“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’Says the LORD”-Isaiah 1:18
Let us now carefully dissect the very many statements that Dan Barker packaged together in a bout of elephant hurling. It is not fair to make these kinds of statements in a debate because Dan Barker knows very well that Michael Horner will simply not have the time to answer to the very, very many charges, assertions, presuppositions, non-sequiturs, etc., that Dan Barker unleashed at a spitfire rate.
The freedom to think for myself was what was so seductive about freethinking and atheism…In any event, atheism for me represents the freedom to think. It represents the freedom to search all avenues and follow the path wherever it leads. And if it leads back to Jesus, I’ll go there. I’m not fighting God. If it leads there, I’ll happily go there. I’m not stupid. I’m not dumb. I’m not closing my mind. I don’t hate the whole concept of it.
The entirety of Dan Barker’s comments regarding the freedom that freethinking and atheism bestowed upon him is a charade, his thoughts are held captive by the rigid standards of “Freethought” and by a faith based belief in absolute materialism. I demonstrated this in my essay, Freethought Without Forethought? Here is a taste of why I make this claim; Dan Barker claims that a Freethinker is “A person who forms opinions about religion on the basis of reason, independently of tradition, authority, or established belief.” Ergo, if you were so inclined as to rely on tradition, authority, or established belief you are not allowed to think that way.Incidentally, according to this definition I, and many “religious” people of whom I am aware, are Freethinkers. Although, “established belief” is a tricky term. Does it mean that if a belief has been established on the basis of reason, independently of tradition or authority I cannot hold to the belief and at the same time be a Freethinker? What if atheism is considered an “established belief” would I not be able to be both a Freethinker and an atheist at the same time?
Dan Barker further restricts thought in stating, “No one can be a Freethinker who demands conformity to a bible, creed, or messiah. To the Freethinker, revelation and faith are invalid, and orthodoxy is no guarantee of truth.” Thus, Freethought is thought which is contained within a narrowly defined parameter of assertions, presuppositions and anathemas. Dan Barker also wrote the following with regards to morality, “Individuals are free to choose, within the limits of humanistic morality” [emphasis added]. Therefore, you are free to do as you with as long as you restrict your thinking and actions to the narrow parameters meted out by the pseudo-Freethinking worldview.The bible says we should bring ‘every thought into captivity unto the obedience of Christ.’
As we have seen, Dan Barker’s response to this is to proclaim that we ought to bring every thought into captivity unto the obedience of Freethought. Notice that Dan Barker actually quoted half of a sentence, half of a verse, in this case. Let us consider the text,
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2nd Corinthians 10:4-5).
Interesting to note that the text refers to debates, “casting down arguments,” and that Paul is urging those who have accepted the Biblical worldview to consider arguments according to it, just as Dan Barker demands that Freethinkers restrict their thought to their worldview. This is simply an encouragement to think, think long and hard, think carefully and do so about everything rather than letting your thoughts be fleeting things that simply enter and leave your mind.The bible says ‘Lean not on your own understanding.’Yes, and so does every teacher since it is every teacher’s job to take the student beyond their own understanding to the next level of fuller understanding.
In the next post we will continue the dissection of Dan Barker’s statements.