Aug
3
Written by:
Skeptic
8/3/2007 10:19 AM
The following article All’s Not Quiet on The Atheistic Front by Edward Pentin begins with this paragraph:
ALISTER McGRATH used to be an atheist. Now he’s an Anglican theologian.
This a common argument put forth by believers, Kirk Cameron uses it as his main selling point. It is designed to make you think that a person was once an atheist and after much thought and examining evidence they have now decided that belief in a deity is the only reasonable position. Well since atheism is not actually a belief system, in fact is in a lack of belief in a specific thing; which is taught. It is safe to say that everyone on Earth was in fact at one time an atheist. Absolutely everyone was an atheist. Every baby ever born was born without a belief in a supernatural god (as well as a Santa Clause and tooth fairy). If they every came to believe any of these things it is because they we "taught" or told to believe. Belief in a god is not an instinct like breastfeeding.
So, yes, you theists who use this argument are not really making any point at all. We realise that you used to be an atheist, that is a given. You can stop stressing it.
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1 comments so far...
Re: I use to be an Atheist
Interestingly enough, the only evidence I've ever seen that he was actually an atheist is his word. I've read several of his works including "Dawkins' God," and the only thing he's been able to say is that he was "an atheist" as a teen or young adult. Perhaps someone else has a citation to a paper or written work by McGrath during his "atheist" period in which he is critical of religion or professes his "atheism."
As a street cred, the atheist claim isn't worth much. Show me the long-time, activist atheist that has since "found Jesus" and then the claim would have my attention. I think some religious people also think that a new-found *extreme* level of devotion compared to a previous but relatively ambivalent attitude toward religion means that they were once "atheist." If asked then, I bet they would reply with "yes" to a question about the existence of god.
By Yenald Looshi on
10/4/2007 10:11 PM
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