Differing Views Flashcards
Militant atheism
Belief in god, life after death, miracles etc. = illogical and incorrect. Hostile Stance and religion must be fought against - Richard dawkins = prominent militant atheist
‘Do not indoctrinate your children’ - the god delusion dawkins
‘The god of the OT is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction’
Religious believers = considered stupid, focus o the literal sense of religion - literal interp of genesis is falsified by big bang
Blame religion for wars and dumbing down human thought and being taught religion is propaganda
Responses to militant atheism
Misrepresent mainstream Christianity - bible is literal etc. not Same for all Christian’s - offensive to the group as assume all Christian’s believe same things
Christian theology challenge same minority views e.g. dont agree with westborough Baptist church
Ignores politically motivated wars and ignores how religion contributes to human flourishing - good quals developed
Believes Christianity makes people unreasonable and unpleasant but offers hope purpose etc.
View that religion is irrational
Christianity arg. Most ppls. Lives not limited to rational - music, art etc - militant atheists go beyond rec. non rational element of religion e.g.trinity etc. believe this fully irrational
Are religious beliefs meant to be literal?
If so many beliefs e.g. virgin birth, miracles are irrational as goes against assessment of evidence
If not then not irrational e..g res of Jesus = idea of spirit of Jesus alive within church - doesn’t depend on physical evidence but sense people are inspired to live
Sociological view: religion not irrational but cultural expression - religious beliefs and t3exts are cultural artefacts - not literal
Religious beliefs may be helpful or harmful but never irrational
Christian responses to materialistic secular values: value of wealth and possession:
Concept involves idea that status in soc. measured by wealth and possession not quals. E..g wisdom , virtue
Consumerism: process of buying new things and inc. profit - materialism mat be religious e..g Solomon was given great wealth by god due to wisdom
NT Jesus reversed expectations - arg. Poor = blessed - parable (Luke 16:19 - 31) contrasts rich man with beggar (Lazarus) - both die, rich man goes to suffer (didn’t share wealth with poor) and poor man = heaven
Jesus applauds charity - doesn’t condemn welth in tiself but argue its diff. For rich man to enter heaven - distracted from more important aspects of life
‘Easier for camel to go through eye of needle, than rich man enter heaven’ - Matthew
Early church: people shared everything they owned w/ comm. - believed end of world near
Modern Christian atts. To wealth
Two extremes: bruderhof and the prosperity gospel
PG teach wealth adn finance = gift from god to ppl. Who give generously to evanglelical work
B = live simply and share all possessions - shuns all wealth and materialism
Most Christian’s in middle
Responsible wealth = important and capitalism shouldn’t exploit ppl.
Cadbury brothers = quakers and built housing for workers
Most Christian’s accept wealth is okay but should be shared generously
McGrath - defend Christianity against militant atheists like Dawkins
Christian theologian
In book ‘god delusion’ Dawkins = militant atheist
Arg science not in position to adjudicate on matters of religion and both science and religion are kept in our own sphere of operation - science is limited to those things that are discoverable through reason and experience
McGrath points that Dawkins assumes science leads auto to atheism, - suggests scientists who accept poss of religion delib go against what they know to be case - Dawkins view is narrow
Limits to what science demonstrates cannot dem. True nature of reality - no rests that show where truth lies
Stephen jay gould arg. ‘Middle way’ - science and religion each deal with own sphere of human exp. Dawkins opposes as only one sphere (physical) and understood with science. McGrath opposed both as science and religion achieve some ares that overlap and can enrich each other
Dawkins delib. Opposes super nature all fundamentalism - easy target for reason and evidence adn ignores ‘liberal appraoch’ to religion - complains religion not open to arg and believes unquestionably
BUT clear he hold athiest views unquestionably - refuses to believe ppl come to diff conics
‘Dawkins is clearly entrenched in his own particular version of fundamentalism dualism’
McGrath weaknesses
Weak args as arg atheism may be response to human need for ‘moral autonomy’ and atheism is an excuse for immortality
Atheists do arg. Humans should be responsible. Fro own moral decisions but not primarily reason ppl = athiest
McGraph arg Dawkins suffers from ‘cog bias’ - favours ev that supports his view but science ceases to have bias - doesn’t meet science when talk about religion
McGraph doesnt try prove Christianity - true but Dawkins arg not persuasive and deeply flawed from both sacicenifc and religious POV
