Atheism is in decline and will be trumped by faith, the professor of science and religion at the University of Oxford has said.

Professor Alister McGrath made his predictions during the annual Parchman Lectures at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary, the Baptist Standard reports.

The academic, who has degrees in molecular biology, theology and intellectual history, spoke on "why faith makes sense: exploring the rationality of Christianity."

McGrath said he was an atheist as a young man, but faith makes greater sense of reality and transcends reason, which is insufficient for understanding the world.
"New Atheism ridicules the 'irrationality of faith,'" said McGrath, who has debated New Atheist icons such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. "But it's in decline, because it's stale, dull and incredible. It provides unsatisfactory answers to ultimate questions. People want to know more."

The Oxford professor ridiculed the atheist claim that reality is only "what reason and science can demonstrate," pointing out the limits of science and the ambiguous nature of scientific truth.
By contrast McGrath said faith offers the best world view to "make sense of what we experience. "Faith can accept the contributions of science but then fill in the missing pieces of meaning and understanding.
"Science offers one perspective on reality, and I admire it. But it gives us a limited perspective of reality, "he said. "Faith offers a set of stereoscopic spectacles that enable us to see depth. Faith supplements science.
"Christianity makes sense of what science is and is not and its limits,"
McGrath added. "Science is very good at taking things to bits to see how they work, but humans need to know how to put them back together to understand what they mean.
"Atheism (which claims to limit knowledge to scientific certainty) offers you an emaciated view of the world. It's bleak and nasty.
Christianity gives you away of thinking that makes so much sense," offering purpose, identity and "the ability to make a difference.
"New Atheism offers none of this," he said.

Ultimately McGrath encouraged Christians not to feel the need to explain every scientific or theological question.
"We don't have to worry about it all that much. That's the human condition: We know we cannot prove all the great questions of life, "he said. But Christians can offer their answers to hard questions, as well as reasons for believing them, he assured.
"The best way to persuade others is not by argument but by inviting them to step inside (of faith) and see if it helps make sense of things," he said, citing CS Lewis."It is not an illusion, but truth, and truth shall set you free."

I just enjoy the argument between faith and logic

Atheist in da house lets roll

queenoflafia:
I just enjoy the argument between faith and logic

Atheist in da house lets roll

Where do you stand.

It's not faith that will defeat atheism but common sense, logic and reason. Atheism makes absolutely no sense at all.

He knows he's lying. Religion/faith is going extinct.

LOL.

Atheism makes no sense ?

I reserve my comment.

Atheism goes against the nature of humans. People thought pattern follow the path of religion.

1feness:
He knows he's lying. Religion/faith is going extinct.

He isnt. People wey don do pass you have come and gone. People that couldnt stand the truth in christianity and actually tooks great steps in executing christians. Dey der dey cry.


Voltaire, French infidel, died 1778
- said that within 100 years of his time, Christianity would be swept away from existence and pass into the obscurity of history.
-Yet 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society used his house and printing press to produce stacks of Bibles.

winner01:
He isnt. People wey don do pass you have come and gone. People that couldnt stand the truth in christianity and actually tooks great steps in executing christians. Dey der dey cry.


Voltaire, French infidel, died 1778
- said that within 100 years of his time, Christianity would be swept away from existence and pass into the obscurity of history.
-Yet 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society used his house and printing press to produce stacks of Bibles.

One thing is certain,the truth may take a billion years to manifest,but it will eventually.

Whether or not faith or reason survive is something that I do not have control over. However, as an atheist, any appeal to faith seems to have no basis. If someone says that they have perfect faith that the sun will rise in the west and set in the east the next day, how do you tell them to stay strong in their faith without laughing?

The professor is forgetting that many things which used to be explained by religious reasons now have a scientific reasons, whereas there is nothing which was formerly explained by reason that is now explained by faith. The God-did-it box is getting smaller and smaller.

Faith is a delusion.

1feness:


One thing is certain,the truth may take a billion years to manifest,but it will eventually.

Sorry man, I feel your pain.

winner01:
Where do you stand.

Am just a spectator

onetrack:
Whether or not faith or reason survive is something that I do not have control over. However, as an atheist, any appeal to faith seems to have no basis. If someone says that they have perfect faith that the sun will rise in the west and set in the east the next day, how do you tell them to stay strong in their faith without laughing?

