Re: [asa] Re: good atheists?

>Another response that came to me, regarding "Are atheists good?"
>For Christians, being good is a major pillar of the faith.

I disagree. The major Christian belief in this area is that no man is good.

What Bernie is talking about here is actually the para-Christian cultural
belief which CS Lewis calls "Christianity and water"...sort of like watered
down scotch. Lewis's point is that **isn't** Christianity. Its a mythology
about Christianity.

On Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 11:52 AM, Dehler, Bernie <bernie.dehler@intel.com>wrote:

> Another response that came to me, regarding "Are atheists good?"
>
> For Christians, being good is a major pillar of the faith. So therefore,
> they use this paradigm to evaluate other religious views- how good are you?
> Are you "gooder?" It is a reasonable question.
>
> However, atheists seem to have a different pillar. Their pillar is science
> and reason. So they would ask others, like Christians, "How well do you use
> logic and science?" It is also a good question.
>
> Evangelical Christians do fall flat on this charge. Admit it. Christian
> Professor Mark Noll has laid out the case, author of "The Scandal of the
> Evangelical Mind."
> (
> http://www.amazon.com/Scandal-Evangelical-Mind-Mark-Noll/dp/0802841805/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252082633&sr=8-3
> )
>
> And yes, there are some smart Christians, just like there are some 'good'
> atheists. One example of such a group is the ASA. However, please notice
> this. The ASA was formed out of a need, and they have a niche business
> being in the 'academic Christian' arena because this arena is so
> undernourished in churches at large. The churches at large seem to nurture
> the so called "scandal of the evangelical mind."
>
> I think it is both sad and pathetic when Christian experts, like ANE
> manuscript expert Kenton Sparks, even admits there is this academic
> ignorance within churches and even recommends ignorance as a policy, since
> the material is hard to grasp and if not dealt with correctly could lose
> souls. I have disgust with anyone who supports a policy of ignorance.
>
> Sparks' otherwise fantastic book:
> "Ancient Texts For The Study Of The Hebrew Bible: A Guide To The Background
> Literature"
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Texts-Study-Hebrew-Bible/dp/1565634071/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252083023&sr=1-2
>
> ..Bernie
>
>
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Received on Fri Sep 4 13:05:59 2009