162)
This solution also helps us to assert a response to one that might employ the existence of evil as a rational indication that God does not exist. That is, we are not any of us in a position of such divine knowledge as to discern how or why certain apparent evils may fit into the scheme of an inherently good and intelligent design. As Evans advises, it is useful to "recall that the reason given by atheists for thinking that it is likely or probable that there are pointless evils is simply this: it appears that there are pointless evils." (Evans, p. 167)

Atheism as Comforting:

A final point from our discussion is the rapid dismissal of McCloskey's resting point, that we may somehow find better comfort in knowing that the terrible tragedy and suffering in the world is random and without cause. e are better suited, McCloskey argues, than if….

Atheist
In "On Being an Atheist," H.J. McCloskey discusses what it means to him to be an atheist. In doing so, he criticizes the classical argument in favor of God's existence. This is not a new criticism, as people have been arguing about whether it is possible to prove or disprove the existence of God for years. However, McCloskey goes further in his argument against the existence of God by discussing what he believes is a critical argument against the existence of God, as he is portrayed by major world religions, and that is the problem of evil. However, there are several weaknesses in his argument against God. This essay will explore those weaknesses and attempt to reach a conclusion regarding the validity of McCloskey's argument.

One of the first problems with McCloskey's argument is that he describes the arguments in favor of God as proofs, and, because of how he….

d.).
By our very nature of being able to ask questions, we refocus on our ability to image a creator who gave us the power to self-actualize. Since we know that we can think, posit, and live, if not through our physical means, then through what we write, create, and leave for future generations, then we are not doomed to death without purpose. Man can ask questions, therefore, man can imagine the infinite. Thus, for Craig, it is atheism that is, in fact, discomfiting, and without the model of God, humanity is alone in its pain and suffering, as well as its joy and elation. Craig cannot conceive of this loneliness, therefore because we can imagine God, and we can posit the existence of all things, even the atheistic argument, then it is more comforting to know the soul is not alone (Craig, p.4).

ORKS CITED

Craig, . And Q. Smith. (1995). Theism,….

Atheist- Review
IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF

Article Critique "On eing an Atheist" by H.McCloskey

elief in the spiritual or supernatural is almost always expressed by the individual within such a religious belief system. And there are huge numbers of people who feel that questions which deal with faith and religion should not be questioned, examined or challenged to determine their validity. The problem with this is that since such beliefs cannot be confirmed through the senses and upon initial observation appears to contradict what is reasonable with the proposition of the supernatural, they certainly cannot be considered to be "epistemologically fundamental" concept which generally requires no examination to realize their accuracy. And, since many people tend to view all religious beliefs that exist or have ever existed, except for their own, as erroneous, it would be obvious that the subject of religious beliefs not only should be questioned and investigated….

Atheist
An Analysis of Secular Humanism and Christianity

Critical Analysis:

Secular humanists would answer the question of the origin of man by referring to the scientific field of biology, which is centered on the ideas put forth by Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Human beings do not have a special role or purpose in the world, they simply originated through an evolutionary process that took place over millions of years. The question of identity is less sure in atheism than Christianity. According to the Theory of Evolution, humankind has slowly evolved over many generations from primordial primate species into modern humanity, as it exists today. This is far less satisfactory than the identity of man as being created by God in the Garden of Eden.

The question of meaning of man's existence is answered by Secular Humanists by suggesting that human intelligence is simply a twist of fate, that humans were essentially just….

The terms religion and spirituality have held separate definitions only since the early to mid-nineteenth century, so advancements in hypotheses, theories and solid scientific answers or laws have been developing at quite an unprecedented rate. Within these ten years alone, scientists have been more closely following recurrent answers within outer space, within the universe, way out from our reaches of the galaxy in which we live.
On the Cosmological argument, H.J. McCloskey claims that the "mere existence of the world constitutes no reason for believing in such a being (i.e. A necessarily existing being)." This statement came from his article entitled "On Being an Atheist" (1968). trongly claiming the title of an atheist, as opposed to agnostic or rationalist, typecasts McCloskey as a disbeliever as opposed to a doubtful unbeliever; faultily narrow-minded as opposed to completely objective; one who believes it impossible to know whether a God or gods exist….

atheist.
Objections and counter-arguments:

McCloskey's "On eing an Atheist"

In his essay "On eing an Atheist," the author H.J. McCloskey offers a multi-layered criticism of the belief in God and specifically Christian beliefs regarding God. McCloskey addresses several frequently-cited complementary yet distinct philosophical arguments advanced by Christian believers over the centuries. This paper will first discuss McCloskey's arguments and evidence and then cite potential objections.

Arguing for God from proof (ontological)

McCloskey first argues that objective, ontological argument of 'proof' in the divine is impossible. One cannot rationally 'prove' the existence of God like you can prove 2+2 equals four is true. ecause the existence of God cannot be proved; it cannot therefore be disproved, according to the positivist assumptions regarding the scientific method which states if something cannot be conclusively proven to be false by scientific methodology it also cannot be proven to be true. Furthermore, even McCloskey admits that no believer comes….

McCloskey responds to this by asking "might not God have very easily so have arranged the world and biased man to virtue that men always freely chose what is right?" But in that case, humans would not have genuine free will. And God is justified, Evans argues, in creating free creatures who are capable of committing evil because it is better to have both free creatures and evil than not having neither. And ultimately, "it is not necessary to know God's actual reasons for allowing evil or to be able to explain why God allows the evil he does. It is sufficient to know that there are possible reasons why an all-good, omnipotent being might allow evil" (Evans, 2009, p. 167). And it goes without saying that, with the limited reasoning capability, we might not necessarily know or comprehend the reasons behind God's allowance of evil.
Finally, McCloskey rejects theism….

