P.S. one of these days i'm going to go to enroll.
June 3rd, 2010
Originally posted by IBD Vice President Matt Coombe on mjcoombe.com
Excerpt of email received from Stephen F Roberts:
“I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer God than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible Gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.”
Throughout the last few months I have come across this quotation, or a variation of it, several times; I would like to respond to it here. Usually this quotation is accompanied by a laundry list of assorted Mythological gods that both Christians and atheists agree don’t exist. These include: pagan spirit beings, Norse, Greek and Roman gods, mythological demi-gods and modern non-christian deities. I completely agree with the list … until the very end; Apparently, the “one less” that stands between me and pure atheism is “Yahweh.”
Zeus on ancient Pottery
At first, this atheist quotation seems like a powerful case against the existence of any deity. Especially when partnered with a list of make believe gods, goddesses and spirit beings. Seeing this human penchant for creating false gods, the argument seems like a powerful case against theism. Afterall, we Christians do readily dismiss the existence of Thor, Apollo, Shiva, and a myriad of other contrived beings. Yet at the same time, Christians are willing to devote their lives to one specific deity. This creates the obvious question: With all the make-believe deities in the world, what makes Yahweh so special?
When I come across people who say: “When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible Gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.” In response, rather than making a plea to faith, I begin with the evidence. I dismiss the plethora of non-Christian deities because none of them have solid evidence for their existence. On the other hand, there is historical, personal, ontological, teleological, cosmological, and axiological evidence that is extended to Yahweh and Yahweh alone; No other deity or spirit being can make such a claim.
The God of Christianity is the only being that meets each and every area of evidence I just listed. So, Mr. Roberts, I cannot dismiss Yahweh for the same reasons I dismiss other so-called gods; The evidence is far too compelling in favor of God’s existence. Yahweh truly is, as the Bible says, the King of Kings and LORD of LORDS. He is the only being worthy of worship.
