The great and all powerful religion thread!

Alter, don't put too much stock into what some guys on a message board say. Not me and not those who oppose the idea of God. Do your own research, and be sure to read things from both points of view. You can't really get a balanced view of any of it by only reading things from one perspective. There are agendas on both sides, and the people on both sides really believe what they are saying and both will speak with conviction. If one side raises a good point either for its own point of view, or against the other, see what the other side has to say about it.
 
Alter, don't put too much stock into what some guys on a message board say. Not me and not those who oppose the idea of God. Do your own research, and be sure to read things from both points of view. You can't really get a balanced view of any of it by only reading things from one perspective. There are agendas on both sides, and the people on both sides really believe what they are saying and both will speak with conviction. If one side raises a good point either for its own point of view, or against the other, see what the other side has to say about it.

He knows how to think, fuck. He's held his faith through reading this and other arguments about religion and so have you. I'm not really trying to preach to him, I'm just saying that it makes more rational sense to give it up if you're that far from it...you on the other hand, I'm not going to even bother trying to convince you...it's ingrained in you. And though I don't think we'll ever understand, we disagree on fundaments and I think we should definitely move on.

On another hand, that Stygian album you recently mentioned rules. :kickass::kickass:
 
So, our hypothesis that a god does not exist...the consensus seems to be that there's no proof that it does not exist, but this is pretty good evidence in and of itself. How is this god consequential or relevant if he can't even affect us in our actual existence.

I did not say he could not affect us. I said he could affect us, but in such a way which science may not be able to test or prove.

Why, then, do you demand that we give you proof of the non-existence of a god? If your word is enough for us (though it seems dumb), shouldn't our word be reasonable to you? God doesn't exist because there is no good evidence that he does; period. There never will be, because science cannot touch what is beyond its ("human") perception (hypothetically speaking, of course; to imply this would be implying that I believe in a god, before you attack me on this point). The person who claims something exists needs to prove it (burden of proof), not the person who claims non-existence. You are willing to consider a reality which makes no logical sense. I question this much more than my own belief in a world lacking an omniscient creator.

I don't demand any proof of the nonexistence of God. My word is worthless, except to express what I believe. Your word is just as valuable. I am not trying to convince anyone of anything, except that science is limited and it is unreasonable to make definitive statements about the existence of God based solely on science. I really think that is the crux of what I have been saying since I jumped into this thread again.

On another note, YOU are being as condescending as you seem to hate; "incomplete and feeble science"? Sensationalist crap. Call me out for semantics if you will, but you absolutely understand that science is not at all feeble because it is all we can comprehend based on our logic system. Human logic only goes so far, some would say to the extent of its own definition (which we've created), and it definitely does not go far enough to even comprehend a god who put us here. Why should we care, then? Atheism is my belief because I see no real point to believing in god; I don't believe in the myth of a heaven in the clouds or a hell meters below this earth where the damned dwell forever in torment; why should I? There's no evidence, and there won't ever be evidence. I trust science much more than I trust a book which has been irrelevant for millenia.

Yeah, I guess that statement was a little strong. I do believe science is awesome and we have progressed in so many ways because of it. I understand that it is a vital discipline and that it is set up to verify and correct itself. I only said what I said based on how much there is vs how much science knows. It is great for what it has done, but even among the things it can examine, there is so much it doesn't know.

You see no point to believing in God? I feel there is a point to finding the truth, and then seeing what significance it has for me.

I am almost convinced that, primarily, you don't want to just accept that some people don't follow your unrealistic way of thinking. I have a vague feeling that if God were to appear to you, you would doubt it too.

Good day, sir.

Why must you throw in the word "unrealistic"?

I do accept that people don't agree with me. I have not been trying to convince anyone that God exists or even to follow Christianity. See above for what my main point has been. Trace it back through the thread.
 
He knows how to think, fuck. He's held his faith through reading this and other arguments about religion and so have you. I'm not really trying to preach to him, I'm just saying that it makes more rational sense to give it up if you're that far from it...you on the other hand, I'm not going to even bother trying to convince you...it's ingrained in you. And though I don't think we'll ever understand, we disagree on fundaments and I think we should definitely move on.

Ingrained in me? Is that good or bad?

Believe me, since joining this board I have examined my faith more than ever before. I have questioned it more and researched it more than I ever did in the past. And even if there are a ton of things that don't make sense to me, I believe that there is truth. I believe there is one truth for each thing. This desk is made of wood, or maybe it's made of plastic. Or it's what I know as wood, but it's really licorice. Whatever it is, it is that. It doesn't change based on my perceptions. I am convinced there is a God. In light of that, I feel that Christianity makes a lot of sense. I may be wrong, and even if I am right I am convinced that my (and every other human being's) understanding of it is severely limited. But I believe I do have enough to make a choice. Though I may like to be and atheist and look forward to my eternal reward of rotting in the ground, I can't.

On another hand, that Stygian album you recently mentioned rules. :kickass::kickass:

Thrash 'til Death!!
 
Can you put down the bong and try to articulate yourself properly?
The 'burden of deciphering' lies upon you. :p In all seriousness though.. I do not rigidly stand on my building's terrace and yell about praises about how far I can see.. I'm missing detail in vision when I look down at the street. Anyway, advancement is not necessarily progress along the same road.. I'm open to any U-turns the human race may take as far as its belief/truth system goes (referring to the 'gonna-be-majority-perception' of truth here, which is largely scientific/logical in nature).. which might be 'miraculous', scientifically plausible or not, and it's gonna meet the same resistance theories of Copernicus or Galileo did. Only this time, from the 'other' kinda narrow minded folk. Thanks for the spark, AchrisK.

Science doesn't make us, we made science. It's a tool of work in our hands, just like a thousand others.. and we're letting it confine our perceptions. A wonderful field, yes, but why let it end there?

