(February 5, 2016 at 5:03 pm)Mancunian Wrote: Overwhelming us with a lot of shit as well. He could end all suffering and still hide.

(February 5, 2016 at 5:14 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Or you can ignore that existence is irrelevant to demands of loyalty, because you've already realized that this conversation is stillborn due to your saying something incredibly silly.

Really shit on your own myths there.  Gratz.

(February 5, 2016 at 5:50 pm)drfuzzy Wrote:

(February 5, 2016 at 5:11 pm)athrock Wrote: Actually, the more accurate analogy would be whether or not the Cable company exists.

Whenever I call customer service, I'm pretty certain it doesn't.

Kinda like your experience in prayer, I suppose.

Hmm.  Not sure how to take that.  I have been told so many times that "you haven't heard god's voice because you weren't praying the right way, or for the right things, or in the right receptive state of mind, or . . .       all of that BS.  I prayed quite fervently for well over 40 years.  You would think even a moron like me would get it right once.   

OR, I could actually take that response as an attempt at humor, and not a slam at my lack of proper religiosity.  In that case, oddly enough . . .   . . . good one.

(February 5, 2016 at 5:51 pm)Cato Wrote:

(February 5, 2016 at 5:32 pm)athrock Wrote: Then one wonders why so many atheists quote it when they are trying to win an argument with theists...

It's not an argument for atheism. It establishes the fact that monotheists are atheistic with respect to all the other gods created by humanity and is often deployed when a theist feigns ignorance when given the actual reason for someone's atheism.

(February 5, 2016 at 5:52 pm)athrock Wrote:

(February 5, 2016 at 5:03 pm)Mancunian Wrote: Overwhelming us with a lot of shit as well. He could end all suffering and still hide.

How could God end all suffering and not eliminate free will?

Please explain.

(February 5, 2016 at 5:39 pm)athrock Wrote: Except that I didn't set up a fork; I asked in one question WHY it would be evolutionarily advantageous for us to have this wiring.

Which is precisely the same question you have attempted to answer.

(February 5, 2016 at 5:58 pm)Mancunian Wrote:

(February 5, 2016 at 5:52 pm)athrock Wrote: How could God end all suffering and not eliminate free will?

Please explain.

Athrock, according to you this fucker created the universe, so I think he could get over a minor problem like that.

(February 5, 2016 at 6:03 pm)Cato Wrote:

(February 5, 2016 at 5:39 pm)athrock Wrote: Except that I didn't set up a fork; I asked in one question WHY it would be evolutionarily advantageous for us to have this wiring.

Which is precisely the same question you have attempted to answer.

What has a better chance of surviving to produce offspring, a primate that can associate a snake's rattle with potential mortality or a primate that is oblivious?

It's recognition of cause that gives evolutionary advantage Kick in abstract thought and people start wondering 'what causes lightning?'. Ancients didn't possess the ability to ascertain the true cause of lightening and created god to satisfy their yearning for causal explanation. We're 'wired' for cause identification, not god.

(February 5, 2016 at 6:04 pm)athrock Wrote:

(February 5, 2016 at 5:58 pm)Mancunian Wrote: Athrock, according to you this fucker created the universe, so I think he could get over a minor problem like that.

This must be your first time considering the matter. It's not a minor problem.

(February 5, 2016 at 5:52 pm)athrock Wrote: You didn't read the article, did you?