This entry serves as my response to "bp," a Christian who has started following my blog. This is the continuation of our discussion which began here: Threats of Hell are Fun. I write with the hope that it will lead to respectful, thoughtful conversation:
bp wrote: "If you don't mind, I'd like to hear your thoughts on why particularly you have rejected the Bible as God's infallible Word."
I became a Christian at age 13. I accepted Christianity as "The Way" without really thinking critically about it. My assent to Christian faith was particularly non-rational. Of course, this is how most people come to the faith. Conversion is hardly a matter of examining the evidence and drawing the logical conclusion that the claims of Christianity must be true; regularly, acquiring faith is an emotional response. Most people who come to the faith aren't even familiar with the concept of critical thinking, so they never bother to apply reason to their beliefs. The attempt at logical thinking comes well after conversion (if it ever comes at all), when the believer feels the need to justify her beliefs.
This is, as I've said elsewhere, what I call "retroactive reasoning": accepting a conclusion prior to finding reasons to support the conclusion. A person first believes, then "goes back" to find evidence and arguments to support what she already believes. That one is influenced greatly by her ideological preferences is not only expected, but nearly unavoidable. Her bias clouds her judgment, thus she determines that the evidence in favor of her view is stronger than the evidence in opposition; or, she simply ignores any evidence to the contrary.
I, like so many other Christians, employed such retroactive reasoning in an attempt to find evidence to support my preselected paradigm. I recall one of the first Christian apologetics books I read, a work by Paul Little titled Know Why You Believe. I didn't realize it at the time, but retroactive reasoning is evident even in the title of that book. I already believed, and Paul Little was going to tell me why I believe?
Imagine if we applied retroactive reasoning to everything in life. "I just drank this murky green liquid under the sink. Think I'll go back and try to find evidence to show that it's not poisonous."
As I grew older and my inquisitive nature got the best of me, I began asking questions. For a while, I accepted the answers found in the Christian apologetics books I read. Hell, I worked hard to be a good Christian apologist myself. To do that, I needed to research as deeply as I could. I needed to tackle the tough questions about the faith and provide sound arguments to demonstrate the truth of my beliefs.
Good answers didn't come so easily.
The more I searched, the less I found to support Christian faith. When I examined the arguments and evidence objectively, the arguments of the apologists didn't hold up to scrutiny, and the evidence for Christian theism was found wanting. As much as I wanted my precious worldview to be true, I could not look at the data and continue on in faith that it's all true. I had to admit that I was an agnostic in order to maintain any intellectual integrity. I didn't reject Christian faith as much as I simply walked away because I see no reason to believe in it. There's as much evidence to support the claims of Christian faith as there is for Islam, Hinduism, and the Greek pantheon of Olympus - which is to say, not much.
bp asked: "Given that you once believed in God's word and know of their power; Do you still believe in the Devil and the demons of hell and how can you be sure that you are not clouded by agents of very powerful demonic forces that want to see you continue on your path?" (sic)
I will try to be terse, which won't be easy, because I could write volumes here. If I my perspective is indeed "clouded by agents of very powerful demonic forces," why doesn't god do something to clear things up? God - if he's really the god you think he is - should know exactly what it would take to get me to see the truth. Why doesn't he do it? I have searched for god. I'd follow god if I had good reason to believe god exists. Why would god allow someone who is willing to serve him be led astray by demons?
Another question: How do you know you aren't clouded by agents of very powerful demonic forces of another religion? Maybe Islam is correct, and Iblīs has your mind clouded by the false religion of Christianity.
This brings me to the crux of the matter: How do you know? The burden of proof falls on the one making the claims. You claim that Jesus is the son of god, and the Bible is god's infallible word. All I ask is for sufficient evidence to support and warrant such belief. This is what I longed for and searched for when I was still a believer. When I saw such evidence didn't exist, I had no choice but to either continue lying to myself or discard faith. Obviously, I chose the latter. If that was a poor decision, then please, tell me why.
Dead-Logic.com
Why I Am Not A Christian
Why I Am Not A Christian
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