(December 16, 2014 at 5:08 am)Fidel_Castronaut Wrote: We're in the 21st century, but reading the thoughts of some of these guys you'd think we were still in the 12th.

That reminds me... it's about time we reset the calendar!
Make year 1 the year when the transistor was invented, equivalent to our current 1947... it even seems to have been done in December and all... we could keep transistormas on the 25th!

We could celebrate the vacuum tube in March/April.

Madre de Diodes, what a great idea!

(December 16, 2014 at 10:35 am)Alex K Wrote: Madre de Diodes, what a great idea!

It's bound to meet some resistance.

(December 15, 2014 at 5:50 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: More of this false equivalence bullshit? "Not having 100% certainty = faith so my faith is just as valid as the rest of history"?

Pretty much, yeah.

(December 15, 2014 at 5:50 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: Get that shit outta here.

Nope. It shall stay right here.

(December 16, 2014 at 12:01 pm)His_Majesty Wrote:

(December 15, 2014 at 5:50 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: More of this false equivalence bullshit? "Not having 100% certainty = faith so my faith is just as valid as the rest of history"?

Pretty much, yeah.

(December 15, 2014 at 5:50 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: Get that shit outta here.

Nope. It shall stay right here.

(December 15, 2014 at 6:59 pm)Crossless1 Wrote: It seems that there are always certain believers (H_M appears to be one) who are so insecure in their faith that they require the patina of intellectual respectability as well.

Insecure? I am about as confident in my faith as anything else in life.

(December 15, 2014 at 6:59 pm)Crossless1 Wrote: It's not enough for them to simply believe; they want to convince others that they aren't morons for believing as they do.

I think the idea that inanimate matter can come to life and begin thinking, talking, laughing, having sex, etc...I think that is incoherent, absurd, stupid, nonsensical, moronic, and flat out...dumb.

But hey, you believe what you want, and I'll believe what I want.

(December 15, 2014 at 6:59 pm)Crossless1 Wrote: Since they cannot demonstrate the truth of their silly beliefs (despite their posturing to the contrary)

Right, but then again, no one has ever demonstrated how life can come from nonlife and begin thinking, talking, laughing, having sex, etc....that belief is silly, and no one has demonstrated it (despite posturing to the contrary).

(December 15, 2014 at 6:59 pm)Crossless1 Wrote: , their only recourse is to try to drag down other disciplines -- scientific and historical -- to their own wretched level.

Drag down? Not at all...we just find the idea that life coming from nonlife, and intelligence coming from nonintelligence to be stupid, and unscientific...that's all.

(December 15, 2014 at 6:59 pm)Crossless1 Wrote: Equivocating the word "faith" is one of the tools in their arsenal. What I've never been able to figure out when it comes to such people is whether they are supremely stupid or cynical.

Well, if you believe that life came from nonlife and began thinking, talking, laughing, and having sex...you cannot scientifically demonstrate it, so you have to accept by faith that it occurred.

We are not equivocating a damn thing...you accept by faith...plain and simple. I understand that you people have the unfortunate idea that the idea of "faith" is just a religious thing...which, itself is nonsense and dishonest approach.

(December 15, 2014 at 6:59 pm)Crossless1 Wrote: However, I've never been in doubt that they are a complete waste of time. I salute those with the patience to deal with this nonsense, if only for the sake of the lurkers, but I lack the stomach for it. Laughter -- and lots of it! -- is my response. After all, that's what clowns are for.

Me and you have had more than a couple exchanges...so you have more patience than you would like to admit.

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(December 15, 2014 at 7:11 pm)pocaracas Wrote: I feel ignored by his majesty...

I'd like to talk to you one on one...on a different format, preferably IM.

"I'm not equivocating a thing, I'm just saying that your definitions don't matter and my definition of everything as equally faith-based is true."


Gimme a fucking break.

(December 16, 2014 at 12:11 pm)His_Majesty Wrote:

(December 15, 2014 at 7:11 pm)pocaracas Wrote: I feel ignored by his majesty...

I'd like to talk to you one on one...on a different format, preferably IM.

IM might be tricky as it seems we're on different continents, different time zones.
We can start with PM... you take the first round replying to what I wrote back there.

(December 16, 2014 at 12:11 pm)His_Majesty Wrote: Insecure? I am about as confident in my faith as anything else in life.

Suicide bombers are totally confident they're going to party it up with some virgins after death. Confidence in faith isn't necessarily a good thing.

Quote:I think the idea that inanimate matter can come to life and begin thinking, talking, laughing, having sex, etc...I think that is incoherent, absurd, stupid, nonsensical, moronic, and flat out...dumb.

But hey, you believe what you want, and I'll believe what I want.

You believe that all of this originated in an invisible, supreme entity that has existed forever. How is that any less absurd?

Quote:Right, but then again, no one has ever demonstrated how life can come from nonlife and begin thinking, talking, laughing, having sex, etc....that belief is silly, and no one has demonstrated it (despite posturing to the contrary).

We can't demonstrate or explain those things, but likewise atheism in and of itself makes no claims about the origins of life. I certainly make no claims to know how everything came to exist, but I certainly don't believe in your version. You cannot demonstrate anything to prove otherwise.

Quote:Drag down? Not at all...we just find the idea that life coming from nonlife, and intelligence coming from nonintelligence to be stupid, and unscientific...that's all.

And the idea of life coming from an invisible sky entity who sent his alter ego (via a virgin no less) to be ultimately tortured to death is as equally stupid and unscientific to us. Not only that, it's barbaric and harkens back to the darkest and most primitive of human ideas of blood sacrifice.

Quote:Well, if you believe that life came from nonlife and began thinking, talking, laughing, and having sex...you cannot scientifically demonstrate it, so you have to accept by faith that it occurred.

We are not equivocating a damn thing...you accept by faith...plain and simple. I understand that you people have the unfortunate idea that the idea of "faith" is just a religious thing...which, itself is nonsense and dishonest approach.

Again, you're telling us what we believe and then trying to shift the burden of proof over to us based on what you're telling us we believe. Faith is blindly believing in something even when there's no evidence to support it.