Cool vid: Priest explains why atheists hang out on the CNN beliefs blog

_{Denyse O'Leary

July 31, 2011

Atheism, Video}

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Yeah, we wondered too.

Comments

I think the priest is right. (My opinion.) Regarding the atheist, "me thinks they protest too much." If they REALLLY, REALLY believed in their hearts there was no God, and it was settled, I do not think they would be arguing so much. It's like they are trying to convince themselves.rebecca_{August 6, 2011
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News: Thanks, used this elsewhere, Gkairosfocus_{August 1, 2011
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Mung: "He should have offered a Darwinian explanation." Well not really sure what that would be (no, not a fan of evolutionary psychology). But I think any real explanation would need to be fact-based - in this case in knowing and measuring the true intent of the atheists. Again, self-reports could be one way (and psychologists and sociologists commonly use such a tool). But then dealing with human intent and motives is always going to be an imprecise kind of measure, so in a case like this there probably isn't a black-and-white simple answer. It's probably not dissimilar to trying to explain why ID supporters read and post on Uncommon Descent. I'm sure there are a multitude and variety of reasons, but if we were responding in the manner of Fr. Barron, one might say "it's because ID supporters believe ID is a tool win over the unsaved" - which would clearly be false and a belief statement (but to some it would sound as if it had a ring of truth to it, so some would accept it at face value).woodford_{July 31, 2011
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He should have offered a Darwinian explanation.Mung_{July 31, 2011
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One of Fr. Barron's proposed explanations is that atheists like to hang out at places like CNN's Belief Blog is because they really like hearing the discussions about God, and are secretly longing in their hearts for God. Of course this is not an explanation but it is a belief, a rather different epistemological animal. And one that really is not fact-based but based on his own religious world views (and of course one that is rather self-serving too). After all, if you ask atheists to self-report their reasons, I doubt if any would offer this one at all! Certainly for myself and at least a few atheists I know, is that the reason we are vocal about atheism, is that our own experiences of trying to fill that "God-shaped center" have lead us to believe that religion is a failed enterprise that does not deliver. Or there may (and probably are) a myriad other reasons why atheists like to talk about these things and participate in blogs. Perhaps Far. Barron should survey this population using proper statistical methods rather than making his own religiously oriented (and made-up) assumptions. Fr Barron may be quite articulate and well-spoken, but let's be clear, he really hasn't offered any real explanations at all.woodford_{July 31, 2011
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There was no mention of Intelligent Design in the "intellectual call to arms," and a google search for the phrase revealed not much more than a "ID is bad theology" rap from someone in the comments section. "intelligent design" site:wordonfire.org Perhaps I didn't look hard enough, but at the moment, the WordOnFire site appears to be agnostic about Intelligent Design and the arguments put forward by its proponents over the last fifteen years. Also try: "dembski" site:wordonfire.org "behe" site:wordonfire.org "meyer" site:wordonfire.org "irreducible complexity" site:wordonfire.org "guillermo gonzalez" site:wordonfire.org "jay richards" site:wordonfire.org "privileged planet" site:wordonfire.org "signature in the cell" site:wordonfire.org etc. It looks like the battle armor has a big hole in the midsection.material.infantacy_{July 31, 2011
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