Atheists already debated Christianity and lost

Atheism, and all its facets (since anyone not believing in the True God is an atheist) already debated Christianity during the height of power of anti-Christian Rome and lost.

If Christians could convince people there weren't many gods but only one God why did Atheists fail to capitalize on the wedge issue and just argue successfully that there was no God?

Meanwhile polytheists and Christians openly debated for the spiritual future of Rome. Origen is one of the great Christian apologists of this time.

Supposedly the Bible is full of errors but ancient anti-Christians neglected to really find any meaningful ground in the great debate and never really argued the Bible had errors.

Maybe they never read it?

Or maybe they did and saw it was without errors?

Thousands of pages of debates were written in the time of 100-200AD.

And those thousands of pages contain material that post doctorates spend their entire lives to study.

So far more depth and breadth than any piddly discussion some atheist can bring to bear here.

Not only did Atheists lose then but they lost now. Christianity is the world's largest religion and the fastest growing by converts.

Only Islam competes and mostly by birth and killing Christians.

Atheism isn't even on the map.

Polytheism utterly lost the debate.

So why does anyone even bother to try to challenge the truth of Christ?

I don't mean to appeal to authority but just to suggest that the 3 centuries long debate in Rome is pretty authoritative and the clear winner was Christianity.

 

*Crickets*

 

Because it is a silly premise. Believe it or not, humans have a bit more knowledge that they did during the Roman Empire.

 

*Trolls*

 

Now, there are of course several issues with your post, but I'm going to focus on this one. In what sense do you suggest that any facet of atheism today is the same as any facet of atheism in Rome for the purposes of criticism against Christianity? I find that to be erroneous.

That being said, I seem to remember even Dawkins saying that it would not be irrational to be religious before the discoveries of for instance Darwin and Newton, so that doesn't really indicate that atheism is unchanged in that way. Religions at that time didn't have to make sense (why do you think it arose in the first place), because we didn't know what things making sense looked like. Now we've come closer to making sense (although I hesitate to make absolute statements about the amount of sense being made).

 

I had you down as a Progressive Atheist. How surprising.

I don't really care about the debate - I care about my own opinion. You and anyone else are welcome to think what they like.

 

Are muslims atheists? They don't appear to agree with your god and you don't appear to agree with their god so which one of you has better proof of your God being the more correct one? Does the religion that kills the most people win?

 

Oh yes, the 'authority of simpletons who knew nothing about anything. I always say, when you're feeling backed into an intellectual corner, the deep past can be mined for faux weapons.

BTW, we don't 'challenge the truth of christ' for the same reason you don't challenge the truth of Odin. But we do challenge the belief in invisible supernatural sky pixies.

 

Three great posts .... a hat trick for sanity

 

Does it seem strange that someone, anyone could argue so vehemently against a person or being they claim they believe does not exists?

Isn't there some psychological diagnosis for a person with this disorder? Maybe a form of Schizophrenia?

I suggest if you fit into this category, seek medical help immediately. Then call 1-800-REALITY

 

An underlying assumption that progressives or "liberals" must be atheist or at least agnostic or just your impression of this particular person?

 

No. It's a reaction to the expectation that someone must believe in God under the threat of judgment, force or hell. Why should non believers keep silent under those circumstances?

 

Did "ancient Christians" know that bats were not "birds"?

Did they know that geological history shows there was never a world-wide flood?

Did they know that anthropology shows that mankind existed well before 6000 BCE?

Did they know that rabbits don't "chew their cud"?

Did they know that in the 21st Century West, most people did not believe in putting homosexuals to death?

Did they know that if the Sun "stopped in the sky for a day" ...nobody else in the ancient world noticed? Much less the fact that it would have destroyed the planet?

Did they notice there were differing accounts of how many people were at Jesus' Tomb and the reaction of the Disciples?

Did they know that powers given to Jesus...were part of myths that pre-dated Jesus by centuries? (virgin birth, water to wine, demi-god, died and resurrected)

Did they know that astronomy would prove that the Universe was older than 6000 years, as related in "Genesis"?

Did they know that modern people wouldn't consider God carrying out or ordering infanticide was "moral and just"?

 

Well you have a point. If one is living in an area controlled by Muslims, they must convert or die according to Islam. That would be the topic of discussion, Infidels convert or die, not Christianity.

 

The terminology was different. If it flew, it was a bird, it lived in the water it was a fish.

A lie!

It does not.

If God stopped the Sun, He can handle those minor details.

False.

 

Except that it isn't just Islam that demands belief under the threat of judgment, force or hell. Your Bible contains warnings about what happens to unbelievers and many Christians will use psychological manipulation to compel belief. In debates, Christians judge non believers very harshly for refusing to accept their claims. I get pamphlets in the mail from a certain church with the question "Do you know where you are going when you die?". Don't be pointing fingers at the violent muslims in the Middle East in order to divert our attention from what many Christians try to do here.

 

The Bible is supposed to be the divinely inspired "Word of God"....does GOD know that bats aren't birds?

Outside of Creationist websites pointing to false indicators....there is NO geological evidence of a world-wide flood occurring in the past 6000 years or even further back.

Cro-Magnon existed 43,000 years ago (we don't even have to go to earlier hominids)....that pre-dates the Creationist time-line of "Creation" at 4000 BC.

So why didn't the Indians (India) notice "A morning lasting for 24 hours"? Why is it no culture in East Asia noticed "The Sun stuck on the horizon for a whole day"? Why did no culture in the Americas notice "Night lasting for an entire day"?

You think the Universe is only 6000 years old??? So how can we see stars that are MORE than 6000 light-years away?....the light wouldn't have time to reach us yet???

- - - Updated - - -

Or just ignoring the HISTORY of Christianity.....from things like the Spanish Inquisition to the persecution of the Huguenots to the Crusades to the Salem Witch Trials.

 

If you don't believe in a judgement and hell, why do you care what anyone else believes? Are you that weak of will that someone can "...manipulat(e) you to compel belief"? Don't you have a Delete button on your keyboard or a trash can to throw out pamphlets?

 

Scheesch?!? It's a very descriptive word. The Bible uses plenty of language we have adopted different words to describe what we see and do. IS that your best argument?

False!

Proved a hoax many decades ago.

I don't know.

Are you so unimaginative that even you can't postulate a possible answer to that one yourself?

HISTORY!!!! Looooooong time ago. Bad people. Hitler was an atheist and evolutionist. You should be ashamed of yourself for believing the same doctrines he did.

 

Sure we can delete messages and throw away pamphlets but the following questions then come to mind: Why do you expect us to believe in your God? Why waste time trying to convince non believers that God is real and that God will punish your non compliance with his wish to be believed, loved and worshipped? What's the point?

 

Just to peel off the easiest of those.....no, tell me. How is it that the Universe is supposedly only 6000 years old....

but we can see stars MORE than 6000 lightyears away, whose light would not have had time to reach us at lightspeed? Explain it to me.

 

Because it's what we do. Now let mew ask you why you are so intolerant?

 

Intolerant? You just conceded that you judge us for not accepting what isn't sufficiently supported by evidence and you want to know why I am intolerant? Who is being intolerant here?

 

I didn't know Ayn Rand Libertarians were bigots. Huh?

 

and all people with moustaches are murderers.

By who?