RE: Does a God exist?
July 5, 2016 at 5:06 pm
(This post was last modified: July 5, 2016 at 5:28 pm by pocaracas.)
(July 5, 2016 at 4:15 pm)SteveII Wrote: First, every belief you hold, you 'chose' to believe it.Steve, my boy... you are wrong:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotheology
https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_sherme...anguage=en
First, you intuitively believe, then you consciously acknowledge that belief.... your "choosing to believe" purports to this second stage... or some other that comes later.
(July 5, 2016 at 4:15 pm)SteveII Wrote: The NT contains multiple attestations of miracles and it is clear that the early church (before any books of the NT were even written) believed them to have happened as well (that would be 2 separate bodies of evidence even before you break the NT into 27 separate documents). I don't have any reason to think they are lying, so I believe they happened, therefore I believe there is evidence for the existence of God.The NT delves in circular logic there, wouldn't you think?
Here's a marvelous tale that happened.... And here's the tale of the people who believed in the marvelous tale.
Certainly, no reason to think they'd be lying... -.-'
Specially, when you know that "the early church" was no such thing... I think Minimalist will eventually lecture you on that, but [spoiler alert] it was mostly made up in the second century [/spoiler alert].
Sure... there were Essenes in the first century who may have seen their long awaited Teacher arisen in the person of Jesus... (note the "may" - there's nothing of consequence written about this).
(July 5, 2016 at 4:15 pm)SteveII Wrote: Why do you 'chose to believe' that the 1) the early church held false beliefs and later 2) the 8 authors of the NT claimed to have knowledge that they did not have? You just admitted it has nothing to do with whether miracles happened or not (because then your argument would be circular).
Tell me, did the authors of the Vedas claim to have knowledge that they didn't really have?
Did the authors of the Egyptian book of the dead claim to have knowledge that they didn't have?
(should I go on for other authors of other religious texts from other religions?.... I'm sure I can come up with a few... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_text)
Did/do they all hold false beliefs? How shocking!!
