Famous atheist "revises" his views.

B

bob b

Science Lover
LIFETIME MEMBER
Hall of Fame
"Einstein felt that there must be intelligence behind the integrated complexity of the physical world," he said. "If that is a sound argument, the integrated complexity of the organic world is just inordinately greater – all the creatures are complicated pieces of design. So an argument that is important about the physical world is immeasurably stronger when applied to the biological world."

Quotation from an interview with Antony Flew by Lee Strobel

http://www.leestrobel.com/newsletters/2006NOVEMBER/LS_TopAtheistBelieves_01Nov06.htm
 
J

Jukia

New member
SUTG said:
Can anyone here tell me how the ignore function works?
Click to expand...
Really hard to ignore bob b anyway.

Hey, bob b, I suggest you do some more research. I think Flew clarified his position and perhaps it is not as positive as you suggest. Gotta keep up with this stuff, you know.
 
aharvey

aharvey

New member
So some smart people start out as atheists and then start to change their mind as they get older.

Other smart people start out as Christians and then start to change their mind as they get older.

Other smart people don't change their mind much on this particular topic as they get older.

Perhaps the supernatural is a slippery enough concept that one's opinions about it depend on things other than one's intelligence, which one then uses instead to justify one's opinions.
 
mighty_duck

mighty_duck

New member
It should be noted that Flew became something akin to a Deist, which is much closer to an Atheist than a Christian (at least in terms of behaviorial prescription. It does give a few philosophical short cuts).
And strangely, what convinced this philosopher was the inability of science to account for abiogenesis at this point in time. This is a lazy mode of operation for a scientist, but helps in cutting to more important philosophical matters for an 81 year old philosopher. More power to him.
 
Damian

Damian

New member
Einstein believed in the God conceived by the philosopher Baruch Spinoza.

In response to the telegrammed question of New York's Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein in 1929: "Do you believe in God? Stop. Answer paid 50 words." Einstein replied "I believe in Spinoza's God, Who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind." Note that Einstein replied in only 25 (German) words. Spinoza was a naturalistic pantheist. (source: Wikipedia: "Einstein")
Click to expand...

Pantheism is the belief that "all" (that is the literal translation of the Greek "pan") is God. Pantheism is a form of theism. Hinduism is usually classified as a form of pantheism.

Deism is not compitable with atheism. Deists believe in the existence of God; atheists do not.

Deism is a religious philosophy and movement that became prominent in England, France, and the United States in the 17th and 18th centuries. Deists typically reject supernatural events (prophecy, miracles) and divine revelation prominent in organized religion, along with holy books and revealed religions that assert the existence of such things. Instead, deists hold that correct religious beliefs must be founded on human reason and observed features of the natural world, and that these sources reveal the existence of one God or supreme being[. (soruce: Wikipedia: "Deism")
Click to expand...

Deists see God as an impersonal force which remains aloof from creation. (source: Wikipedia: "Unitarianism")
Click to expand...

The God of deism is a deadbeat God. This explains why deism has few followers.
 
SUTG

SUTG

New member
Knight said:
No, but I can tell you how the BAN function works. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks, Knight. I appreciate the offer of banning him, but I'll just put him on ignore instead.
 
mighty_duck

mighty_duck

New member
Damian said:
Deism is not compitable with atheism. Deists believe in the existence of God; atheists do not.
Click to expand...
A deist and an atheist would behave in exactly the same way. The only place they might differ is in gaps in scientific knowledge, where an atheist would say "I don't know" a deist would say "I don't know, but god might have done it"

It is a philosophical stance with no prescribed behavior, in the same way atheism is. Other forms of theism have a lot more baggage.


Damian said:
The God of deism is a deadbeat God. This explains why deism has few followers.
Click to expand...
All gods are deadbeat, the deist one just doesn't have a fairy tale about how involved he used to be, or how he cares about us only in ways which we can't detect.
 
Nomad

Nomad

New member
SUTG said:
Thanks, Knight. I appreciate the offer of banning him, but I'll just put him on ignore instead.
Click to expand...

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to SUTG again.

haha, that's probably the most I've smiled all day
 
mighty_duck

mighty_duck

New member
Nomad said:
You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to SUTG again.

haha, that's probably the most I've smiled all day
Click to expand...
I would agree, except for that Ted Haggard thing :second:
 
S

SoloMaxwell6

New member
Why do people always bring Flew up? That was quite a while ago. You Christians find one major atheist that later slightly changed his religious views, and keep on bringing him up. Come on, there's two billion of you. Is that the best you can do? ;-)
 
B

bob b

Science Lover
LIFETIME MEMBER
Hall of Fame
SoloMaxwell6 said:
Why do people always bring Flew up? That was quite a while ago. You Christians find one major atheist that later slightly changed his religious views, and keep on bringing him up. Come on, there's two billion of you. Is that the best you can do? ;-)
Click to expand...

The reason Flew is mentioned is because he is such a famous atheist who has in the past done so well in formal debates defending the atheist position.

It was a shocker when he announced that he was altering his views somewhat due to the increasing complexities (marvels really) being discovered within cells.

Take a look at the thread "Cell Trends Too" to get a feel for what has been discovered in just the past 7 years (late 2000 to the present).
 
J

Johnny

New member
bob b said:
Take a look at the thread "Cell Trends Too" to get a feel for what has been discovered in just the past 7 years (late 2000 to the present).
Click to expand...
Alternately, open a biology book. That's what the rest of us do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top