August 29, 2011
I don’t mind somebody borrowing my tools from time to time, but what makes me angry is when they borrow them and then refuse to bring them back. Imagine approaching a friend and/or neighbor, the same one to whom you graciously loaned one of your tools, and then hearing him deny you not only the possession of your own tool but the fact that he borrowed it from you in the first place.
That is what happens in the growing battle between modern American atheists and the “believing” public when atheists lay claim to those human qualities that set human beings apart from the animal kingdom – morality and the language associated with its reality.
The point is, atheists are conceptual thieves and the fact that some will be angered by this little opinion piece only confirms it. Of course, I know that even atheists are incurably moral creatures because that is the way God created man in the first place. They just can't help themselves, in fact. They, like the rest of us, are bound to a sense of right and wrong and their incurable use of moral language shows it.
Essentially, and just like any religious man or woman you might meet, they really can’t help themselves when it comes to moral judgment either, but the problem emerges when they exclude the existence of God in the process, losing, quite significantly, the logical basis for the very moral judgments they try to make. I know that is a mouth-full, but it amounts to the “borrowing”of those ideas, language, and values that belong to believers only, and according to consistent atheists, that aren't supposed to be there in the first place. They borrow our Christian morality and our Christian language with the intent of making our world a better place, morally speaking, of course – another “borrowed” idea.
The infamous atheist, Richard Dawkins, abhorring the theistic mindset so prevalent in the US, has gone on record in calling the perpetuation of the Christian worldview as child abuse and doing so as if child abuse is, well, immoral. For someone who doesn’t believe in right or wrong, the idea sure enters his conversation a lot.
The problem with such moral assessments by atheists is the lack of a logical basis for making them. If God really doesn't exist and human beings nothing more than a conglomeration of physical properties, as complex as they may be, then there should be no plaguing moral code hanging over our heads. Morality is what society, of any particular time or type, says it is. That means that if a woman of some ancient culture believed it morally permissible to, like the infamous black widow spider, kill her mate after, well, you know – mating - then the atheist has no logical basis upon which to condemn her actions at all. They may disagree with what she did or even dislike it, but they have no actual grounds for saying that it is morally wrong in any absolute sense whatsoever.
Morality can't exist in a world like the one the atheist purports. A purely natural world is devoid of those qualities we usually call mind, thought, choice, all necessary precursors to morality itself; and like Dawkins said on another occasion, there is no such thing as right or wrong, we simply dance to our DNA. According to him, men and women are mere pawns of their genetic makeup.
If atheists are right then we are determined at best, and even if we think we aren’t determined, we are simply determined to think we’re not (Stephen Hawking). These are the same atheists who, because Christians have a problem with the atheistic message or want the steal beams found in the World Trade Center wreckage in the form of a cross placed in the 9/11 museum, call us “bigoted,” as if “bigotry” is, well, wrong – a moral conclusion based on a theistic assumption that they, again, “borrowed” from folk who believe in God generally and the God of the Bible particularly.
Atheists have no tools of their own, not really, but seem rather content using the moral ideas and language they hijacked from a biblical view of man and his world. We have a word for people who regularly steal and the fact that atheists get angry when I suggest that they are thieves, only makes my point for me.
Tony@link2eternity.com
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Comments
GoldenDreams 1 year, 8 months ago
Tony, I tend to be a deep thinker but you lost me somewhat here. I'm a believer but I try to be careful with my language, too. Calling an atheist a "thief" is provocative and casting stones. Is that the way of the Gentle Shepherd? Here's something else and it breaks my heart to say it: many born-again Christians become smug because they know the truth and judge others who are different. Some of the nicest people I know are atheists. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
melzabeth 1 year, 8 months ago
I know right?
Rocketscience 1 year, 8 months ago
I am an atheist. I do not need a threat from God or Satan to "make" me do the right thing. I respect people of all religions, backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures. Just becasue someone has a different religious belief, or lack thereof, does not make him or her a bad person. Even without the threat of suffering eternal damnation, I am not a thief, and you sir, have nothing that I would steal on my lowest day.
According to Christian belief, is it not God's job to make judgment, not man's? The atheists that you quote do not represent my feelings, nor do they represent atheists as a whole, just as you do not represent all Chrisians.
IntimateShine 1 year, 8 months ago
"...losing, quite significantly, the logical basis for the very moral judgments they try to make."
I stopped reading at this point. How self centered! The logical basis? That's called human thought, it's a brain process.
These people are so brainwashed from what the (any) pastor says, it's sickening.
The Pilot should be embarrassed for running such a close-minded article.
jmo308 1 year, 8 months ago
I think the author here has seriously confused Atheism with Nihilism. Atheists believe that there is no God, not an absence of morality.
Nevertheless, I am a Christian, and I have no problem with Atheists. My Bible teaches me to love and respect everyone. I sure do wish the author used the same Bible as me.
Courseaire 1 year, 8 months ago
You might also ask: "Are all thieves, Atheists?"
Matt_Woodruff 1 year, 8 months ago
According to the Bureau of Prisons statistics, less than 1% of the prison population are atheists, you do the math.
soupisgoodfood81 1 year, 8 months ago
Nevermind that atheists have been around longer than Christians and nevermind that almost the entire Christian religion contains stolen ideas from pre-existing religions. If you are going to accuse atheists of stealing, make sure your hand is out of the concept cookie jar first. Modern humans have been on the earth for hundreds of thousands of years, and the Christian religion appeared only 2,000 years ago. A few moments of research you will see that Christianity borrrowed everything from their ideals to the Christian holidays from other religions.
Courseaire 1 year, 8 months ago
You are correct when saying that atheist have been around longer than Christians and Christians will not deny that. However, atheist have not been around longer than God fearing/believing people - I'd at least make it a tie..
Easygoing 1 year, 8 months ago
Wow, what a weird article. The message I got was let's all dislike any non-believers. Sounds familiar to the messages from deep in Iran or Afghanistan.
Stareagle1984 1 year, 8 months ago
All I see is a person who holds no tolerance for those who have are different. To call someone a thief, when christianity "borrows" from other sources as well. An example of this would be that the christian's ten commandments was influenced by the law code of hammurabi.
Courseaire 1 year, 8 months ago
Please don't confuse this with the Hummer Rabi who drives around blessing food at the upscale grocery stores and restaurants.
Unbelievable 1 year, 8 months ago
1) There's never been an Athiest in a Foxhole. 2) Prisoners goto church / read the bible / why? Is it because they feel bad about what they've done? Or do they feel bad that they GOT Caught?? Maybe they goto Sunday Services to avoid picking up trash on the highways; or to "get in good with the Pastor so he'll give them a 'thumbs up' on parole day" (my guess) 3) There is no such thing as an Atheist! Or they'd be angry ALL the time, every time they pay for anything with Cash - In God We Trust on every single American Dollar Bill... On Nation under God... An Atheist is probably a better Christian than a Christian/Jew is because an Atheist Spends All Day Thinking About Why They Don't Believe in Anything whereas a Christian/Jew is accustomed to the guilt OF believing in a Higher Power and probably doesn't spend as much time thinking about the subject.
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