There is no God.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

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I believe there is no God. Atheism is usually not stated this way, to avoid the burden of proof, and granted that is a fair point I see no reason to shudder the burden.

I treat god the same way I treat a lot of things I do not believe in-- I don't go to any lengths to disprove something that I spent decades searching for and never found, so I live my life as if there are no gods. If someone claims to have found god that's fine. If he can show me this god, that'd be great. If he says god can't be demonstrated that way, then I shrug my shoulders and wonder if there's any peanut butter in the fridge. As long as that guy isn't telling me I have to live by his god's rules, we're good.

We will never disprove god in the sense of being able to search everywhere and say "see? Nothing here!" This past week I watched The Inexplicable Universe with Neil deGrasse Tyson and one of the points he makes repeatedly is that there is a great deal about the universe we simply do not know, and there is a lot we know we don't know, and there is a lot we know we won't know for some time and that we may never know. So there will always be spaces for believers to tuck god into and keep him out of the reach of everyone else.

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And if one of those gods finally comes out of hiding, I'll become a theist again.

Be careful, it just might be a smart space alien with a bagful of fancy tricks. Gideon was fooled by wet and dry fleece.

[Bibliofagus]

Huh? That was a genuine question. How would one go about taking money without seeing it, touching it etc?

It's around the corner. As soon as you decide to take it and walk around the corner it's there. You have to be bothered to walk around the corner. It won't come around the corner to you. Just like in this reality... money can't walk.

Okay... I'm confused now. Omnigod can't walk around the corner himself? Or is it just that he can't be bothered to do so?

And I have another question. Your analogy is meant to say you just have to look for your god and he will reveal himself right?

[FatAndFaithless]

It's around the corner. As soon as you decide to take it and walk around the corner it's there. You have to be bothered to walk around the corner. It won't come around the corner to you. Just like in this reality... money can't walk.

Okay... I'm confused now. Omnigod can't walk around the corner himself? Or is it just that he can't be bothered to do so?

And I have another question. Your analogy is meant to say you just have to look for your god and he will reveil himself right?

You're gonna end up asking more and more questions, heh. Like I told Frodo earlier, his analogy is oversimple and lazy.

[fr0d0]

It's around the corner. As soon as you decide to take it and walk around the corner it's there. You have to be bothered to walk around the corner. It won't come around the corner to you. Just like in this reality... money can't walk.

Another sloppy conflation. Turning the corner accomplishes both verifying the money is real and you obtaining the money.

Just like believing in God then

[FatAndFaithless]

Another sloppy conflation. Turning the corner accomplishes both verifying the money is real and you obtaining the money.

Just like believing in God then

No. Believing in something is not evidence for the thing you believe in.

[fr0d0]

Okay... I'm confused now. Omnigod can't walk around the corner himself? Or is it just that he can't be bothered to do so?

And I have another question. Your analogy is meant to say you just have to look for your god and he will reveal himself right?

Omnigod can do what he likes. But yeah, in the other 99.9r cases you have to do the leg work. Seek find n all that.

#2 yep

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Believing in something is not evidence for the thing you believe in.

I agree.

Evidence of the promises made (the $1000000) are confirmation.

[Bibliofagus]

Okay... I'm confused now. Omnigod can't walk around the corner himself? Or is it just that he can't be bothered to do so?

And I have another question. Your analogy is meant to say you just have to look for your god and he will reveal himself right?

Omnigod can do what he likes. But yeah, in the other 99.9r cases you have to do the leg work. Seek find n all that.

#2 yep

Thank you.
Would this leg work have to be very specific? I mean: would a person who never heard about your god be able to find him? Another christian poster (Lek) said he believed this to be possible.

To use your analogy: The million dollars - if they are legal tender - would have specific numbers on them. Each bill. Would I be required to just believe there is 'a' million dollars there? Or should I have a preconception about which specific bills are there? Or even how many? What about denominations?

[FatAndFaithless]

Okay... I'm confused now. Omnigod can't walk around the corner himself? Or is it just that he can't be bothered to do so?

And I have another question. Your analogy is meant to say you just have to look for your god and he will reveal himself right?

Omnigod can do what he likes. But yeah, in the other 99.9r cases you have to do the leg work. Seek find n all that.

#2 yep

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Believing in something is not evidence for the thing you believe in.

I agree.

Evidence of the promises made (the $1000000) are confirmation.

Evidence of the million dollars is only present when we are able to see or examine the million dollars. You can't do anything like that for God.

[fr0d0]

Omnigod can do what he likes. But yeah, in the other 99.9r cases you have to do the leg work. Seek find n all that.

#2 yep

Thank you.
Would this leg work have to be very specific? I mean: would a person who never heard about your god be able to find him? Another christian poster (Lek) said he believed this to be possible.

To use your analogy: The million dollars - if they are legal tender - would have specific numbers on them. Each bill. Would I be required to just believe there is 'a' million dollars there? Or should I have a preconception about which specific bills are there? Or even how many? What about denominations?

Yes I agree with lek and I've said before... I think it's actually biblical (just don't ask me to find it ). It wouldn't be impossible to achieve an equal status in Gods eyes totally ignorant of religion.

I think it's a straight million dollars with no more information than that. Like a blind lottery

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Evidence of the million dollars is only present when we are able to see or examine the million dollars. You can't do anything like that for God.

Not with God no. But that was never promised. Only the million dollars was promised. That happy feeling you got... That was because goddidit

[Bibliofagus]

What use is your bible then?