The True Source of Modern Atheism

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THE ANGEL POSSENTI:

Atheism has existed in man since the dawn of civilization; of that there is no doubt. Yet that type of atheism can better be described as the internal struggle we have in fighting against our darker natures, also known as the part of our souls that urges us in defying God and His holy laws.

Today, we have a new wave of external atheism with people who not only have given in to that dark impulse but try to encourage others to do so as well. Christians across America especially were just in shock at how many left the faith numbers never seen before.

I myself have argued with many atheists who told me they were once Christians at one point but gave the faith up because certain teachings no longer made sense to them. When I asked them what teaching they rejected, I noticed a strange but common theme in all of them:

At absolute worst, they had the teaching 100% wrong or at best, completely missed the point of the teaching.

Yet, when I pointed out to the atheist how they have the teaching wrong, and gave the sources for the correct teaching, every single time they threw a fit, got defensive and just shut down (instead of being open to new information, like a REAL self-proclaimed "open-minded" person should do.)

So I of course took a different rout with the teachings. I worked backwards and looked into every single branch that held the questionable teachings and came to a very disturbing conclusion:

Every single former Christian all came from a branch of Protestantism.

(Note: for clarification, Protestantism refers to any type of Christianity that is neither Roman Catholicism nor Eastern Orthodoxy.)

I wanted to think this was just a mere coincidence: after all, I didn't believe it was that possible that many people could be that ill-informed. But the coincidences just kept adding up. 

Just look at the so-called Four Horseman of atheism:
Dawkins: former Anglican
Sam Harris: former Quaker on his father's side
Daniel Dennett: no data
Christopher Hitchens: former Christian, most likely nondenominational

Not good enough? Consider the following chart:



(For a link to the study, click here.)

One interesting fact should jump out at you right away: While the percentage of Christians did shrink while the irreligious went up, they moved at about the same rate in their respective directions…and the Christian losses are almost entirely from Protestantism.

Is it any wonder why this is the case? Just think about two of the main teachings of Protestantism: Scripture Alone and Faith Alone.

If all you needed to know about God and Jesus was in the Bible myself, then people would reach the exact same conclusions about what Christianity teaches (since the Bible reads the same in all Protestant branches), but not all branches agree with each other. If all you needed was faith, how can you defend what you believe? You can't. At best, you come off as arrogant that yours is the only correct way and at worst, you've built a framework where you can't logically show why differing opinions are wrong.

Again, is it any wonder that these poor souls are so mixed up about what Christianity teaches? Is it any further wonder that these branches wind up ignoring key parts of the Bible because it doesn't fit into their theology and are then at a loss to explain the passages when challenged?

I say poor souls of course in the broadest sense of the term: perhaps at one point, their ignorance about Christianity can be excused because resources were not widely available but that excuse doesn't hold up anymore.  You can find the truth of Christian teachings, but we are talking about the same people who would much rather play video games than give any real thought to their lives.

I do have an additional message for any Protestant reading this:
Don't fool yourself into thinking for one moment things will get better for your faith if you only catered more to today's world or you make people feel good about themselves instead of going on about hell or sin or damnation.

So when you bemoan young people not believing in the power of Jesus, I point the finger at you, Protestants, and say you are largely to blame.

Who's perpetuating creationism? Protestants
Who are the ones bearing false witness against the Catholic Church by calling it the "whore of Babylon" (that's uncharitable and un-Christian to do, by the way)? Protestants
Who's making God's word nothing more than opinion? Protestants
Who's promoting those idiotic Left Behind novels? Protestants
Who's keeping Kirk Cameron's career going? Protestants


There are several Protestant branches that show signs they're dying out…what makes you so confident in yours?

Anti-Atheist Meme #20

Hiatus Notice

                                                                +AJPM+

THE ANGEL POSSENTI:

I didn't want it to come to this…but I've decided to take a break from posting for December. It wasn't for one reason alone but I've found out my Christmas is going to be busier than I thought and the posts I do want to put together require more research than I originally thought.

This is not to say I'm giving up the fight against atheism or that I've run out of material to work with…but this does mean it's time for me to regroup and rethink a few things.

I'll do something special for December 8th but other than that, I'll most likely be back around New Years Day.

Until then….Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Anti-Atheist Meme #19

Anti-Atheist Meme #18

RE: 6 Reasons why Religion Does More Harm Than Good

http://www.salon.com/2014/11/17/6_reasons_why_religion_does_more_harm_than_good_partner/


THE ANGEL POSSENTI:

Let me make one thing abundantly clear:

I am not one who normally rants about any stupid article I found on the internet, but when I came across this article:
http://www.salon.com/2014/11/17/6_reasons_why_religion_does_more_harm_than_good_partner/

I just about broke my forehead from how many times I face-palmed myself. That's how beyond dumb the article is.

