Re: Re: Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 11/11/07 09:54:39 PM |
Age 51, CA |
Thomas Edison didn't invent electricity anymore than Ben Franklin. Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse, not Edison get the credit for the modern day AC power grids that Edison unsuccessfully tried to prevent from being built. Unless Ray Comfort is supporting open theism any comparison of Edison to God creates too many controversial issues. Thomas Edison did invent many things like the first practical electric bulb, motion pictures, and the phonograph. Nikola Tesla invented many devices used in radio that later aided in the development of television. I am getting rather tired of Ray Comfort's dumbed down history of the RMS Titanic and now his dumbed down history of the development of electricity. His dumbed down mechanical gospel message is getting rather old as well. Ray Comfort makes me miss Francis Schaeffer and C. S. Lewis. This story is pure strawman and proves nothing. I note that the book appears to have been delayed in publishing. I assume someone realized the book had issues that need to be fixed before it was published? Hopefully when the book is finally published this story of the Three Wise Fools will be either missing or improved to the point that it is not a strawman of Atheist. For the record, I am a Christian but I am tired of the dumbing down problem that appears to exist in Christendom now days. Too many so-called Christian books published now days is a waste of time to read. I strongly suggest following C. S. Lewis advise and read classic Christian authors like C. H. Spurgeon, C. S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Hodge, etc. rather than the mindless trash mass produced by too many modern day so-called Christian writers.
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/30/07 11:17:09 AM |
Age 73, VA |
You could also add that even if you can't see electricity, you can sure feel it! (except for very low voltages and currents)
And, of course you can see what electricity can do, as useful energy.
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/28/07 07:57:48 PM |
Age 49, CANADA |
I can't wait for the movie. I hear Mel Gibson will direct.
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/28/07 12:22:34 PM |
Age 18, TX |
so are you comparing light to god or thomas edison to god? you seem to be comparing god to thomas edison in that they both authored a work that is much debated, both "true" (well, so you assume anyways), and also have made several mistakes in their perceived existence (you point to the "wise men"'s criticisms of edison's past mistakes as if correlates to god; correct me if i'm wrong). however, you seem to also be comparing god to light in that they are both "invisible" and in that they have both been believed non-existent until proven otherwise...or, one was believed non-existent and was proven otherwise anyways. so i suppose i just don't think it's a very good analogy. you haven't defined the "god" in your text for one thing. you make so many assumptions in the text that you clearly haven't proven otherwise for another. third, i don't see how this even correlates to christian apologetics, but rather to some vague "higher power". lastly, why are you wasting your time throwing stones? most of the people you're criticizing wouldn't touch your books with a 10 foot pole. is this just to reaffirm your own beliefs as well as those of your target audience? what purpose does this serve other than to "get back" at the other side of the same coin, richard dawkins?
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/27/07 10:50:29 PM |
Age 32, OR |
I am beginning to think Ray Comfort is really a Atheist. It's almost like he is going out of his way to produce these ridiculous statements to give us ammo. If Christians were smart they would distance themselves from him.
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/27/07 07:49:26 PM |
Age 20, ANDORRA |
Ray, your excerpt makes no sense whatsoever. If the evidence for the light bulb is there, then that's the reason to believe it (at least some small amount of reason). Where is the evidence for your god? There is no evidence. Just because scientists can't see something, doesn't mean they believe it to be true on 'faith'. The god you're describing is invisible, but that's not the reason atheists don't believe in him. The reason is that there is no evidence for him, no matter where you look in the natural universe, or the only universe people know.
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/27/07 09:59:38 AM |
Age 58, OH |
Nice story! But I am confused about why the Wise Fools didn't just test the switch. Don't scientists try everything they can to try to find evidence? If they did, wouldn't we have proof of God. Why don't we?
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/27/07 12:20:37 AM |
Age 99, ZIMBABWE |
Your article is nonsense. The first few paragraphs might be read by some to suggest that Edison invented electricity. He did not. He didn't even invent "the light bulb".
He did come up with a useful light bulb and circuitry to go with it, but he was a big supporter of DC electricity which is impractical for lighting cities.
Tesla's AC is far better for that purpose, but Edison was so stupid that he tried to get AC banned. He publicly electrocuted animals to further this aim.
But everything we know about electricity today was discovered by the hard work of scientists. Nothing that we know about electricity was ever revealed by some divine being or through prayer.
Without the work of those scientists, we would never have electricity or any of our modern conveniences, including the computer you use to post your diatribes. We'd still be sitting around fires and living in caves, or tents, or primitive houses with no safe water.
Yet it's this same monumentally successful scientific method which you shamelessly deride every time you try to pretend that the Theory of Evolution is baseless or unscientific.
Electricity didn't arrive through faith, nor is faith required to "believe" in it. Its effects are repeatable on demand and unarguably visible to and useful for all.
