‘Science Mike’ McHargue: ‘Christians aren’t stupid, and atheists aren’t evil’

[rug]

By Emily McFarlan Miller | 15 hours ago

(RNS) Thank God for the internet.

If you believe in God, that is. For a time, Mike McHargue did and then he didn’t and now he does again.

But it’s on the internet where McHargue — better known as “Science Mike” to listeners of “The Liturgists” and “Ask Science Mike” podcasts — found community when he was questioning his Southern Baptist upbringing and then the atheism he had adopted. And it’s on the internet where he’s forged a community with others like him who can’t comfortably wear either label: Christian or atheist.

“My place in church community and this sense of belonging I feel now has largely come from how many people responded as I started to talk about these things openly,” he said. “But it tends to make certain Christians and atheists uncomfortable to embrace both a materialistic, empirical view of the cosmos through science as well as something more numinous through the lens of the spiritual.”

http://religionnews.com/2016/09/19/science-mike-mchargue-christians-arent-stupid-and-atheists-arent-evil/

[anoNY42]

1. My wife is always reminding me

Christians (and Muslims, Buddhists, etc.) are not stupid, they are just delusional.

[rug]

2. What do you remind her of?

[anoNY42]

6. Her father, duh....

[Dr Hobbitstein]

4. Pretty much.

Anyone over the age of 10 who believes in invisible sky men is pretty delusional.

[rug]

9. Are you including Biden in that?

Oh wait, Biden doesn't believe in invisible sky men. He believes in God.

Attacking strawmen, while not delusional, is a pretty lame pastime.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

22. Yes, I'm including anyone who believes in your skyman.

No matter what name you want to give him.

[rug]

24. If you genuinely think that, it's a delusion.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

26. Yes, skymen are a delusion. nt

[rug]

28. Read the post again. Your post is the delusion.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

29. Says the guy who thinks children's stories are real. nt

[rug]

30. I don't expect you're able to tell the difference between a children's story and reality.

The reality you've fashioned in your head about anything or anyone religious.

There's another word for that besides delusion.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

31. Ha!

You're funny! The guy who believes invisible sky men and resurrecting the dead and talking plants is telling me I can't tell the difference between children's stories and reality.

Priceless.

[rug]

32. Yes, I am. You make it quite easy to do.

[DetlefK]

3. How atheist was he really? His story is all over the place.

So, he had a weird feeling while on the beach and that convinced him that God exists???
A weird feeling???



Once we demote our individual view of reality from such prime importance only then can we learn to understand that people arrive at their beliefs for good reasons — that maybe for Christians, good, reasonable, smart people can make an informed decision they don’t believe in God without being evil. At the same time, atheists can realize it’s somewhat naive and somewhat ignorant of cognitive psychology and neuroscience to believe one has to be delusional or not grounded in reality to believe in God — even a supernatural God. These are both reasonable positions to exist within the human experience, and neither camp can claim some superior state of enlightenment or better representation of what it means to be human.

"People arrive at their beliefs for a good reason." - Apparently, having a weird feeling is a "good reason". Apparently, being indoctrinated is a "good reason".

"cognitive psychology and neuroscience" - Wait, so believing in God is a question of psychology?

"neither camp can claim some superior state of enlightenment" - That's bullshit, because believers have so far failed to deliver any philosophical/theoretical proof why their beliefs are necessary, correct or practical. Non-believers on the other hand have developed the scientific method, which has produced innumerable successes.

"or better representation of what it means to be human" - Ain't it funny that children have to be TAUGHT to believe in God?



Beyond that, as you learn more about cosmology and physics, particle physics or quantum physics, you find our world is at least as mysterious and beautiful and, I might even poetically say, magical as anything depicted in the sacred texts of the world’s great wisdom traditions.

Wow. Just wow. He's looking at cold hard math and cold hard facts and all he sees is magic. And he claims he was an atheist at that time!!!

[Dr Hobbitstein]

5. I always love fake stories like these.

Like the "satanist" who was being "anointed with hot oils and wax in the name of Satan" and suddenly "found Jesus" as the hot oils touched his skin and didn't burn him because magic invisible sky man (seriously, guy I knew claimed all this).

