For the past half century, the leading atheist in the world was philosopher Anthony Flew. He wrote over 30 philosophical works laying the intellectual groundwork for nonbelief. He debated Christian apologists. He was widely cited in atheist literature and at atheist conventions. What distinguished Flew was how comprehensive and fully-developed his atheist philosophy was. Other philosophers, such as Bertrand Russell and Martin Heidegger, espoused atheist beliefs but those beliefs were incidental to their philosophy. Atheism was Flew's philosophy. HIs works such as Theology and Falsification and The Presumption of Atheism were considered classics of theist thought.
Then Anthony Flew became a believer, and his book There Is A God describes his intellectual journey. Go ahead and order this book, along with my new book, What's So Great About Christianity. Together the two books represent what atheism has always dreaded: historically based, philosophically rich, scientifically fluent, logically reasoned refutations of atheism.
Flew says he has a lifelong commitment to going "where the evidence leads." And now, he calmly says, the evidence leads to theism. His own past writings have been exposed as a "relic." Flew writes, "My discovery of the divine has proceeded on a purely natural level, without any reference to supernatural phenomena...It has had no connection with any of the revealed religions. Nor do I claim to have had any personal experience of God or any experience that may be called supernatural or miraculous. My discovery of the divine has been a pilgrimage of reason and not of faith."
Flew's argument for God combines science and philosophy, and I'll let you discover it for yourself in his book. What I enjoyed was the way he uses simple analogies to expose atheist illogic. For instance, leading atheists seek to prove that the mind is no more than the brain. If the brain is destroyed, they say, we can't use our minds. Therefore there is nothing to minds excerpt circuits and neurons. Flew gives the example of a child raised on a remote island who finds a satellite phone. Voices come out of the machine. The child recognizes these voices as human and is thrilled by the discovery that she has found a way to interact with other humans. Perhaps there is life outside the island! Then the elders of the tribe (if I may embellish Flew's account, let's call them Big Chief Dawkins, Grand Pooh Bah Dennett, and Witch Doctor Pinker) scorn the child and say, "Look, when we damage the instrument, the voices stop. So they're obviously nothing more than sounds produced by the unique combination of metals and circuit boards. Forget about learning about other humans. From all the evidence we have, we are the only living creatures on earth. So go back to making sandcastles." Who are the real dummies here?
Anthony Flew has been banished from the atheist community. Anthologies have been reprinted removing his essays. Atheist websites condemn him as an apostate. (Atheist toleration does not extend to former atheists.) He doesn't even make the case for Christianity, as I do. But Anthony flew out of the atheist cuckoo's nest, leaving anger and confusion among the unbelievers. And now Flew tells us why he rejects atheism. The atheist monopoly on public debate is over: the theists are striking back.
Reader Comments ( Page 7 of 23)
91. I mentioned Dan Barker already, emelpe.
Knight_of_BAAWA at 6:59PM on Oct 10th 2007
92. Was it Sir Isaac Newton who said, "I wouldn't know what gravity was if it hit me over the head"? It seems he was in for a surprise. There he was, sitting under the old apple tree, minding his own business, when a ripe, juicy apple plunked down on his head and, well, the rest is history.
It took someone of Isaac Newton's mathematical acumen to tell us exactly how gravity works - mass, distance, particles, acceleration, etc., etc.
But suppose for a moment that it wasn't Isaac Newton, scientist and mathematician, sitting under that apple tree that day, but rather Isaac Newberg, the local philosopher. What might have happened?
He may not have been able to answer the question "how" the apple fell, but he might have asked the question "why" the apple fell. He may have pondered, "That apple has been sitting on that tree for weeks. It's gone through rainstorms and strong winds and it never fell off. And now, after it turned a tantalizing bright red color, it decides to fall on my head. What is this, some kind of wake-up call?"
So he thinks about it. "Did I ever realize before that all fruits - apples, oranges, bananas, plums, peaches, grapes and cherries are all totally green before they ripen, and that they blend in perfectly with the leaves of their tree's? Maybe that's so that no one will notice them and pick them until they're ready.
