, which is diversely opposed to the purpose of human sacrifice. Jesus death paid a debt, as a ransom for those who were lost. Pagan human sacrifices were an appeasement or offerings to a god.
A list of scientific facts the Bible describes:
1. In the beginning there was nothing, when suddenly, the universe came into existence (Genesis 1:1)
2. Time, Space, and Matter came into existence at the same precise moment (Genesis 1:1)
3. The number of stars in the universe are so great in number, they cannot be counted (Jeremiah 33:22).
4. The Sun follows a circular course through the universe. (Psalms 19:4-6).
5. The Earth is a sphere (Isaiah 40:22).
6. The Earth hangs in empty space, suspended by gravity (Job 26:7).
7. All matter in the universe is made up of invisible material, consisting of Atoms (Hebrews 11:3).
8. The invisible physiology and function of the human body (Genesis 17:12).[1]

[1] Why did the Lord instruct Abraham to wait eight days? Babies are born without the ability to coagulate their blood and stop bleeding. This ability comes from the presence of vitamin “K” in the blood stream. It is not until the seventh day that vitamin K is produced in the blood of an infant.1 Should Abraham—tried to circumcise his son too soon, the resulting profuse bleeding could have killed his son.
1 Shearer MJ (January 1995). “Vitamin K”. Lancet 345 (8944): 229–34. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(95)90227-9. PMID 7823718.
Wintrobe’s Clinical Hematology, 11th Edition. J.P. Greer, Foerster J., Lukens, J.N., Rodgers, G.M., Paraskevas, F., and Glader, B., editor. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkens.
Controversies concerning vitamin K and the newborn. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Fetus and Newborn”. Pediatrics 112 (1 Pt 1): 191–2. July 2003. PMID 12837888
Rob
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Interesting. Not so much your “evidence” heavy rebuttal but the mental processes required to reach your conclusions. The Bible is so riddle with errors in history, science and human development that it’s euphemistically referred to as “the goat herders guide to the galaxy”. I would refrain from sourcing the Bible for anything other than another example of cultish claptrap. The beauty here is that the book can not be rehabilitated because of what it purports to be. The inerrant word of a god. Apparently this god missed basic physics 101 and has emotional stability issues. You may impress Sunday school kids with your apologetics but in this forum the bullshit meter is always on.
Why should anyone feel compelled to be subservient to a benevolent benefactor. Put another way, what kind of dick expects to be worshipped for doing what came naturally?
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Dear no hope,
I have heard the criticisms you have made in your responses here, many times during the past 42 years. In hundreds of discussions with atheists they often bring up the points you have made as though, suddenly, a fracture in Christianity has been discovered so that atheism can be found true.
It should be understood that apologists existed to defend the truth of the four Gospels, even before the 27 books of the New Testament were put into the canon of scripture. Since that time, thousands of attacks concerning the authenticity for the Narratives of Jesus life, death, and resurrection, have been leveled. Not one has survived the historical, empirical evidence that is extant today.
These same attacks that were made at the beginning, 2,000 years ago, are also continuing today and they fail in the present time just as they did in ancient history, because of the evidence. Arguments like yours always result because a person is untrained in the things they assert. The reasons that this continues today is because atheists rarely do any original research of their own; they rely upon the false suppostitions and conclusions of other atheists, who are also in error, due to a lack proficiency in the facts they claim to be proficient it.
By your remarks it is clear that you do not know the subjects that you are professing to be an expert in. I see this approach so often from atheists and critics of the Bible.
Your comments say more about you and the condition of your heart than they do to address the actual facts of the Bible. It is a consistent quality of atheism that statements are made with the allegation they are true when in fact there is no evidentiary basis to support these comments.
Atheists repeatedly report statements by other atheists as certain proof that their own comments are true. These individuals do so while neglecting their own due diligence to discover truth for themselves. It is clear by these repeated errors that there is an absence of sincerity to discover truth, but rather a need to reinforce personal ideals.
Those who assert that God does not exist live in an imaginary world where reality bears no relevance on their views. The idea that there is no evidence for God is a position that has long since lost its credibility because science, historical literary evidence, and cosmology no longer supports this theory. The fact that you are not aware of these evidences, allows me to understand that you have not really studied the subjects you are objecting to.
