[Turing 2012] Atheist Answer #6

Last updated on: January 10, 2013 at 3:44 pm by Leah Libresco

[Turing 2012] Atheist Answer #6 2013-01-10T15:44:26-05:00 Leah Libresco

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This is the sixth entry in the Atheism round of the 2012 Ideological Turing Test for Religion. In this round, the honest answers of atheists are mixed in with Christians’ best efforts to talk like atheists. It’s your job to see if you can spot the difference. The voting link appears at the end of the entry, and you can look at all entries in this round here.

When (if ever) have you deferred to your philosophical or theological system over your intuitions?

When my wife and I were planning our wedding, I wanted a completely secular service with no references to God and did not want a church wedding. She had always dreamed of a princess wedding in her home church, and though she was willing to have a secular service if she could have the service in the church, the minister would not agree to that. To allow her to have the wedding of her dreams, I suffered through a very religious service.

Are there people whose opinions on morality you trust more than your own? How do you recognize them? How is trusting them different than trusting someone’s opinion on physics?

I have become a disciple of Sam Harris since he came out with The End of Faith. I find his argument in The Moral Landscape, that science can tell us how to live our lives in such a way that we can maximize human well-being, compelling. If I have a quandary, I consult his works first.

Can you name any works of art (interpreted pretty broadly: books, music, plays, poetry, mathematical proofs, etc) which really capture the way you see life/fill you with a sense of awe and wonder? You can give a short explanation or just list a few pieces.

Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is the epitome of art for me; what else in all of art/literature has shown the pointlessness of believing in God?

Click here to judge this entry, and, once you’ve voted, feel free to speculate and trade theories in the comments or look at other entries in this round.

Ideological Turing Test

Atheist Turing answers 2012

Turing answers 2012

Previous Post

May 25, 2012

[Turing 2012] Atheist Answer #5

Next Post

May 26, 2012 [Turing 2012] Atheist Answer #7

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 7 Quick Takes Apologetics Atheism Book Conversion Debate Tactics Debates Epistemology/Philosophy Housekeeping Ideological Turing Test Marriage Morality in Practice Parsing Catholicism Possibly Heretical Radio Reviews/Recommendations Sequence Index Spiritual Practice Uncategorized

Select a Month April 2017 March 2017 January 2017 December 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which prophet was exiled to Babylon and saw a vision of four living creatures?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Hosea Joel Ezekiel Jeremiah