Friday, November 7, 2014

A Site Called "God Is Pretend" Has Been Challenged

The website/blog called "God is Pretend" makes some strong claims on its "about" page. I have request a response from the author on the several topics in an email to him as follows:
You make the standard Atheist claims of being logical and evidence based. You denigrate theism as if you have direct empirical evidence regarding its claims, such as the existence of a creating agent for the universe. And you must have disciplined, grounded, valid deductive Aristotelian-type arguments which categorically destroy theist deductions.

So where are these to be found? Specifically, under the Enlightenment concept of objective, material evidence, what deduced, experimental, replicable and replicated, open data, peer reviewed study can you point to which proves your claim? And if you cannot produce these, please explain how it is possible for you to claim to be an Enlightenment-based, objective knowledge based, Aristotelian deductive logic based intellectual presumptively superior to non-Atheists?

And while you're at it, please address the darkest of ages, which were and are those under the Atheist totalitarians of the 20th century, some of which continue today. These were enabled by their worldview which is based on the superiority of the strongest human through Friedrich Nietzsche's denial of absolutes (Beyond Good and Evil), the belief in humanity solely as animals in herds, the absolute lack of absolute morals beyond those defined by the diktat. Please explain why these things have nothing to do with Atheism and are the dark ages of religious oppression.

Explain why it is that you have the right to judge others, but the people you live around do not.

You say,
" I find the very notion of religious belief ridiculous to the nth degree, and anyone who has set aside logic and critical thinking enough to espouse religious belief is undeserving of respect."

Please define logic and critical thinking, especially if you do not provide any disciplined deductive counter arguments to theist arguments, or empirical proof for your position.

I will publish all this on this blog: atheism-analyzed@blogspot.com

And I will comment on it, using Aristotelian deductive logic principles and I will analyze whatever empirical experimental proof you have to support your position.

Frankly, your claim to intolerance seems straightforward; your claims to logic, empiricism, and critical thinking seem to be unsupported.

Regards,
Stan at atheism-analyzed.blogspot.com
If he responds, then we'll have a discussion; if not, then we'll take a look at his "FAQ" claims, using actual deductive logic and analyzing whatever empirical data he has to back up his claims.

UPDATE:
His email address is not valid, so I posted a comment pointing here.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love these types of groups (lol).

There also is a group on Facebook now called Jesus Doesn't Exist. That site seems to be a bastian for Atheist ignorance.

Steven Satak said...

They always choose places that allow them to simply delete and ban anyone who doesn't agree. That's why they are known as atheist echo chambers.

Phoenix said...

Sorry Stan,I strongly doubt this guy will pick a fight with you.Atheists have a typical bully mentality.They pick on someone they know they can beat,especially someone who quotes scriptures or who's unfamiliar with their fallacious tactics and has no training in logic.

Steven Satak said...

I must agree with Phoenix. I have seen places like this in the early days, when I thought to 'go forth and combat' the insanity. They are not out there, writing the things they do, because they are mistaken and in need of correction.

They are out there because they are feeding a need within themselves. It might be their ego - it usually is - or it might be a strong desire to make a place where they can rest comfortably while they indulge in self-contradiction and all the other craziness that is the direct result of a swollen Pride.

The important thing to remember is that they are *feeding*. Any input, good or bad, is food for them. When they tire of playing with their food, they dismiss you with a tart bumper-sticker quote and delete your comments thereafter.

I know you already know all this stuff, Stan, and you're not really pitching that stuff to us. We're already firmly on your side. But the false email address would be a deal-breaker. Someone who would go to all that trouble to set up a site - and base it on a false email address - has some serious delusions going on.

At the very least, he's not very rational and you'd be wasting your precious time. I will admit, however, he would make for an excellent poster child for the kind of people you debunk daily.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

The FAQ page says it all. From its opening sentence ("Some of these aren’t questions at all but stupid statements made by some of the uneducated numbnuts that troll my site") to its Douglas Adams quote to its assertion that "God had to come from someone", it's clear this guy/gal not only is uninterested in rational debate, he's incapable of even understanding the arguments.

Prediction: if the guy/gal responds at all, it'll be with condescension, arrogance and not a wit of rational thought.

Stan said...

Not a word in reply so far...

Steven Satak said...

I sent an email. I got a response.

To wit:

After spending an hour on his blog, following the various links and observing the kinds of things he/she said, I wrote:

"Do you really have nothing better to do with your time?

Steve"

His/Her response:

"Says the person whose time is best spent emailing bloggers asking if their time is well spent."

I am still not sure if that means 'yes' or 'no'.

Steven Satak said...

My response to him was thus:

"So....

Is that a 'yes' or a 'no'? I am genuinely curious. My life is full but this sort of query does not take much time.

What, exactly, prompted you to put up such a blog? There is no shortage of atheist blogs out there. Do you bring something unique to the internet table?

Regards,

Steve"

Steven Satak said...

