(April 17, 2016 at 11:10 am)Stimbo Wrote: Exactly my point. When you even attempt to make a pragmatic effort to look for answers as opposed to sitting on your arse guessing, you're doing science.

Religion is nothing but guessing. It really does stem from evolution though, not that evolution makes any religion true, just that it stems from our evolutionary pattern seeking. Problem is we simply even today don't want to face that our perceptions of reality are notoriously flawed. Just like we once thought the earth was flat, and back when we didn't know any better, it was a very easy gap filling mistake to make because we didn't have the modern tools to test our perceptions.

But again, just like it is easy to convince a toddler Santa is real, our species can be quite successful forming groups on very false perceptions, just like the Ancient Egyptians were successful for 3,000 years centered around the very false polytheism of their time. I do not see any modern religion, monotheistic or polytheistic as being any less of the same gap filling answer mistake than they made.

(April 17, 2016 at 11:19 am)Brian37 Wrote: Religion is nothing but guessing. It really does stem from evolution though, not that evolution makes any religion true, just that it stems from our evolutionary pattern seeking.

That is your opinion, not a fact.

And you only say that from your own opinion. Now, how do we determine whose opinion, if any, is closer to The Truth™?

(April 17, 2016 at 12:50 pm)ChadWooters Wrote:

(April 17, 2016 at 11:19 am)Brian37 Wrote: Religion is nothing but guessing. It really does stem from evolution though, not that evolution makes any religion true, just that it stems from our evolutionary pattern seeking.

That is your opinion, not a fact.

NO IT IS NOT MY OPINION, you are a broken record.

God claims exist because of our ignorance as a species, our flawed perceptions. How about YOU knock it off and grow up. The same reason you have a pet god claim is the same reason humans once believed in Apollo, because you like the idea of a super hero. That is it, your god is only in your head.

Your lack of understanding evolution is your baggage not mine.

(April 17, 2016 at 12:56 pm)Stimbo Wrote: And you only say that from your own opinion. Now, how do we determine whose opinion, if any, is closer to The Truth™?

He keeps dodging because he knows he has nothing. Science has the fields of evolution, neurology and psychology and psychiatry and anthropology. False perceptions get programmed into our neurological pathways in the same way a kid believes in Santa because the parents sell it to them. If you want to believe something badly enough, you will. He'll never take it into a neutral lab because his god will disappear.

No, not disappear. Merely hide, testing our faith.

(April 17, 2016 at 11:14 am)robvalue Wrote: I'm guessing it will have another box inside it, identical except 25% smaller.

What, dude I told you it was invisible unicorn.

I wonder how long it will take our resident apologists to realise that all guesses are equal, and to wonder if there might just possibly be a way to separate them?

(April 17, 2016 at 1:30 pm)Stimbo Wrote: I wonder how long it will take our resident apologists to realise that all guesses are equal, and to wonder if there might just possibly be a way to separate them?

Equally lacking evidence. We do however have tons of evidence of dead gods nobody believes in any longer. Today's believed god/s will be tomorrow's myths.

Hmm, I've been meaning to do a piece on this.

What matches the observable evidence better, and what we hear from theists:

One actual real distinct entity they are all describing, or individually tailored ideas in each theist's head of what such an entity would be like, with its actual existence being irrelevant?

I think we all know the answer. I want to do that one in detail. Maybe a video.