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RE: I have an honest question for theists.
July 6, 2012 at 6:04 am
(July 6, 2012 at 5:14 am)Ace Otana Wrote: I'd chance to say that emotion/interest drives you to certain subjects that lead you to want to study and learn as much about as possible. I have an interest in particles, I'm curious as to how they function and the effects they have. Like virtual particles (one of my favs), they literally pop in and out of existence at random, self created and self destroyed in an instant, something to do with quantum mechanics, another law of nature. 
But yeah, emotions can lead you in a certain direction but doesn't play any role in the fact finding process.
But motivations do play a role on the fact finding process. Because human actions have to be motivated; people don't just randomly decide to do things (most of the time). So most of the examples of progress that we see in history are going to include some kind of emotion that helped motivate it--without which the progress might not have occurred.
(Of course, there's a flip side--emotional demotivations or lack of motivation that resulted in a potential breakthrough going undiscovered.)
“The truth of our faith becomes a matter of ridicule among the infidels if any Catholic, not gifted with the necessary scientific learning, presents as dogma what scientific scrutiny shows to be false.”
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RE: I have an honest question for theists.
July 6, 2012 at 6:24 am
(July 6, 2012 at 6:04 am)CliveStaples Wrote: But motivations do play a role on the fact finding process. Because human actions have to be motivated; people don't just randomly decide to do things (most of the time). So most of the examples of progress that we see in history are going to include some kind of emotion that helped motivate it--without which the progress might not have occurred.
(Of course, there's a flip side--emotional demotivations or lack of motivation that resulted in a potential breakthrough going undiscovered.)
I'd say motivation comes from a particular interest in a certain subject. It can be how you were brought up, what you're taught and having experienced certain things that cause an interest.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence - Carl Sagan
Mankind's intelligence walks hand in hand with it's stupidity.
Being an atheist says nothing about your overall intelligence, it just means you don't believe in god. Atheists can be as bright as any scientist and as stupid as any creationist.
You never really know just how stupid someone is, until you've argued with them.
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RE: I have an honest question for theists.
July 6, 2012 at 6:35 am
(July 6, 2012 at 6:24 am)Ace Otana Wrote: I'd say motivation comes from a particular interest in a certain subject. It can be how you were brought up, what you're taught and having experienced certain things that cause an interest.
...right, so you agree with me?
“The truth of our faith becomes a matter of ridicule among the infidels if any Catholic, not gifted with the necessary scientific learning, presents as dogma what scientific scrutiny shows to be false.”
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RE: I have an honest question for theists.
July 6, 2012 at 6:53 am
(July 6, 2012 at 6:35 am)CliveStaples Wrote: (July 6, 2012 at 6:24 am)Ace Otana Wrote: I'd say motivation comes from a particular interest in a certain subject. It can be how you were brought up, what you're taught and having experienced certain things that cause an interest.
...right, so you agree with me?
For the most part it seems. 
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence - Carl Sagan
Mankind's intelligence walks hand in hand with it's stupidity.
Being an atheist says nothing about your overall intelligence, it just means you don't believe in god. Atheists can be as bright as any scientist and as stupid as any creationist.
You never really know just how stupid someone is, until you've argued with them.
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RE: I have an honest question for theists.
July 6, 2012 at 9:55 am
(July 6, 2012 at 4:55 am)CliveStaples Wrote: Quote:When it comes to reality and finding out what's true and what's not, emotions are completely useless.
I tend to agree with this, but I feel like it overlooks the positive contributions that emotions have made in the history of human progress. Many scientists are impelled toward research and discovery because of the wonder and excitement they feel toward the universe (or some facet of it). Certainly many mathematicians are motivated by a sense of beauty in mathematics.
Now, maybe these 'aesthetic' interests don't qualify as 'emotions', but that's a pretty thin hair to split, I think.
Way to wallow in petty contrarianism.
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RE: I have an honest question for theists.
July 6, 2012 at 10:19 am
(July 6, 2012 at 9:55 am)Taqiyya Mockingbird Wrote: Way to wallow in petty contrarianism.