The professor is forgetting that many things which used to be explained by religious reasons now have a scientific reasons, whereas there is nothing which was formerly explained by reason that is now explained by faith. The God-did-it box is getting smaller and smaller.

Faith is a delusion.

Yawns!!

My Problem with this unsubstantiated assertion is that there is/are no quoted study/ies to support his position and also he is a professor that ought to know his right from left.

it may or may not be true. he has to back his assertion with studies. Anybody can wake up and start saying anything.


In fact, am not a professor but an ordinary graduate student. I can quote him wrong with some bunch of studies portraying the contrary.

menesheh:
My Problem with this unsubstantiated assertion is that there is/are no quoted study/ies to support his position and also he is a professor that ought to know his right from left.

Congratulations, with this nonsense you've written up here, you now know your left from right. Smh.

menesheh:
it may or may not be true. he has to back his assertion with studies. Anybody can wake up and start saying anything.

Yeah, several studies have also been done about the human mind but me or anyone else can disprove its existence.
For those of you who only believe in the visible, can you post a picture of the human mind, or describe how it looks like and its locatiin in the human body.

menesheh:
In fact, am not a professor but an ordinary graduate student. I can quote him wrong with some bunch of studies portraying the contrary.

You don turn prof. na, you also sound like you have compelling evidence against the existence of the creator but cant provide it for some reason.
And Which study shows he's wrong

Then the decline of atheism is being marked by an increase in radicalism, wars and human suffering. Don't you find that funny??

winner01:
Congratulations, with this nonsense you've written up here, you now know your left from right. Smh.
Yeah, several studies have also been done about the human mind but me or anyone else can disprove its existence.
For those of you who only believe in the visible, can you post a picture of the human mind, or describe how it looks like and its locatiin in the human body.
You don turn prof. na, you also sound like you have compelling evidence against the existence of the creator but cant provide it for some reason.
And Which study shows he's wrong

Brother, am not addressing you directly because you are not the person that asserted such thing, despite i observed you are the OP.


Second being that you are saying a bunch of other things not related to the topic.

we are not presently arguing about the existence of a creator, my believe in the visible, pictures of human mind and those stuffs you put up there.

Sorry lets talk about the topic. I know too that the topic can lead us to other arguments but your present reply should address my present comment

it beats me to see anytime a matter about Atheism comes up, Ifeness will jump and join the queue. ifeness, you are not an Atheist, get it into to Numbskull.

winner01:
Atheism is in decline and will be trumped by faith, the professor of science and religion at the University of Oxford has said.

Professor Alister McGrath made his predictions during the annual Parchman Lectures at Baylor University's Truett Theological Seminary, the Baptist Standard reports.

The academic, who has degrees in molecular biology, theology and intellectual history, spoke on "why faith makes sense: exploring the rationality of Christianity."

McGrath said he was an atheist as a young man, but faith makes greater sense of reality and transcends reason, which is insufficient for understanding the world.
"New Atheism ridicules the 'irrationality of faith,'" said McGrath, who has debated New Atheist icons such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. "But it's in decline, because it's stale, dull and incredible. It provides unsatisfactory answers to ultimate questions. People want to know more."

The Oxford professor ridiculed the atheist claim that reality is only "what reason and science can demonstrate," pointing out the limits of science and the ambiguous nature of scientific truth.
By contrast McGrath said faith offers the best world view to "make sense of what we experience. "Faith can accept the contributions of science but then fill in the missing pieces of meaning and understanding.
"Science offers one perspective on reality, and I admire it. But it gives us a limited perspective of reality, "he said. "Faith offers a set of stereoscopic spectacles that enable us to see depth. Faith supplements science.
"Christianity makes sense of what science is and is not and its limits,"
McGrath added. "Science is very good at taking things to bits to see how they work, but humans need to know how to put them back together to understand what they mean.
"Atheism (which claims to limit knowledge to scientific certainty) offers you an emaciated view of the world. It's bleak and nasty.
Christianity gives you away of thinking that makes so much sense," offering purpose, identity and "the ability to make a difference.
"New Atheism offers none of this," he said.

