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Posted (edited)

Subjugation of women by removal of abortion rights and other means, eternal damnation for all non-believers, censorship for ALL citizens, cover ups for massive systemic child sexual abuse, opposition to equal marital rights for all citizens, attempting to inject the teaching of one specific religious doctrine into public schools...yeah, religion's just a 'dietary supplement'.

 

 

Edited by tvashtarkatena
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Posted

Religion viewed properly does not seek to displace all other modes of thought, rather it complements other modes of thought for a picture of completeness.

 

Uh-huh :rolleyes: Teaching evolution for instance.

word. the "proper view of religion" is always the argument.

 

the agnostic admonition is a bit silly - kinda like saying, when in doubt, take a nap.

 

actually that's not such a bad way to make it through this stupid life w/o being pissed off the whole time :)

 

read this month's national geographic - really interesting article on the hazda (sp?), 1 of the world's only remaining hunter-gather communities - contrary to what i'd always assumed about HG types, they have zero religious views - zip - nada - christian missionaries gave up on them cause they simply don't give a fuck - they don't even have basic animistic concepts - might explain why, in the post-charmin age, they still haven't learned how to wipe their asses :)

Posted
Subjugation of women by removal of abortion rights and other means, eternal damnation for all non-believers, censorship for ALL citizens, cover ups for massive systemic child sexual abuse, opposition to equal marital rights for all citizens, attempting to inject the teaching of one specific religious doctrine into public schools...yeah, religion's just a 'dietary supplement'.

 

 

.....but they do have some nice buildings.

Posted

I would say that the argument for god(s) always comes down to "you (we) don't know, so you can't rule it out". It's all about backfilling the void created by a question without an answer. As Tvash says, with that approach the Tooth Fairy is as valid a belief as any god mankind has ever bandied about. And, from my perspective, agnostics are either simply hedging their bets and / or intellectually lack conviction - either way they are still fearful, either of the human imagination in the face of unanswered questions (i.e. of the dark), or of the social stigma of not joining the group grope.

 

I think the downside of our species' intellectual and creative capabilities is that we can generate all manner of fears as well - that nothing so frightens us as an unanswered, or unanswerable, question precisely because it unleashes all the horrors we are capable of imagining.

Posted
actually, it's the more like other way around. Far more people are afraid to admit that they think religion is complete hooey because of the popularity of that hooey, so they settle for the softer sounding, if less intellectually honest, agnostic label for themselves.

 

I don't disagree. But just as science and logic can't prove the existence of an "omnipotent being" (for lack of a better term), it also can't disprove it.

Posted
I actually would have to agree with FW. Atheists are just as dogmatic as the religious if they assert that beyond a doubt there is no godish type entity, who for all we know could be an omnipotent bacon producing octopus-monkey creature. But I think the term atheist is often used loosely to include agnostics.

 

Most people of faith are agnostic at some point in their lives, potentially multiple times - whether they will admit that to you or not is a different question.

Posted
Subjugation of women by removal of abortion rights and other means, eternal damnation for all non-believers, censorship for ALL citizens, cover ups for massive systemic child sexual abuse, opposition to equal marital rights for all citizens, attempting to inject the teaching of one specific religious doctrine into public schools...yeah, religion's just a 'dietary supplement'.

 

 

.....but they do have some nice buildings.

 

"they"... hmmm.... who is it who primarily promotes the "us vs. them" phenomenon that OW charged?

Posted

"Can't disprove something" violates Chapter 1, Page 1 of Logic 101. Of course you can't disprove anything of which there is no evidence whatsoever, which would be anything the human imagination can come up with. For that reason, this is not a valid argument, however frequently Kevbone and the Christers may employ it.

Posted (edited)
Subjugation of women by removal of abortion rights and other means, eternal damnation for all non-believers, censorship for ALL citizens, cover ups for massive systemic child sexual abuse, opposition to equal marital rights for all citizens, attempting to inject the teaching of one specific religious doctrine into public schools...yeah, religion's just a 'dietary supplement'.

 

 

 

 

.....but they do have some nice buildings.

 

"they"... hmmm.... who is it who primarily promotes the "us vs. them" phenomenon that OW charged?

 

Said The Uniter... :rolleyes:

Edited by tvashtarkatena
Posted (edited)

Use of the word 'prove' is tricky as well. Most phenomena are not like mathematical proofs with clear, tidy wrap ups. Evidence supports or contradicts a theory over time.

 

So far, there has been zero credible evidence that there is a God, and plenty of credible evidence that humankind is capable of fabricating and believing in such a thing; hence, my support of the strongly supported theory that one doesn't exist.

Edited by tvashtarkatena
Posted
That's probably about the twentieth time I've posted that thought. I look forward to the day when mankind comes to its senses and we no longer have to discuss such stupid shit...

you n' trotsky :)

Posted
whom i resemble more with each passing day

and, w/ all them ice-axes floating 'round your low ceiling basement, might i advise some historically justifiable caution? )

Posted

So far, there has been zero credible evidence that there is a God, and plenty of credible evidence that humankind is capable of fabricating and believing in such a thing; hence, my support of the strongly supported theory that one doesn't exist.

 

I agree and that's a good point. I'm no person of faith and I pretty much think religion is stupid and if I were a bettin' man I'd put my money on no omnipotent being. But there's more shit that we doesn't know than we knows, so on a purely abstract and academic basis I'll leave that door open.

 

And I'm not sure the theory concept applies here (to metaphysics?) the same way it would as if talking about geography or biology or something, which is much more empirical.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted

America's true civic religion will be celebrating its version of the creation story coming up on Black Friday. The congregants and the church officials are nervous, tithes are down, the flock's faith shaken and their wallets already shaken down. Above all, no amount of stock-market Febreeze can seem to cover the smell of a dead animal emanating from the sacristy.

Posted

So far, there has been zero credible evidence that there is a God, and plenty of credible evidence that humankind is capable of fabricating and believing in such a thing; hence, my support of the strongly supported theory that one doesn't exist.

 

I agree and that's a good point. I'm no person of faith and I pretty much think religion is stupid and if I were a bettin' man I'd put my money on no omnipotent being. But there's more shit that we doesn't know than we knows, so on a purely abstract and academic basis I'll leave that door open.

 

And I'm not sure the theory concept applies here (to metaphysics?) the same way it would as if talking about geography or biology or something, which is much more empirical.

 

 

 

 

 

I agree that spiritual truth is different from empirical truth, but God's followers treat his existence as the latter. To them, he's as real as my keyboard. His existence is not in the same category as other overarching grand truths regarding human experience, like karma or enlightenment, he's an actual dude/being/Kitty thing. Therefore, same rules apply.

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