Antony Flew

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Antony Flew

Antony Flew (February 11, 1923 - April 8, 2010) was a prominent English philosopher and atheist debater for many years before becoming a deist in 2004.[1][2] While not a Christian, he made positive statements about the evidence that supports Christianity after his conversion to theism. His father was a Methodist minister.

In 1998 Dr. Flew (as an atheist) debated Christian philosopher and apologist William Lane Craig on the existence of God in Wisconsin, marking the 50th anniversary of the famous 1948 Copleston - Russell debate of the same topic.

Flew's book, There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind was published in 2007 and documents his reasons for becoming a theist.

Evidence related to Flew's Conversion to theism/deism

Athanatos Christian Ministries wrote concerning the book A Defense of the Integrity of Antony Flew's "There is a God" From His Own Letters by Anthony Horvath:

Famed atheist Antony Flew stunned the world with his repudiation of atheism in favor of deism about 2004 but the reasons for his change were unclear. Finally, in 2007, Flew released his book There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind in an attempt to set the record straight.” It was immediately challenged by hostile atheists on a number of grounds, not all of them very charitable. One of the challenges was put forth most prominently by PZ Myers and Richard Carrier: Flew had lost his mind; the arguments weren’t his at all, but rather were the product of manipulating Christian apologists.

There is just one teensy-weensy problem with this line of attack. In 2006, before it was even known to the world that Antony Flew would be releasing a book, a Christian apologist and author by the name of Anthony Horvath (Athanatos Christian Ministries) was in correspondence with Dr. Flew. Horvath wrote Flew specifically to ask him to commit his current positions and arguments to written form because even then there was much speculation. The answer was that the book was already in the works!

The correspondence was brief but turns out to be decisive against those claiming that “There is a God” did not reflect Flew’s actual positions. In this e-book, Horvath releases copies of the original letters along with his lengthy rebuttal to Richard Carrier’s assertions. To date, though Carrier has been made aware of that rebuttal, no answer has been received. And no wonder: these letters settle the matter once and for all.

For those interested in the best evidence and primary sources in coming to their conclusions, these letters by Flew will be instrumental.[3]

British ex-atheist Anthony Flew on the problem of consciousness for atheism

See also: Atheism and consciousness and Argument from consciousness

Anthony Flew in his book There is a God, points to the existence of consciousness as a problem for atheists.[4] See: Atheism and consciousness and Argument from consciousness

Anthony Flew and the no true Scotsman fallacy

The no true Scotsman fallacy was coined by the English philosopher Anthony Flew in his book Thinking about Thinking - or do I sincerely want to be right?. At the time Flew wrote the book he was an atheist, but he later became a theist.

Atheists commonly employ the no true Scotsman fallacy (see: Atheism and the no true Scotsman fallacy).

Anthony Flew on Richard Dawkins

See also: Feminist quotes about Richard Dawkins and Richard Dawkins quotes

Antony Flew said about the new atheist Richard Dawkins: “The fault of Dawkins as an academic…was his scandalous and apparently deliberate refusal to present the doctrine he appears to think he has refuted in its strongest form”.[5]

Recommended books

  • There is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind by Anthony Flew (2007) with Roy Abraham Varghese (ISBN 978-0-06-133529-7)
  • A Defense of the Integrity of Antony Flew's "There is a God" From His Own Letters by Anthony Horvath, Publisher: Athanatos Christian Ministries, September 3, 2011[6]

See also

Socratic principle

External links

References

  1. A Change of Mind for Antony Flew by Peter S. Williams
  2. A Defense of the Integrity of Antony Flew's "There is a God" From His Own Letters by Anthony Horvath, Publisher: Athanatos Christian Ministries, September 3, 2011
  3. A Defense of the Integrity of Antony Flew's "There is a God" From His Own Letters by Anthony Horvath, Publisher: Athanatos Christian Ministries, September 3, 2011
  4. The Argument from Consciousness for the Existence of God by John Piippo
  5. Ten years on from that book of atheistic faith, the God Delusion by Mike Taggart
  6. A Defense of the Integrity of Antony Flew's "There is a God" From His Own Letters by Anthony Horvath, Publisher: Athanatos Christian Ministries, September 3, 2011