Existence of God
Philosophically there are a number of arguments that can be made in favor of the existence of God. When looking at the way in which planets, nature and human beings are put together, and when looking at human history, it is difficult not to believe there is a God.

Firstly, when looking at the physical universe, there is order. There are laws according to which things work, and according to which existence is ruled. The same is true of the universe of atoms, electrons and protons. Very specific scientific rules govern everything. This incredible mechanism for me speaks of an intelligent, thinking force behind it all. God is the intelligent creator of an ordered universe.

Secondly, order and rules can also be seen in the natural world on earth. The earth is the only planet in our galaxy that is known to contain life. The conditions on our planet….

This contradicts the reason provided by McCloskey theism that only makes the life of man more difficult. If not for God, as Craig states, there will be no man and, therefore, there could be no argument that man will help each other in providing solutions to their problems. God also contributes to the knowledge of man; consequently, without God there would be no innovation or invention by man, a contradiction to McCloskey assertion.
eference

Eden, Michael 2008. The Absurdity of Life Without God - William Lane Craig. etrieved from: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2149706/posts

Evans, C. Stephen. 1982. Philosophy of religion: Thinking about Faith. Downers Grove, Ill.,

U.S.A.: InterVarsity Press.

McCloskey H.J., 1968. On being an Atheist. London: ationalist Press Association,

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Cosmological Argument. etrieved from:

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmological-argument/

McCloskey H.J., 1968. On being an Atheist. London: ationalist Press Association,

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Cosmological Argument. etrieved from: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmological-argument/

McCloskey H.J., 1968. On being an Atheist. London: ationalist Press Association,

McCloskey H.J., 1968.….

Health Care Free
SHOULD HEALTH CAE BE FEE?

The following debate takes place between four individuals as follows: Dr. Barker, a public health sector physician with an experience of fifteen years; Ms. Gomez, a social activist working for improving opportunities and living conditions for immigrants to the United States; Mr. Walters, a journalist who writes on social and political issues in several newspapers and self-professed atheist; and Mr. Bucelli, a modern poet and novelist with strong humanist inclinations. All four are residents of the Green Springs Community and are recognized members of the community. The debate takes place at the community hall where the debaters are taking part in the annual debate challenge where they have been given the topic Should health care be free? Ms. Gomez and Mr. Bucelli support the proposition that health care should be free for all residents whereas Dr. Barker and Mr. Walters are against the….

As Cline points out, Buffet resembles Bill Gates who when asked about Christianity said that he is not a believer and does not attend church regularly, but finds the moral teachers of Christianity useful and inspiring (Cline 2006). Is this so bad? Both of them can teach most people about the need to work, save money and then give back to the society that nurtured them.

This seeming dispute between faith and reason is hardly new and is an illusion that is easily dispelled. After all, Christianity did not come out of a box with Luther's theses in 1517. The seeds had already been planted in the High Middle Ages/Early Renaissance as learning revived in the wake of the Crusades. This cultural awakening of the High Middle Ages raised issues that scholars such as the great Thomas Aquinas wrestled with in his classical Summa Contra Gentiles and Summa Theologica. He held….

Evil
The free will defense suggests that God permits, but does not cause evil. Therefore, it is possible to live in a universe in which good and evil continually coexist. Human beings are blessed with the ability to make a choice that can further the objectives of God and good, or to promote the interests of evil. Although this view is logically coherent, there are clear objections to it.

One objection is that God has nothing at all to do with evil, and human beings, made in God's image, likewise have nothing to do with evil. Free will is therefore irrelevant and in fact negated. There is no such thing as free will, according to this point-of-view. All human beings have is a fate that has been pre-determined by God. Using this objection, it is easy to see how the human being is portrayed as a passive recipient of life rather than….

B-Theory, one need not fear death?
There is a common assumption that all atheists fear death, given that the atheist lacks the comfort of a world which exists after this one. However, according to Robin Le Poidevin's essay "Should the Atheist Fear Death?" this is not necessarily the case. First of all, Le Poidevin points out that not all theists believe in a concrete conception of the afterlife (643). Secondly, the question arises as to why we are so fearful of the "attenuation of the effects of our life after we die" and why we "fear being forgotten" (643). Le Poidevin implies that a theist conception of the universe is in part why we regard such an eventuality as an awful thing.

Over the course of his essay, Le Poidevin makes a contrast between what he calls the A-theory and B-theory of time. The A-theorist conceives of time as being composed….

While thee may be ational and ethical objections to killing a nealy fully developed fetus, thee ae none that petain logically to teminating a pegnancy that is only hous old, much less fo peventing a pegnancy that has not even occued. Religious beliefs and values may be pefect justifications fo such decisions on a pesonal level; howeve, they cannot eve be allowed to impose those values on othes who may not shae those paticula eligious beliefs.
The United States was founded lagely on the concept of eligious feedom by those who ejected the notion that the govenment should be able to dictate pesonal eligious beliefs. The agument that eligious feedom is meant only in the naowest sense as petains to the actual assignment of eligion by the state is weak. If eligious feedom meant only that the state could not equie a specific eligion, that would still allow the state….