Soldat Du Christ Wrote:Alright self-proclaimed athiests, this is where your integrity is put into question. As some of you will so valiantly declair nuetrality, the default position being a lack of belief in god, rather than being closed off to the possibility.
Taking that stance will leave you inlcined to be open to the supernatural, as the very idea of God implies supernatural. This isn't a 'GOTCHA' question, i have a following proposition.
So, are you open to supernatural evidence?
If ghosts were proven real, I would reconsider my position on other supernatural/paranormal claims in light of that. That said, there are atheists who believe in ghosts, but not in gods. If I were convinced in the existence of ghosts in a way that I considered valid but couldn't prove to others; say by personal experience that compelled belief; I would probably give other such claims a slightly higher probability of being true...but I wouldn't try to convince others my experience was real if I knew I couldn't back it up. It wouldn't be reasonable to expect rational people who haven't been similarly convinced to believe me, in fact, they shouldn't.
Here's the thing about ghosts and gods: the line between them is blurry. If I knew that ghosts of great power exist, that could be evidence for 'small g' gods. Say a ghost haunts a village. The locals make offerings to appease it and spend time worshipping it. It is capable of bestowing good or bad fortune and warning it against attacks and disasters. How would it not be a 'small g god'?
I'm not anti-Christian. I'm anti-stupid.