The reason is because I don't see any connection between your description in the first paragraph and your second one starting "This is, of course". I assume, therefore, that there must have been more in the original article than you posted.
On the face of it, I agree with the article writer. If the family accept that their faith is a "gift from God" then it is logical that if a person does not have that faith then that "gift" has been witheld from them by God. In your numbered stances, theirs is #1 and the atheist is #3, both are working from experience (or lack of it). The family's attitude, however, seems to be that the atheist is and extreme case of #2 (i.e. that they do have the "godsense" but they deny it).
I don't see anything there of the attitude you describe of "if you believe that (in which I do not believe) then you must believe everything else in which I do not believe". Certainly some people do have that attitude (which displays a definite lack of knowledge of logic), but not as far as I can tell the article writer.
(Amusing sideline: I originally managed to type 'athiest', which would be "the person most 'ath'". Whatever 'ath' might be...)
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2009-11-18 02:27 pm (UTC)The reason is because I don't see any connection between your description in the first paragraph and your second one starting "This is, of course". I assume, therefore, that there must have been more in the original article than you posted.
On the face of it, I agree with the article writer. If the family accept that their faith is a "gift from God" then it is logical that if a person does not have that faith then that "gift" has been witheld from them by God. In your numbered stances, theirs is #1 and the atheist is #3, both are working from experience (or lack of it). The family's attitude, however, seems to be that the atheist is and extreme case of #2 (i.e. that they do have the "godsense" but they deny it).
I don't see anything there of the attitude you describe of "if you believe that (in which I do not believe) then you must believe everything else in which I do not believe". Certainly some people do have that attitude (which displays a definite lack of knowledge of logic), but not as far as I can tell the article writer.
(Amusing sideline: I originally managed to type 'athiest', which would be "the person most 'ath'". Whatever 'ath' might be...)