The stupidity of sin

[emjay]

So you think Rhythm just sat down one day and arbitrarily decided to make it a fact to himself that Bees mate? It doesn't work like that. More likely his original belief was a generalisation/stereotype of some sort which hadn't been questioned until his next statement triggered some information to contradict it, and then he facepalmed as it clicked.

Since when is "randomness" a prerequisite for belief?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belief

Belief is the state of mind in which a person thinks something to be the case, with or without there being empirical evidence to prove that something is the case with factual certainty.

The above describes the two examples I presented to a tee.

What randomness? Don't tell me you don't know what a stereotype is and how inaccurate they can be? But they still constitute your 'knowledge' of a subject until you dig deeper.

[The Grand Nudger]

All of this nipple twisting, Huggy, but none of it has granted me any new ability to choose what I do and don't believe.

[The Grand Nudger]

Thanks again, for this discussion though, wherein you voluntarily make me the -only- expert, on whether or not you're full of shit.  No matter how long or how hard you argue, you'll always be full of shit, and do you know why? Because I'll always be the person who gets to say;

"Wait, wait a minute, he's done it, he argued a new ability into me!  I can totally choose to believe he's full of shit now."

or

"Nope, still full of shit, because I still can't choose to believe otherwise."

[emjay]

Thanks again, for this discussion though, wherein you voluntarily make me the -only- expert, on whether or not you're full of shit.  No matter how long or how hard you argue, you'll always be full of shit, and do you know why?  Because I'll always be the person who gets to say;

"Wait, wait a minute, he's done it, he argued a new ability into me!  I can totally choose to believe he's full of shit now."

or

"Nope, still full of shit, because I still can't choose to believe otherwise."

So this discussion's been going on a long time then? He said he's got a special place for you in his heart, but just watch out you don't end up a lampshade, if he's as much obsessed with you as he seems to be with that Denmark business. I haven't met him until now but my stereotype of him is simply Denmark, and sure enough, up came the subject.

[The Grand Nudger]

So this discussion's been going on a long time then?

In his head or mine....lol?  Yeah, he's been obsessed with me ever since correcting my misconception regarding bee reproduction shitcanned his own deeply held belief in numerology.

[emjay]

So this discussion's been going on a long time then?

In his head or mine....lol?  Yeah, he's been obsessed with me ever since correcting my misconception regarding bee reproduction shitcanned his own deeply held belief in numerology.

I hear you I hope you're okay... that shit can wear you down. Fuck him. I know all I need to know about him now from this thread, and I'll be giving him a wide berth.

[KevinM1]

So this discussion's been going on a long time then?

In his head or mine....lol?  Yeah, he's been obsessed with me ever since correcting my misconception regarding bee reproduction shitcanned his own deeply held belief in numerology.

Watch out! He may summon UFO-angels to go after you!

[robvalue]

My point still stands, in that belief is not a free choice. You can't choose to gain or drop a belief, just because you want to. There has to be some sort of reason. So it's quite possible this reason is never supplied, throughout your whole life, no matter how much you may search for it.

You can choose to review evidence, you can choose to talk to people who disagree. You can choose to spend your life studying a subject, to see if it changes your opinion. But ultimately, it may not. I've chosen to talk to many theists and to listen to their arguments and "evidence". I've found none of it convincing even in the slightest, and I can't simply chose to find it convincing.

If none of the evidence ever presented by anyone is sufficient to change my belief in Jesus, or whatever is required, that's not my conscious choice. It means me and the evidence don't mesh. If I'm to be punished for that, God is an idiot, looking for ways to justify his judgements to himself. He knows what would convince me, and he's choosing not to supply it. I've searched, believe me. I actively enjoy reviewing new evidence and arguments. It's just they never arrive. It's the same dozen or so warmed over fallacious arguments. You see, it doesn't matter to me whether there is a god or not anyway. I don't care, it's just scientific curiosity. I have no emotional reason for disbelief.

I still don't see how sin is simply unbelief. The bible is full of descriptions of other sins, and of course, there's original sin: the most disgusting concept I think I've ever heard of.

Analogies with human parents always fail hard because human parents are bound by limited powers and resources. They must make compromises. A God has no need.

[Huggy Bear]

If you choose to believe your point still stands, have at it.

[robvalue]

Uh, yeah. Can you become an atheist, right now, just because you choose to? Can you flip backwards and forward between believing in God and not believing, on a whim?

Not just saying it, but truly changing your belief.

Can you do that? You haven't answered that question yet.