Counterexamples are 'petty contrarianism'? Those are big words for your first time thinking about logic, Sport!
“The truth of our faith becomes a matter of ridicule among the infidels if any Catholic, not gifted with the necessary scientific learning, presents as dogma what scientific scrutiny shows to be false.”
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RE: I have an honest question for theists.
July 6, 2012 at 2:17 pm
(July 5, 2012 at 4:57 pm)Simon Moon Wrote: (July 5, 2012 at 3:44 pm)Godschild Wrote: Seems the unbelieving want to change the subject, this is what I've tried to stress all along, they will do anything to upset a conversation, even if it means starting an argument between themselves. I'm not going to give an answer, even though I have one, one that I've had long before I came to this site.
What a crock of bat guano.
All the OP did was pose a hypothetical situation to theists. What subject was the OP changing? It was his subject in the first place, being the OP and all....
As others have said, a pretty disingenuous reply to the OP.
Hey stupid, I was not talking about Annik, I was making a statement to Annik. IT was you bunch of idiots that I was referring to.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.
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RE: I have an honest question for theists.
July 6, 2012 at 4:36 pm
(This post was last modified: July 6, 2012 at 4:47 pm by Reforged.)
(July 5, 2012 at 11:10 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: Well you guys tell me. How did life change for you, when you stopped believing in God?
I felt used, it was like finding out Santa wasn't real but worse. I had been lied to for my entire childhood about something that is genuinely important. People who had claimed to know better than me and presumed they could brainwash me with their beliefs were actually as much in the dark as I was, more so. And I came to this realization by doing something most Christians of any denomination never do, I read the entire Bible. Then I researched other religions to get their take on life.
Thats when I started thinking for myself, thats when I started realizing that we obviously don't really know the truth and perhaps we never will but that isn't what matters the most. What matters most is that we keep looking, that we question everything, that we explore every possibility without prejudice or personal bias. This applies to every part of life, to our knowledge as a species, to the seemingly boundless horizons that for now lay beyond our understanding that may well be infinite. We keep looking with patience, with innate curiosity and for not one moment do we settle for anything less than conclusive answers. This is what it means to embrace our humanity, this is what it means to live without compromise, this is what it means to be truly free.
I don't know when exactly my views changed to what you've just read but I'm glad they did.
(July 6, 2012 at 2:17 pm)Godschild Wrote: (July 5, 2012 at 4:57 pm)Simon Moon Wrote: What a crock of bat guano.
All the OP did was pose a hypothetical situation to theists. What subject was the OP changing? It was his subject in the first place, being the OP and all....
As others have said, a pretty disingenuous reply to the OP.
Hey stupid, I was not talking about Annik, I was making a statement to Annik. IT was you bunch of idiots that I was referring to.
A statement completely devoid of relevancy and purposely serving only to disrupt and irritate. You had no intention of answering or discussing the query, you may as well be blowing raspberries at her yet nobody here is the least bit surprised. This is what we've come to expect from you. Derailing, arrogance, sweeping statements, accusations, fallacies, deflection and retreats. This is what we get from you everytime without fail. Where some theists will attempt discussion and debate you will fumble and bludgeon with a disdain for logical process that borders on contempt.
Meh, I'm done. You bore me.
"That is not dead which can eternal lie and with strange aeons even death may die."
- Abdul Alhazred.
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RE: I have an honest question for theists.
July 6, 2012 at 7:44 pm
(July 5, 2012 at 11:28 am)Annik Wrote: I'm not trolling, I'm not trying to be insulting, I'm just curious.
How would you live your life if it was proven to you that there is no god? I'm not attempting to prove anything, we're going to take it as an assumption for the sake of curiosity. Whatever it takes to prove to you there is no god, they just found it and it's all over the news.
What would you do/how would you proceed? I'm just curious to know, is all.
Nothing would change. Even if I were convinced that the sacrifices I give are not beneficial I would still attend cermonies and feasts for the sake of tradition, companionship and party.
I think a lot of it is the local milieu surrounding a religion.
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