God does not exist - discuss! (96)

The "name" of atheism? Telling figure of speech. One can kill in the name of the queen, but not in the name of monarchy - for monarch is not a personal pronoun

See what I did there?

Whilst many atheists killed, not many did it in anyone's name that. Stalin may have persecuted the religious, but if anyone's "name" is invoked, its that of Marx.

And all men kill the thing they love, By all let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss, The brave man with a sword!

And that Marx fella - atheist.

They're evil I tell you, evil.

IMO, belief in (a) god isn't an act of faith. Nor has it anything to do, one way or the other, with science, reason, evidence, hypothesis, or proof. They're acts of intuition, coloured by culture and direct experience. Individuals just go with their gut feeling about the way the world is.

However, we still like to pretend we live in an age of reason, so everyone seems to want to believe that their own point of view is the rational one, and the other points of view are illogical, captain. And nobody wants to admit to being the "superstitious" or "irrational" one. This is silly. There's nothing wrong with being superstitious or irrational. That's the way our brains are wired. The idea that the sky is blue, or that our loved ones really matter, are just irrational superstitions, and both are well worth holding on to. Maybe beliefs about god(s) are the same - or some such beliefs, anyway.

Because, as a "weak atheist" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_and_positi... I can get both.

i.e. I do not claim "God doesn't exist". I am willing to change side if I am given proof that God does exist.

But, for the time being, what I am saying is that no God I've heard of has been proven real and, indeed, the human origin of their cult has been all too apparent...

Technically, I do not dismiss the possibility of a Prime Mover i.e. Someone orchastrating the Big Bang and then taking no further interest or active role in the affairs of the universe.

OTOH, it would be totally useless to worship such a God since He/She/It would be totally indifferent to your specifics or indeed Humanity's specifics.

There is no right and wrong when it comes to sex ; only informed consent...

I don't agree either.

It could just be a semantic interpretation - what you call inituition, others may call faith.

I must admit I am surprised to hear so many people accepting the notion that a religious belief is either rational, or perceived as rational. It isn't at all - how can a belief in an unseen and unprovable deity be rational?

I am not saying that with the intention of upsetting anybody - it just seems to me that a belief in any god is by its very nature irrational.

As for "the idea that the sky is blue, or that our loved ones really matter, are just irrational superstitions" - I'm sorry but you have lost me here.

The sky is blue to me - it is a fact.

My loved ones do really matter to me - this is a fact.

These things are part of my reality - they are not superstitions, they are not irrational, they are not abstract.

I have a feeling that I am misunderstanding your point.

Edited 24 Jun 11, 3:13 PM by Chauncey_Gardner

Ah, conjecture about how brains work, my least favourite kind of urban myth.

Not to be rude, but you just blathered an awful lot of waffle. Mind explaining how perception of the colour of the sky is a "superstition"?

'sär-"ka-z&m

That bit was fair enough but, as I said, I don't actually agree because weak atheists aren't actually making the claim they know how the world work. As I said, I am willing to imagine a First Mover.

I don't really believe there's one because every other phenomenon in this universe SO FAR has been shown to follow laws and/or require no 'magic' to be explained. So the law of probability would indicate that things came into being via non-magical processes.

Furthermore, that's neither here nor there. If my prayers cannot affect the outcome (statistically testable claim), then praying is useless and any deity/prime mover that doesn't bother interfering with my statistical distribution on special request is useless to me and I got no incentive in worshipping it - even if He/She/It/They did exist.

There is no right and wrong when it comes to sex ; only informed consent...

Edited 25 Jun 11, 12:12 PM by Gilles_de_Rais

I haven't read this thread - probably because if I did, I would want to throw myself off the nearest building.

Why do you imagine that God, if s/he exists, is an over-indulgent parent, giving his (it's easier to type than his/her all the time) children everything they ask for?

Selfishness and indulgence are not traits promoted by any religion I'm aware of.

The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation - Pierre Trudeau
A denizen of a right little, tight little island.

So why do people pray? Seriously, (s)he's omnipotent, (s)he already knows what you're thinking and what your going to do next, and already has a complete picture of the niggling issue you're about to pray about - so why do it? Not saying you do, but many do, and many religions advocate it.

And all men kill the thing they love, By all let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss, The brave man with a sword!

To communicate with God? To offer thanks, to worship, to have a natter? Loads of reasons, I imagine.

Prayer isn't just about asking for stuff.

The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation - Pierre Trudeau
A denizen of a right little, tight little island.