Assumed Atheism Harming Religious Students
by Cowboy Bob Sorensen
Internet atheists express their hatred of God and bigotry toward Christians quite freely from the safety of their keyboards, and they insist on asserting false facts. One of these is that creationists believe "God did it" is a sufficient scientific explanation for something. They are unable to meet the challenge to produce a creation scientist who uses that idea.
Something I read long ago in a UFO publication is that they first seek natural and rational explanations before appealing to UFOs. I have seen a similar view used by paranormal researchers (never mind whether or not experiences were genuine). In simple terms, science uses methodological naturalism. While Christians presuppose that ultimately God did (whatever), they want to know how. Creationists and unbelievers can (and do) work side-by-side.
Internet atheists express their hatred of God and bigotry toward Christians quite freely from the safety of their keyboards, and they insist on asserting false facts. One of these is that creationists believe "God did it" is a sufficient scientific explanation for something. They are unable to meet the challenge to produce a creation scientist who uses that idea.
Another false fact is that if someone is not an atheist, he or she is not a real scientist. Although ridiculous, it shows their bigotry. It is also a way to control science itself to fit their own naturalistic beliefs.
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| Train waiting on tracks, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen |
Metaphysical naturalism is an atheistic worldview. While it is good to look for natural explanations on how things work, assuming that there is no Creator who designed living organisms is actually quite limiting to real science. That is, atheists can be ruling out the only possible explanation because of their presuppositions.
Most people in the secular science industry are not religious, and this also includes academia. There are Christians and creationists who want to be scientists. Since atheism is generally assumed in the classroom, religious students feel railroaded; they have to keep quiet or else face ridicule. (Some Bible believers have gained their degrees by keeping quiet about their beliefs, and they advise others to do likewise.) The line between methodological and metaphysical naturalism is blurred. Why should atheists care how religious students feel, think, or perform? They are in the cab of the locomotive and have no need to slow down.
If you want to read the article that inspired this one, take a look-see at "In Science, How 'Assumed Atheism' Harms Religious Students." You'll get some details that I did not discuss.