Herein we continue, from the previous segments, considering objections raised by an Atheist from “The Skeptic Arena” who goes by the pseudonym “Neo” with regards to my repository website TrueFreethinker’s “About” page during a June 28, 2014 AD podast. In that which follows, you will find the contents of my About page in italics, his comments underlined and my replies in regular font.
“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies.
Ken, check out this prophecy, from Genesis 22:17, “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore….” Ken, contrary to the prophecy, the Jews are one of the smallest ethnic groups on Earth. Even the Mormons outnumber them and the Mormons didn’t get started until the 19th century.
I guess that’s what they mean by “Like Father – like Son.” Neither one of your invisible ghosts has been able to predict squat.
Once again, Neo leaves the Bible unscathed whilst discrediting himself. I will give Neo enough credit to not assume that he expects a one to one mathematical correlation between the number of stars of the heaven, sand which is upon the sea shore and the humans that God will multiply. Firstly, the Genesis 22 statement is made to Abraham from whom came both Ishmael and Isaac from whom came the Arabs and Jews. Thus, this is not solely about the Jews but the Jews and the Arabs and all Jews and all Arabs who have ever lived. This is a much greater number than the current count of Jews. Secondly, it was stated to Abraham, one single man who, by the way, was pretty old at the time and so even if he had 100 descendents that would be tantamount to as the stars and sand much less if he had 1,000 or 10,000 or 100,000. Lastly, the Bible actually defines that which it meant by Abraham’s seed being as many as the stars and the sand. Since it does so, Neo does not get to come along millennia later, deny this fact, overlay his own personal interpretation and demand that we follow it. Deuteronomy 10:22 has Moses stating, “Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.”
Nehemiah 9:23 states, “You made their sons numerous as the stars of heaven, and You brought them into the land which You had told their fathers to enter and possess.”
The actual number of people to which Moses was referring is actually irrelevant as the point is that however many there were; they were identified as, defined as, being a fulfillment of the Genesis 22 statement. Thus, the prediction came to pass long ago. The Bible contains its own contexts (grammatical, historical, cultural, etc.) and the immediate and greater context provides us the meaning to the words in Genesis 22—the Bible defined its own terms.
Moreover, modern day few numbers of Jews is based on the fact that, as Deuteronomy 4:27 notes, “The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD drives you.” Also, Deuteronomy 28:62 states, “Then you shall be left few in number, whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, because you did not obey the LORD your God.”
Much of what passes for “Freethought” and “Freethinking” today is, in reality, atheism wearing a very thin disguise.
Ken, a disguise is unnecessary. As I documented earlier, Atheism is a synonym for free thought. That’s what makes it so hilarious when you try to pass yourself off as a free thinker, while simultaneously having conversations with your imaginary friends.
Well, he never provide a definition of Atheism and definitions range from positively asserting God’s non-existence to the pop-definition of lacking a belief in god(s). In either case, how is this a synonym for free thought? Because, as Neo had quoted in part 3, Dictionary.com says so? Well a synonym is a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language. This is the definition of freethinker that Neo quoted, “‘A person who forms opinions on the basis of reason, independent of authority or tradition, especially a person whose religious opinions differ from established belief.’ Synonyms: skeptic, agnostic; atheist.”
We dealt with this in part 3, at this point it is important to note that 1) freethinker is not a synonym for Atheist and 2) a freethinker can hold to “religious opinions” as do I (and as does Neo). Thus, it is completely in keeping with being a freethinker who holds “religious opinions” to have conversations with what a childish Atheists would term “imaginary friends.”
But, we are getting closer to the bottom line of my usage of freethinker or, true freethinker, as Neo referenced “free thought”; free and thought. I employed the compounded term freethought or freethinker simply due to the fact that it is a popular keyword and one that is easily recognizable within the context of certain circles.
The first section of the parsed essay Freethought Without Forethought? serves as evidence of this. In that case, it is clear that what is meant by Freethought is adhering to absolute materialism. If a Judeo-Christian cannot be a freethinker then freethought is not freethought but demands adherences to certain restrictive parameters.
Ken, that is true of everything. To be classified in a certain category – one must meet certain requirements. As for free thinking, Ken … you missed the cut.
Halleluiah! Indeed, freethinkers and Atheists are not true free thinkers since, as I noted and Neo agreed, they will not allow themselves to think beyond materialism and thus demand adherences to certain restrictive parameters. In the meantime, as a true free thinker; I can follow evidence where it leads and can come to natural or supernatural conclusions. Indeed, I miss the cut in as much as they attempt to cut out whoever refuses to have their brains locked in a quaint little box of materialism.
In the next segment, we will consider the terms freethough / freethinker and Atheism.