10 Reasons why Pavlina's take is full of baloney
By MCWAY
(continued)
7. Iidiocy and Hypocrisy
I addressed this a bit earlier, but complaining about how Christians exclude and demonize non-believers, all the while insulting people of faith, calling them slaves, and ragging on former members of their "free-thinking" posse, makes Pavlina a card-carrying member of the "hypocrisy" club.
I could go there and rib Pavlina (and others) about their bowing at the shrine of Darwin, and ingesting the "goo-to-you-by-way-of-the-zoo" doctrine. But, there's way too much other material for me to dissect.....ahem....addr ess.
As for his fixation on pre-marital sex, of course, it's a lot of fun. But, as Scripture says, there is pleasure in sin for a season. What Pavlina conveniently doesn't address is that PAIN that comes during those other seasons: STDs, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, poverty, resulting from fatherless children, emotional trauma on women.
The silly thing is that atheists proclaim themselves to be the champions of "logic" and "reasons". But, it never dawns on them that maybe, just maybe, the best way to curb some of these social ills is by curbing the behaviors, responsible for them. That makes too much sense. As I've often said, simplicity beats skepticism. Too many times, atheists outsmart themselves (or as another verse in Scripture puts it, "Thinking themselves wise, they became fools").
8. Inherited falsehood.
AHHHHHH!!!! The old, "What if you were born...." routine. What if Scott Norwood's kick were 2 ft to the right in Super Bowl 25?
There's a point in here, somewhere, I think. Then, Pavlina pulls the long, worn, and easily-picked-to-pieces drivel about Jesus Christ being forged from pagan figures. How does the saying go again, "Insanity is doing the same thing, the same way, and expecting different results". Atheists have spouting that BS for over 200 hundred years. Yet, their efforts have fallen flat, as their attempts to dismantle the Christian faith have been found wanting. Ironically enough, when some in their ranks do the very thing that atheists claim people should do (study and think for themselves), with the end result being those folks BECOME CHRISTIANS, let's just say that the no-God squad is less-than-pleased (and hardly tolerant) of the result. Two examples that come to mind are two of Loco's favorite authors: Lee Strobel and Josh McDowell, two former atheists, who though that pesky "logic" and "reason" thing, left their skepticism at the door and became member of the Christian faith (I'm sure Team "Free-Thinkers" will scramble for excuses as to why this happened).
9. Compassion in chains.
It seems that Pavlina can't get off the hypocrisy train, despite his best efforts. Or did he forget that some of the most VICIOUS regime on planet Earth came from godless men (Does Stalin ring a bell? He killed more in a year than the Crusaders did in a decade).
"The more religious a person becomes, the less compassionate s/he is. Is that right? Tell that to Dr. Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa (and please don't try to pull that "she was an atheist" routine; I have enough silliness to refute, as it is), George Mueller, just to name a few.
As mentioned earlier, who's first on the front line, during a major crisis? Christians, often via humanitarian organizations. We all know about the Salvation Army, for example. How many "Reason Army" centers have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and comforted the afflicted (i.e. all those thing that the supposedly non-existent Jesus Christ instructed His followers, past and present, to do)?
Since I'm breaking out a lot of saying, there's another that goes (and this is especially true in times of disaster), "People don't care how much you know; they want to know how much you care". Maybe, if atheists would spend a little more time, helping their fellow man, and a LOT LESS TIME, flapping their lips about how "smart", "rational", and "free-thinking" they are, fewer atheists would be seen as obnoxious, self-centered jerks.
At the end of the day, Pavlina isn't concerned about "abandoning religion". He simply want his "religion" (humanism) to get the play that Christianity has. And, based on past history, it's safe to say that, for all his whining about violence among religious groups, Pavlina and his posse would be just as willing to "draw the sword" against their opponents, should their "reason" and "logic" not get the job done, with regards to getting people to reject Christianity and other faiths. They simply don't have the numbers or the muscle to do it.
10. Faith is fear.
Blessed are the poor (donate heavily). Blessed are the meek (obey). Blessed are the humble (don’t question authority). Blessed are the hungry (make us rich until it hurts). Blessed are the merciful (if you catch us doing something wrong, let it go). Blessed are the pure of heart (because your brains are switched off). Blessed are the timid, the cowardly, the fearful. Blessed are those who give us their power and become our slaves. Muahahaha!
Too bad there's no "Blessed are those whose reading comprehension is out to lunch". First of all, those "Beatitudes" are from Jesus Christ (you know, that supposedly non-existent guy) who, in His own words, came not be served but to serve.
Secondly, as mentioned earlier, this cat is as wrong as two left shoes on this one. "Don't question authority"? Earth to Mr. Pavlina, how do you think we ended up with Protestants in the first place. "Donate Heavily"? Yep, it's called humanitarian projects. Of course, he was whining about how Christians don't help people earlier; yet he complains about people giving too much.
His stab at the merciful? Again, it's hypocrisy time. When Christians demand the DEATH penalty for rapists, murderers, and the like, guess who starts murmuring about "cruel and unusual punishment". Guess who obsesses more about "fair treatment" for the perps, instead of justice and compensation for the victims.....that would be the no-God-squad.
"Fear of being different"? GET REAL!!! Ever attend some of these colleges, here in the USA. Point out that someone is a Christian there. Or even a social conservative. See how "tolerant" the godless folks (especially some of those lovely college professors) really are.
Then, there's this hackneyed drivel:
Stop trying to comfort yourself by swallowing religious rubbish. If you really need something to believe in, then believe in your own potential. Put your trust in your own intellect.
Dump the safety-in-numbers silliness. Just because a lot of people believe stupid stuff doesn’t mean it isn’t stupid. It just means that stupidity is popular on this planet. When people are in a state of fear, they’ll swallow just about anything to comfort themselves, including the bastion of stupidity known as religion.
And what happens when people believe in their own potential, trust in their own intellect, YET FAIL at achieving their goals, dreams, or their simple quest for personal satisfaction.....then what? And that's assuming they even believe in their own potential. They may come from broken/abusive homes.
Do atheists encourage them, comfort them, or affirm them? By and large, the answer is NO. These folks will simply be brushed off as being "weak-minded". And, the godless, as disciples of Darwin, have no room for the weak, do they.
But, that's where Christianity comes into play. First of all, Scripture warns not to trust in the arm of flesh, as it is indeed weak. Secondly, Jesus Christ wants people to come to Him, those who are weary and heavy-laden, those who are weak. He can and will give strength to those who seek it. There are LEGIONS of people, who were weak in heart, mind, or spirit, yet OVERCAME THOSE WEAKNESSES, through the power of God, to do more than they ever thought possible, possess more than they ever imagine, and expericience peace and happiness beyond their wildest dreams.
Oh, and since Pavlina wants to go there with what he called "safety-in-numbers-silliness, perhaps he should inform those folks attending the "I-can't-believe-it's-not-church" palaces, known as humanist centers. Or, maybe they should disband groups like American Atheists, and the like. Or, better still, make the call to his fellow "freethinkers", to quit screaming for attention by making spectacles of themselves (doing the "Look-at-me" dance) every December, looking for buddies to join in their obsession with worrying about something that supposedly never happened, involving Someone who supposedly never existed.
King David wrote "The fool hath said in his heart, 'There is no God'" in the book of Psalms. The more folks like Pavlina engage in such childish, divisive and fact-bereft rhetoric (the very thing atheists swear they abhor), the more I'm inclined to believe old Dave was right.