Myth:
You are so proud that you would never admit that you are wrong!
Response:
This particular myth about atheists doesn't specifically address atheism itself â€" it doesn't come out and say that atheism is wrong nor does it argue that their theism is more reasonable. Instead, it is a personal attack on the character of the atheist being addressed. The reason why is not clear, but it appears to be an attempt to imply that atheism is wrong because atheists share some negative attribute. Even if this myth were true, however, it would not be a reason to reject atheism.
Strictly speaking, this is an ad hominem fallacy because it attacks the person's alleged attitude and does not bother to address any substantive issues. Even if we were to assume that the statement is true and the atheist in question is indeed too proud to admit that she is wrong (surely true in some cases), so what? This would not mean that atheism is unreasonable or that theism in general (much less any specific religion like Christianity) is valid. There are certainly many religious theists, including Christians, who are also too proud to admit that they could wrong; is this a good reason to dismiss theism, religion, or Christianity? Of course not.
We cannot assume that the above accusation is true of any atheist in particular and it probably isn't true of even most atheists in existence â€" certainly no more so than the average human being. Even if this myth were true of a significant percentage of atheists, it would still be an error to assume it to be true in a conversation with some atheist in particular. It seems that such a claim is made about atheists in order to divert attention away from the important issues and towards the atheists themselves. It is easier to dismiss atheism if you can imagine that atheists themselves aren't worth taking seriously.
One unfortunate irony is the fact that so many Christians who debate atheists are themselves prone to refuse to admit when they are wrong. This is certainly not true of all Christians, but it has been my experience that many specifically take the position that even if their arguments could be proven wrong, they would not abandon their faith under any circumstances. In effect, then, they are denying the usefulness of logic, reason, and arguments. They aren't interested a real discussion where there is a give-and-take of information, but are only pretending to engage in one for the purpose of evangelizing an atheist.
If you do encounter the above accusation, you will need to consider that the conversation probably won't go anywhere substantive after that. If you are feeling optimistic, it may be worth trying to salvage something by pointing out the statement's irrelevancy and trying to put things back on track with more serious matters. Nevertheless, be prepared for the possibility that the person is uninterested or incapable of that
No comments:
Post a Comment