RE: God Became a Mirage
March 21, 2009 at 2:47 am
(This post was last modified: March 21, 2009 at 2:58 am by Edward.)
(March 20, 2009 at 4:47 pm)Kyuuketsuki Wrote: Ed mate, you're gonna have to stop believing the crap those damned theists have been filling your head with ... atheism isn't a philosophy, it's what you are when you stop believing in god or gods.
I think that's the technical definition, but I think it's safe to say there is an "atheist culture," if you will. I'm not brainwashed by the fundies on this, I can see it for myself. I've read lots of books by the gurus of atheism. But, you are right, atheism in its strictest definition is simply not believing that God exists.
Quote:My answer would be nothing without good reason (and that always means solid, reproducible evidence).
Good luck finding that in the more speculative sciences. For instance, most people I know believe there is likely to be other life forms on other planets somewhere in the universe. There is, to date, 0 evidence to support that. In fact, all the evidence that we have so far says there is no other life anywhere except on earth. Most people would believe Hitler was a murderer when there is no evidence he killed anyone but himself. Most people believe Charlie Manson is a murderer, when there is no evidence that he actually killed anyone in his life.
My point is, that we all believe lots of things without good reason. We have to or we'll go insane with fear (e.g., we believe when we go to the video store we will survive the trip, again 0 evidence).
I believe my theory of reality is true, but as of yet, I have no reproduceable evidence, but I hope to have it some day, perhaps in the form of an equation, perhaps in the form of thought experiments or a prediction from a theory that comes true.
(March 20, 2009 at 5:09 pm)Demonaura Wrote: As far as asking what is it I don't beleive in, the list is infinite. God is just a word, used by many people with diferent definitions. I try not to define it myself, let the people who beleive in their god define their beleifs and then I'll say whether or not I accept those beleifs.
I agree
Quote:If you must have an answer, the christian god, the god of the jews and Allah I do not beleive in. I do not see anything that would cause me to think there is a personal god of any kind.
I suppose I'm 180 out from that. I consider nature to be monistic. That is, I consider everything to really be only one thing, one substance. So, I'm God, you're God, my calculator is God, etc. And it's because of that super-personal view of nature that I do not believe in the God of Christianity, et al. In fact, I don't even like the word "God" at all. Just to say the word implies a dualism (that is that there is for instance material and spiritual, or that there is God and apart from Him is man, or as I define it that there is nothing in-between separate entities that exist), and dualism is impossible. IMHO.
Quote:If you would suggest there could be a god that does not interact with us personally, he created the universe and let it run it's course, observing. Sure, there totally could be but, in that case it doesn't affect me. Someday maybe scientific study will reveal this god, and it will be very interesting to learn about it but, if we never discovered this god we could not be affected any less.
True. A deistic God simply leaves us without a God that is in anyway meaningful to us. It's also the worst form of dualism.
Quote:In the end it comes down to the burden of proof. I'm not claiming anything, I'm hearing other tell me theres a man in the sky watching me pee and I'm saying 'prove it'.
I agree with you.
Quote:I will concede that I am more militaristic about it than needed, I see people living their lives for something that from my view does not exist. I see life as a very wonderful thing and it's almost painful to see a life squandered. It's their choice to do what they want with their life but, I also never claimed that I was being fair in encouraging people to grow towards my way of thinking.
What do you mean, militaristic?
