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My moment happened in a foxhole - I took advantage of a particularly heavy round of shelling, to check my lottery ticket. Upon seeing that I had a losing ticket, it suddenly occurred to me, that there is no God.
I believe it to be absurd that a Christian in a first world country believes he is supernaturally blessed when he finds his car keys or gets a job, while millions starve to death in rest of the world.
I agree. Yet, I can think of dozens of times I've heard christians say that they thank god for some petty good fortune, while others are starving to death and dying horrible deaths.
One of the best examples of "selective bias" (although I think we are fudging that term a bit) I ever personally experienced was a conversation I was having with one of my secretaries quite a few years back. She knew I was from Palmyra, NY, the village where Joseph Smith founded Mormonism, although my family was not Mormon. She said, "Well, if there were actually Golden Plates, let those Mormons show them to us! And since they can't, it's clear it's nothing but a made-up story". My response was, "Well, if there were actually Ten Commandments on a stone table, let those Christians show them to us! And since they can't, it's clear it's nothing but a made-up story". And of course, her answer was, "Well, that's different!"
Good example. When other Christians or Jews ask me where the archaeological evidence is for the civilizations described in The Book of Mormon, I tell them it's in the evidence room right along-side the archaeological evidence for the Israelites' Exodus out of Egypt. They don't like that answer, but it's another good example of selective bias.
Good example. When other Christians or Jews ask me where the archaeological evidence is for the civilizations described in The Book of Mormon, I tell them it's in the evidence room right along-side the archaeological evidence for the Israelites' Exodus out of Egypt. They don't like that answer, but it's another good example of selective bias.
I agree. Yet, I can think of dozens of times I've heard christians say that they thank god for some petty good fortune, while others are starving to death and dying horrible deaths.
My moment happened in a foxhole - I took advantage of a particularly heavy round of shelling, to check my lottery ticket. Upon seeing that I had a losing ticket, it suddenly occurred to me, that there is no God.
I remember the moment well.....I was driving from Miami to Tallahassee when suddenly there was no blinding light in the sky, no celestial choir of angels began to sing, and there was a mysterious absence of disembodied voices speaking to me. My car did not begin to drive itself and I was imbued with no ability to speak in tongues. Nothing of any consequence, other than getting a bit further down the road, took place ...and that is when I knew.....
This wasn't "the moment", but looking back now I think it was the first doubt -- watching Spencer Tracy and Fredric March battle it out in "Inherit The Wind", probably on Saturday Night At The Movies.
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