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A question for skeptical atheists.

1inChrist

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If James Randi suddenly became a Christian,gave his life to Christ, became a reverend, started a Church, denounced atheism and begged all other skeptics to turn to Christ, what would you think? Would you open up your mind to the possibility that God showed James Randi the way and rethink your beliefs? Or would you just blindly accept that he was gullible?
 
I think you have a HUUUUGE problem in understanding the way (most) atheists think. The lack of belief in any kind of God is the result of THINKING, and not listening to what Randi or any Randi says.

We also don't have hallucinations with God revealing himself to us.
 
1inChrist said:
If James Randi suddenly became a Christian,gave his life to Christ, became a reverend, started a Church, denounced atheism and begged all other skeptics to turn to Christ, what would you think? Would you open up your mind to the possibility that God showed James Randi the way and rethink your beliefs? Or would you just blindly accept that he was gullible?
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Why do you assume that just because you blindly accept arguments from authority (e.g. anything written in the Bible/voices in your head) anyone else on this forum will?

What James Randi believes (or does not believe) is not relevant. It's a question of what evidence there is. Got that? EVIDENCE!
 
On authority: There are some people, whose common sense you trust better than others. If James Randi suddenly became religious, I'd probably look if he were offering any reason for this, and I would look at any evidence he presented. I would then make my personal decision on whether that evidence meant anything to me.

The statement "Randi became Christian" would in itself mean little to me.

Hans
 
1inChrist said:
If James Randi suddenly became a Christian,gave his life to Christ, became a reverend, started a Church, denounced atheism and begged all other skeptics to turn to Christ, what would you think? Would you open up your mind to the possibility that God showed James Randi the way and rethink your beliefs? Or would you just blindly accept that he was gullible?
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Depends on the wording of his begging, if he offers a anectodal experience(e.g. god visited my dreams, i was dying and god came and healed me), i would not change my mind the slightest about god and assume that age finally caught randis brain.

If he offers a good, logical explanation based on repeatable experiments, i would be interested.

If he read the bible a hundred times and says its obvious god exists, you just have to read the bible a hundred times like i did, i would also suspect some change of brain working due to age.

If he just pledges to start believing in god, i would not care.

Carn
 
My mind has been open to the possibility since I was young; it has nothing to do with what an elderly stage magician does. My mind is; in my opinion; more open to the possibility of a “higher spiritual purpose” than the vast majority of religious folk that I have encountered. But in my 43 years I have yet to observe any reason to believe in a God that does not involve fear of death. Nor have I any seen any reason to believe that Christians have any manor of spiritual guidance other than what their very human and very flawed religion dictates. I mean look at some of the things you post, you have very little understanding of your religion; you just spout nonsense you hear at your “meetens” and you have admitted to sociopath tendencies (crash the plane into the building).


Where is the reason to believe??????????????????????????
 
1inChrist said:
If James Randi suddenly became a Christian,gave his life to Christ, became a reverend, started a Church, denounced atheism and begged all other skeptics to turn to Christ, what would you think? Would you open up your mind to the possibility that God showed James Randi the way and rethink your beliefs? Or would you just blindly accept that he was gullible?
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Neither. I have never mistaken a talented conjuror for John the Baptist.
 
1inChrist said:
If James Randi suddenly became a Christian,gave his life to Christ, became a reverend, started a Church, denounced atheism and begged all other skeptics to turn to Christ, what would you think? Would you open up your mind to the possibility that God showed James Randi the way and rethink your beliefs? Or would you just blindly accept that he was gullible?
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I wouldn't automatically assume he had turned gullible for some reason, nor would I automatically discount the possibility that there really was a god who really had talked to him (or a satan who had tricked him into believing in the wrong god, for that matter).

I would think that people believe the things they do for many and complex reasons and that without talking to Randi long and hard about the issue I would never know what his reasons were. If then, since we often don't even truly realise why we do the things we do ourselves.

In the end, it wouldn't particularly sway my own beliefs one way or another. My skepticism and atheism isn't based on what my personal heroes think and do, it's based on my assessment of the evidence at hand. I think that's a common thing amongst skeptics and atheists - as a group we seem rather less swayed by authority figures than theists and believers are.

The scenario you describe tells us nothing about the exisence of god - at best it tells us about the state of mind of one man.
 