Ultimately McGrath encouraged Christians not to feel the need to explain every scientific or theological question.
"We don't have to worry about it all that much. That's the human condition: We know we cannot prove all the great questions of life, "he said. But Christians can offer their answers to hard questions, as well as reasons for believing them, he assured.
"The best way to persuade others is not by argument but by inviting them to step inside (of faith) and see if it helps make sense of things," he said, citing CS Lewis."It is not an illusion, but truth, and truth shall set you free."

The fastest growing religion on planet earth is irreligious people

they make up about 35 percent pf the world, abiut 2.4 billion people. It has over taken Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism.

chuna1985:


The fastest growing religion on planet earth is irreligious people

they make up about 35 percent pf the world, abiut 2.4 billion people. It has over taken Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism.

Is irreligious the same as disbelief in God.

Let me quickly make my point by posting a paragraph from; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism. Notice the last sentence.

"A quote from the study:

The data also revealed some interesting facts about Canadians' beliefs:

A majority (53%) of Canadians believe in God. What is of particular interest is that 28% of Protestants, 33% of Catholics, and 23% of those who attend weekly religious services do not.
One quarter (23%) of those with no religious identity still believe in a God."


Sorry man, you're going down alone

winner01:
Is irreligious the same as disbelief in God.

Let me quickly make my point by posting a paragraph from; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism. Notice the last sentence.

"A quote from the study:

The data also revealed some interesting facts about Canadians' beliefs:

A majority (53%) of Canadians believe in God. What is of particular interest is that 28% of Protestants, 33% of Catholics, and 23% of those who attend weekly religious services do not.
One quarter (23%) of those with no religious identity still believe in a God."


Sorry man, you're going down alone

There's gross stupidity that goes on in nairaland n offline in nigeria, once by don't believe in the Christian god, ur termed an Aetheist.

Please read up ""Irreligious"" and educate urself

chuna1985:



There's gross stupidity that goes on in nairaland n offline in nigeria, once by don't believe in the Christian god, ur termed an Aetheist.

Please read up ""Irreligious"" and educate urself

Chai, see confident stupid1ty. So you dont know that it is possible common to discard religion but have a belief in God.
Does God and religion sound like the same

Stop embarassing yourself, Disbelief in religion is not disbelief in God.

winner01:
Chai, see confident stupid1ty. So you dont know that it is possible common to discard religion but have a belief in God.
Does God and religion sound like the same

Stop embarassing yourself, Disbelief in religion is not disbelief in God.

Did I @ any point say disbelief in religion is disbelief in God

I understand ur confusion...

chuna1985:


Did I @ any point say disbelief in religion is disbelief in God

I understand ur confusion...

Den why u asking me to read up on irreligion.

winner01:
Den why u asking me to read up on irreligion.

Wen u read about irreligious, ur confusion will be cleared.

winner01:
He isnt. People wey don do pass you have come and gone. People that couldnt stand the truth in christianity and actually tooks great steps in executing christians. Dey der dey cry.


Voltaire, French infidel, died 1778
- said that within 100 years of his time, Christianity would be swept away from existence and pass into the obscurity of history.
-Yet 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society used his house and printing press to produce stacks of Bibles.

brother one thing is fact; everything shall come to pass. Even Jesus said it and no religion is exempt. In the next 1000yrs maybe Illuminate will evolve into a a world dominant religion.

Deception everywhere!! Christianity is declining faster. In fact atheism is increasing. Known facts, google is ur friend.

heykims:
Deception everywhere!! Christianity is declining faster. In fact atheism is increasing. Known facts, google is ur friend.

Islam has been the fastest growing religion according to proven statistics since the year 2000.

We know better today.

heykims:
Deception everywhere!! Christianity is declining faster. In fact atheism is increasing. Known facts, google is ur friend.

You sound misinformed . The world by 2050 - 2070 would be filled with religious people because atheists tend to have smaller families while religious people tend to have bigger families .

Make sense right ? Looks like google selects her friends wisely

heykims:
Deception everywhere!! Christianity is declining faster. In fact atheism is increasing. Known facts, google is ur friend.

BIG FAT LIES, christainity is only declining in the west. Atheism has increased but its stats is minuscular compared to other religions.

The truth will always prevail