I agree. He said "in reality". He wasn't giving a dictionary definition of atheism. Atheists are often that way because they refuse to abdicate control of their own lives to a higher power. After all, isn't that how Adam fell, because he was lied to and convinced he could be his own god?
Anglicans have alot of teaching not from the Bible. They honor the same sacred tradition as the Catholic Church uo to the split. It depends on how high or low your particular church is. I know some Anglicans who beleive in 7 sacraments and some in only 2. I know some who beleive in real presence and others who don't. I know some who beleive in the immaculate conception, assumption, and perpetual virginity of Mary and say the Rosary. But to say that Anglicans only beleive in the Bible teaching could be in error.
Atheist only worship the self in the sense that they don't believe in a higher power to do things. It is not a literal worship of the self. Religious people say it as if people have to worship something, so atheists have simply replaced God with themselves. This is not the case. Perhaps some have, but it is far from being a necessary part of atheism. martin persues logic with zeal. All of his arguments are presented using reasoning, not faith.
Isn't that how the jews were killed by the thousands, because they were lied to and convinced they couldn't be their own person? Same scenario with the Muslims on 9/11. When you look to others for answers, you give them absolute power. And we all know that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Your mistake is lumping Christianity in with all of the others. Nice try though. Anecdotal evidence of past wrongs committed by a select group of people in no way reduces the authority of the God of creation.
Actually I wasn't referring to the theocracy of the church leadership. I was mostly referring to the writers of the many "holy books" in the last two milllenia and the three millenia of oral traditions preceding them. This is what forms the basis of all modern religions and agnostics believe that it is the work of men, not of God.
Christianity is a religion, just like all the others. Why should I have seperated them? I believe it was Christianity that Hitler used to help aid his cause. And there's a lot of past wrongs Christianity is guilty of. I didn't say anything about God - just religion. Since you cannot look to God directly for direction, you must rely on religion. I maintain that when you put a power in a position of authority, it is bound to eventually betray that trust - even if it is the church.
You want to explain that one? Uhhh . . . the dictionary definition is reality, amigo. Anything else is just spin. Nonsense. Atheists don't recognize a higher power. How can they refuse control by a higher power that can't be perceived? Your personal faith doesn't not constitute reality to others.
exactly. cparso, i am not agnostic. like red says, atheism literally means "without belief". of course the prefix "a" meaning "without", like in the word asyncronous or amoral. there are two sorts of atheists, it doesnt have to mean active denial that god exists. but who am i to deny that the christian god or the spaghetti monster exists? i dont believe in them either. for any random thing asserted to be true, i don't believe it without there being a reason to believe it. but i dont deny the possibility of it either. one of the best posts you will see from red.
