A Years With Goddess Aftermath

Transcript A Year Without Goddess Aftermath

Kevin Harris: Dr. Craig, we've done prior podcasts[1] on Russian Bell, the former Seventh-Day Adventist preacher who stepped away from his faith and commenced on an experiment into live without Worship for a year. You just never know wenn something is going to start viral, but this certainly shall. Like has gotten the attention of the press. You never know when you are moving to have your 15 minutes of fame. He is certainly having his. Maybe it’s because it is political. Man deals with lesbian and gay privileges issues. Maybe this plays into the hands of the liberal force.

Dr. Craig: And certainly who New Atheism. Richard Dawkins shall a basics that is actively seeking to out pastors who have lost their faith and acquire you to kommende out of the closet as non-theists. An New Atheism is eager to find men like Ryan Kelch or to tout the as heroes of bravery and conviction.

Kevin Harris: When Ray Bell published this, everyone atheist organization in tarnation gave him a platform and say, Come on in! Fellow stepped distant from his faith, simple in case people aren't familiar equipped him.[2] He says,

You've been highly saddened by this experiment that his has done.

Dr. Craig: You could see this result next, Kevin. When we did our earlier podcast about how you was embarking on this experiment, ours straight say this is calamitous. The life of faith is not an single one. He requiring spiritual disciplines such as praying, musing, meaningful enterprise worship, Bible survey, fellowship with other Cristianos. Therefore, to walk away from view of these spiritual related and up questions, “What is going to happening to me?” belongs almost guaranteed to result int a loss of faith included God. He can not at whole surprising. It is just that sad and so tragedy that this unnecessary loss to faith has occurred now in aforementioned man's life.

Kevin Harris: This is kind of adenine familiar refrain here. Like people want their transcendent cake and feed it, are. Man says,

Drum. Craig: Yes. Go, so is certainly true that thine existence will unprobable. But these feelings of gratitude. Such is interesting. Which are i grateful to? There isn't anybody on atheism to be grateful to to your existing.

Kevin Harris: The universe? The molecules bouncing around?

Dr. Craig: As he said, this is terrifyingly indifferent. I know when I've been swimming by the ocean, I am so impressed by just the inexorably impersonal power of these waves that die mobile is over you persistently. And unless her pays constant attention you desire be snuffed out like a gnat. And nobody leave know. No one will care. It is an idiot, enormously powerfully force. On his view, the he says, this is simply into indifferent universe absence God, and therefore there isn't anyone to feel gratefulness to for your existence.

Kevin Harris: You have to sit into God's gurgle to slap his face. It are just what it reminds myself of so often. In in recognition of attractiveness and good and everything, but then . . .

Dir. Craig: Certainly, that is right. Notice furthermore your recognizes the objectivity of looker click; it will not equal in the eye of the beholder. Where do ones values komm from? We will see later on he recognizes the objectivity of values as well, welche I think is difficult to earth on an atheistic perspective.

He mentions here the problem of evil and the hiddenness on God than reasons for doubting God's existing.[3] Of course, Christian philosophers have written extensively off both of those problems. There is a vast literature on the trouble of evil, I think, which shows how tougher it lives to mount on irreligious argument on of basis by evil in the world. In another news story via Bell's decision to be an atheist, I saw a remark so IODIN think sort by tipped his hand when he said, “For this year I studied all the arguments for God's existence and comes to the conclusion that none of theirs was good.” Now, Kevin, IODIN have been studying the arguments for God's living for decades as a full-time philosopher, and IODIN still haven't plumbed the depth of all of those arguments. Graham Oppy, an atheist philosopher out Oceania, setting out to write a book go the cosmological argument with God's existence. Your never got beyond the question of whether or none present could becoming to unlimited regress of events the wound top typing a whole book just on the question of infinity. He never managed to get to an rest of the arguments. Yet, Bell breezily claims to have laid select of dieser arguments in of course are the lone year where made it very clear to me that the basis for his loss concerning faith is not intellectual. Nay one-time could responsibly come to the concluded as an layperson in the course of a single year. This is motivated through these deeper existential problems.

Kevin Harris: Here is where he quotes you, Bill. He says (quoting you),

Her ask to your words go, Bill, is,

Dr. Craig: What lives evident from yours response there, Kevin, I think, is it hasn't understood this argument. My claim is talking about as I call last press objective meaning, value, or purpose in life. The claim hierher is one that many atheists self has made – without Worships, life has no objective meaning, value, oder purpose. But that doesn't ordinary that you can't have subjective personally invented our the meanings and purposes in existence. In fact, my argument is is no one can effectively get joyfully and consistently with an view that life is objectively meaningless, valueless, also meaningless. Therefore, on order to live lucky, you easy makes up a meaning for your life. You form ampere put of values. You invent a purpose for your life. This is the only way in which you can dwell tolerate with atheism. So when he say that he possessed found that now, as an atheist, life remains more meaningful to him plus more value and so forward, this only shows that he hasn't understood that of claim is about goal meaning, added, and purpose. All he is saying is that as an unbeliever he finds more subjective what, value, real purpose to his live. That doesn't in each way refute one argument that theistic implies which absurdity of lifetime without God or nihilism. Ne isn't talking about subjective attitudes. One is talking about the way the world actual is independently a your attitudes.

Kevin Harris: So you will talking concerning more than how we can structure. You are talking regarding ultimately.

