(July 11, 2012 at 6:26 pm)MysticKnight Wrote: It's not a loaded question as far I can tell.
The question was, "is it true that you believe there is no God?"
Answer: Yes: You are acknowledging that you affirm the nonexistence of God(s).
Answer: No: Will be taken to mean that you aren't an atheist, as a categorical error on the part of the questioner.
You're right, it isn't truly a loaded question, but the understanding of the questioner in the field that he is asking about is so limited that it might as well be a true loaded question. Just because you can answer "no" truthfully doesn't make it any more appealing, because if I were to answer "no" I would have to go on a long-winded diatribe about how belief that there is no God =/= lack of belief in God.
He has been making this mistake for as long as he has been on the forums, so I don't expect any sudden enlightenment during this line of questioning.
My conclusion is that there is no reason to believe any of the dogmas of traditional theology and, further, that there is no reason to wish that they were true.
Man, in so far as he is not subject to natural forces, is free to work out his own destiny. The responsibility is his, and so is the opportunity.
-Bertrand Russell
Man, in so far as he is not subject to natural forces, is free to work out his own destiny. The responsibility is his, and so is the opportunity.
-Bertrand Russell