Made up bullshit to attempt to give credibility to something that lacks credibility in the first place,

[DetlefK]

7. I don't think it's fake. I think, he just doesn't know what those words mean.

"Wow, there are contradictions in the Bible! The Bible is wrong! Which means I'm atheist now!"

Please note how he doesn't give a reason in the interview why he became an atheist. All he says is that his faith changed.

[rug]

10. Is there any reason I should believe you are in fact an atheist?

I mean, you hit all the stereotypes but that's not proof.

[DetlefK]

17. I'm in fact an agnostic, not an atheist.

Believers claim that God exists, without offering proof.
Atheists claim that God doesn't exist, without offering proof.

I used to be non-religious and then turned agnostic because I discovered a phiosophical proof: If we define God as infinite and the human as finite, then it can be proven mathematically that it's impossible for the human to find out experimentally with 100% accuracy whether the thing he is looking at is the infinite God or a finite impostor.
And the believers have spectacularly failed to make an argument why belief should trump fact-knowledge.



McHargue gives no reason that supposedly turned him into an atheist. He doubts the Bible??? Doubting the Bible is not the same as not believing in God. Doubting the Bible does not make you an atheist.
And from this flim-flam position he goes "back" to believing because of emotions, again not because of some reason he can spell out.

He never was an atheist, he just had a crisis of faith.

[rug]

19. The question wasn't directed at you. Your posts are always thoughtful, not reflexive.

Still, the critiques of the author smack of the No True Scotsman fallacy.

[DetlefK]

20. Well, he does not give any reasons for both his changes of mind.

The emotional shock of there being contradictions in the Bible turned him away from Christianity.
The emotional shock of some event he had on the beach turned him back to believing.

Emotions aren't reasons.
He doesn't explain what caused him to say "... therefore there is no God" or "... therefore I shouldn't worship God". (Or whether he ever held those positions at all.)

[rug]

21. Here, this came up a couple of years ago:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/08/02/how-believable-is-this-story-of-a-christian-turned-atheist-turned-christian/

McHargiue jumps into the comments to explain himself directly.

[nil desperandum]

8. When

people can't understand the math or the cold hard facts they tend to see magic. Of course seeing magic calls into question just how much of a non-believer he had become. Indoctrination from childhood is hard to walk away from for many, especially if they are uncomfortable leaving behind the sense of community they had with their fellow believers. For many of those folks it's far easier to sit in church not believing most of what they see or hear as long as they can share a potluck meal and some quality time with other like minded individuals.

It sort of reinforces the concept that many of our fellow citizens love a herd mentality, and they can't function comfortable without being part of the herd.

If weird feelings were all it took to find evidence of god then a lot of folks eating carnival food would quickly become believers.

[Fix The Stupid]

11. Bullshit.

I will call anyone that believes in 'exorcism' the following:

1) Stupid
2) Naive
3) Stupid
4) Childish
5) Stupid

Anyone going to argue that?

[rug]

12. Right after you point out where in thev article exorcism is mentioned.

[Fix The Stupid]

13. "Christians aren't stupid"...

Right there in the title of the post and the link.

Yes, they are stupid if they believe in exorcism.

I can predict your next post:

"Do you think Biden is stupid?"

Come on, don't disappoint now...

And then I can post "Rug, do you believe in the Vatican's interpretation and practice of exorcism?"

Then you will post "Start an OP, not what we are discussing"

Have I got it about right?

[rug]

14. I would fix the stupid but it wouldn't help.

[Fix The Stupid]

15. Awww....cute. You can slink away now. All have noticed. n/t

[rug]

16. What was noticed was not what you think.

Just can't be fixed.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

23. +1. Nt

[DetlefK]

18. Careful. You are making a strawman-argument here.

Christianity is not the same as Christianity. There are hundreds of versions, sects and sub-cults, with manifold differences in the details.
(It is my personal opinion, that every believer is in fact following a personal and unique belief-system.)



There are even hybrid religions, like caribbean Voodoo, which is a mix of Christianity and the original polytheistic Voodoo-religion from Africa.

[rug]

25. He's simply making a post that is

1) Stupid
2) Naive
3) Stupid
4) Childish
and
5) Stupid.