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RE: I’m an atheist. So why can’t I shake God?
February 4, 2016 at 11:07 pm
(This post was last modified: February 4, 2016 at 11:11 pm by Simon Moon.)
(February 4, 2016 at 10:10 pm)athrock Wrote: Is it possible that God gave us brains that are pre-wired for receptivity to His existence to make it easier for us to believe in Him?
If a god is responsible, he/she/it/they sure did a lousy job. Because along with this "God Believing Module" in our brains:
1. he gave us the ability to study the brain, and get to the technological point where it looks a lot like faith based beliefs are just a side effect of our how our brains are constructed. Why would he design the "GBM" to look just like a natural process?
2. he made it too easy for the vast majority of his creation, for the "God Believing Module" to be associated with the "wrong god" based almost entirely on geography. Why would he design the "GBM" to be so easily lead astray?
3. he made it too easy to investigate the other god claims, and to determine that they are not supported by demonstrable evidence, reasoned argument and valid/sound logic, and to completely override the "GBM".
Not very convincing to those of us with a modicum of critical thinking skills. Which he should have also been able to tell would make it very easy to bypass the "GBM".
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
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RE: I’m an atheist. So why can’t I shake God?
February 4, 2016 at 11:11 pm
(February 4, 2016 at 10:55 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: @OP
Why the deceptive thread title? a) you aren't an atheist, and b) someone who "can't shake God" is pretty much by definition not one either.
Yeah, clickbait is the only reason I came in here myself; just to see if the OP had a deconversion or something. I want my money back.
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: I’m an atheist. So why can’t I shake God?
February 4, 2016 at 11:15 pm
(February 4, 2016 at 10:27 pm)SnakeOilWarrior Wrote: To answer your questions:
1. Our societies, not evolution, have embedded the god idea in our communal psyche.
Good point. Which is why we were, in the earliest stages of mankind, animists rather than traditional theists, if not mistaken.
Correct me guys if this is not accurate.
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RE: I’m an atheist. So why can’t I shake God?
February 4, 2016 at 11:16 pm
(February 4, 2016 at 10:55 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: @OP
Why the deceptive thread title? a) you aren't an atheist, and b) someone who "can't shake God" is pretty much by definition not one either.
But, it is a christer... We know how deceptive they can be in their crusades.
Thief and assassin for hire. Member in good standing of the Rogues Guild.
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RE: I’m an atheist. So why can’t I shake God?
February 4, 2016 at 11:18 pm
(February 4, 2016 at 10:10 pm)athrock Wrote: Turns out it's pretty hard to believe in nothing when your psyche is wired for faith.[...]
Yeah - it's pretty hard to not masturbate in public, like a retarded monkey, when your junk is right there - within the reach of your hand. Most of us manage, though, thank you very much.
It's hard to "shake" god, because dumb c*nts force that idea on little children and things that you learn then are the basis of all your knowledge. If you tell something horrific and traumatic to kids - chances are they will remember that for the rest of their lives. Similarly, when priests rape kids - that's hard to "shake" too. Even if in later life you're not raped by clergy so much anymore...
"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one." - George Bernard Shaw
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RE: I’m an atheist. So why can’t I shake God?
February 4, 2016 at 11:24 pm
(February 4, 2016 at 10:10 pm)athrock Wrote: Turns out it's pretty hard to believe in nothing when your psyche is wired for faith.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/postevery...age%2Fcard
After reading the article, my questions are:
Why on God's green earth is the human brain wired for faith when our development is the result of purely evolutionary processes with no supreme being involved at all?
Is it possible that God gave us brains that are pre-wired for receptivity to His existence to make it easier for us to believe in Him?
It's hard to be smart when you are wired to be an idiot. But as an idiot, you are in no position to reliably judge why you were wired as an idiot.
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RE: I’m an atheist. So why can’t I shake God?
February 4, 2016 at 11:27 pm
Mammals and birds appear pre-wired for superstition. Basically, it's connection bias. It's why people who are more religious are also more likely to believe in UFO visitations, ESP, precognition, reincarnation, mass conspiracies, and a variety of other unproven things. Do you think you're purposely wired to believe in UFO visitations? How about quack medical remedies? I'm sure we are wired that way, just not for anything's purpose.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
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RE: I’m an atheist. So why can’t I shake God?
