(02/11/2018) The Option of Atheism

ASTRONOMER CARL SAGAN

Today, the reply is on atheist disbelief existing as an aspect of reason and science, yet, being no alternative to acknowledgement, commitment, and faith that respond to the existence of divine fullness.  The problems generated by atheism center on false and logically flawed professions to justify disbelief; the endorsement of pseudo-intellectualism; and the communication, proliferation, and transfer of vanity (the lack of divine content and sacred substance).  Using the disciplines and rules for genuine scientific inquiry, there are multiple times and settings where divinity is an inappropriate hypothetical concept that does not further clarification, discourse, and formal dialog.  In such cases, divinity correctly should be excluded as an unworkable abstraction.  That this is so does not discount the truth that spiritual events and operations require discipline, knowledge, and practice that are sacred in content, operation, and outcome as seen through fasting, prayer, and exorcism.  One of the many fighters in the “Yahoo! Answers” forum who uses the ID “Anonymous” (no profile information shared) posted the following:


Why is it that by many definitions atheism is very stupid?

Even Carl Sagan said

"An atheist is someone who is certain that God does not exist, someone who has compelling evidence against the existence of God. I know of no such compelling evidence. Because God can be relegated to remote times and places and to ultimate causes, we would have to know a great deal more about the universe than we do know to be sure that no such God exist"


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;  And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him:  and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.  He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.  And they brought him unto him:  and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.  And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.  And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him:  but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.  And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him:  and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.  But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.  And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?  And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.  (Mark 9:  17-29, King James Version, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  We Begin Within GOD (02/06/2018); Truths To Live By (02/02/2018); Secular History, Sacred Revelation? (01/11/2018); The Most Important Thing (12/28/2017); Confused By Spiritual Puzzles (11/13/2017); Standing On The ABCs? (11/09/2017); “and without Him nothing” (08/14/2017); About Deluding Yourself? (09/22/2014); Delusions and Revelation (09/23/2014)


“Anonymous”, science does not go far enough in reaching all human needs.  Finite carnal reason and logic that serve as the platform for atheist thought are not complex, truly intellectual, or profound.  Simply put, and using common sense terms, two rules prevail:  (1) “seeing is believing;” and (2) the only phenomena of life that is fit for the focus of science must display measurable dimensions (e.g., amount, density, height, length, weight), and must be subject to experimental manipulation.  The human mind is bombarded with enormous amounts of data and information from moment to moment.  Included are signals from organs and tissues that make up the material body, emotions (e.g., anger, fear, sorrow), operations of the mind (e.g., clairvoyance, imagination, recall, thought), and sensations (e.g., hearing, seeing, tasting, touching).  There must be principles, rules and standards in place that establish order, determine benefit, and permit the recognition of priority conditions and unmet needs.  

Properly understood, science and its promotion of secular knowledge, is a peculiar accord and covenant for shared meaning, quality, and value that denies and excludes consideration of everything that has divinity as its cause, makeup, origin, and process.  The excellence and usefulness of science turns on its attention to detail through analysis; its establishment of predictability and validity through precise measurement and repetition; and its being able to identify fixed points of reference within complex, hidden, or obscured sequences.  Thus, in the same way, children who can recite their ABCs, are not foretelling the future, or reading the mind of their teacher when saying the alphabet, yet, they know “XYZ” is coming, science, too, is a limited, plain, and simple element for understanding the fullness of life.  (While children may recite the alphabet perfectly, many still can not read and write.  They must gain skill to perform the routines of combination and permutation used when sounding out or spelling words; and they must practice to develop comprehension.)

Like the frameworks of time and space, secular knowledge is an adjunct, an additional tool, and a further provision from divinity along with sacred knowledge, and is not in place of sacred knowledge.  (Has the automobile completely eliminated the usefulness of a bicycle?)  Mankind has very real, unmet emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs that even medical science does not address.  Included are needs for forgiveness, peace, relief from human error and sin (even scientists are included within the class of “sinners”), respect, and truth that directs and sustains the highest levels for human potential.  Consider again the following that uses language from the Bible:

(1.)  John 4:  24,  King James Version (KJV):  24 God is a Spirit:  and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

(2.)  Romans 10:  1-9, KJV:  1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.  2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.  3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.  4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.  5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.  6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)  7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)  8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart:  that is, the word of faith, which we preach;  9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

There are many more verses and passages that could be cited.  (For example, (3.) Romans 1:  16-22, KJV:  16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:  for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:  as it is written, The just shall live by faith.  18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;  19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.  20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIXWashington, DC