(July 29, 2015 at 11:47 am)Redbeard The Pink Wrote:(July 29, 2015 at 10:55 am)lkingpinl Wrote: And here is the impasse because the theist will argue the same for those holding an atheistic perspective. There was another thread on here (trying to find it) about how people became an atheist and the vast majority was because of the church or the indoctrination, etc mostly emotion based reasons. Our emotional preference has no bearing on what is true and real.
In all honesty and seriousness, emotion had practically nothing to do with my de-conversion. I was at a comfortable, happy place in life, and there was no tumult going on that was making me angry or causing me to question. I stopped calling myself a christian for the same reason I stopped calling myself a Republican in college: the evidence added up until I was no longer able to logically or morally defend my position, so I realized my position needed to change based on the evidence at hand. For me, the final straw was when I tripped over convincing evidence of the Christ Myth theory. When I realized that the claims for historicity were based on such bad arguments and evidence, and then stepped back and realized that ALL of it is based on the same terrible arguments and evidence, I just couldn't do it any more. Logic is what de-converted me, not emotion. I can't speak for anyone else.
The simple fact is that regardless of which is actually true, atheism is logical, while theism is not. Until further evidence (of the empirical, peer-reviewable kind) surfaces, that is completely true. Even if some atheists are atheists because of emotional reasons, their position of belief is still more logically sound than any theist because theism is unreasonable and illogical.
So I have a question. Let's assume atheism is indeed true. Would it not follow that each person finds their own meaning and purpose? If I find that meaning in believing there is a Flying Spaghetti Monster that created us all, does that not satisfy the existential search for meaning? Why then do you devote days and hours posting on a bulletin board to prove there is no FSM? That person finds their meaning just the same as you do. You can call them a quack and move on. Why are you looking for empirical evidence of this FSM? Is it because you are searching for an ultimate meaning?
Theism is unreasonable and illogical, ok so essentially they are crazy and akin to "believing" in the tooth fairy for which there is no evidence only stories. Correct? What does it say about someone who continues to try and have the "crazy" people prove to them that their fantasies are real? Do you really desire to be crazy as well?
We are not made happy by what we acquire but by what we appreciate.