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His face DOES say it all, and imo it's just a bunch of lies to further his cause. It's just another way to bash atheists and make us all look bad, immoral, narcissistic, etc. etc. and try and prove that being a Christian is the only way to be a good person. Sickening.
I wonder if both sides of this argument have ever contemplated our species deep seated instinct that first manifested as tribalism?
His description of his life is what some believers imagine non-believers live like. They have no clue. For one, most non-believers are smarter. Not being religious correlates to higher IQs. As a result, non-believers have higher incomes and live better lives. They are less likely to live the type of life low IQ people live, if they have poor impulse control. It sounds like that is the life he is describing as a non-believer. You could say, what he would have seen down at his trailer park. lol
His description of his life is what some believers imagine non-believers live like. They have no clue. For one, most non-believers are smarter. Not being religious correlates to higher IQs. As a result, non-believers have higher incomes and live better lives. They are less likely to live the type of life low IQ people live, if they have poor impulse control. It sounds like that is the life he is describing as a non-believer. You could say, what he would have seen down at his trailer park. lol
But he never lived that life at all. He was a legal editor and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. It is possible, of course, that he was also an alcoholic, but that is speculation. He says he had a drinking problem and an anger problem. He claims that he sometimes ended up drunk in an alley in the snow in the city. He also claims that he ranted and raved enough that his daughter avoided him when he came home from work. Note that he did have a career and work.
He writes apologetics and now also writes fiction books.
But he never lived that life at all. He was a legal editor and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. It is possible, of course, that he was also an alcoholic, but that is speculation. He says he had a drinking problem and an anger problem. He claims that he sometimes ended up drunk in an alley in the snow in the city. He also claims that he ranted and raved enough that his daughter avoided him when he came home from work. Note that he did have a career and work.
He writes apologetics and now also writes fiction books.
Yep he is highly acclaimed in his circles and seems fairly intelligent so how could this sort of thing have happened? I have to say that I really don't believe he was ever a true atheist or he could not have been so easily swayed by fairy tales. He was searching for something and he thinks that he has found it.
His face DOES say it all, and imo it's just a bunch of lies to further his cause. It's just another way to bash atheists and make us all look bad, immoral, narcissistic, etc. etc. and try and prove that being a Christian is the only way to be a good person. Sickening.
Yeah, I get really tired of the implication that all atheists are what this guy claims they are, simply because they're atheists.
There are good and bad atheists, and there are good and bad Christians. This should not be a news flash, but to those with an agenda it apparently is.
But he never lived that life at all. He was a legal editor and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. It is possible, of course, that he was also an alcoholic, but that is speculation. He says he had a drinking problem and an anger problem. He claims that he sometimes ended up drunk in an alley in the snow in the city. He also claims that he ranted and raved enough that his daughter avoided him when he came home from work. Note that he did have a career and work.
He writes apologetics and now also writes fiction books.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Northsouth
Yep he is highly acclaimed in his circles and seems fairly intelligent so how could this sort of thing have happened? I have to say that I really don't believe he was ever a true atheist or he could not have been so easily swayed by fairy tales. He was searching for something and he thinks that he has found it.
I stand corrected by both of you. Thank you. I just watched the video and didn't delve in to his background. In this case, I suppose that education or profession notwithstanding he just was not a very kind or happy person when he was a functional alcoholic. As someone upthread wrote, it sounds more like a substance abuse problem than anything else. Getting off the sauce helped him and would have done so regardless. He just attributed the improvement to religion instead of cleaning up his act himself, which is what he did. No god changed him. He changed his behavior and reaped the benefit of better habits.
I stand corrected by both of you. Thank you. I just watched the video and didn't delve in to his background. In this case, I suppose that education or profession notwithstanding he just was not a very kind or happy person when he was a functional alcoholic. As someone upthread wrote, it sounds more like a substance abuse problem than anything else. Getting off the sauce helped him and would have done so regardless. He just attributed the improvement to religion instead of cleaning up his act himself, which is what he did. No god changed him. He changed his behavior and reaped the benefit of better habits.
Exactly you can change your life and take full credit for that change, no thanking an invisible deity necessary. People pull themselves up by the bootstraps all the time without the trappings of religion.
I wonder if both sides of this argument have ever contemplated our species deep seated instinct that first manifested as tribalism?
I believe "Our" side has begin to consider how much of our behaviour (in addition to the hormonal stuff - which we knew or suspected anyway) is an evolved instinct.
I mentioned 'Love' as an evolved instinct and the plasters should come off any day now. I doubt that 'religion' as an evolved instinct is going to go down any better.
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