The Atheism Thread - Part 5

[BoredGuy]

I considered Pastafarianism
But pirate costumes are too itchy

 

[Rocanrol]

One question:

If God is absolute, infinite, past, present and future, and God have a plan for us all, doesn't this make the freedom of choice a falacy?

We are going to act according some master plan, and everything that happens is for a reason; and even the future could be prophesied, foretold; but at the same time we can really choose how to behave?

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Absolute, and eternal, creator of all, does not say there's an absolute plan for how each of us behave in every day of our lives
You knew at the moment you were going to ask this question, aimed to do so, did it. That's free will
I can either download a game or rent it, or never go near it, that's free will. I'm setting my mind on something, and willingly go for it

 

[Rocanrol]

But absolute and eternal does indeed concerns everything that was, is and going to be. I'm asking not for a high grade of ironic scepticism, but cordial discussion and understanding.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

I respect that

But there is something to consider when wondering about things; there are things beyond human comprehension, trying to think too hard in them won't be of pleasant results, it will be overworking the mind

Assuming we don't have free well due that grand scheme

 

[Rocanrol]

But, as a person of faith, don't you pass your time judging this philosophical questions?

Having embraced the concept of God being All, don't you ask yourself what the meaning and spectrum of "All" is? Comparing the state of wholeness with your empiric experience of your oneness?

 

[regwec]

I think that most people have a need to believe that "this isn't it". It is an emotional drive, that affects different people differently. Some choose God, some choose drugs, and some choose fly fishing. As an atheist, I often don't know what to choose.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Half the time the only thing that keeps me going is knowing that everyone living on this planet will be in the cold cold ground soon enough.

A thousands years from now none of us will be remembered. Even people we now consider famous. Those ******* celebrities. That makes me smile.

 

[regwec]

Depends who you mean. The name of Gilgamesh or Djoser have been known for a few thousand years.

Bieber may be the next.

 

[Rocanrol]

There is no time without memory.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I doubt anyone will remember him ten years from now.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

But, as a person of faith, don't you pass your time judging this philosophical questions?

Having embraced the concept of God being All, don't you ask yourself what the meaning and spectrum of "All" is? Comparing the state of wholeness with your empiric experience of your oneness?

I did question that, questions similar to that only muddle things up
If I think "I'm typing on this keyboard cause that is God's will and typing cause that is God's will to talk about God's will in our actions. Maybe it's me who does this and I think I can do it of my choice cause....", people will be too confused, some will stop what they're doing, it will drive one stir crazy, it over complicates things, in an unnecessary way

Let's take this story for example on thinking too much: Some people were ordered to kill a cow to take use of it's meat and skin, they had to just choose a cow and do that, instead they thought too much and over complicates things. Color? What does it do? Who owns it?
Because they didn't allow themselves the luxury of choice, they got strict rules

 

[Piper Maru]

What is the Islamic interpretation of hell?

 

[zeroapoc]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahannam

 

[Thundercrack85]

The funny thing about Pascal's Wager is that it doesn't take any of the other religions' hells into account.

 

[Rocanrol]

It's a antique philosophy categorize ones action through divine will. An evil posession (daimon) if there were actions condemnable to society's moral standars, while the muses and gods inspire the best of us.

And there was, for example, a pre-agustinian conception of no free-will in the roman society, deriving in "depravity and immorality", because everything was written and everything that must be will be, so everything is trivial. This was changed with an emperor whose name escape my memory right now; if someone knows his name i would be very pleased


And I don't think there is something like "thinking too much", the problem is thinking too little. If I accept the belief of a higher power, absolute and infinite, with a master plan; why is wrong analizing at what point everything matters, at all?

 

[zeroapoc]

The funny thing about Pascal's Wager is that it doesn't take any of the other religions' hells into account.

Yeah no doubt. It has no logic to it as in only accounts for 2 possibilities.

 

[SV Fan]

The funny thing about Pascal's Wager is that it doesn't take any of the other religions' hells into account.

The simple answer to Pascal's Wager is well what if the Mormons are right? Unless a Mormon asks you of coarse, then you ask what if the Jehovah's Witness are right. lol

Pascal's Wager is the most ridiculous argument though, it basically says you should believe in God to hedge your bets, which is probably the worst reason to believe in a deity(well second worst, the worst being the Catholic church giving people the choice of believe in the church or death)

 

[Hawkingbird]

Can you explain to me what the theory of evaluation is? Provide proof and evidence that it's inaccurate and incorrect!

Are you seriously telling me that the theory is final? Even the top scientists will say that incomplete fossil records mean we don't know. Come on, we did this at my school and I'm 16.
As I said, I think it is very likely, and I do not believe we were made by a higher being. I believe God is man made and very powerful. However I am not going to say "there is no God and I am sure of this", because I have no way of proving it. Just as any scientist will tell you they have no way of being 100% their theories are correct.

 

[Rocanrol]

^Agnostic

 

[Thundercrack85]

Evolution is reality. Obviously, the concept is going to get more refined as we discover more fossils, and learn more about genetics, but the theory as a whole is irrefutable.

But by all means, feel free to try. Creationists are still looking for that precambrian rabbit. That and Noah's Ark...

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Are you seriously telling me that the theory is final? Even the top scientists will say that incomplete fossil records mean we don't know. Come on, we did this at my school and I'm 16.
As I said, I think it is very likely, and I do not believe we were made by a higher being. I believe God is man made and very powerful. However I am not going to say "there is no God and I am sure of this", because I have no way of proving it. Just as any scientist will tell you they have no way of being 100% their theories are correct.

And I can't prove there's not a 500 foot Abe Vigoda living on Jupiter, but y'know what, call it an educated guess.

And there's about as much scientific proof of THAT as there is of a Judeo-Christian God.

 

[regwec]

The whole point of a 'theory' is that it falls somewhat short of a fact. That is part of the definition of the term. But there is a spectrum of likelihood on which different theories fall. Gravity is a theory, but it has effectively been 'proven' to most people. Quantum theory is less firmly established, partly because it is so abstract and theoretical that other models are likely to be constantly contested against it.

Evolution is very much in the 'quasi-factual' category, along with gravity. I tend to think that people who dispute it have shut their minds to the evidence. If you want to try to disprove evolution, then you can conduct a simple experiment: next time you get an infection, ask your doctor for antibiotics from forty years ago. See if they clear it up.

 

[Llama_Shepherd]

Regwec hit the nail on the head. All theories are based on facts, however, they must also be falsifiable should new facts come to light. However, evolution, as a theory, seemingly has every living thing supporting it as a theory. Which again, for example, is more supporting facts than germ theory (because there are simply more living things) but you wouldn't deny antibiotics from your doctor because it's "just a theory".

 

[Hawkingbird]

Evolution is reality. Obviously, the concept is going to get more refined as we discover more fossils, and learn more about genetics, but the theory as a whole is irrefutable.

But by all means, feel free to try. Creationists are still looking for that precambrian rabbit. That and Noah's Ark...

I'm not a creationist, I recognise that scientists discover new things all the time, so it's inevitable that something we think is right now will be wrong in a 1000 years.