Apologies for not carrying on with the discussion. It was rather late and I had classes very early in the morning.
 
Because of course this is how all Atheists think. :erk:

Actually I was not being facetious. Are you saying that some atheists believe in an afterlife?

Think about it. From the atheist worldview, no matter what any of us does we get the same result: nonexistence. To me this is much less of a burden on the mind than believing that some people will end up in hell, and that my decisions now will somehow shape my eternity. I said this a few pages back.
 
Atheists don't believe in an afterlife. I'm pretty sure most don't even believe in reincarnation (which is a second life, not an afterlife technically).
 
I did not say he could not affect us. I said he could affect us, but in such a way which science may not be able to test or prove.

Right, but I did. When has this god affected us as a race ever? And if you say "by bringing us into existence", I'm going to cry. That is unverifiable and thus untrue. If he can only affect us in ways human understanding (SCIENCE) cannot prove, what relevance does he have? We only have what we know. Is there any knowledge outside of the sciences (incl. social sciences etc.) that we can objectively know to be true? No, except this mystical god you speak of. I don't like this inherent, gigantic "PARADOX" stamp your god seems to bear the burden of.

I don't demand any proof of the nonexistence of God. My word is worthless, except to express what I believe. Your word is just as valuable. I am not trying to convince anyone of anything, except that science is limited and it is unreasonable to make definitive statements about the existence of God based solely on science. I really think that is the crux of what I have been saying since I jumped into this thread again.

OK, now you're getting somewhere. Of course we can't define a god through science, because the bar of god is automatically set beyond a level we can comprehend so as to make this discussion go on for millenia. However, we have done the same and set the bar of god beyond science so that we can't ever understand him. It's a mutual non-understanding in the case of atheists. Like I said, I don't see the point of a god, you'll hear more about this soon.

Yeah, I guess that statement was a little strong. I do believe science is awesome and we have progressed in so many ways because of it. I understand that it is a vital discipline and that it is set up to verify and correct itself. I only said what I said based on how much there is vs how much science knows. It is great for what it has done, but even among the things it can examine, there is so much it doesn't know.

This is silly; science has always been all we have ever had. That is why I think the idea of a god is irrational. Science can only know things it can test and verify, of course. God is beyond science. There is no correlation between science and a god. The idea of god is a VERY abstract and personal concept, one which may be unique to everyone who believes. Subjectivity is not scientific, much like art and the principles of beauty; art cannot be defined by science except extremely loosely (paintings, music, sculpture are ART, for instance). There is no science to the finding of things to be beautiful or aesthetically pleasing, since this is inherently subjective. I cannot believe in a god whose very essence is subjective and whose presence is unprovable except by its own revelation of itself. There are too many holes there for us to ever comprehend.

You see no point to believing in God? I feel there is a point to finding the truth, and then seeing what significance it has for me.

The Christian God has never been a bringer of truth or anything but more questions and, actually, quite a bit of pain and suffering. I don't believe there's a point in a god whose truth involves millenia of destruction and catastrophe before it goes "ta-da here I am! It's me GOD!" Like I said in a previous post, you would doubt this revelation more than any of us here; if the god is subjective and personal, he would appear to everyone as different, correct? He is omnipresent/omniscient, after all. What about the people who disbelieve? He wouldn't appear at all, and that's the nature of my atheism.

Why must you throw in the word "unrealistic"?

Why must you use scary anti-science judgments without understanding the nature of science? Science doesn't want to and cannot prove a god; it has better things to, like focusing on things that affect human life and the environment right now.

I do accept that people don't agree with me. I have not been trying to convince anyone that God exists or even to follow Christianity. See above for what my main point has been. Trace it back through the thread.

Well, that's good. Since we fundamentally disagree, there is no point for this argument. I have my truth, you have yours. Take it and run with it. It is your prerogative and mine also.
 
AchrisK, just because science cannot verify the existence of a god does not fucking mean that there is no way for a god to demonstrate to man that he exists, and that by doing so, atheists will have to accept the existence of a god.
 
God wouldn't do that if he exists. It would contradict just about every religion.

Religion contradicts itself. The Christian God has revealed himself a number of times (in the Old Testament), so obviously the core doctrine does not find it contradictory.
 
Well, to my knowledge, a lot of the Old Testament is used for symbolic purposes rather than straight truths.

I partially agree with you but I can understand why the idea of "god showing himself" is kind of nonsensical to people.
 
I still think that a ton of the morals are right. I do not believe in random lust, sex before married is okay though, and other strict morals. I still believe, just not the same way. I think it has been some what perverted by the masses.
So keep the morals and lose the irrational baggage.

Well, to my knowledge, a lot of the Old Testament is used for symbolic purposes rather than straight truths.
It is only used as symbolism now because no reasonable person could believe such garbage.

Ack, I would like to point out a flaw in your hypothetical. For a god (or anything) to be completely untestable using the scientific method, it would have to have absolutely no effect on the universe. If that were then true, its existence would be irrelevant. In that case I would still be an atheist just because I think it is unlikely that anything exists "beyond" the universe despite me having no way of checking. All this of course means that your hypothetical could not be the Judeo-Christian god as according to all major theology, that god certainly has done and continues to do stuff (prayers, miracles etc.)
 
Atheists don't believe in an afterlife. I'm pretty sure most don't even believe in reincarnation (which is a second life, not an afterlife technically).

Reincarnation implies the agency of supernatural forces. Atheism refutes anything supernatural whatsoever, not just gods. Am I right?
 
Well not technically, as atheism refers to lack of belief in gods. However I'm sure most atheists do not believe in the supernatural because it would be hard to justify not believing in god and then believing in something equally as unlikely