His reply:

"Writing is a hobby and occasionally a paying job of mine. A portion of that writing is antithetical to religion and has a dedicated space on the internet separate from my other professional work. Most things in this world are easy to walk away from if you have no particular interest in them. Religion has woven itself into society in such a way that merely ignoring it or walking away from it is not possible. Every atheist blog that exists is another vote for reason and another outlet through which someone can vent about or escape their life in a highly religious world. It doesn't matter if it's "fresh" or "unique." It exists for the writer, not the reader.

I didn't directly answer your question initially because your comments were indeed not worth my time. My website is an example of one of the many things you can just walk away from. Roll your eyes, grumble, and close the browser tab. That you thought it was necessary to engage me in that manner with what was essentially a rhetorical question shows me that you were not interested in having a sensible discussion. "

So it seems he feels oppressed by religion being present everywhere he turns (microaggressions galore, I am sure). His way of dealing with it is to open up an atheist blog and vent to whomever happens by.

I don't know. It doesn't seem like he's open to discussion - he's pretty much fixed in his views and appears as happy with them as he'll ever be. Doesn't appear to matter if they have an ounce of truth to them, etc - he seems to think they are and he's pretty much the only authority he recognizes.

Hell, everyone should have a hobby. This one is pretty harmless. And he's got a good point - you don't like it, you can walk away.

Nate said...

I posted this comment but he is yet to publish it

--------
Here's my review of your excerpt:

"The time will come—perhaps within the next century in North America—when a critical mass of the populace will recognize the folly of religious belief. A national and global consensus will form that religion is bunk."


I agree that a time will come when thinking people will realize how bunk the religion of Atheism or Secular Humanism is.


"Atheism will become the common understanding regarding whether deities and afterlives are real."


Huh? Why would any sane, thinking individual need your religion to figure out this?


"Some isolated contrarians will persist, just as Flat-Earthers persist today, but the paradigm will have shifted."


This offers no brownie points as the leader and members of the flat earth society are evolutionists (and global-warmists which is not odd as all 3 theories - evolution, global-warming and flat-earthism, are absolute nonsense and thus, very compatible).


"Recall that the Flat Earth was the prevailing theory before early scientists discovered our planet is a sphere."


Realize that your imagination has no place in reality


"American society will then enter the post-Christian era, which has already begun in parts of Western Europe where the majority of the population of some countries is nonreligious"


Aren't you just an adorable wishful thinker?


"When the global tipping point is reached, the planet’s entire population will enter the post-religion era."


Take a step out of your religious edifice and step into reality. And oh, China *knows* just how "wonderful" an Atheistic government is, it's worse than Islam!


"From that time forward, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and other superstitions will be viewed as similarly quaint and intellectually primitive as sun-god worship is today."


The religion that is going to experience this is Atheism.


"autocratic governments might lag since dictators often use religion to control their subjects."


True, the Atheistic goverments of communist China, North Korea, then Soviet Union etc. illustrates this in full detail.


"American public opinion about same-sex marriage changed in only a very few years—over 50% of Americans now (2014) support equal rights for gays."


Uh huh, gays need "equal rights" to "marry", but people with GSA don't need "equal rights" to "marry" their relatives, beastialists don't need "equal rights" to marry their pets, polygamists don't need "equal rights" to "marry" multiple people.

[continued below]

Nate said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nate said...

[continued from above]


"Discriminatory laws began to change quickly once the tipping point was reached."


Riiiight, when it comes to gays, it's discrimination, but when it's for people with similar sexually deviant lifestyle choices, it's not. Hypocrite.

FYI, just because more than 50% of a population support something doesn't make it right (except you're saying evolutionary racism is OK - although as an evolutionist Atheist, you can't logically decide between right or wrong).


"Similarly, once atheism becomes the majority public opinion, lawmakers will feel sufficiently safe politically to come out of the closet themselves and begin to unwind the accumulated intrusions of religion into American government listed above."


There's a reason it's not the majority opinion, take a hint from China. Also, I see you have no problem tying down the American government with the religion of Atheism, how convenient.


"After all, in countries like Saudi Arabia where apostasy is punished by death, what official would dare be first to suggest that Allah is a big lie?"


In then communist Soviet Union, non-possession of a secularist thinking hat was punishable by death, fine or imprisonment, how do you feel?


"Therefore, we should expect subpopulations of scientifically ignorant believers to persist, led by self-serving demagogues adhering to religious myths despite removal of the governmental and societal supports they now enjoy."


So true. Look at how the Atheists cling onto evolution, they protect it like a doctrine, hide it from all criticisms, offer hand-waving explanations etc. That is the ultimate religious myth and it has unfortunately persisted for 150+ years.

--------------------------------------------------

I know you'd love for everyone to purchase their secularist thinking hats and become puppets to your religion. It's obvious you want a time like this where Atheism skeptics and thinking people were shot, arrested and fined for not bowing to the all mighty SELF god of Atheism and not having their secularist thinking hats on. Unfortunately for you, your anger and hate for God is yours to bear.

I can only hope that someday, you are able to muster enough strength to step out of your religious edifice, start thinking and follow this ...


but test everything; hold fast what is good.

1 Thess 5:21 (ESV)


... but I won't hold my breathe.
--------

So much for "reason".