1inChrist said:
If Jesus suddenly became a Satanist,gave his life to Satan, became a reverend, started a Church of Satan, denounced Satanism, and begged all other Christians to turn to Satan, what would you think? Would you open up your mind to the possibility that Satan showed Jesus the way and rethink your beliefs? Or would you just blindly accept that he was gullible?
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With all due respect to Mr. Randi, given his age and the dramatic change in a life-long belief, I would suspect some kind of brain pathology ~ small strokes or a tumour or the beginning of dementia.

It would not change my beliefs, such as they are, at all.

Oh, and, good morning, love.
 
1inChrist said:
If James Randi suddenly became a Christian,gave his life to Christ, became a reverend, started a Church, denounced atheism and begged all other skeptics to turn to Christ, what would you think? Would you open up your mind to the possibility that God showed James Randi the way and rethink your beliefs? Or would you just blindly accept that he was gullible?
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Well, it's been said, but here's my take on it: It would depend on why he did such a thing.

If his experience had any relevance to me, I'd surely consider it. But if I only had the info you've given above, I'd file it under curious and go about my way.
 
Reposting my response from the first time 1 in C asked this

I think I understand why 1inC is confused. He believes that being a skeptic is akin to being a Protestant or Mormon or a member of some other religion. If it were a religion then our religious leader would set the doctrine and all would have to follow it. To do other wise would be blasphemous. To 1inC that leader is Randi. So if Randi were to be persuaded that the paranormal were true, he thinks we should all step in line.

This is not how it works. What Randi decides only affects him. We are only concerned with any evidence presented in the challenge. If Randi were to be convinced that something paranormal had truly happened that would atmost mean that what he was investigating deserved our serious consideration. We wouldn’t all be automatically convinced just because a leading skeptic was.

we aren't sheep, and Randi isn't our shepherd. I think only a religious organization would encourage that line of thinking
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I think for myself, thank you very much.

I also think Randi is wrong in several places. Just as he would think I am wrong. It's called independent thought. Try it sometime.
 
Doesn't the whole question amount to "argument by authority"? It doesn't matter who the authority is, (i.e. astronauts, sports figures, Randi) one cannot believe the statement to be true solely because the authority says it is.
 
Unless he would present very good evidence proving that his recently acquired faith is correct, the anwer is NO.

I have no need to act as a sheep. I enjoy my own (limited) freewill. I consider myself able to think by myself and take my own decisions. I enjoy questioning. Its essential to me.

1n´Xst thinks everybody behaves like him/herself, beliving everything his pastor tells without questioning.
 
1inChrist said:
If James Randi suddenly became a Christian,gave his life to Christ, became a reverend, started a Church, denounced atheism and begged all other skeptics to turn to Christ, what would you think? Would you open up your mind to the possibility that God showed James Randi the way and rethink your beliefs? Or would you just blindly accept that he was gullible?
Click to expand...

Well, first I guess I would check my calander to see if it was April 1st. If it wasn't, I would have someone look under his bed to see if there was any giant seed pods there.

JPK
 
I wonder what 1 in C is expecting with all of these
"Would you believe in God if {INSERT IMPOSSIBLE SCENERIO HERE}" questions.
He doesn't seem to be able to come up with anything that would challenge even the weakest of skeptics.
He might as well be posting "would you believe in God if a Unicorn flew out your butt" It's always just as laughable. I would have thought he'd see the pattern by now.
He posts an inane question, skeptics point out the inherent flaw in said question, he damns us to hell, we mock him for 5 pages, he leaves and starts a new thread.
 
1inChrist said:
If James Randi suddenly became a Christian,gave his life to Christ, became a reverend, started a Church, denounced atheism and begged all other skeptics to turn to Christ, what would you think? Would you open up your mind to the possibility that God showed James Randi the way and rethink your beliefs? Or would you just blindly accept that he was gullible?
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c022304dog.jpg


James Randi? What a corpse. If I'm going to open up, it's going to be with a party animal.

jimmys2.jpg


Jimmy, you and me buddy. Here's a guy that knows how to hump a bit of stray tail. We gotta party with God and a couple of hookers on a Saturday night. Then we'll all have a good cry on Sunday. Come Monday we'll both be back on TV asking people to sniff our poop.
 
I would think it would have to be loss of memory and suddenly not having any other explanations for all the claims by churchgoers, etc. Amnesia due to old age. That would be my first question to everybody. Does he remember such and such?
 
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