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Search for Causes
#1
Search for Causes
If I had an experience which I sincerely believed was God talking directly to me, how would I be able to prove or disprove what I believe?

If I had advanced stage cancer and it suddenly disappeared or went into remission, how could it be proven to be from natural, rather than supernatural causes?

If natural science was unable to determine the cause, what method could I use to determine if the origin or cause of these was supernatural? Should I pursue other avenues or rely on science to eventually come up with an answer?
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#2
RE: Search for Causes
There is a tremendous difference between what science can explain, and what feeble-minded humans understand about said science.
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#3
RE: Search for Causes
Science can be relied on to eventually come up with an answer. Just give it time. Whether it's about hearing voices, or cancer, or whatever else.
Poe's Law: "Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won't mistake for the real thing."

10 Christ-like figures that predate Jesus. Link shortened to Chris ate Jesus for some reason...
http://listverse.com/2009/04/13/10-chris...ate-jesus/

Good video to watch, if you want to know how common the Jesus story really is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88GTUXvp-50

A list of biblical contradictions from the infallible word of Yahweh.
http://infidels.org/library/modern/jim_m...tions.html

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#4
RE: Search for Causes
(December 30, 2019 at 10:54 pm)Lek Wrote: If I had an experience which I sincerely believed was God talking directly to me, how would I be able to prove or disprove what I believe?

If I had advanced stage cancer and it suddenly disappeared or went into remission, how could it be proven to be from natural, rather than supernatural causes?

If natural science was unable to determine the cause,  what method could I use to determine if the origin or cause of these was supernatural?  Should I pursue other avenues or rely on science to eventually come up with an answer?

I assume you mean you were diagnosed with advanced cancer and did not seek medical intervention.  Do you have any links to verifiable cases where a correct diagnosis of advanced cancer has been made and the person is cured by a means other than medical/scientific intervention?  

If not, you are just blowing smoke and this is a bullshit scenario.
  
“If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.” — Confucius
                                      
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#5
RE: Search for Causes
This has happened many times to many people. When I apply it to myself it's hypothetical. They're scenarios. Sorry. I should have made that clear.
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#6
RE: Search for Causes
(December 30, 2019 at 10:54 pm)Lek Wrote: If I had an experience which I sincerely believed was God talking directly to me, how would I be able to prove or disprove what I believe?

If I had advanced stage cancer and it suddenly disappeared or went into remission, how could it be proven to be from natural, rather than supernatural causes?

If natural science was unable to determine the cause,  what method could I use to determine if the origin or cause of these was supernatural?  Should I pursue other avenues or rely on science to eventually come up with an answer?

What if questions do very little to advance knowledge. What if questions do advance the amount of blah, blah, blah........................... ad nauseum. 

But my response to these "what if's" is that you stop using supernatural as an option. It's better that you accept that you don't know.
I don't have an anger problem, I have an idiot problem.
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#7
RE: Search for Causes
https://www.verywellhealth.com/spontaneo...le-3971875



Why do you dismiss the supernatural out of hand when science can't answer the question?  Why not pursue that option?  I think it's because science has specific boundaries and you refuse to try to go beyond those boundaries. You have complete trust in a method that leaves so much unsolved. Einstein died still not accepting quantum theory because he couldn't get past his preconceived notions.
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#8
RE: Search for Causes
(December 30, 2019 at 10:54 pm)Lek Wrote: If I had an experience which I sincerely believed was God talking directly to me, how would I be able to prove or disprove what I believe?
Why do you believe it was god anyway? If you admit you cant prove/disprove to others what the cause of your experience was, how do you justify your belief to your own conscience? Because you have experienced it yourself? Because it was so convincing? Have you ever asked people who took drugs like LSD about how convincing their trip was?

(December 30, 2019 at 10:54 pm)Lek Wrote: If I had advanced stage cancer and it suddenly disappeared or went into remission, how could it be proven to be from natural, rather than supernatural causes?
If you are late to the bus stop (you woke up late...) and you still catch the bus because the bus was late too, how could it be proven to be from natural rather than supernatural causes?
I am chosing this example, because it doesnt matter if an event is important to you personally. The cause can be proven (or not) to be supernatural. I bet you wouldnt bet "magic" was the explanation for you catching the bus in time.

If you cant prove otherwise, events are supposed to be natural, because we live in  ....hold on, wait for it.....here comes the kicker, you wont believe it....its shocking, i know.... a natural world! Dead Horse
I am always flabbergasted when people present supernatural next to natural as an option as if supernatural ever, even once had been shown to having been the cause of anything. Huh

(December 30, 2019 at 10:54 pm)Lek Wrote: If natural science was unable to determine the cause,  what method could I use to determine if the origin or cause of these was supernatural?
A method that demonstrably works. A method that already has worked in the past. A method that is reliable (leads repeatedly to correct results).
If you havent got a method, its "unknown", and the default is "probably natural". I know its boring, unspectacular and probably uncomfortable. But, whats your goal? Looking for truth or comfort?


