I know that he says that he was once an atheist. He and I have discussed it at length on these boards. The problem is that while claiming to be an atheist he adds that back then he was angry with god because of some things that happened in his life. That's NOT and atheist. Maybe it's a lapsed Christian, or a disgruntled theist, or a harsh critic of organized religion, but if you're mad at god then you believe in him, and if you believe in him then you're NOT an atheist. I've also seen B.W. build and demolish a great many really crazy "atheist" straw men. Long story short, asking B.W. about atheism is like asking Glen Beck about Woodrow Wilson. You're not going to get detailed, dispassionate analysis, you're going to get a raving mad diatribe.Philip wrote:What a statement to make, Ed - apparently you do not know that B.W. spent much of his own life as a militant atheist. I'd say he intimately understands how atheists think and well knows all of their many assertions and supposedly intellectual arguments. So, Ice, please just ignore Ed's ridiculous comment.Edward: Ice, literally everything that B.W. ever says about atheism is false. He doesn't understand atheism and he doesn't want to. He'd rather just make something up.
@Ice -
Neo covered your original question better than I could have. He's 100% correct - there's no dilemma. I haven't killed myself because I want to live. I want to go to ballgames, and hold my wife, and watch my daughters grow up. Whether or not there's an afterlife is completely immaterial. I'm here now and I'm going to stay for as long as I can, because I value this experience. If you can't understand that then I'm sad for you. Stop wasting your time here and go find something to care about. Seriously, get a dog.