{"id":4677,"date":"2010-08-16T07:45:00","date_gmt":"2010-08-16T07:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2010\/08\/victor-stenger-makes-me-laugh.html"},"modified":"2010-08-16T07:45:00","modified_gmt":"2010-08-16T07:45:00","slug":"victor-stenger-makes-me-laugh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/daffeythoughts\/2010\/08\/victor-stenger-makes-me-laugh.html","title":{"rendered":"Victor Stenger makes me laugh."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/span><\/a>Physicist Victor Stenger <\/span>writes a hilarious article for the Huffington Post.<\/span><\/a> It\u2019s hilarious because, like so much word drool that pours out of the modern atheism movements, the obvious problem in the argument is there, but can\u2019t be seen through the biases and beliefs he holds. Essentially, he concludes that since science has looked for God in nature and not found God from a scientific viewpoint, God doesn\u2019t exist. Observe his first stellar argument:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Even the most pious believer has to admit that there is no scientific evidence for God or anything else supernatural. If there were, it would be in the textbooks along with the evidence for electricity, gravity, neutrinos, and DNA. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cuz we all know that if textbooks don\u2019t say it, it must not be true! Finish laughing for a minute, then we can continue.<\/span><\/p>\n

OK, back to the article. Like most modern atheists he begins his assumptions with the religious faith of most modern atheists: that science is the only tool by which we can explain everything, and if science can\u2019t explain it, it doesn\u2019t exist. That, of course, is necessarily a belief, not to mention circular reasoning. There is no scientific proof that science alone can answer for all that exists. It has to have an assumption to begin with that if science can\u2019t explain it, it isn\u2019t true. Once you are willing to step out of that little religious covey, it becomes easier to see that 99% of humanity may not be 100% wrong about religious experience and revelation.<\/p>\n

The rest of it, as is usual, deals with refuting Christianity\u2019s God. Typically when atheists say they are against all religion they spend 99% of their time obsessed with the Christian traditions.<\/p>\n

Essentially, his article boils down to this: We all know that if science in 2010 can\u2019t prove it, it isn\u2019t true. And by proof, we mean proving it based on how we believe it should be able to be proven. And furthermore, we won\u2019t consider any proof that doesn\u2019t fit our own scientific methods, which, by the way, assume to begin with that God doesn\u2019t exist and there is nothing supernatural. His final two paragraphs speak volumes for this:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the final example, the Abrahamic God is believed by his worshipers to talk to people and provide information they otherwise did not know. Nothing could be easier to test scientifically. All you have to do is find a few examples where a truth has been revealed that later was confirmed. This could be something simple, such as a prediction of some future event that turned out to be confirmed. This has never happened.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, claims of revelation can be found in all three monotheisms, but none stand up to critical scrutiny. The so-called prophecies in scriptures were all made in the distant past and can\u2019t be tested since the events prophesied have already happened, or, as in the case of Jesus returning in a generation, long been falsified.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Note there is no real evidence provided by the author who insists our beliefs should be based on scientific evidence (which, of course, would render them no longer beliefs). The famous <\/span>Miracle of the Sun<\/span><\/a>*, which saw thousands of witnesses account for a prediction by three peasant children regarding a phenomenon which occurred. Everyone knows it happened, the witnesses have gone on record saying it happened. Wouldn\u2019t that be proof? One time is all is needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not so for our intrepid rationalists. They simply dismiss such things by saying \u2018mass hypnosis\u2019, or \u2018giant conspiracies\u2019, or \u2018mass hallucinations\u2019. Now, do they have proof of any of these things? No. There is no proof that mass hallucinations, hypnosis or conspiracy happened. Yet they base their disbelief on a very simple belief: since we already believe there is no God or supernatural, there must \u2013 MUST \u2013 be some other explanation, no matter how implausible or unproven.<\/p>\n

His last paragraph was simply bizarre, and suggests that as a historian and critical scholar, he makes a good physicist. He doesn\u2019t take into account contrasting theories on the dating of Old Testament literature. He doesn\u2019t explain the secular critical answers that attempt to explain away the prophecies. Why not? That would be icing on the cake. Simply turn to liberal\/secular explanations for the later dating of the Old Testament (which may not be as true as once believed), and that would, if you are willing to enter into it with skepticism, add to the argument. It\u2019s almost as if he is unaware of the arguments, because perhaps, just perhaps, he is actually unaware of the very religion he has tried so hard to refute with science. So unaware, that a person of faith has little difficulties seeing the superficial assumptions and understandings of the faith he has tried to disprove, and can see why his supposed smack down of religion is a rather lightweight fluff ball after all.<\/p>\n

*Yes, the link is to a skeptics website. I had a good laugh there, too. Notice his rationalist arguments against the miracle: from \u2018because they weren\u2019t as smart as me and didn\u2019t know what looking at the sun could be like\u2019, to \u2018mass suggestion\u2019 (no evidence), or my favorite: the miracle must have a natural explanation (since miracles don\u2019t exist), so the absence of a natural explanation proves no miraculous vision occurred\u2019. Hint: if you want to prove it was no big deal that three peasant children predicted something would happen on a certain day that did happen, then get together three children, have them predict that something will happen, and reproduce the event. Or prove the countless conflicting theories \u2018disproving\u2019 the event are actually true and not desperate attempts at ignoring the fact that it all boils down to you being blinded by science, and nothing more. <\/p><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Physicist Victor Stenger writes a hilarious article for the Huffington Post. It\u2019s hilarious because, like so much word drool that pours out of the modern atheism movements, the obvious problem in the argument is there, but can\u2019t be seen through the biases and beliefs he holds. Essentially, he concludes that since science has looked for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2805,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nVictor Stenger makes me laugh.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Physicist Victor Stenger writes a hilarious article for the Huffington Post. 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