(April 25, 2015 at 7:20 am)Riketto Wrote: So to me it is not a question to be gullible but a sign that i am smarter than the masses. 

You know, the really sad thing is you probably believe this.

I sometimes wonder if religious people genuinely grasped how awe-inspiring the scientific explanation of life is, would they be atheists? It's true that a scientific view doesn't provide consolation or promise of an afterlife, but I think what it does offer far outweighs these things - a sense of sincere privilege to be part of a universe where, despite the astronomically small odds of us existing, we burst into consciousness thanks to an unbroken chain of events in our ancestral history. It blows my mind to think that the specific nature of the occurrences of all past events brought each of us about; I think it's a thought which should make one feel incredibly special in spite of our individual insignificance in the universe. The thought is made all the more amazing when you consider that our existence is owed to a chain of events in an uncaring universe where there were no laws or destiny governing the unfolding of events. The past could have unfolded in an infinite number of ways, yet it happened in the exact way to bring us about, and here we are, thinking, breathing, feeling, living beings conscious of the whole process. Ah, it's just beautiful.

(April 28, 2015 at 5:20 pm)PhilosophicalZebra Wrote: I sometimes wonder if religious people genuinely grasped how awe-inspiring the scientific explanation of life is, would they be atheists? It's true that a scientific view doesn't provide consolation or promise of an afterlife, but I think what it does offer far outweighs these things - a sense of sincere privilege to be part of a universe where, despite the astronomically small odds of us existing, we burst into consciousness thanks to an unbroken chain of events in our ancestral history. It blows my mind to think that the specific nature of the occurrences of all past events brought each of us about; I think it's a thought which should make one feel incredibly special in spite of our individual insignificance in the universe. The thought is made all the more amazing when you consider that our existence is owed to a chain of events in an uncaring universe where there were no laws or destiny governing the unfolding of events. The past could have unfolded in an infinite number of ways, yet it happened in the exact way to bring us about, and here we are, thinking, breathing, feeling, living beings conscious of the whole process. Ah, it's just beautiful.

 
I hope you understand that what you say is just your personal opinion not something that can be backed up with solid evidence. 

(April 29, 2015 at 6:51 am)Riketto Wrote:  
I hope you understand that what you say is just your personal opinion not something that can be backed up with solid evidence. 

If you want to make the case that the universe has personal traits such as caring-ness, it's your job to make that case. As long as no convincing case is made, a valid stance is that it is probably uncaring - we know that caring is something that arises in animals to protect their offspring, and that's the only example we know. The universe is not an animal. Burden of proof becomes obvious when looking at the universe. If that is supposed to be caring, I don't want to know what uncaring would look like. All space filled with acid?

In an alternate reality it was Riketto that started this thread.

(April 29, 2015 at 7:01 am)Pandæmonium Wrote: In an alternate reality it was Riketto that started this thread.

and I have a goatee

(April 28, 2015 at 5:20 pm)PhilosophicalZebra Wrote: I sometimes wonder if religious people genuinely grasped how awe-inspiring the scientific explanation of life is, would they be atheists? It's true that a scientific view doesn't provide consolation or promise of an afterlife, but I think what it does offer far outweighs these things - a sense of sincere privilege to be part of a universe where, despite the astronomically small odds of us existing, we burst into consciousness thanks to an unbroken chain of events in our ancestral history. It blows my mind to think that the specific nature of the occurrences of all past events brought each of us about; I think it's a thought which should make one feel incredibly special in spite of our individual insignificance in the universe. The thought is made all the more amazing when you consider that our existence is owed to a chain of events in an uncaring universe where there were no laws or destiny governing the unfolding of events. The past could have unfolded in an infinite number of ways, yet it happened in the exact way to bring us about, and here we are, thinking, breathing, feeling, living beings conscious of the whole process. Ah, it's just beautiful.

I would think that at the very least, their view of such a simplistic, human-centric sex-obsessed god might be challenged. If they could see the view removed from our little armpit of the galaxy, all the other planets, and the different life forms that it's fairly reasonable to assume exists elsewhere it may give them pause for thought. What the fuck is the rest of all this for? Why didn't god even know what it was when he described it in his own book? Why is there other life around the place? Why would a being so amazing as to be able to create this whole thing be watching me masturbate, crying about it and keeping score?

I wish I could test this hypothesis Maybe deism would become more popular instead.

(April 29, 2015 at 6:56 am)Alex K Wrote:

(April 29, 2015 at 6:51 am)Riketto Wrote:  
I hope you understand that what you say is just your personal opinion not something that can be backed up with solid evidence. 

If you want to make the case that the universe has personal traits such as caring-ness, it's your job to make that case. As long as no convincing case is made, a valid stance is that it is probably uncaring - we know that caring is something that arises in animals to protect their offspring, and that's the only example we know. The universe is not an animal. Burden of proof becomes obvious when looking at the universe. If that is supposed to be caring, I don't want to know what uncaring would look like. All space filled with acid?

The universe has really nothing to do with caring or uncaring as it is maintained in balance by the positive and negative and by the law of action and reaction
so it is existing for us to learn how to stay in balance and to learn not to go down and therefore to survive.
It is my believe that the only thing that care about us is not this physical reality which is neutral but the one who create the universe itself. 

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(April 29, 2015 at 7:34 am)robvalue Wrote:

(April 28, 2015 at 5:20 pm)PhilosophicalZebra Wrote: I sometimes wonder if religious people genuinely grasped how awe-inspiring the scientific explanation of life is, would they be atheists? It's true that a scientific view doesn't provide consolation or promise of an afterlife, but I think what it does offer far outweighs these things - a sense of sincere privilege to be part of a universe where, despite the astronomically small odds of us existing, we burst into consciousness thanks to an unbroken chain of events in our ancestral history. It blows my mind to think that the specific nature of the occurrences of all past events brought each of us about; I think it's a thought which should make one feel incredibly special in spite of our individual insignificance in the universe. The thought is made all the more amazing when you consider that our existence is owed to a chain of events in an uncaring universe where there were no laws or destiny governing the unfolding of events. The past could have unfolded in an infinite number of ways, yet it happened in the exact way to bring us about, and here we are, thinking, breathing, feeling, living beings conscious of the whole process. Ah, it's just beautiful.

I would think that at the very least, their view of such a simplistic, human-centric sex-obsessed god might be challenged. If they could see the view removed from our little armpit of the galaxy, all the other planets, and the different life forms that it's fairly reasonable to assume exists elsewhere it may give them pause for thought. What the fuck is the rest of all this for? Why didn't god even know what it was when he described it in his own book? Why is there other life around the place? Why would a being so amazing as to be able to create this whole thing be watching me masturbate, crying about it and keeping score? I wish I could test this hypothesis Maybe deism would become more popular instead.

A book written by God?
Tell me where is this book Rob.
Tell me, tell me Rob or i would die in the agonizing wait to see this book. 

On what grounds do you believe in a God, out of curiosity?

(April 29, 2015 at 8:03 am)PhilosophicalZebra Wrote: On what grounds do you believe in a God, out of curiosity?

My life was a total misery in my teens years.
Nothing really works for me.
At the same time i felt like a force that was telling me that there is a way out this mess.
I follow this force advice step by step and i got to someone who was ready to help.
It was really good to realize that what i was looking for was inside not externally as i previous thought.
I don't really care what this good feeling can be called God or what else but to me it is.
When this force is so great to make feel so good i can not really call it anything else.