(May 6, 2025 at 5:30 pm)John 6IX Breezy Wrote: It's ironic that a bunch of atheists are trying to say my theory is wrong by claiming they have no relationship with God. As if that isn't precisely what I'm predicting.

The correlation can't reasonably be in dispute. The key thing here is that I see that correlation as causal.

But what you actually said was...

(May 6, 2025 at 2:57 pm)John 6IX Breezy Wrote: I think, in practice, most people believe or disbelieve for one key factor—relationship. This is something like a heuristic people follow on both ends. You will rarely find someone who believes God is megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, and capriciously malevolent, as Dawkins alleges, and is also a believing Christian. And you will rarely find someone who thinks the God of the bible is merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, as the Bible alleges, and is also a militant atheist. 

I think there is a genuine correlation there: For every Christian that says they prayed and were heard, there is an atheist saying they prayed and weren't. The Christian will say God exists because good has happened to them, the atheist will say God doesn't exist because evil happened to them. In other words, the kind of relationship you have with God spills over into a judgment regarding his existence.

Emphasis mine.

So yes, that's precisely what you predicted, to the word. Fun fact: If you have zero girlfriends, you aren't in a relationship.

(May 6, 2025 at 5:44 pm)The Architect Of Fate Wrote:

(May 6, 2025 at 5:42 pm)Nay_Sayer Wrote: 0-21! I decided to keep my own score now.

You can make whatever score you like in imaginary theory kind of like how theology works 

The legion of braincells that died reading this thread would like to remind you that the score is actually zero-zero. Pigeon chess has no winners.

(May 6, 2025 at 5:54 pm)Paleophyte Wrote: Fun fact: If you have zero girlfriends, you aren't in a relationship.

Then having no girlfriend would be your relationship status.

[Duplicate]

(May 6, 2025 at 6:10 pm)John 6IX Breezy Wrote:

(May 6, 2025 at 5:54 pm)Paleophyte Wrote: Fun fact: If you have zero girlfriends, you aren't in a relationship.

Then having no girlfriend would be your relationship status.

You could have a boyfriend or be in an intimate romance with your sofa.

So not having a girlfriend isn't necessarily a "relationship status."

Another for instance - to the best of my knowledge my husband doesn't have a girlfriend.  His relationship status is married...not girlfriendless.

Isn't it time for meds Breezy?  I think it may be past time.

(May 6, 2025 at 6:20 pm)arewethereyet Wrote: Isn't it time for meds Breezy? 

After dinner

(May 6, 2025 at 5:56 pm)Paleophyte Wrote:

(May 6, 2025 at 5:44 pm)The Architect Of Fate Wrote: You can make whatever score you like in imaginary theory kind of like how theology works 

The legion of braincells that died reading this thread would like to remind you that the score is actually zero-zero. Pigeon chess has no winners.

Not so fast. I own the pigeon

(May 6, 2025 at 5:30 pm)John 6IX Breezy Wrote: It's ironic that a bunch of atheists are trying to say my theory is wrong by claiming they have no relationship with God. As if that isn't precisely what I'm predicting.

The correlation can't reasonably be in dispute. The key thing here is that I see that correlation as causal.

You don’t have a theory. You’ve simply made one of those ‘have you stopped beating your wife’ statements.

Boru

(May 6, 2025 at 6:10 pm)John 6IX Breezy Wrote:

(May 6, 2025 at 5:54 pm)Paleophyte Wrote: Fun fact: If you have zero girlfriends, you aren't in a relationship.

Then having no girlfriend would be your relationship status.

The difference is that girlfriends are real things. To put them on a par with a non-existent thing is just silly. It’s like saying someone has a ‘relationship’ with the Invisible Pink Unicorn.

Boru

(May 6, 2025 at 7:26 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: The difference is that girlfriends are real things. To put them on a par with a non-existent thing is just silly. It’s like saying someone has a ‘relationship’ with the Invisible Pink Unicorn.

A pink unicorn is different in that it is rather impersonal, it doesn't quite have the social relational aspect. But with Santa Claus I would predict that children with good relational experiences would believe for longer than those with bad or neutral ones. Put coal in a kids stocking and you got yourself a skeptical scrooge.

With religion, I think the effect is so strong it even spills over from the pulpit to the pews. I think people are also more or less likely to believe based on their interaction and relationship with other followers. A person treated badly by christians is more likely to not believe God exists, and a person treated well is more likely to believe he does.