It has become clear to me over four decades, that there is a sect of militant atheists who have no interest in truthful dialogue. This quickly becomes apparent because even when empirical, historical, scientific or Cosmological evidence is presented, ALL is repudiated, though these evidences are known to be valid. When a person tries to refute what is know to be true, these persons show that their true motives are not to learn and gain knowledge, but solely for the sake of argument and ridicicle. It is to these persons that I personally, have no interest in continuing a dialogue.
In these cases, the exchange never goes anywhere because the scoffer has no interest in learning. They present their arguments strictly for the sake of mockery. They are disrespectful, use vulgar language and show a callous disregard for the acquisition of knowledge.
Because I have written and published many books, I know where the source of these arguments from atheists originate from. A majority of these objections originate from atheist theologians who assert that Jesus never said or did a majority of what is written in the Gospels. There are many people who attend religious universities in order to gain a Ph.d. in Theology, who are atheists. They seek these degrees so that they might return to the world and have credibility as scholars to refute the Bible. The problem with these individuals is that the genuine academic scholars of the Bible, are aware of these frauds and know that they sought their degrees simply to gain credibility to refute the Bible.
Exactly why anyone would trust the conclusions of a person with a Ph.D in theology, who does not believe God exists, is uncertain. It would be similar to a person going to a doctor who does not believe in medicine.
You assert that the Bible is inaccurate and then present arguments which have been refuted by hundreds of scholars. Have you ever written anything yourself that comes from an original thought, or as a result of your own independent study? Have you written a book that supports your ideas? Have you published anything of your own?
Please provide evidence to support your hypothesis from sources other than other atheists.
Have you actually read and studied the text of the four Gospels for yourself? If you had done this, it would be impossible to conclude that what you were reading is contrived. Only if someone else told you that this narrative is not true would anyone begin to doubt the text is true.
It is important to understand that it is other atheist Theologians who assert that the Gospels are not reliable. They say these things because the don’t believe God exists or that miracles are possible. Ask yourself how trustworthy a Theologian can be if he begins with the idea that there is no God?
The facts are, there is absolutely no evidence that the narratives of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are not true, except as an opinion of those who assert these ideas from a bias that there is no God.
1. There is scientific evidence that the four Gospels were written closer to the occurrence of the events they describe, than any other literary work of antiquity. Today, we have Paleographic evidence that the Gospel of Matthew was written within 28 years of Jesus death and resurrection.
2. There are more extant copies of the original autographs for the New Testament than any other literary work of antiquity; 24,593.
3. Out of the 200,000 claimed variants that are asserted for the New Testament, all but 400 are simply punctuation, spelling, or grammar variations. Not one of the remaining 400 words in question change any fundamental truth about Jesus as God, nor His death or resurrection. If one single word is misspelled in 3,000 different manuscripts, this is counted as 3,000 variants.
4. The four Gospels are written as historical narratives of the events they describe. The writers claim that they are eyewitnesses of these events. “And he who has seen these things has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. ~John 19:35; “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life.” ~John 1:1
5. The allegation that Jesus did not perform miracles is impeached by the parallel confirmation that these miracles were predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament. The story of Messiah did not begin with the narrative of Jesus who performed miracles. It began 1,500 years before in the Old Testament. The Prophets describe a Messiah with the power of miracles as a sign to the world that He is God dwelling within the body of a man. Isaiah described a Messiah with the power of miracles to confirm His identity: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. There are over 400 Hebrew prophecies that predict exactly what kind of Messiah will arrive.
6. The assertion by atheist theologians that the writers of the New Testament made Jesus God and He never claimed to be God is preposterous. The entire reason the Pharisees sought the death of Jesus was for Blasphemy. It was because Jesus claimed to be God, that the Jews crucified Him. “And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! What do you think?” They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.” ~Matthew 26:62-66 The fact of Jesus’ crucifixion for blasphemy is supported by seven citations in the Talmud, written by the Sanhedrin.
If you hope to participate in an intellectual discussion here, please come armed with actual evidence to support your ideas. So far I have seen nothing but criticism and conjecture.
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When even an intelligent man isn’t eager for truth, he could be the topic of Proverbs 29:9 and numerous other passages!
You are right Rob, Common Sense has sadly become very Uncommon.
ricardo – bogo/palompon ph
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