A Little Feedback on My Talk with Todd Friel

As I mentioned, I talked to Todd Friel on "Way of the Master Radio," and he aired my segment. Well, I got some feedback.

A nice fellow, a college student at Boyce College in Louisville, KY, has edited the segment down to the relevant portion -- about 15 mins worth, and you can listen to it here on Odeo or download it here. After reading his feedback, I left a comment on his site.

I am the atheist who called in to talk to Todd, and as I explained on my website, I used a pseudonym. You can read what I had to say about it already here if you like.

He extensively edited our talk, but I understand why -- we talked for about 40 mins. He cut out the parts about evolution and cosmology (the Standard Model, or the "Big Bang" if you prefer), and he cut out some of the end.

Now, I'm a little confused by what you wrote:

It also shows that Atheists can deny God, but when it all boils down to it - you still have to deal with that “Sin” thing.

Atheists don't "deny God" per se, they don't believe in God.

People do not always behave as they ought. Now, how do we go from there to "however, there is a God," or even, "however, there is a judgment"?? Please, feel free to show me how that is an inevitable (or even a logical) conclusion...

I hope he replies. Upon listening to a little bit of the clip, I smiled at Todd's belief that atheists equivocate over the term "atheist". Todd is blissfully ignorant, it appears, that atheists have been arguing amongst themselves for years about what "weak atheism" versus "strong atheism" is, and whether someone can be an agnostic atheist, etc.

Todd thinks it's "all about deconstruction" -- he seems blissfully unaware that many (if not the huge majority of) atheists are not post-modernists. For me it is quite simple:

• I cannot disbelieve, or claim to know, anything about a concept which is not defined
• Therefore, define "god" for me, and then I'll explain whether I claim to believe or know something about it
• I am thus an agnostic about god-concepts that are vague or undefined, but an atheist about many defined and well-known gods, like the Christian god and Allah and Thor...
  
• If "god" = "the Western God, omni³: all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving", then I will unequivocally not only admit to disbelief, but also I will claim that such a God doesn't exist, because of arguments like these and these
• If "god" = "the power of love" or "the grounding of existence", then I'll roll my eyes and walk away.
  

Seems simple enough to me.
________________
Technorati tags: God, Religion, Atheism, Philosophy