Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by D R Hosie on June 10, 2010 at 12:30am

Gentlemen,

I just recently posted an article that I'm sure will help bring closure to this question, in the minds and hearts of many who aren't sure. At least that's what I wrote it for.

An Ontological Basis for the Denial of God
http://www.atheistnexus.org/xn/detail/2182797:BlogPost:852760?xg_so...

or http://modernatheist.org/2010/06/06/an-ontological-basis-for-the-de...

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Permalink Reply by Chres Chant on June 14, 2010 at 9:29pm

There is no way of knowing whether there is some higher power, not 100%; even sheer atheism is a sort of faith (known as some as anti-faith, or cynicism), though the atheist platform is based more on science than on some fun idea of a holy text that's been passed down through hopeful writers. I don't see any evidence of a higher power of any sort, so I take the leap from agnostic to atheist by saying "it cannot be positively known, but I seriously doubt it." Unfortunately, I believe that's about as certain as any rational being can be; if we're true intellectuals, we have to admit that there is always a possibility, however small, that we will be proven wrong.

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Permalink Reply by Chres Chant on June 14, 2010 at 9:31pm

And also, I think if a god does exist, he or she is a deist :)

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Permalink Reply by Robert Raitz on June 15, 2010 at 8:23pm

Yes, I am sure. If there were a god, I'd be sizzling in the lake of fire for my challenging of the god of the christ-inanes. I'd be sputtering with flames for my endless years of blasphemy. I'd have been taken to Oz when I witnessed the Fort Worth Tornado or one of its satellites wiggling in a field less than 500 feet from the vehicle in which I was a passenger.

But here I am instead, posting a message at a site dedicated to atheism. Either god exists and likes my blasphemy, verbal abuse, disbelief, and outright contempt, or "he" doesn't exist, and my "evil" means nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Considering all the shit "he" supposedly dropped on the Jews in the Middle East, the latter argument makes no sense. Therefore, god simply cannot exist in reality.

I believe "he" exists in the sick, twisted heads of his followers. That is a lot different from existing in the objective reality. But just because "he" exists in the heads of insane, inane people, doesn't mean "he" exists in real life.

Might there be beings wiser and more powerful than we? Possible. Am I willing to attach the name of god to these creatures? No. Might there be gods out there in space? No.

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Permalink Reply by Dheeraj on June 15, 2010 at 9:27pm

See this is what I have a problem . We go about casually mixing contexts and references and then feel compelled to get an answer.
In your discussion the title reads ".. there is no God" in the summary however you reference "...support the existence of a supreme being." Now where besides in the religious text would you see the two equated. You took that from those books and accepted it without any evidence. That is the problem. Where did the supreme being manifest its will to be represented by the faiths hanging around.
Here is what I say "If there is a supreme being it has the power to talk to all of us at the same time and also make us listen"
I will state an example of such a manifestation
1. There is night and there is day, i.e. earth is rotating on an axis.
2. There is sun in the sky that sends light to earth, any questions about that
Well if that is the way the strong cosmic entities exists then why is the supreme being represented as a subset.
Why do we need all the religions and priests, books and ... The cosmic entities ( like out sun and we know there are millions more) are very very pervasive in their presence and the creator is a Fuc,,, sissy hiding somewhere, yeah I would like to believe that :)
So there is evidence of a cosmic world and someday there may be a potential correlation between the cosmic entities and some far superior being/s, but if there is a supreme being it is either not there OR it does not want us to know about it being there cause if it wanted it sure has hell has some power to show and from all I have seen in my life it is not trying at all.
My interpretation of the current stand of faiths is "God says, If I want to give you life I will have Sun to provide energy and earth to have you live, yet when I need to talk to you or tell you how to live or ...I will send a human cause I can create you yet to talk to you I need a human being in the middle cause I can control you like an ant because you can not exist anywhere other than earth and when the Sun is shining yet, You got a Gift man, it is called Free Will" The reality is that you are too stupid and the sham that is writing the text representing me is as powerless as you so he needs to dance around representing me rather carefully least he steps into an awkward situation and does not have a leg to stand on, so when you don't feel like I am powerful and this MFer can not make you believe, we will call it "Free Will" all other times I am in control and this I means GOD in case you doubted you little puny, good for nothing, human
(ahm, Whew how did that go asks Moses to his wife)
Wow I am loving it.

Now I am not saying supreme because that might be beyond our understanding of the universe as yet.

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Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on June 16, 2010 at 8:52am

Bad news - apparently they're gonna rebuild the foolish thing! [groan!] You'd think SOMEONE would get the hint? [chuckle!]

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Permalink Reply by Johannes S. on June 16, 2010 at 8:53am

We can be 100% sure of pretty much nothing. We can't be 100% sure of our existence, and whether this is a reality or a computer simulation, yet alone a God's.

However, I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that there is no God, but I'm not 100% sure. Just as I am not 100% sure whether there are no unicorns, witches or orbiting teapots.

Based on the available evidence, there is enough reason to suggest that there isn't a god. However, absence of evidence is still not evidence of absence.

And it all depends on how you define the word God. If you define God as energy, matter, a "life-force" or similar, then such a God exists, or is most likely to exist. If you define God as a supernatural sky-daddy who is helping you and who you can pray to, then I do not believe such a thing exists.

The fact of the matter is, you can't prove a God's existence, and you can't disprove a God's existence. Does that mean it is 50/50? No. A theory that can neither be proven or disproven is a bad theory from start.

(EDIT: Actually, I cannot call the God thing a "theory" since it possesses no evidence and explains pretty much nothing.)

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Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on June 16, 2010 at 9:01am

... extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and that what can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.

-- Christopher Hitchens

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Permalink Reply by Johannes S. on June 16, 2010 at 9:24am

By our existence, I mean whether this is a reality or a computer simulation.

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Permalink Reply by Johannes S. on June 16, 2010 at 3:33pm

No, I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that this is not a computer simulation and is reality, but I can not say 100%. 99.999999%, yes. Not 100%.


Same with the existence of a god, but around 95%. Although I reserve the 5% chance of there being something you could call a God for a deistic one. I am 99.9999...% sure there isn't a theistic god.

Besides, the computer simulation thing was just an analogy.


Let's put it this way: I don't believe there is a god, but I can not say with absolute 100% certainty that there isn't one.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Raitz on June 16, 2010 at 2:02pm

I am also 100 percent sure I am here. Yes, we could be in a computer simulation. Yes, we could be the quarks in a giant's fingernail as well. So what? None of those things make me any less "here".

If those things are true, they are out of my field of vision and out of my sphere of reality. Therefore, I have no need, want, or desire to postulate on things that may or may not be. This is a rationalist site, not a place for sky spook believers.

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Permalink Reply by Chris G on June 16, 2010 at 4:51pm

Of course there's a god. Here's a couple of pictures of him.

Deciding what trees to use.

As his design developed and his creation grew.

Don't make him angry or he will cause a catastrophe, or give you cancer. Pray to him 4 times a day and he'll listen to your prayers and have mercy on you. In spite of his smiling face he's really an angry god - armageddon is coming because he didn't get it right the first couple of times. The flood wasn't enough.

Oh wait, his son is going to take over.

Here's the son destined to die a torturous death so you all can live without sin.
Morbid religion.

Why did the model of Christianaty, or any Abrahamic religions take such a strong hold.

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