Your "argument" has failed dismally, I'm sorry to say. But keep trying. Your entertainment value is inestimable, as PZ Myers shows here:
http://tinyurl.com/22g86w
Budikka
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/26/07 07:45:37 PM |
Age 31, AUSTRALIA |
Yipes, what a dangerous argument. This gives Atheists a lot more amunition! I mean this is terrible! It's making christians a total laughing stock! I mean, electricity was accepted by scientists! It moved from country to country and did get accepted by scientists both christian scientists and atheists alike. Then there is that whole gallileo and his telescope story that, well, shows that Scientists can handle evidence that goes against their beliefs but it has taken the catholic church centuries to catch up. This argument is illogical, it's nonsensical. It could drive people away from christianity! This broken allegory is going to be a tool of ridicule that atheists can and probably will use to demolish the standing of anyone who assosiates with it! It makes all christians look stupid!
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/26/07 03:39:49 PM |
Age 39, NETHERLANDS |
I had no idea God had an on/off switch.
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/26/07 02:51:22 PM |
Age 34, WI |
Ray needs to think more about his writing. This is a very confusing analogy and really makes no sense. I'm not even sure of the point of his essay. This just looks like another hoodwinking for the dim christian masses. I'm sure Ray's bank account is nicely padded, though. There's always a dimbulb out there to hand his money to a fraud.
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/26/07 02:20:50 PM |
Age 27, OK |
OK... and then the man ficked the switch, and the light came on, and the wise men shut up, because they were given a clear demonstration that electricity is real. Flick the switch, Ray! Give us a clear demonstration that your religion is correct!
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/26/07 02:07:30 PM |
Age 36, MA |
Is this supposed to be self satire?
Observation of the world is where science starts. Scientists believe in plenty of things they cannot see, dark matter for instance.
Atheists point out the contradictions in the bible for two reasons. First, because religious people say there aren't any and second because there is no way to scientifically test whether there is a god.
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/26/07 01:29:49 PM |
Age 50, FL |
Are your regular readers just not that bright?
Does this pass for any sort of convincing argument about anything?
You are clogging the internet "tubes" with nonsense.
Nance
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Re: Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/24/07 05:55:30 PM |
Age 57, AZ |
Should we throw the switch?No,Ray made us up out of extremely dry straw and we'll surely burn ourselves up.A better name for this would have been The Three Straw Men.
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/24/07 04:12:19 PM |
Age 40, MN |
This is a confusing analogy. If these men are wise, why do they reject the phenomena on display for them (e.g. the lamp turning on and off on demand from a switch)? It's not is if they are being asked to believe in something without a physical demonstration, here, so how does this map to atheism? Maybe this analogy isn't about what I assumed -- the 'wise men' as metaphor for atheists?
In the real world, atheists and Christians alike accept all manner of assertions about phenomena they can't "see"; sight isn't the only way we perceive, and direct perception isn't the only way we accept demonstrations of correlation and causality. An atheist, or a Christian, or a Buddhist has no trouble with the demonstration of a lamp, even though he cannot "see" the electrons that make things happen. This is especially true when the physics are explained, and other intsruments brought in that can detect and measure electrical current -- allowing atheist, Christian and Buddhist alike to "see" electricity via instrumentation.
As it is, this analogy seems completely backwards, apparently (?) suggesting that atheists will reject natural phenomena because of errors in the... user manual??? My experience with atheists is that the demonstration *is* the thing, and without demonstrative proof -- physical proof, as you offered here -- they won't believe, typos in the manual or no.
Or am I all wrong and this is not an allegorical rendering of atheism after all?
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/24/07 01:14:14 PM |
Age 42, TX |
Excellent analogy. I can't wait for the book.
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/22/07 05:08:09 PM |
Age 32, OK |
How many more witnesses does the world need? I went through my bible last few years reading before and at the time of Jesus's birth and life here on earth how many people witnessed his life and the incredible number after his resurrection to today. A godly high priest and they have to be right to be chosen to light incense holy of holys John's daddy testified and prophecied at Johns circumsion. The shephards spoke, the wise men asking what is written to Herod and his court,both Anna and Simeon were valid witnesses respected individuals elders. Even the scribes Jesus spoke with entering adulthood at 12 were amazed at his knowledge,the acts of the father he did, the miracles bigger than the prophets before him,even foreign soldier living amoung them recognized the masters power and authorityno discredit even when he was tried.The very priests that paid the lie to continue to the Roman guard how many of their people did they harm in that decision. The many lives that have been changed since is unnumerable. Not even George Washington or Abe Lincoln have such proofs of honorable character and truth. Yet the blind still refuse to see.
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Re: Three Wise Fools
| Posted On: 05/21/07 10:39:52 PM |
Age 56, OR |
AHH. A 'Ray' of brilliance to 'Comfort' the Christian fools that call God Father. Thanks PGW.
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