"Did I look at the prefectly packaged, air-tight covering on the apple that seals out bugs and locks in the juices? Maybe that's so it will be fresh and flavorful until I'm ready to eat it.
"Did I appreciate that if I bought too many and didn't finish them all in time, this same packaging turns an ugly brown color to let me know that the apple has overstayed it's welcome?
"Have I ever take advantage of the free coupons inside the apple that entitle me to a lifetime supply of apples? All I have to do is plant them!
"Did I fully understand that within these seeds is the formula to recreate a tree of wood, complete with roots and bark and leaves and blossoms that are capable of producing exact replicas of this tasty fruit, needing no food and nourishment other than water, sunlight and tasteless soil?
"Was I aware that somehow the tree knows how to signal the fruit stem to automatically detach itself from the branch and allow the fruit to gently fall to the ground (or on my head) as soon as the fruit is ripe?
"Come to think of it, there are probably dozens of miracles in each piece of fruit showing the hand of an Intelligent Designer. Sometimes we just need to be bopped on the head to recognize them!"
On the other hand, maybe he wouldn't have pondered at all, but would've just eaten the thing. We'll never know.
Scientists like Sir Isaac Newton can tell us how things happen because they choose to focus on the cause and effect of everything. But they don't tell us why things happen because they fail to note that behind each cause is the First Cause, God Himself, Who guides this world with plan an purpose.
So you might say that after all is said and done, Newton still really didn't understand why there is gravity, even though it did hit him on the head!
steven at 7:00PM on Oct 10th 2007
93. You might be a fundy christian if...
you're stupid enough to believe that there's such a thing as a fundy atheist.
you're stupid enough to believe that there is a god.
you're stupid enough to believe that atheism causes people to harm others.
you're stupid enough to believe that wishing makes something true.
Knight_of_BAAWA at 7:00PM on Oct 10th 2007
94. Knight of BAAWA
You are the one who said Jesus never existed. Dogmatic...
JSM at 7:06PM on Oct 10th 2007
95. Not Christian Michelle,
Thanks for changing your name. You didnt have to, but it might help other people understand.
The way I see it, and I have thought relaxedly, not anxiously, alot about it, seeming supernatural activity could be the best sign of some spiritual being. I heard that spiritual sightings by one person can be false, but by a group, it is real. Something like that. It was on this video by National Geographic about Easter. And the fact that humans keep producing humans, birds birds, bees bees, sofourth. And why do bugs consistently fly into windows?
Michelle at 7:07PM on Oct 10th 2007
96. If you guys don't believe in God... Why do you care so much if people do? I am not really sure what I believe... I can see why people who do believe in God try to convince others but.. Why do you? No matter if you convince them or not.. The same outcome will happen when they die, they become nothing and they become forgotten. So why Do you care so much? Believers probly look at this and are like " He finaly came around" and drop it and don't bother commenting. TO you guys it seems like such a big deal. You guys should keep that stuff to yourselves, no point in trying to kill someone's faith. Let them think there is someone out there that can help them get through their rough times. Just let it be.
Trevor at 7:13PM on Oct 10th 2007
97. Perhaps... Seeing as how no one (thus far) has brought up the blog in a long time, one should make a chat on AOL entitled "Atheist versus God!" in or some such and just link it so these repeating messages can exhaust a bit faster?
Oh, and about the fruit. While I am not attacking intelligent design, the causal relationship between fruit and their "color" is similar to flowers and pollen(sp?) and it is hardwired into certain animals to ingest the fruit at around the same time their seeds develop. Someone can probably do a much better job at citing that than I could, I don't believe in wikipedia.
