Free thought is not synonymous with atheism

Now, I believe my opponent is unclear on the position I am attempting to hold and prove. To show that I indeed clarify my opinion in the first round, I will quote myself. "Atheism does not possess the sole claim on free thought, nor do all the faithful lack it, but atheism is directly derived from free thought, and with few exceptions, is practiced by nearly all its members. " To paraphrase, I do not contend that the religious cannot be free-thinkers, or that free-thinkers must always conclude an atheistic perspective, but that atheists practice free-thought, and that atheism perpetuates this by definition. Based on the last round, the proposition has shifted from "atheism is synonymous to free thought" to "some religious people believe what they do on a rational basis". My adversary spends more time in his rebuttal defending the religious then attacking my position on the actual contention. While perhaps I was too harsh on theists in my opening gambit, I mean not to attack religion, but to compare it to its antithesis and thus prove that only one side of the debate utilizes free-thought. ____________________________________________________________________________ I will begin with rebuttals to my opponent's introduction. Premise 1 While the irony of the "atheist doctrine" is used intentionally by Pro to draw comparison with religion, he ought to recognize the fallacy of the statement. In the context of Church, a doctrine is something taught, and which must be believed in order to count oneself as a member of that Church. For example, a recent Catholic dogma established that to achieve redemption, one absolutely must be a Catholic. (1) If your truly believe in the infallibility and authority of the Pope, this has to be believed, or you are not Catholic. Atheism practices so such injustice. Christopher Hitchens never promulgated that to be called an atheist, you must hate the God hypothesis like he did, or that his word is atheistic law. Atheism has no infallible leaders, and so does not work by doctrines. Instead, the only unifying factor for non-believers is, in fact, atheism itself. Premise 2 This point I believe stems from confusion over the stance I have chosen to take, but it still conducts an attack on my argument that atheists are free thinkers. Indeed, free-thought does not take a side in a debate; there are many great religious thinkers, including Dr. William Lane Craig. (2) I cannot emphasize this point profusely enough. However, a philosophical view can have its grounding entirely in free-thought, and this gain an advantage in the discoid, and this is what I am attempting to prove, and what my opening statement addressed. So to judge the legitimacy of this contention, one must decide whether my points stand. ____________________________________________________________________________ Childhood Indoctrination How, I must ask, in good conscience can my opponent make the statement that children's faith "Whether or not they keep it is up to them. " So children are ultimately left to believe what they like? Bringing children involuntarily to Church every week, making them participate in daily prayers, and reminding them often that they are watched over by a omnipotent deity isn't indoctrination? How, then, do 84% of Catholic children "choose" to remain in their parent's religion? (3). No, a vast majority of kids raised by theistic parents do not, and cannot make an uninfluenced decision, and what victims will be willing to believe, if taught young, is astounding. (4) To say that from infancy, humans should be taught moral is admirable. So why not transmit morals? Perhaps the readers disagree, but must these ethics be accompanied with fanciful tales of Gods, prophets and betrayals? Must one must allege to know everything in order to do this? Not only is this additional teaching unnecessary, but contains many detestable moments. I would submit that the genocide of Amalekites, children sacrifice, and vicarious redemption do not form a strong core for a good and moral life. It should also be mentioned that like the creation of the universe, morals are also opinions, and while youth should be instructed on the basics (eg. don't murder), specifics, like the morality of sex before marriage, should be left for them. ____________________________________________________________________________ The Impossible Claim Once again, I defer to the fair-mindedness of the readers, but did I ever suggest that religion stunted scientific discovery? No, oftentimes theists are vague on what utilities God based His creation on, but that does not forgive the greatest unknowable claim of all: that there is a deity in the first place. Furthermore, "how to be good" would not inherently suggest itself as a topic for preachers and not intellectuals. Not to mention the untenable fables corresponded to the faithful every Sunday. However, my intention was to show the superiority of the atheist position, and the ability to admit not knowing certain facts, a point my opponent did not respond to, in my judgement. The Desire Not to Disbelieve Once again, did I propose that religion contended a monopoly on enlightenment? Instead, this argument illustrated why atheism is, automatically, by definition, the product of free-thought. I await a response to this. ____________________________________________________________________________ Conclusion Pro sums up his argument well by saying "there are many atheists and religious people that go through long periods and journeys of questioning before reaching their destination. " I apologize, sir, the facts simply don't support this conclusion, and I patiently await statistics that establish otherwise. My opponent is not permitted to assert a new proposition, or ignore the current one. The onus is on me to prove the proposition, not on my opponent to defend the opposite position. Good luck to Pro in his next round! (1) . http://www.agapebiblestudy.com... (2) . http://www.reasonablefaith.org... (3) . http://www.patheos.com... (4) . http://psychsocvalues.files.wordpress.com...