February 4, 2016 at 11:27 pm
(February 4, 2016 at 10:10 pm)athrock Wrote: Turns out it's pretty hard to believe in nothing when your psyche is wired for faith.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/postevery...age%2Fcard
After reading the article, my questions are:
Why on God's green earth is the human brain wired for faith when our development is the result of purely evolutionary processes with no supreme being involved at all?
Is it possible that God gave us brains that are pre-wired for receptivity to His existence to make it easier for us to believe in Him?
Is it possible for you to frame your question in a manner that doesn't assume what it wishes to evidence?
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RE: I’m an atheist. So why can’t I shake God?
February 4, 2016 at 11:28 pm
(This post was last modified: February 4, 2016 at 11:36 pm by scoobysnack.)
(February 4, 2016 at 10:10 pm)athrock Wrote: Turns out it's pretty hard to believe in nothing when your psyche is wired for faith.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/postevery...age%2Fcard
After reading the article, my questions are:
Why on God's green earth is the human brain wired for faith when our development is the result of purely evolutionary processes with no supreme being involved at all?
Is it possible that God gave us brains that are pre-wired for receptivity to His existence to make it easier for us to believe in Him?
I'd say that our consciousness is meant to interact in this carnal reality of the animals we evolved from in the earthbound realm we understand as earth and reality that our five senses can perceive, so we still have that in our dna. There's information that experience of our ancestors still live with us. Our subconsciousness is more what connects us to our higher selves and the collective consciousness. Then there is the id as well. Really evolution was done so to allow the souls in the spiritual realm to inhabit so they could continue to evolve in a new experience we call reality, but earth is just a playground for us to learn.
Everyone has the connection, but many turn it off because although it encompasses this realm, it's outside our five senses, so it seems more natural to some to ignore it and adopt the perception of the senses.
God and the soul and spiritual realm is real, but while here we have a veil of ignorance put over our eyes to forget where we came from so we can learn without being hindered by our past experiences, but they still live with our subconscious. We are hear to explore possibilities with our free will, and learn through our experiences which can't be done in the spiritual realm without a physical body. For example, two beings can't meet from what I've seen yet to create a new being in the spiritual realm as that can only be done by the creator. Here in the physical world, we can unite as male and female in love and create a new child for a soul to inhabit and teach our lessons learned, and love that child and help it grow to go on to create more opportunities to learn for other souls. Earth is a place for souls to visit and learn and grow and interact with all.
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RE: I’m an atheist. So why can’t I shake God?
February 4, 2016 at 11:30 pm
(February 4, 2016 at 11:28 pm)scoobysnack Wrote: (February 4, 2016 at 10:10 pm)athrock Wrote: Turns out it's pretty hard to believe in nothing when your psyche is wired for faith.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/postevery...age%2Fcard
After reading the article, my questions are:
Why on God's green earth is the human brain wired for faith when our development is the result of purely evolutionary processes with no supreme being involved at all?
Is it possible that God gave us brains that are pre-wired for receptivity to His existence to make it easier for us to believe in Him?
I'd say that our consciousness is meant to interact in this carnal reality of the animals we evolved from in the earthbound realm we understand as earth and reality that our five senses can perceive, so we still have that in our dna. There's information that experience of our ancestors still live with us. Our subconsciousness is more what connects us to our higher selves and the collective consciousness. Then there is the id as well. Really evolution was done so to allow the souls in the spiritual realm to inhabit so they could continue to evolve in a new experience we call reality, but this is just a playground for us to learn.
Everyone has the connection, but many turn it off because although it encompasses this realm, it's outside our five senses, so it seems more natural to some to ignore it and adopt the perception of the senses.
God and the soul and spiritual realm is real, but while here we have a veil of ignorance put over our eyes to forget where we came from so we can learn without being hindered by our past. We are hear to explore possibilities with our free will, and learn through our experiences which can't be done in the spiritual realm without a physical body. For example, two beings can't meet from what I've seen yet to create a new being in the spiritual realm as that can only be done by the creator. Here in the physical world, we can unite as male and female in love and create a new child for a soul to inhabit and teach our lessons learned, and love that child and help it grow to go on to create more opportunities to learn for other souls. Earth is a place for souls to visit and learn and grow and interact with all.
Yes you would say that, and probably believe it too, but on what evidence?
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
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