But I will repeat my question to match the chaos that has been a result of this pointless argument:
Has anyone read any of the two books referenced(sp?) in the blog? I am genuinely curious about the claims made, I don't care how many times the same facts get reframed and cited, I want my answers so I can get back to whatever I was doing (I forgot at this point :( )
Rory at 7:15PM on Oct 10th 2007
98. Thank you, Trevor. It is indeed a noteworthy idea so say "we'll see what happens when I die."
That is without a doubt one of the most definitive statements one can make on the subject. Only a fool argues and drones, am I qouting the bible? I think I might have, but whatever, it's nothing to nitpick over.
Rory at 7:22PM on Oct 10th 2007
99. Trevor
The atheists aim is monotheism, especially Christianity. They do not care about other religions. They despise Christians. They do not care is Mohammed existed or not. They do not care is the Dalai Lama is the 14th incarnate. They simply hate Christians. It is pure political.
JSM at 7:23PM on Oct 10th 2007
100. To Trevor at #94:
People tend to like other people to agree with them. What's the point of having any conversation?
To F. Van Buren at #whatever:
Why shouldn't they work so hard? It's something that they feel is the truth.
I don't think you'd face any consequences for continued faith despite proof to the contrary. You could believe in spontaneous human combustion if you wanted to, that wouldn't make you any more likely to burst into flames.
Not all atheists attempt to ridicule people's beliefs (or mean to). Some get riled up because of perceived insults on the part of people on the other side of the discussion. When people get upset, they tend to say things on purpose to be hurtful.
Tem at 7:25PM on Oct 10th 2007
101. JSM in #97:
I humbly disagree with you. I'm an atheist and I don't hate Christianity. Do you like it when someone makes blanket statements about Christians?
Tem at 7:27PM on Oct 10th 2007
102. Christian Michelle,
When ancient peoples saw an eclipse, some almost surely thought of it as a supernatural occurence, perhaps an angry sign from the Sun God or whatever deity they trusted with their spiritual well-being. People who didn't witness the eclipse were probably skeptical, but later convinced because of the large number of witnesses. Now we know that an eclipse isn't an act of a supreme being, but rather a natual consquence of gravitational forces spinning planets around in space. My point is, we all see things we don't understand at first. Why would seeing something you don't understand mean Jesus died for you, or that any god exists at all? That's a really dramatic leap in reasoning.
For example, if I saw people flying I might think that perhaps there is some force in the world that I hadn't considered. I wouldn't think that force was some being that created the universe, impregnated a virgin with his holy son, and then that son died to save mankind, and then was resurrected, and now I better not have sex before marriage, or be gay, or vote for stem cell research, or believe in evolution, or use birth control, just because he doesn't like it.
I'm not saying you believe all of those things, I'm just using them as examples.
Do you get my point? Just because we don't know something doesn't mean there's a God, and it especially doesn't mean that we should behave according to an old book written hundred and hundreds of years ago.
Not Christian Michelle at 7:33PM on Oct 10th 2007
103. JSM #97:
Sorry, I forgot to mention this. It might appear that people take special aim at Judeo-Christian beliefs, but that's only because it's the main religion of the times where we live. It wouldn't mean much to anyone for someone to give discourse on how he or she feels that the Sumerian deities were nonexistent.
Tem at 7:32PM on Oct 10th 2007
104. To JSM:
JSM, that is entirely wrong and I speak from experience. There are, yes, a vast many of atheists who claim such just to be different. Just as there are a great many Christians who adopt their faith to be one with the flock (See: Lamgston Hughes: 'Salvation'). But to say that it is purely political is improper, such as it is to say that they are solely against christianity.
I am begining to suspect that you're just mongering for attention, and seem to desire nothing from debate but to be observed. That being said, what good are you doing here other than destablizing any attempt to be intelligent, rational people?
Rory at 7:33PM on Oct 10th 2007
105. Tem
They do all the time. I use to have civil conversations. Repeatedly being called knuckle dragger, stupid, etc does lead one to be a bit more aggressive and make blanket statements. I am not here to debate. Just to post comments.
JSM at 7:37PM on Oct 10th 2007