The Four Horsemen

Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Sam Harris are actually doing us a favor.  The thing I appreciate about these men is that they don't view religion as a relativistic, subjective enterprise.  They take the claims of Christianity seriously by addressing them as truth claims, not preferences.  In the first ten minutes of a video they've titled The Four Horsemen, they express frustration about the fact that people have made religion untouchable--that if a person tries to argue against the truthfulness of a religion, even the non-religious will shake a finger at him for criticizing it.  I couldn't agree more with their frustration.  Religions make claims about reality, and we must examine them rigorously in that light, not talk about them with a wink and a nudge as if we're comparing Middle-earth to Narnia.  If Christianity is not worthy of attempts to prove it wrong, then it's not worthy of my life or anyone else's. 

So let these men shake up our culture's view of religion.  Even though they're arguing that Christianity is false, saying it's false is still a step up from saying it's "true for you" (which is really just a way of saying all religions are false).  They're bringing the discussion back up to a level of truth and falsehood, and that is where a discussion of reality needs to be.

Comments

[ChrisB]

I agree, but I think a postmodern approach might be the most effective way to deal with them as far as public opinion & policy:

"What do you mean we're 'wrong?!' Who are you to say we can't believe what we want?"

OK, it won't make any converts, but it might keep them from outlawing Sunday school.

[Stephen McConnell]

Chris, I disagree about responding in a postmodern way. It just confuses the issue.

[societyvs]

I like those guys for their critiques and the pressure they have put on the Christian faith to call itself into account - I appreciate that much from them. Beyond that, I find many of their approches to the complex issues of faith staggeringly nieve.

[Wanda Zippler]

I could not agree more the Post Modern attitude of many members of the Christian Church is our worst enemy. It has crippled a huge portion of the modern day church. If people had be willing to give me real answers when I was a kid, I would have become a Christian much earlier in life and it would have saved me much heartache.

[Gabriel]

We need to remember why Jesus came into the World.

John 18:37
"... In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

In order to contend for Christianity we need to contend for truth. We cannot let "empty philosophies" rule.

[Brad B]

Hi Wanda, are you saying that you were seeking God before you were a Christian--ie born again? I admit that I'm not innocently asking this question but it's good hearted I hope you'll see. [I would also want you to know that your pain of heartache is part of who God wanted you to be, the person who He loves--no regrets.]

Brad B

[Alvin]

Amy,

I like your closing statement and the attitude it projects.

It reminds me of the famous quote of physicist Wolfgang Pauli which when used is quite the strong putdown: "That's not right. That's not even wrong."

For an idea to be classified "not even right" is for it to be revealed as nonsense not rising to the dignity of a falsehood.

This brings up the related idea of "falsifiability."

Amy, do you or any of the staff at STR know of a good source for a discussion on falsifiability in relation to God?

[Sam]

I have to admit that I'd rather argue with somebody who believes in reason than somebody who doesn't. But I hate to argue with unpleasant people in any case.

[Sage S.]

Amy,

Just for the record - Middle Earth contains 14 invented languages used by distinctive races, each with diverse sub-cultures and heritages spanning thousands of years of fictional history. The themes and cultural motifs were derived from Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian epic poetry, and this series has spawned an entire genre of modern Fantasy fiction, role-playing games, and movies.

Narnia has Aslan.

All of which constitutes a categorically different kind of argument than looking at archeological findings and manuscript text evidence to try to determine the historical reliability of the Bible. One discusses preference, the other searches reality.

[SD]

I agree with Amy, they should have this video as a bible study in every church in north america. It would be great fun in deciphering the metaphysical identities that the "four horsemen" count on , so they can reason and live there life.
At the same time force the Christian to see "why we believe what we believe". And how that our faith is reasonable and understandable.

It would weed out the wheat from the chaff, big time.

Have a nice day all:)

[Sage S.]

Amy,

Sorry - there's one in every crowd. :)

You've made an excellent point. Many of us would probably rejoice to have a substantive challenge presented to our faith (even with some vitriol) within our sphere of influence. Our society seems so namby-pamby about beliefs in general, spirituality in particular, that it seems a most spectacular miracle when someone is willing to discuss in any detail why they do not believe in the God of the Bible.

Is our chief nemesis Miss Manners, who reminds good children not to discuss personal religious views, or the media-drenched attention spans of a virtual generation who simply can't slow down to think about religion?