These guardian angel rescue stories always crack me up. If there was an actual guardian angel why would it let you get into a situation where you would need rescuing? Why not steer you clear of danger in the first place?

(March 13, 2015 at 9:54 am)ChadWooters Wrote: Maybe, maybe, maybe...because it just must be anything other than the obvious.

Because it's obvious that it has to be the supernatural. But not any supernatural, the christian supernatural is the obvious chhoice. I'm seriously tempted to use that obnoxious roflol smiley for the very first time.

Swedenborg would be so proud.

(March 13, 2015 at 4:44 pm)abaris Wrote:

(March 13, 2015 at 9:54 am)ChadWooters Wrote: Maybe, maybe, maybe...because it just must be anything other than the obvious.

Because it's obvious that it has to be the supernatural. But not any supernatural, the christian supernatural is the obvious chhoice. I'm seriously tempted to use that obnoxious roflol smiley for the very first time.

Swedenborg would be so proud.

It's a standard theistic tactic, and a favorite of Chad's: just assert something, and then demand that it's "obvious" or "self evident," as though you can just define yourself out of having to support your claims.

Right. Everyone who disagrees is irrational. Like there's no rational people on this forum.

Did we ever find out what the "obvious" choice is?

Aliens? Sky Wizard? Angel? Multi-dimensional Lizard People? Time traveler? Poltergeist?

It's the first thing that comes to mind. For some people, this is the manifestation of a supernatural creature in the form of sound waves, reproducing a human voice.

(March 12, 2015 at 9:27 am)professor Wrote: We sure got a lot of "Maybe..."Maybe....this.... maybe that.
Sure is a long way around the hem isn't it.
Why all the maybees?
Couldn't be any bias involved?

(emphasis is mine)

Because rational people don't deal in certitudes.

(March 14, 2015 at 12:11 pm)JesusHChrist Wrote: Did we ever find out what the "obvious" choice is?

Aliens? Sky Wizard? Angel? Multi-dimensional Lizard People? Time traveler? Poltergeist?

Whatever the person who's demanding that it's obvious thinks it is. Exactly what they think it is, no deviations or changes, because they said it's obvious.

(March 14, 2015 at 12:11 pm)JesusHChrist Wrote: Did we ever find out what the "obvious" choice is?

Aliens? Sky Wizard? Angel? Multi-dimensional Lizard People? Time traveler? Poltergeist?

No, no, no, it's the babies latent telepathic communication skill coming out under stress, obviously.

Here's the other thing that's so frustrating about these condescending little fiat theists making their assertions: atheism doesn't necessarily deny the possibility of the supernatural. Gods, certainly, but gods aren't the only thing that could be supernatural and if these jokers want to argue for guardian angels or ghosts communicating or whatever, there's nothing specifically within our position that would preclude us from accepting that, we just need better evidence than "because I said so," or "it's obvious."

That the theists in this thread would rather pretend that our position forces us to look elsewhere demonstrates either a profound ignorance of what atheism actually is, or a similar level of dishonesty in that they'd rather strawman us to make us look like we're making ineffectual excuses, rather than addressing the argument as it really is. There's a decent conversation to be had here, but the theists don't want to have it; they'd rather go on the attack and grandstand than do any sort of hard work in engaging with their claims.

It's actually terribly sad that the atheists are more interested in seriously examining the theistic claims than the theists are, but then, intellectual laziness is kinda the hallmark of that belief in general, so...