Letters dealing with religion/atheism

Letter on atheists being know it alls:

Jay Lloyd ("," March 12) asks Robert Jensen, "Do you truly believe that you know everything there is to know about the universe?"
I must ask the good pastor, how sure is he that Vishnu doesn’t exist, since he doesn’t know everything about the universe? I doubt the pastor is on the fence on whether this deity exists or not.
Atheism can be simple non-knowledge of God, which is weak atheism. Strong atheism can be a statement (based on various arguments or lack of evidence) why gods or a particular god doesn’t likely exist.
Most Christians know only strong atheism. This is the problem when many Christians presume to debate positions that most atheists don’t hold: They ignore the arguments of actual atheists and end up creating strawmen.
Atheism isn’t about purpose or meaning, just nonbelief in god(s). Humanism (the predominant philosophy of most, though not all, atheists and even some theists) states that laws and rules are for the benefit of humankind. This frees humans to make society better without any concern for whether they are following religious doctrine.

US founded on Christian ideals?


Some say we are a nation founded upon Christian ideals. Really? Thomas Jefferson stated, "Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the common law," in a letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper. In a letter to Major John Cartwright, "The common law existed while the Anglo-Saxons were yet pagans, at a time when they had never yet heard the name of Christ pronounced or knew that such a character existed." One cannot state that the God of Christianity or any notion of God (and his moral rules) are true, just because without that God there is no true moral foundation. Atheists do not believe that the Bible is the pure objective word of God, so they do not view Christianity or any deity based religion as having a true foundation of morality to follow. The Bible is a guidebook (along with others) for moral guidance.Plato stated 2,300-plus years ago (using Socrates as a character), is something moral because it comes from God or does morality supersede a God? If the former, then it is essentially the whims of a God and God can change his mind about morality, if the latter then God is just a conduit for morality.If God is inherently moral and cannot be immoral, then morality is still independent of God and has a separate existence of its own.Atheism or, more specifically, humanism is not about just making up moral rules as you go along. It is about empathy, respect for others, respect for their happiness. Atheists are called moral relativists or situational ethicists, but cannot the bombing of Hiroshima or killing in self-defense be considered just these things? After all, normally it isn't considered moral to kill a fellow human being, but most people think it was OK to kill Japanese civilians in 1945 in order to save more lives later on, or that it is OK to kill in self-defense a person mentally insane individual who is trying to kill you.No person in the world sees issues in pure black/white lenses. All weigh decisions carefully when making choices on what to do, just as President Truman did in 1945, and I believe he made the right decision even if a really hard one.What about the decrease in religious beliefs leading to increased violence in American society? Violent crimes, such as per capita murder rates, have seen a decline in the past 35 years, especially from 1960-1999. Teen pregnancy rates have declined in the last 30 years. Black/white relations are improved. Fifty years ago, segregation was the norm in many parts of the nation. The environment is cleaner since the early 1970s, thanks to the efforts of Americans on this issue. We must remember, in many ways, America is getting better.I believe Christians can be logical/rational while believing in God, and I do not dismiss what an individual says just because they are a Christian.What is important is that when biblical writings are applied to this world, it is done in mind that not all are Christian believers.