Quote:
Originally Posted by rizeagainst
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/20...74106.abstract
Believers' estimates of God's beliefs are more egocentric than estimates of other people's beliefs
Abstract
Wow, theists just got dominated
George Bernard Shaw
"No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means."
Not that I'd necessarily give credence to the study without knowing more about it, but for its conclusions I will say that most people who believe in a god certainly DO reason egocentrically, just as those who deny God reason egocentrically (but in their worldview, it's okay). Most people who say they believe the Bible have never read it, just as most who make fun of and deny the Bible have never studied it. In either case, the Bible is made a caricature--the theist using it to bend to his personal moral inclinations (such as Obama saying he's a Christian and then explaining away the Bible's message on homosexuality as "obscure passages" since homosexuality is "in" in America, or the atheist saying the Bible is a crazy conglomeration of writing by crazy men--both naively dismissing the actual message and truth of the Scriptures).
For an atheist to condemn the theist in the way the OP did, I would say for the most part their condemnation is just, and the Protestant Reformation would join you in your condemnation, as this "egocentric" practice was the reason for the rebellion. Being a child of the spirit of the Reformation, I join you. However, if you study true Protestantism, you'll find that there IS an absolute, clear message of truth in the Bible, it IS knowable and agreed upon by men, it IS absolute, universal, and not subject to "egocentricism" (apart from man's sinful temptation to leave the message of truth and pervert it for his purposes). The Westminster Confession of Faith and the Reformed tradition show an amazing theological unity in the vast majority of moral matters, certainly all major moral situations. In the entire Reformed tradition-the conservative, Bible-believing tradition--I dare say there's not one significant issue with which I'd disagree from my own studying of the Bible. From issues like sex outside of marriage to homosexuality to divorce, lying, the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the cross, the gospel, heaven, hell, etc., the Bible actually has a miraculous theological unity despite having over 40 authors over a 1,500 year span. Genesis presents the nature of man the same way Job does, and Romans and Paul's writings, and Revelation. Genesis predicts Christ's life and purpose, we see more predictions in Isaiah and the Psalms, seemingly randomly spread out, and then we see the fruition in history. God's character is the same from Genesis to Revelation. If you actually study the Bible yourself-take a couple years full time to study it objectively, it certainly offers a clear, unifying view of God, man, life and morality. And it's not close. The problem is that the % of people who call themselves Christians and who actually seek out to understand what the Bible says versus the % that just make up what they want to believe or listen to random pastors is probably under 1%, therefore atheists (haters gonna hate etc.) make faulty conclusions based on the overwhelming % of people who don't really know what they're talking about.
I say all that to say this--"Theism" is not subjective, egocentric, etc. by nature. Those who claim the Bible can, if they are willing, resolve to understand the unity and coherence of the Bible, because it's there; it exists--that is its nature. Just because so-claimed followers most often butcher what the Bible says doesn't mean the Bible isn't clear in what it teaches. It's a non sequitur logically to say so. Therefore all the OP proves, assuming the study is accurate, is that people tend to manipulate things for their own purpose--it shouldn't take a major study to figure this out
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