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→Atheism and purpose incidents and research
=== Atheism and purpose incidents and research ===
=== Atheism and purpose incidents and research ===
Prominent atheists/agnostics indicating that they repeatedly have thoughts that the world is designed/purposeful and research showing that many individuals in the general population of atheists/agnostics frequently have these thoughts also (See: [[Atheism and purpose]]).
Prominent atheists/agnostics indicating that they repeatedly have thoughts that the world is designed/purposeful and research showing that many individuals in the general population of atheists/agnostics frequently have these thoughts also (See: [[Atheism and purpose]]).
[[Image:Cherry Blossom Japan.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Even in atheistic [[Japan]], researchers found that Japanese children see the world [[Intelligent design|as designed]].<ref>[http://creation.com/children-see-the-world-as-designed Children see the world as designed]</ref>]]
While some individuals give more thoughtful deliberation on the issue of the [[Arguments for the existence of God|existence of God]] and the purpose of life than others (see: [[Atheism and apathy]] and [[Apatheism]]), it is common for atheists/[[agnosticism|agnostics]] to dwell on the issue of purpose (see: [[Atheism and purpose]]).<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/opinion/sunday/does-everything-happen-for-a-reason.html ''Does everything happen for a reason?'']</ref>
Also, notable atheists have had the characteristic of variability and instability when it came to maintaining thoughts in accordance with atheism. For example, [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] was one of the leading proponents of atheism of the 20th Century. He was one of several popularizers of the [[philosophy]] of [[existentialism]].
Yet, Jean-Paul Sartre made this candid confession:
{{cquote|As for me, I don’t see myself as so much dust that has appeared in the world but as a being that was expected, prefigured, called forth. In short, as a being that could, it seems, come only from a creator; and this idea of a creating hand that created me refers me back to God. Naturally this is not a clear, exact idea that I set in motion every time I think of myself. It contradicts many of my other ideas; but it is there, floating vaguely. And when I think of myself I often think rather in this way, for wont of ''being able to think otherwise''.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=BGU7LZ2bQ4cC&pg=PA109&lpg=PA109&dq=As+for+me,+I+don%E2%80%99t+see+myself+as+so+much+dust+that+has+appeared+in+the+world+but+as+a+being+that+was+expected,+prefigured,+called+forth.+In+short,+as+a+being+that+could,+it+seems,+come+only+from+a+creator;+and+this+idea+of+a+creating+hand+that+created+me+refers+me+back+to+God.&source=bl&ots=die9xMUdsB&sig=3dAJOK34aBalYieFKcJLdGpwFjY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NXhqVMSmHMexyASUyYKIBw&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=As%20for%20me%2C%20I%20don%E2%80%99t%20see%20myself%20as%20so%20much%20dust%20that%20has%20appeared%20in%20the%20world%20but%20as%20a%20being%20that%20was%20expected%2C%20prefigured%2C%20called%20forth.%20In%20short%2C%20as%20a%20being%20that%20could%2C%20it%20seems%2C%20come%20only%20from%20a%20creator%3B%20and%20this%20idea%20of%20a%20creating%20hand%20that%20created%20me%20refers%20me%20back%20to%20God.&f=false ''Escape from God: The Use of Religion and Philosophy to Evade Responsibility'' By Dean Turner, page 109]</ref>}}
Even in atheistic [[Japan]], researchers found that Japanese children see the natural world [[Intelligent design|as designed]] and purposeful and believe some kind of intelligent being is behind that purpose.<ref>[http://creation.com/children-see-the-world-as-designed Children see the world as designed].</ref>
One of the most popular arguments for God's existence is the [[teleological argument]]. Derived from the Greek word ''telos'', which refers to purpose or end, this argument hinges on the idea that the world gives evidence of being designed, and concludes that a divine designer must be posited to account for the orderly world we encounter. See also: [[Evolution]] and [[Intelligent design]] and [[Creation science]]