(December 30, 2019 at 10:54 pm)Lek Wrote: Should I pursue other avenues or rely on science to eventually come up with an answer?
Any avenue that gives correct results. Unfortunately science is currently the only one having been demonstrated to work. Not sciences fault that hand waving fails so often.

(December 30, 2019 at 11:45 pm)Lek Wrote: https://www.verywellhealth.com/spontaneo...le-3971875



Why do you dismiss the supernatural out of hand when science can't answer the question?  Why not pursue that option?  I think it's because science has specific boundaries and you refuse to try to go beyond those boundaries. You have complete trust in a method that leaves so much unsolved.  Einstein died still not accepting quantum theory because he couldn't get past his preconceived notions.

No one dismisses the supernatural. Rather you are trying to showhorn it in. Why?
If you dont know, the intellectually honest answer is "i.dont.fucking.know", and keep on looking. Proclaiming "its magic!" wont help you at all in understanding what happened.

(December 30, 2019 at 11:45 pm)Lek Wrote: Why do you dismiss the supernatural out of hand when science can't answer the question? Why not pursue that option? I think it's because science has specific boundaries and you refuse to try to go beyond those boundaries. You have complete trust in a method that leaves so much unsolved.
"unsolved" =!= supernatural


(December 30, 2019 at 11:45 pm)Lek Wrote: Einstein died still not accepting quantum theory because he couldn't get past his preconceived notions.
False equivocation. "We" dont have a preconceived notion that the supernatual does not exist, but you have the preconceived notion that it does. As is shown by your repreated attempts to shoehorn "supernatual" in where we (and you!) "dont know". So far you havent shown a method by which you could demonstrate that your belief in the supernatural is warranted.
Einstein had all the info availiable to him. All the theories and math of his colleagues, even some data. He was wrong, because of his preconceived notion that something is false (oposed to what already was knows and demonstrable), as you are wrong in your preconceived notion that something is true (the supernatural)

Yes, spontaneous remission of cancer. I have an an opinion about it and you have another one. We both cant prove it either way, but i have methods with some high quality that you dont have.at.all. The confidence and reliability with which i form my opinion is infinitely better than yours. Which leads me in most cases to not being conned, fooled or just being wrong by myself, contrary to you. Thats the difference.

1mio years ago people were warranted to believe the earth was flat, because the didnt have the tools to figure out its not. Its not about what we believe but about the quality of our tools to find out whats true, aka. epistemology.
Cetero censeo religionem delendam esse
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#9
RE: Search for Causes
(December 30, 2019 at 11:45 pm)Lek Wrote: https://www.verywellhealth.com/spontaneo...le-3971875



Why do you dismiss the supernatural out of hand when science can't answer the question?  Why not pursue that option?  I think it's because science has specific boundaries and you refuse to try to go beyond those boundaries. You have complete trust in a method that leaves so much unsolved.  Einstein died still not accepting quantum theory because he couldn't get past his preconceived notions.
No one dismissing it  .Merely not shoehorning it into the gap without cause .As for the part about Einstein that's a myth .Yes he had some issues with it sure but he accepted quantum theory was valid .
"Change was inevitable"


Nemo sicut deus debet esse!

[Image: Canada_Flag.jpg?v=1646203843]



 “No matter what men think, abortion is a fact of life. Women have always had them; they always have and they always will. Are they going to have good ones or bad ones? Will the good ones be reserved for the rich, while the poor women go to quacks?”
–SHIRLEY CHISHOLM


      
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#10
RE: Search for Causes
(December 30, 2019 at 10:54 pm)Lek Wrote: If I had advanced stage cancer and it suddenly disappeared or went into remission, how could it be proven to be from natural, rather than supernatural causes? [...] This has happened many times to many people. 

Why do you think people developed medicine if God healed people? Also, why aren't hospitals staffed with shamans and preachers rather than doctors and nurses?

The thing is that people tried that method and it failed, so they developed medicine.
If any prayer works, one would think it would be a mother's prayer for the health of her baby. Few prayers are more sincere or more passionately delivered, especially if the baby is seriously ill. Unfortunately, these prayers do not seem to work well at all. This is obvious because there are many highly religious nations with horrible infant mortality rates. Meanwhile, highly secular nations with large percentages of atheists in their populations have very low infant mortality rates. How can this be? Why are the babies of so many atheist mothers faring better than the babies of so many Christian, Muslim, and Hindu mothers?
According to the UNICEF report, State of the World's Children, the ten countries with the highest death rates for children under the age of five are: Sierra Leone, Angola, Afghanistan, Niger, Liberia, Somalia, Mali, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Equatorial Guinea. These countries have populations that are virtually all Christian, Muslim, or followers of traditional African religions. None of them have a significant number of atheists in their population.

And when it comes to individual cases it is just as with alien abductions, Nessie sightings, ghost encounters... when you examine individual cases closely they look very discouraging.
https://youtu.be/pPR4oFJkxgI
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
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