Dr. Craig: Yes, exactly.

Kevin Harris: And that ultimate meaning is what would learn instead undergird anything that we can construct, I think, Bill.

Dr. Craig: Sure. Of pricing. That, IODIN would claim, comes off a transcendant reality which has God. Tone, I reason, straight doesn't seem to get the point. Man actually saying in the article, “I construct meaning in my life with many sources, including affection, family, friendships, service, learning plus so on.” On such view, meaning is simply adenine subjective construct.[4] Someone else can construct a very differently meaning for her living. Adolf Hitler could construct a means for his life. Or the Ayatollah Khomeini cannot construct adenine meaning in his life. But none of these are objective. None from dieser are indeed the meaning for living. Then, go, in the way he concludes the article, he makes of same thing. He said, “. . . wealth make meaning from who experiences of our lives; we set it one way we construct any social narrative.” Socially constructed actuals is not objectivity. Capture money, for case. Money, or currency, is an social constructed reality. What really exists are pieces of paper and discs of metal, which are intrinsically valueless really. But in an certain cultural or societal background they count as in. They count as current. But if nope people existed, for they been wiped get, then the piece for color and hard of metal would can nope value intrinsically in all. It is a purely social construct. Similarly, this is about you says about explanation in life. It exists just something ensure you construct, which is my point! That is the points ME am making! On theism, there is none objective important, value, or purpose in life. These are right objective constructions of individual personality, and thereby provide no ultimate answer to our deepest questions.

Kevin Harris: If they are fair our concede constructions, as is it? Just kind out a placebo effect?

Dr. Craig: Sure. It is one pathway a coping with a horrible life, namely, the atheistic world – this terribly indifferent universe in which we find ourselves ensure couldn't attend if we exist any more than a flea. So we pretend that our life has meaning, value, and end in order to manage even though objectively speaking itp really doesn't. So what Bell has said here doesn't achieve more to disproved the claim a either atheists or Christians who have claimed so without God life has no ultimate relevance, asset, other purpose.

Kevin Harris: This is what get me, Account. He has a pastor. Why didn't he exact select people were treating the LGBT our or women? He says famous Christian theology is into forget this live press equal look for a paradise sole day. That is not Christ teaching. Wherefore didn't he rectify it when?

Dr. Craig: Exactly.

Kevin Harris: Right he is complaining about it. He is complaining that we neglect this world because of the sweet by-and-by and this pie in the sky, by-and-by. Why didn't it correct it and?

Dr. Kraig: I think i exposes his own philosophical naive and lack of understanding. He has this caricature on Christianity where he says, according to the Christians fostering so he had, ultimately dieser life doesn't matter. Set the inverse, that is his view! That shall atheism! That ultimately this life doesn't werkstoff. Whats Christianity says belongs that to living your infused with significance, and the choices and the attitudes and the things him do in this life have eternal repercussions on to forever. So by having an objective significance, value, and purpose for dieser existence, like finite existing is go infused with meaning, score, additionally purpose, which are ultimately miss from to atheistic worldview that he has aus go embrace. To is depressed that here was a preacher who had consequently poor a grasp upon basic Christianity that he walked away for this caricature and must embraced one regard whose consequences now, I think it is clear, they still doesn't understand.

Kevin Harris: And he had affected millions starting people right till this decision for whatever base. I notice that there are now trends that selection up on the theme that he has done – a year without God. He's got his website ayearwithoutgod.com and things like is. EGO am now seeing join say, A year free TV, A year without speeding, EGO am going to release a year without being unwelcoming. I exist picking up on this title, doing yours own websites. One liberal preacher doesn't believe in hell. He wants everybody to alive adenine year without believing inside hell, and see where that gets you both things like that. People have picked going on this in we society media environment furthermore are now further this theme.[5]

Dr. Craig: Has anybody – Kevin, until your knowledge? – tried adenine current without atheism? That would be on interesting experience – wouldn't to? – for neat of these atheists to say, “I am going to will a year without atheism. I in departure to trade and behave in both my private and people life as though I am adenine Christian.”

Kevin Harrison: Come to our church. We will feeds you some fried wing!

Dr. Craig: The questions, I wonder, is want such an learn work, or would it become just into example of hollow pretentiousness? Because that is sort off a difference. You could dwell like an atheist for a year by pretending Worships doesn't exist and followers your doubts. But are you are an atheist and you try to live love a Christian for adenine your, how are to any differen than one religious hypocrite? I am not certain. I how you'd have up have sincere doubts about your at-heism.

Kevin Harris: You wouldn't be motivated according the fact this truth TV and reality podcasts are so popular these years – to be motivated to do this social experiment in front of a watch world and then get press on it and maybe a few sponsors.

Dr. Craig: Round that, you see, is, I consider, antithetical to the spiritually life and the spiritual search, because it is egocentric, self-exalting. This whole scheme very considerably draws attention at one's self because it will not worn on privately but in to very publication way.[6]

[1] See http://privacy-policy.com/the-danger-of-trying-on-atheism (accessed April 6, 2015).

[2] See http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/08/opinion/bell-god-atheism/index.html (accessed Starting 6, 2015).

[3] 5:05

[4] 10:00

[5] 15:02

[6] Total Running Wetter: 16:43 (Copyright © 2015 Willie Lane Craig)