[[Image:Evolution.jpg|alt=evolution darwin theory|right|thumb|200px|Late in [[Charles Darwin|Charles Darwin's]] life, Darwin told the Duke of Argyll that he frequently had overwhelming thoughts that the natural world was the [[Intelligent design|result of design]].<ref>http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/teleological-arguments/notes.html</ref> In a letter to [[Asa Gray]], Darwin confided: "...I am quite conscious that my speculations run quite beyond the bounds of true [[science]]."<ref>http://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/entry-2109</ref>]]
The evolutionist [[Charles Darwin]] wrote in his private notebooks that he was a [[materialism|materialist]], which is a type of atheist. In his autobiography Charles Darwin wrote about the diminishment of his religious faith and Darwin stated that he was an agnostic.<ref>http://www.update.uu.se/~fbendz/library/cd_relig.htm</ref> Darwin's worldview is best described as [[agnosticism]]/[[weak atheism]] (see: [http://www.conservapedia.com/Charles_Darwin#Religious_Views_of_Charles_Darwin religious views of Charles Darwin) ]<ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1877 Darwin’s real message: have you missed it?]</ref><ref>American Scientist May 1977:323</ref>
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states:
{{cquote|In 1885, the Duke of Argyll recounted a conversation he had had with Charles Darwin the year before Darwin's death:
In the course of that conversation I said to Mr. Darwin, with reference to some of his own remarkable works on the Fertilization of [[Orchid]]s, and upon The [[Earthworm]]s, and various other observations he made of the wonderful contrivances for certain purposes in nature — I said it was impossible to look at these without seeing that they were the effect and the expression of Mind. I shall never forget Mr. Darwin's answer. He looked at me very hard and said, “Well, that often comes over me with overwhelming force; but at other times,” and he shook his head vaguely, adding, “it seems to go away. ”(Argyll 1885, 244)<ref>[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/teleological-arguments/notes.html Notes to Teleological Arguments for God's Existence]</ref>}}
[[File:The Conversion of St Paul by Nicolas-Bernard Lepicie, 1767.JPG|thumbnail|left|200px|The conversion of [[Saint Paul|Paul]] by the painter Nicolas-Bernard Lepicie]]
The [[Saint Paul|Apostle Paul]] wrote:
{{cquote|For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. - Romans 1: 18-20 <ref>Romans 1: 18-20 English Standard Version translation</ref>}}
On October 17, 2014, the ''New York Times'' published an article entitled ''Does everything happen for a reason?'' which declared:
{{cquote|But research from the Yale Mind and Development Lab, where we work, suggests that this can’t be the whole story. In one series of studies, [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010027714001358 recently published in the journal Cognition], we asked people to reflect on significant events from their own lives, such as graduations, the births of children, falling in love, the deaths of loved ones and serious illnesses. Unsurprisingly, a majority of religious believers said they thought that these events happened for a reason and that they had been purposefully designed (presumably by God). But many [[atheism|atheists]] did so as well, and a majority of atheists in a related study also said that they believed in fate — defined as the view that life events happen for a reason and that there is an underlying order to life that determines how events turn out.
These atheists’ responses weren’t just the product of living in America’s highly religious society. [http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/2153599X.2013.782888#.VGptUsn6dl6 Research done at Queen’s University in Belfast] by the psychologists Bethany Heywood and Jesse Bering found that [[British atheism|British atheists]] were just as likely as American atheists to believe that their life events had underlying purposes, even though Britain is far less religious than America.
In other studies, scheduled to be published online next week in the journal Child Development, we found that even young children show a bias to believe that life events happen for a reason — to “send a sign” or “to teach a lesson.” This belief exists regardless of how much exposure the children have had to religion at home, and even if they’ve had none at all.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/opinion/sunday/does-everything-happen-for-a-reason.html ''Does everything happen for a reason?'']</ref>}}
=== Developments within the field of Christian apologetics ===
=== Developments within the field of Christian apologetics ===