I do understand the article begins with a poll of Brits and their view of religion but let's look at how stupid the notions in the article are with my take in red script.

Religion promotes tribalism. Infidel, heathen, heretic. Religion divides insiders from outsiders. Rather than assuming good intentions, adherents often are taught to treat outsiders with suspicion. “Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers,” says the Christian Bible. “They wish that you disbelieve as they disbelieve, and then you would be equal; therefore take not to yourselves friends of them,” says the Koran (Sura 4:91).

This argument doesn't really work especially with Christianity because it assumes that the people in the religion are fighting only people who are not in the religion. Of course anyone who has actually read the Bible (i.e. anyone who isn't the author of the article) knows:
For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places (Eph 6:12).
In fact, the author misquotes 2 Cor 6:14 and left out the fact the verses were actually talking about the mixing of incompatible beliefs, not about interacting with non-believers; the example Paul gives is worshipping Jesus and Belial. 

2. Religion anchors believers to the Iron Age. Concubines, magical incantations, chosen people, stonings . . . The Iron Age was a time of rampant superstition, ignorance, inequality, racism, misogyny, and violence."

Historians would not agree with you on that

Sacred texts including the Bible, Torah and Koran all preserve and protect fragments of Iron Age culture, putting a god’s name and endorsement on some of the very worst human impulses.

If that's true, then how do you explain all this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_thinkers_in_science

Do any of these findings sound like they're from people stuck in the Iron Age?

Religion makes a virtue out of faith. Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus. So sing children in Sunday schools across America.

That's wrong. A quick Google search shows that lyric only exists in a Methodist hymn and not all Christians are Methodists. 

 The Lord works in mysterious ways, pastors tell believers who have been shaken by horrors like brain cancer or a tsunami. Faith is a virtue.

I don't know what pastors the author talked to, but I don't know of any minister who would use that phrase and make it sound like a cop-out. There are many factors that influence how people cope with tragedy, but I do find it odd that when tragedy happens, people move toward religion, not away from it.

As science eats away at territory once held by religion

What is the author smoking? That notion is not true.

, traditional religious beliefs require greater and greater mental defenses against threatening information.

More like atheism goes through greater mental gymnastics to avoid admitting they're wrong on something.

 To stay strong, religion trains believers to practice self-deception, shut out contradictory evidence, and trust authorities rather than their own capacity to think. 

but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. (1 Thess 5:21)

You were saying?

Government, in particular, becomes a fight between competing ideologies rather than a quest to figure out practical, evidence-based solutions that promote wellbeing.

Mostly because the people who say ideology should trump facts are the same people who reject God and absolute right and wrong. 

 4. Religion diverts generous impulses and good intentions.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this because it is another example of atheist mental gymnastics but I will point out religious people have proven to be far more generous than atheists. 

And before you even try, No….calling for higher government handouts doesn't count as being generous.

5.  Religion teaches helplessness. Que sera, sera—what will be will be. Let go and let God.We’ve all heard these phrases, but sometimes we don’t recognize the deep relationship between religiosity and resignation.

Mostly because no connection actually exists. No one seems to know where the phrase came from so you can be sure it has nothing to do with Christian teachings.

 In the most conservative sects of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, women are seen as more virtuous if they let God manage their family planning. Droughts, poverty and cancer get attributed to the will of God rather than bad decisions or bad systems; believers wait for God to solve problems they could solve themselves.

Then how do you explain in Christianity women have an equal chance to be a saint whether they have kids or not? How do you explain advancements in cancer treatment and agriculture all came from Christians?

This attitude harms society at large as well as individuals. When today’s largest religions came into existence, ordinary people had little power to change social structures either through technological innovation or advocacy. "

This ignores the fact it was religion that gave people notions like private property and individual rights…notions that people have regardless of their station in life.

Religions seek power. Think corporate personhood. Religions are man-made institutions, just like for-profit corporations are.

Nothing man-made could have made the breakthroughs Christianity has.

And like any corporation, to survive and grow a religion must find a way to build power and wealth and compete for market share... And just like for-profit behemoths, they are willing to wield their power and wealth in the service of self-perpetuation, even it harms society at large.

So we're supposed to ignore the tactics of today's atheists, like forcing religious symbols to come down because of some bogus notion of the Constitution? 

Let's Come Back to Reality on the Election