On Being an Atheist - 1605 Words

In the article, â€Å"On Being an Atheist†, H.J. McCloskey discusses the reasons of why he believes being an atheist is a more acceptable than Christianity. McCloskey believes that atheism is a more rational belief versus having a God who allows people to suffer so he can have the glory. He believes to live in this world, you must be comfortable. The introduction of his article, he implements an overview of arguments given by the theist, which he introduces as proofs. He claims that the proofs do not create a rationalization to believe that God exists. He provides 3 theist proofs, which are Cosmological argument, teleological argument, and the argument of design. He also mentions the presence of evil in the world. He focuses on the existence†¦show more content†¦The Bible stresses the importance of knowing that God is good â€Å"For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.† People all over the world c haracterize evil in different ways. McCloskey can go on and on about how the evil in this world proves that God cannot exist if he would allow such hatred in the world, but he has no actual proof that he does not exist. McCloskey proposes: â€Å"No being who was perfect could have created a world in which there was unavoidable suffering or in which his creatures would (and in fact could have been created so as not to) engage in morally evil acts, acts which very often result in injury to innocent persons.† Taking this into consideration, when a being exalts good, than it eliminates evil to a point of a greater good or to cause a worse evil. Good that can be brought out of peoples actions outweighs the evil. Atheists attempt to argue with Christians that if there is a God, then there should never be an instance where he cannot be reached. Nevertheless, it is becoming acknowledged that God cannot do what we think is logically impossible. As a Christian, I know that God can do t he impossible. I also know that God did not bring evil into this world, but when Adam and Eve sinned is what caused the evil to even start. McCloskey’s statement is an invalid argument. McCloskey brings up the problem of evil and he makes arguments against the concept of free will. He claims â€Å"might not GodShow MoreRelatedOn Being an Atheist1378 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"On Being an Atheist†. McCloskey makes the claim that he is reminding fellow atheist why they believe there is no God. He claims that the traditional proofs have no merit. I believe the sheer magnitude and complexity of the world we live in is strong evidence of an intelligent designer and creator. Only an intelligent creator could form a world where the air that we breathe is part of such a complex system. We also live in a world that has morals, which points to a morally perfect Being thatRead MoreOn Being an Atheist1280 Words   |  5 Pagesclaims that the â€Å"mere existence of the world constitutes no reason for believing in such a being† (1968, p. 51) however the cause of the universe must be an uncaused necessary being. This can be disproved with the non-temporal form of the cosmological argument which states that the universe had no beginning in time, thus it is infinitely old. Nevertheless, the world around us is made up of contingent beings which rely on a cause for their existence. This is seen that a son requires the cause of aRead MoreThe On Being An Atheist2317 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"Most theists do not come to believe in God as a result of reflecting on the proofs, but come to religion as a result of other reasons and factors.† (McCloskey, H.J., â€Å"On Being an Atheist†. Question 1. February 1968.) To simply say that God exists â€Å"because† is not a valid argument of proof by any means. To say that God exists because that’s what you were taught or because someone told you it was right, or because some event that you believe he saved you from is also invalid. McCloskey argues thatRead MoreSummary Of On Being An Atheist1341 Words   |  6 PagesFor many years theists and atheists have argued with one another over the existence of a creator, or God. H.J. McCloskey published his thoughts on the matter in a journal article in 1968 titled â€Å"On Being an Atheist†. In his article McCloskey aims to discredit cosm ological and teleological arguments for a creator and he uses the existence of evil in the world as evidence that a divine creator cannot exist. McCloskey routinely refers to the cosmological and teleological arguments as believers’ â€Å"proof†Read MoreAnalysis Of The Article On Being An Atheist 1504 Words   |  7 PagesTheists and atheists have debated the existence of God for eons. Is there a God? If there is an all-powerful, omniscient being of sorts, then what proof do we have that he exists? If God does exist then why is there so much evil in the world? Why do innocent people suffer? Such questions may never be answered definitively. In the article â€Å"On Being an Atheist,† H.J. McCloskey presents some arguments made by theists in favor of the existence of God and then proceeds to debate those arguments from anRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article On Being An Atheist 1558 Words   |  7 Pagesbeen challenged by many philosophers and non-philosophers alike over the years. Arguments that have been used to support the existence of a divine being includes; the cosmological argument and the theological argument. However, there are some who oppose these arguments and philosopher H.J. McCloskey is among this group. In the article â€Å"On Being an Atheist† written by H.J. McCloskey, he argues that both these arguments are false and insufficient as it relates to â€Å"proof† of God’s existence. McCloskeyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article On Being An Atheist 1538 Words   |  7 Pagesexistence has been challenged by many philosophers and non-philosophers alike. Arguments that have been used to support the existence of a divine being includes the cosmological argument and the theological argument. However there are some who oppose these arguments and philosopher H.J. McCloskey is among this group. In the article â€Å"On Being an Atheist† written by H.J. McCloskey, he argues that both these arguments are false and insufficient as it relates to â€Å"proof† of God’s existence. McCloskeyRead MoreA Presentation On Being An Atheist Mccloskey1509 W ords   |  7 PagesIn the presentation on being an atheist McCloskey refers to arguments as proofs and implies that they can’t definitely establish the case for God, so therefore it should be abandoned. According to Foreman in the presentation approaching the question of God’s existence, he states that the best explanation for the existence and things we view of the universe is God. The approach that Foreman has is clearer to a person who believes that God created the heavens and the earth. McCloskey discusses threeRead MoreEssay on Response to â€Å"on Being an Atheist†1531 Words   |  7 PagesResponse to â€Å"On Being an Atheist† By: Casandra Privette In his article, On Being an Atheist, H.J. McCloskey tried to show that atheism is a more reasonable and comfortable belief than that of Christianity. McCloskey argued against the three theistic proofs, which are the cosmological argument, the teleological argument and the argument from design. He pointed out the existence of evil in the world that God made. He also pointed out that it is irrational to live by faith. In my responseRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article On Being An Atheist1136 Words   |  5 Pages H. J McCloskey in his article, On Being an Atheist, is trying to show the readers are more reasonable and comfortable belief than that of Christianity. In the article he also puts up an argument concerning two theistic point of which is the cosmological and teleological argument. McCloskey also talks about the problems resulting from all the evil in the world. He goes as far to point out this evil in a world the God had made and blames God for it. Due to that fact and o ther issues, he believes