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RE: Can you persuade me from Agnostic to Atheist?
May 19, 2016 at 4:40 pm
(May 19, 2016 at 4:29 pm)AgnosticMan123 Wrote: (May 19, 2016 at 4:06 pm)Crossless1 Wrote: How could you possibly know such a thing? A good persuader could persuade me.
The vast majority of atheists do not claim to know, with absolute certainty, that gods do not exist.
So, in effect, you want to be persuaded of a certain position, by people that do not hold that position.
Yes, agnosticism and atheism are 2 different things. But that does not mean they are mutually exclusive positions.
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
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RE: Can you persuade me from Agnostic to Atheist?
May 19, 2016 at 4:44 pm
I thought I laid out my ideas rather well. Hopefully it helps him a bit!
In every country and every age, the priest had been hostile to Liberty.
- Thomas Jefferson
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RE: Can you persuade me from Agnostic to Atheist?
May 19, 2016 at 4:47 pm
(May 19, 2016 at 4:40 pm)Simon Moon Wrote: The vast majority of atheists do not claim to know, with absolute certainty, that gods do not exist.
Nor even to believe that.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: Can you persuade me from Agnostic to Atheist?
May 19, 2016 at 4:56 pm
(May 19, 2016 at 2:01 pm)AgnosticMan123 Wrote: Can anyone here persuade or convert me from being agnostic to being atheist? 
If you consider those two to be distinct seperate beliefs then there aren't too many people here who would convert you.
Most people, I think, are pretty agnostic. Meaning they don't know if God exists but have no reason to believe he does.
There's people like kitan (maelstrom) I think that's the guys name, who believe there is no God, but I don't think he'd care too much about converting you to his way of thinking, I don't know.
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RE: Can you persuade me from Agnostic to Atheist?
May 19, 2016 at 4:57 pm
(May 19, 2016 at 4:31 pm)Stimbo Wrote: You do know that the principle atheist position is not that "there is not a god", right?
Our sources may conflict.
My source says that atheist means one who believes that there isn't a God.
I am just looking to be persuaded that there is no God.
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RE: Can you persuade me from Agnostic to Atheist?
May 19, 2016 at 4:59 pm
(May 19, 2016 at 4:57 pm)AgnosticMan123 Wrote: (May 19, 2016 at 4:31 pm)Stimbo Wrote: You do know that the principle atheist position is not that "there is not a god", right?
Our sources may conflict.
My source says that atheist means one who believes that there isn't a God.
I am just looking to be persuaded that there is no God.
Very few people here hold that position, so you might be barking up the wrong tree.
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
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RE: Can you persuade me from Agnostic to Atheist?
May 19, 2016 at 5:00 pm
Atheist: one who is not a theist. The a- prefix is a negation, meaning 'not'. Your sources are wrong.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: Can you persuade me from Agnostic to Atheist?
May 19, 2016 at 5:03 pm
(May 19, 2016 at 4:59 pm)The_Empress Wrote: (May 19, 2016 at 4:57 pm)AgnosticMan123 Wrote: Our sources may conflict.
My source says that atheist means one who believes that there isn't a God.
I am just looking to be persuaded that there is no God.
Very few people here hold that position, so you might be barking up the wrong tree.
Thanks!
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RE: Can you persuade me from Agnostic to Atheist?
May 19, 2016 at 5:11 pm
(This post was last modified: May 19, 2016 at 5:11 pm by Jackalope.)
(May 19, 2016 at 4:57 pm)AgnosticMan123 Wrote: My source says that atheist means one who believes that there isn't a God.
My source says that atheist means one who likes blueberry waffles.
You'll forgive me if I don't take some unnamed source seriously.
(May 19, 2016 at 4:57 pm)AgnosticMan123 Wrote: I am just looking to be persuaded that there is no God.
Why?
What makes you think anyone is capable of doing such a thing?
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RE: Can you persuade me from Agnostic to Atheist?
May 19, 2016 at 5:12 pm
(May 19, 2016 at 4:01 pm)AgnosticMan123 Wrote: (May 19, 2016 at 2:55 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: The bolded sentence is the definition of an atheist.
But hey, nobody can force you to call yourself anything; you can use whatever label you feel comfortable with. It's just that when you're talking about the concepts and ideas behind the words it's important to be clear. From the words that you've used, I would call you an agnostic atheist (like most people here). That means you don't accept the claim "A god exists" but you also DONT make the claim "A god does not exist." Maybe it comes down to your source.
My source says they (atheist and agnostic) are two different things.
I want to be convinced totally that there is not a God.
Some around here will say they are convinced, whether or not they are able to convince you. Most are also agnostic. Some are ignostic, thinking the term "god" really needs to be pinned down before we can make sense of any propositions in regard to it. I'm far more interested in making sense of what about the term has held so many enthralled for so long than I am of dissuading anyone. I don't really care what you believe, hopefully it matters to you though.
Given what many Christians seem to believe, I can tell you I definitely don't think that exists. Don't know it, so I'm still agnostic, but I positively don't think that the universe was popped out of nothing and determined to be just as we find by any mega-omni cosmic watch maker. Nor do I think "god" could be anything apart from you/us. I can attach a meaning, but what I understand the term as referring to never satisfies any Christians I've met.
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