Eodnhoj7 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2017 4:43 pm
Hence the obsession with the Münchhausen Trillema most atheists "logicians" have. You are right, it is strictly emotional, and unfortunately it reflects into their logic.
It just gets boring after awhile hereing "atheism this...", "God doesn't exist...that". Its the same thing over and over again...I think it was G.K. Chesterton who correctly pointed out the "Atheism is a Fad".
And it is an intellectual fad...it will come...and it will go.
It may go for some; for others, I suspect not. There are always people who have personal reasons to want to think they've disproved the existence of God. That's not new. And as I'm sure you suspect, it won't ever entirely disappear. There are always irrational people. But I think that what's over is the impression that Atheism has some sort of vanguard status. Its influence in academia and media surely peaked and waned with Positivism and the '60s. Since then, the world has statistically become more religious, not less.
Even in the modern West, supposedly the best indicator of advancing secularization, we've lately seen a turning toward the metaphysical. For example, the
Gallup World Polls (2005-present) indicate that even in supposedly "secularized" Europe very strong beliefs of a more private religious nature persist. What seems to be the case is that many Europeans who claim not to believe in conventional religion still claim to believe in everything from some kind of personally-designed "god" to ghosts, karma and future-telling, the New Age, crystals, lucky charms, mysticism, and meditation; and even more continue prize the use of particularly religious ceremonies to mark occasions. They just don't seem to want to go to the conventional State-sponsored religious institutions -- and who could blame them? But privatized, deformalized and localized religiosities are definitely steaming ahead.
Not all of this is good, of course. But some is. And whatever else one can say, it does not look any longer like the future is secular and Atheistic...not even in Europe. And in the rest of the world, there isn't even a doubt that Atheism's losing. China, Africa, Central and South America are all experiencing massive religious interest of various kinds. Everybody but the Atheists is still interested in asking religious questions.
And I would surmise that that turn of events is not entirely gratifying to the Atheist set. So I would expect them to grind their teeth in impotent rage for some time yet.
Won't do them much good, though.