Faith is a measure of irrationality

[Esquilax]

So then..... how do you make the argument: "there is NO God"?

Generally speaking, most of us don't. But we do point out that you have no evidence in favor of god, let alone your specific flavor of god; that's entirely consistent with a position that accepts possibilities without accepting things as true without evidence.

In your own example there is more support in favor of Him!

"Things is big, therefore god"? Seriously?

As I've said many times here: "[If there is a God] does He not get to make the rules?"

It doesn't follow that he gets to make the rules just because he is god. I don't know about you,but I live in a democracy, and more importantly, I live in a society where authority is earned and can be taken away if it is misused. Why should god get an exemption?

No. You guys only have part of the picture. Only a postage stamp portion of a universe sized tapestry! It's like the monkey that will rip his own hand raw trying to get an apple into his cage.... when all he need do is put the apple to the bars and bite!

You all need to stop thinking like men. And think more like God!

If you have more of the picture you should be able to demonstrate it, rather than just asserting your own lofty superiority.

[ThomM]

Whats stopping YOU from helping them? Even a few?

That's an evasion as you well know. What I do is irrelevant to a discussion on faith and prayers.

Can you answer the question? Why does he answer your prayers and not their prayers. I suspect a goodly number of those people prayed. Why does he answer our prayers for first world luxuries, apparently with great consistency, and not theirs for enough food to live? Do you think perhaps they're not praying hard enough?

Prayer has already been determined to be NONSENSE - and has no proven effect beyond that of chance.

Theists like to point to Individuals and single experiences as evidence of the effect of prayer - but when you total up ALL the people who pray for something - and then add up those who get it - the numbers for pure chance are equal to that of prayer.

The reason why people like that do not accept the challenge to pray for others - is that they KNOW that nothing will happen.

Over the years - so called pious religious people have prayed for the end to war -the end to disease - and lots of other LOGICAL things, and the excuse you get from the theists is that god will only do in accordance with his will that does not affect the free will of the recipient.

SO - tell them to pray for the end of sexual and physical abuse of Babies infants - and children not yet old enough to have reached the age of reason.
Since they are not old enough to have reached the age of reason -THEIR personal free will does not enter into the acts. (They do not choose to be abused) And certainly - no ALL LOVING god would be in favor of physical and sexual abuse of young children as being a part of its will. ANd yet - when you pray for that - nothing happens.

Makes you wonder why a commandment against rape isn't in the top ten.

[The Grand Nudger]

Because god doesn't want to interfere with the free will of the rapist/abuser. The perpetrators right-to-victimize is more important than the victims wellbeing.

Douche-move god...douche-move.

[GrandizerII]

Fancy answering my question Ron? How come God answers your prayers but not the prayers of 26000 people a day who starve to death. Too busy helping first world folk find car keys or win at sports or does he like you better than the people who starve?

Whats stopping YOU from helping them? Even a few?

What's stopping God from helping them? Why put the responsibility on puny humans instead of on an almighty being like God?

[The Grand Nudger]

It's not my fault that I'm a parasite...and it's not my fault that food doesn't just jump into my mouth. Any problems people have with regards to those two issues are problems not of their own making - we are all born into them. Who might have set that little shell game up Ron? I want to make this very clear. The only thing that this sort of food chain setup absolutely will garuantee is that some organisms will starve. If one were going to build a system to achieve a goal - starvation is the goal most readily achieved by "our" system. So when a christian says something unfortunate like "why don't you help those people then" I can't help but think

"Because I'm busy trying not to starve at this roulette wheel your god, apparently, set up - myself." You see, I do not, personally, have the means or ability to help them. Who might?

[Undeceived]

Certainly we do not know for sure if life exists elsewhere in the universe, but considering all the atoms that came from the big bang are everywhere it should not shock us at all. Not to mention like you said, the sheer size would make it a likelihood.

May I call that faith? Can faith be defined as “believing what is likely, but not confirmed” or am I taking too much liberty?

[The Grand Nudger]

More accurately, believing what one determines to be likely, but not confirmed. Probably wouldn't be a huge stretch, imo. Don't think that it would always apply, but as a definition of faith.... :hands up: I don't think that such a definition would really imply that brians statement was one of faith, but meh.

[Esquilax]

May I call that faith? Can faith be defined as “believing what is likely, but not confirmed” or am I taking too much liberty?

One thing worth noting is that, in this case, nobody is believing anything, we're just not excluding the possibility based on the evidence at hand. I suppose in some way we're believing in the possibility, but that's not saying very much, and if that is faith, it's not exactly comparable to religious faith.

[Tonus]

I'll answer for you... that you would indeed do it again! The next time you got all green lights again! And most EVERYTIME you went that way you got "mostly" green lights!

1. Would you go back to your old route?
2. Would you sit down and analyze the "real" reasons why?
3. Would you keep going that way?

It seems as if you are admitting that when you experience something that seems miraculous, you deliberately avoid trying to understand what "really" happened, preferring instead to assume that god interceded on your behalf. Isn't that a form of self-deception? Wouldn't you want to know why something good or bad happened to you or to someone you know? You cannot seriously be advocating for willful ignorance as a way of guiding your decision-making!

[GrandizerII]

Certainly we do not know for sure if life exists elsewhere in the universe, but considering all the atoms that came from the big bang are everywhere it should not shock us at all. Not to mention like you said, the sheer size would make it a likelihood.

May I call that faith? Can faith be defined as “believing what is likely, but not confirmed” or am I taking too much liberty?

Yeah, you're free to call that faith, so long as you understand the key distinction between this sort of faith and the faith that Christians and other religious often defend and justify.

By the way, I think it's pretty much been confirmed in many ways and yet to be falsified. Which is why we say it is likely as well. I don't think we could ever say, for most cases at least, that something's been absolutely 100% confirmed to be true.