Too Accommodationist?

[RBH]

Last night I did an "Ask an Atheist" program for a Christian students' club at the college. Also in attendance were an Episcopal priest, a Catholic faculty member, and an evangelical Christian on the college non-academic staff. The program was basically a discussion about 'why are you an atheist?' and 'what's the experience of being an atheist?' They'd already done programs on Islam and Judaism and several Christian variants. I'm not going to rehearse everything I said, but this was one of the reasons I gave for my atheism:God has no moral authority

Humans are supposedly given free will by God. We can choose to accept Jesus Christ and be rewarded with eternal salvation, or we can reject Christ and suffer eternal torment in Hell. It's our choice to make by exercising our free will.

That is precisely the same moral stance as the guy who tells his girlfriend, “You are free to date anyone you wish. If you go steady with me you’ll have peaches and cream and red roses every day of your life. If you exercise your freedom and go steady with anyone else I’ll beat you to a bloody pulp every day of your life. But you’re free to choose.”

Remember, Hell is a New Testament invention.Was I too accommodationist? :evil:

On the question of one's life experience as an atheist, I said it was like being asked about one's life experience as a non-collector of stamps. :)

[BioBeing]

Sounds a touch too accomodationalist for me, but I'll let you off this time. :D

btw - I think you mean rehash, not rehearse. ;) But, please, rehash some more!

[RBH]

I'm using "rehearse" in the archaic sense of "repeat," or "rehash." :)

[BioBeing]

I'm not up on my archaic terms, it must be said.

But, see, where you went wrong is comparing God to some dude who beats the shit out of his girlfriend. Such guys are two-a-penny; therefore god must exist...

[Daydream]

RBH, I'm laughing at your clever approach! What was the response of the audience?

[pSimon]

Indeed!

What did they respond with?

[DMB]

I like it! It's a politer version of Kissing Hank's Ass (http://www.jhuger.com/kisshank.php).

[Ray Moscow]

Faitheist! Faitheist! ;)

The doctrine of everlasting hell alone makes Christianity (and Islam) pretty nasty religions. Luckily liberal theists pretty much ignore troublesome doctrines anyway.

[Sarpedon]

Ha! for a moment, I thought Biobeing was me. I was like, 'when did I ever post that?'

[BioBeing]

Ha! for a moment, I thought Biobeing was me. I was like, 'when did I ever post that?'

I must have been channeling my inner Sarpedon at the time... happens to me a lot.

[Sarpedon]

Actually, its just I used that same avatar for a long time on talkrational.

[RBH]

RBH, I'm laughing at your clever approach! What was the response of the audience?Clear discomfort. Some embarrassed giggling, shifting in chairs, that sort of thing. Then they were rescued by a question about why there's something rather than nothing. Gaah!

One nice thing, though. Afterward a woman student came up and said she'd been moving into agnosticism and thanked me for speaking out about my atheism.

[DMB]

It seems to me that you were performing a vital function. There seems to be an impression among many Americans that atheist=evil, perverted person. Just by showing them what a great guy you are, you are helping to break that stereotype.

[munnki]

It seems to me that you were performing a vital function. There seems to be an impression among many Americans that atheist=evil, perverted person. Just by showing them what a great guy you are, you are helping to break that stereotype.


I don't know.. with the religio-dumb it would probably end up as: 'Wow, he seemed like a really alright guy and what he said made a lot of sense to me. Who'd have thought he was an evil Satan-worshipping heathen gay-lover god-denier? Okay then, see you on Sunday.'

[RBH]

It seems to me that you were performing a vital function. There seems to be an impression among many Americans that atheist=evil, perverted person. Just by showing them what a great guy you are, you are helping to break that stereotype.That's in part why I often wear my volunteer fire department sweatshirt or hoody to the Freshwater hearings: to demonstrate that atheists do public service, too. I have been known to ask a theist on rare occasions, when the discussion circumstances indicate it's appropriate (as when I'm told atheists cannot have morals), when he last risked his health and life for his fellow humans.

[Daynna]

When I was in the USMC I took a lot of joy in telling people I was an atheist serving my country. A lot of people I argued with online at the time had NOT served.

[RBH]

When I was in the USMC I took a lot of joy in telling people I was an atheist serving my country. A lot of people I argued with online at the time had NOT served.Yeah, I occasionally jingle the dogtag on my keyring (which I've carried for nearly 50 years) at 'em. :D

[Redshirt]

Humans are supposedly given free will by God. We can choose to accept Jesus Christ and be rewarded with eternal salvation, or we can reject Christ and suffer eternal torment in Hell. It's our choice to make by exercising our free will.

That is precisely the same moral stance as the guy who tells his girlfriend, “You are free to date anyone you wish. If you go steady with me you’ll have peaches and cream and red roses every day of your life. If you exercise your freedom and go steady with anyone else I’ll beat you to a bloody pulp every day of your life. But you’re free to choose.”

Nice! :D I've used a similar variation before as well. Some guy back in the IIDB days called it the "evil stalking boyfriend god." There's also the Calvinist version I heard: the "evil track coach god." --

A track coach, holding a shotgun, approaches a bunch paraplegics near a running long-jump track:

"I know that none of you are capable, but you must try to jump at least 3 metres. If you fail, I'll blow your head off. Only those capable of jumping 3 metres are fit to live. I'll tell you what though. I'll pick a few of you, carry you, and make the jump in your stead."