Paper 3 Notes

Reading
-

80% of survivors say it strengthened their faith in god. That makes

absolutely no sense. Their argument is that god got them through this
tragic disaster, yet dont they believe because god is all-powerful hes
the one who created the tragic disaster in the first place?
Certainty without evidence is necessarily divisive and dehumanizing
(8)
When we have reasons for what we believe, we have no need of faith;
when we have no reasons, or bad ones, we have lost our connection to
the world and to one another (8)
Ones convictions should be proportional to ones evidence (9)
Atheism is not a philosophy; it is not even a view of the world; it is
simply a refusal to deny the obvious. (1)
Unfortunately, we live in a world in which the obvious is overlooked as
a matter of principle. The obvious must be observed and re-observed
and argued for. (1)
People believe in a god that is every bit as specious as the gods of
Mount Olympus (1) hearkens back to Ingersolls point about how it is
impossible to reconcile the sufferings of the world with any god, and
that it makes very little sense that one can agree with the JudeoChristian god but can disregard
No person, whatever his qualifications, can seek public office in the
United States without pretending to be certain that such a God exists
(1)
much of what passes for public policy in our country conforms to
religious taboos and superstitions appropriate to a medieval
theocracy (1)

Counterargument (Listen America Jerry Falwell)

- If you dont have religion, what is your moral guide? Where is the
divine text that tells you murder and stealing and adultery is wrong?
The second you disregard the religious doctrine, you lose any sort of
virtuous absolutism and suffer moral relativism.
- No other nation on the face of the earth has been blessed by God
Almighty like the people of the United States of America (117) and
The strength of America has been in her righteousness in her walk
with God (119).
o Rebuttal: the problem with views like this is that they disregard
personal effort and work in favor of accrediting everything to
divine intervention. America is not prosperous because our
ancestors labored vigorously for centuries, America is not
democratic because a group of bright people outlined an
effective system, America is not free because we have brave
souls fighting for our liberty every day it is prosperous,

democratic, and free because God made it so.

The Bible states that the pleasures of sign are but for a season (Heb.
11:25)Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any
people (Pr. 14:34).
o Rebuttal: citing Bible verses the same as he would cite a
scientific paper on the subject matter.

My Point
- Religion cannot be considered all bad. There are many ills in this
world, and if belief in something higher gives one solace then who am I
to judge? As long as that belief doesnt preclude actual action and
attempt to solve these ills in favor of saying a quick Praise Jesus.
- Falwells entire argument is built upon one tenuous premise that the
Bible is the ultimate authority. This is a problem within most religions,
that a work of literature is championed as the be-all, end-all, and the
absolute mandate of how humanity and the universe should exist. A
subjectively interpreted collection of words acts as the source code for
all action. How does this make sense!?!?!