Why Just Saving "No" is So Intellectually Foolish, part 1

 Scientific Methodology[1] and its Bearing on a Dismissive[2] Attitude Against Christianity 

                  The late former[1] atheist Antony Flew had at one time sought by his essay, “The Presumption of Atheism,”[2] to put the burden of proof on theists[3] to demonstrate God’s existence decisively.  Although his preference of beginning point was more procedural than prejudicial, he nevertheless failed to high-light that very investigational strategy which this paper will advocate.  Yet prior to Flew, the late atheist Bertrand Russell even more glaringly changed the world intellectually…for the worse!  It is said that a lady once confronted him with the question, “If God were to ask you, ‘Why did you not believe in me?’ What would you say?”  He replied, “Not enough evidence God, not enough evidence.”[4]  By this response, his impact” on the “thinking” of his disciples actually stifles vibrant inquiry as opposed to encourages it. 

               It is extremely common for skeptics of every stripe to dismiss, out-of-hand, consideration of historical and scientific claims that Christians offer which favor both the existence of the God of the Bible[5] and the doctrine that Jesus Christ is God’s Son (John 1:1-3.14).  Although the reasons for skeptical denial may be manifold,[6] in every case this ploy actually violates scientific methodology as understood in its broadest sense.  The concept, “rationality” (or logic), while vital to scientific investigation, is distinct from science.  The concept, “empirical,” while also vital to scientific knowledge, is likewise distinct from it.  The goal of scientific methodology is to study any physical phenomenon (cloud formation, human anatomy, geological processes, the nature of stars, etc.) in order to fully understand it in all of its aspects.  My point is that scientific methodology is NEVER CONTENT to disprove theories others hold.  It instead seeks to attain positive truthful apprehension of whatever matter is under consideration. 

 

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[1] Although Flew had previously been regarded as the leading intellectual proponent of atheism, in 2004 he renounced that position on the grounds of scientific discoveries of both the Big Bang beginning of the universe out of nothing, and advancing insights from Intelligent Design.  For a documentation of that turn of events, see Antony Flew with Roy Abraham Varghese. There is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed his Mind. (Harper One, 2007).  ** Although this book is heavily criticized by the atheistic community, charges against it have been roundly answered. See the section, “Book with Varghese and Authorship Controversy” at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antony_Flew

[2] Antony Flew. The Presumption of Atheism & Other Essays. (Barnes and Noble, 1976).  ** Also an internet text: http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~ekremer/resources/Flew%20The%20Presumption%20of%20Atheism.pdf

[3] “Theism” is the belief that God is “transcendent and immanent, omniscient, sovereign, and good.” Robert McTeigue S.J. Real Philosophy for Real People. (Ignatius, 2020), p. 81. 

[4] Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. “Religious Epistemology: 2. The Evidentialist Objection to Belief in God.” https://iep.utm.edu/relig-ep/#:~:text=Bertrand%20Russell%20was%20once%20asked,objection%20to%20belief%20in%20God.

[5] Such claims include firstly that God is the creator of the heavens and the earth, secondly, that He consequently transcends (stands outside of) the reality of nature (the created order) (Genesis 1:1), third, that God is a personal being who is both loving and holy, to name just a few.

[6] These factors include firstly a world-view known as philosophical materialism which almost entirely pervades academia.  This position trickles down to the average citizen. It suggests for example that belief in a personal God amounts to superstition. Secondly public institutions of education either discourage or downright forbid intellectual dialogue over the question of God’s existence.  Thirdly, the chronic presumption that since the biblical God is holy, that view instills fear that His goals are pleasure-stifling. This list is only partial.  

[7] The term means an observable “fact, occurrence, or circumstance.” Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary.(Barnes &Noble, 1989).

[8] James Watson and Francis Crick received significant criticism both by the scientific community as a whole, and by their scientific competitors prior to arriving at their ultimate discovery. Bill Bryson. A Short History of Nearly Everything. (Broadway, 2003), Ch. 26.