One frequent tired argument that one hears from atheists, is that we monotheists are basically atheists, because we reject all of the gods, except one.
The problem for the atheist is that this is rather like saying that a person is homeless who has only one home, because he lacks all the other homes that there are. It's worse than that, though, because there is no other god besides God, the other "gods" are just mute idols, demons, and figments of imagination.
In a way it's rather like saying that we are dead, because the only thing that differentiates us from being dead is that we are alive.
According to such reasoning, I would be a dead, homeless atheist, though I live, have a place to lay my head, and trust in the true and living God. It's a throwaway argument, but its been thrown enough times that we must be ready to bat it away.
-TurretinFan
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
4 comments:
Comment Guidelines:
1. Thanks for posting a comment. Without you, this blog would not be interactive.
2. Please be polite. That doesn't mean you have to use kid gloves, but please try not to flame others, even if they are heretics, infidels, or worse.
3. If you insult me, I'm more likely to delete your comment than if you butter me up. After all, I'm human. I prefer praise to insults. If you prefer insults, there's something wrong with you.
4. Please be concise. The comment box is not your blog. Your blog is your blog. If you have a really long comment, post it on your blog and post a short summary of it here.
5. Please don't just spam. It's one thing to be concise, it's another thing to simply use the comment box to advertise.
6. Please note, by commenting here, you are relinquishing your (C) in your comments to me.
7. Remember that you will give an account on judgment day for your words, including those typed in comment boxes. Try to write so you will not be ashamed if it is read back before the entire world.
8. Stay on topic. If your comment has nothing to do with the post, email it to me (my email can be obtained through my blogger profile), or simply don't post it.
9. Don't post as "Anonymous." If you are going to post anonymously, at least use some kind of recognizable "handle," so we can tell you apart from all the other anonymous folks. (This is moot at the moment, since recent abuse has forced me to turn off "anonymous" commenting.)
10. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; and abstain from doing to others what you would not wish upon yourself.
is that we monotheists are basically atheists, because we reject all of the gods, except one.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard that one before. That's quite lame.
Its a holdover from the Roman empire. Anyone who would use it today must be on crack.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% with Carrie.
ReplyDeleteAt least I have my bat now, if I ever do hear it. Thanks!
BJ
Stupid Scholar
The argument basically assumes that we believe in one God arbitrarily as if we dismissed the other gods for no reason and didn't go far enough.
ReplyDeleteOf course, they ignore the fact that Christians (and the Bible itself!) have been making arguments against polytheism since...the Biblical writers.
There is a fundamental difference between believing in one eternal, self-existing, all-sovereign Creator and believing in many finite beings who popped out of the chaotic void.