(July 3, 2012 at 3:08 am)fr0d0 Wrote:(July 2, 2012 at 7:07 pm)Creed of Heresy Wrote: Oh please, Fr0dz, drop the "you don't believe just because you don't understand" argument, that one got old years ago. It got old back when I actually DID believe. The very thing that drove me most from being a believer was having far too many questions, and far too few satisfactory answers. Oh there ARE answers, sure...and they all sound half-assed and far too convenient. The problem with religion is that it tries to simplify everything into the contexts of black and white, and in life there is very little black and white; virtually everything, not literally, but virtually, is in shades of grey. Plus there's the fact that if you look through the bible and any other religious texts AFTER you take off the rose-tinted glasses it all suddenly starts betraying its man-made tendencies. I understand perfectly. It is not a decision I came to because "atheism is cool" or some garbage or because I am a rebellious individual or whatnot, it's a decision I reached because reconciliation is simply not possible. I chose to become religious at a young age. It was not forced nor even introduced to me. I willingly pursued it. I wasn't indoctrinated into it, I pursued it on my own accord. But after accumulated weeks of time of reading through the bible, asking questions of ministers, fellow adherents, even bishops of the Catholic church, the answers I got were always unsatisfactory.
Yes. I understand. I probably understand far better than you, in fact, which is precisely why I don't believe.
You seem to have taken that too personally Creed. How can you be uncommitted to something you fully understand? Are you uncommitted to your current stance? I presume not, and that your current stance represents your best understanding. Or you are the first to declare Cognitive Dissonance as your atheistic stance that I'm aware of. Or does Non Cognitivist cover that??
Curious. So, your position is that even though one fully understands the consequences of eating shit, one should nonetheless eat shit.

Quote:(July 2, 2012 at 6:29 pm)Norfolk And Chance Wrote: The thing is, how do you tell the difference between an existent deity that is not empirically testable, and a non existent deity?There you go banging your head against your own wall of empiricism. It stops you thinking.
You can't.
There you go, N&C, banging your head against your own wall of honesty. Things are so much easier for pathological liars like frodo, who make up whatever shit they like whenever they want.
Quote:(July 2, 2012 at 6:29 pm)Norfolk And Chance Wrote: We can only establish something is true by demonstrating it, by examining it's properties and effects, in reality.So my belief in God effects my actions. Explain.
Yes, your delusional belief has contributed to and aggravated your being an insufferable, arrogant, asinine pathological liar. We can see that you are indeed delusional and that it makes you even more of an asshole.
Quote:N&C is analyzing the data and drawing conclusions from it. You reject reality and wallow in superstition and self-delusion. Sad.(July 2, 2012 at 6:29 pm)Norfolk And Chance Wrote: Faith, that's all Frodo has. Faith is nothing.There you go adding in your own fantasies again. Like I said, stick to the topic and we can discuss it.