(May 13, 2011 at 11:59 pm)SleepingDemon Wrote: That was my attempt at satire :-p It seems to me that agnosticism is simply the safe position in most cases. I have a friend who is agnostic because he simply doesn't care either way. I get that. While some people see religion as a massive threat to civilization, I don't, I simply think it is beneath us. I choose atheism as I feel I can move forward having completely dismissed the idea. Diffidus has made several posts where it appears he is torn on the subject, I antagonized him as I felt he needs to confront it and move on.
@diffidus. You still haven't addressed my point that if we are to remain agnostic in regards to supreme beings, we would have to do the same with all mythology, with every creature or being created by man. We would have to take cryptozoologists seriously as scientists because they take a video camera into the wilderness looking to prove Bigfoot is real. We can only speculate the probable, the possible is far too vast. Lines have to be drawn, especially when laws are built around mythological beings. People go to prison in Iran for summoning genies. We have to outgrow this nonsense.
@SleepingDemon
Religion, seems to me, to be on a different footing to some of the examples you are using. I feel safe in the notion that pink unicorns do not exist on earth, no rational person would claim otherwise. But some other examples, such as telepathy, seem incredibly low in probability, but I cannot claim to know it is impossible - I keep a sceptical but open mind.
However, religions are much more widely spread and are believed by millions of people around the world. While this does not make them true, it certainly is a distinguishing feature from the examples you quote. As for evidence, what evidence is there for most historical events - usually historical writings that were written by the victors in some clash - such as the Anglo Saxon chronicles. If you take Christianity, as an example, and ask what is the evidence that there was a great preacher who died on a cross and who was ressurected? The answer is the Gospels, which are supposedly a collection of accounts of the events in Christ's life. Do I believe the Gospels? - Not Really. Can I state that they are definitely fiction? Again - not really. If I am to be truly courageous, I have to admit, I just don't have sufficient knowledge to rule out the fact that thay could be true. I say courageous, because it is a most uncomfortable position to be in, since every Human Being would prefer to be in a mental state of resolution. It is really difficult to stay on track with the facts, with actuality as it really is.
