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Off-Topic => Chatterbox => Topic started by: Velocity EVO on November 06, 2010, 11:07:34 AM

Title: religious debate thread
Post by: Velocity EVO on November 06, 2010, 11:07:34 AM
It started in the Aspergers thread so i thought id just make a thread for it to be posted in
Title: Re: Reliegous debate thread
Post by: Hydro on November 06, 2010, 11:08:21 AM
k
Title: Re: Reliegous debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 06, 2010, 11:10:21 AM
What's "reliegous"?
Title: Re: Reliegous debate thread
Post by: SteveM4 on November 06, 2010, 11:11:43 AM
I am not posting my views in-case I insult someone
Title: Re: Reliegous debate thread
Post by: CaptainUseless on November 06, 2010, 11:12:03 AM
@Serge, Haha....

Well I'm not religious, never have been, never will be.
Title: Re: Reliegous debate thread
Post by: Little lost bot on November 06, 2010, 11:12:25 AM
Depends on how you look at it.


Its a debate thread don't worry KM
Title: Re: Reliegous debate thread
Post by: Hydro on November 06, 2010, 11:12:34 AM
I am not posting my views in-case I insult someone

I find this insulting
Title: Re: Reliegous debate thread
Post by: Velocity EVO on November 06, 2010, 11:12:40 AM
What's "reliegous"?

Crap, i cant spell it, its been quite a tough word for me over the years to get right
Title: Re: Reliegous debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 06, 2010, 11:15:16 AM
I need to publish these results completely some time, but basically, GTM is:

(http://imgur.com/AbPeN.png)
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Velocity EVO on November 06, 2010, 11:16:30 AM
Im an atheist. Not sure if im Gnostic or Agnostic
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: SteveM4 on November 06, 2010, 11:17:25 AM
whats agnostic/gnosic
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 06, 2010, 11:17:55 AM
Im an atheist. Not sure if im Gnostic or Agnostic

Agnostic Atheist - Do not believe in a higher being and know that you can't be sure about whether there actually is one.
Gnostic Atheist - Do not believe in a higher being and know that you CAN be sure about whether there actually is one.

Also you people need to learn how to google.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Velocity EVO on November 06, 2010, 11:19:12 AM
Thanks for explaining them. Thats makes me agnostic
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 06, 2010, 11:20:02 AM
Most people are agnostic, in fact, gnosticism is considered to be very extremist (on both fronts).
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: SteveM4 on November 06, 2010, 11:21:16 AM
I think i am more gnostic...  but i value other peoples views and do not insult/comment so not an extreme gnostic
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Thyrus on November 06, 2010, 11:22:44 AM
don`t know the differents between the last two. just picked one of them.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 06, 2010, 11:23:28 AM
I think i am more gnostic...  but i value other peoples views and do not insult/comment so not an extreme gnostic

There's not such thing as in between - you either are sure or you're not.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: SteveM4 on November 06, 2010, 11:26:20 AM
I believe there is definitely no higher being, but I dont care if others do.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 06, 2010, 11:27:12 AM
Gnostic atheism (scientist's opinion) for me, but in fact i would not have any problems with worshipping gods.

Simply, the christian god is not for me, and LaVey Satanists are poseurs, clueless rebels and attention seekers mostly.

I could go with worshipping a god of logic or a god of chaos if saying this wouldn't make you look like a fool :P

Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Thyrus on November 06, 2010, 11:29:17 AM
pretty same as KM
I don`t belive in a god but I`m fine when it helps other to get on better with their lifes when the belive in such a sh*t thing
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: CaptainUseless on November 06, 2010, 11:29:25 AM
I'm a Gnostic atheist.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Natef on November 06, 2010, 11:29:31 AM
I'm Jewish.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 06, 2010, 11:31:10 AM
WAIT I FORGOT SOMETHING

THE BEST RELIGION IS WORSHIPPING YOURSELF, BECAUSE IF BELIEF MAKES GODS, THEN YOU MAKE YOURSELF A GOD BY SHEER WILLPOWER ! **** YEAH !
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: SteveM4 on November 06, 2010, 11:32:05 AM
Naryar just ownd religions face
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Thyrus on November 06, 2010, 11:35:57 AM
made me laught.

BTW: even though I don`t belive in God I still take part at the christmas thing and stuff. On one side I love to get presents :> and on the other: It`s one day in the year on that many suckers finaly start liking each other.. for 24 hours.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: CaptainUseless on November 06, 2010, 11:37:57 AM
WAIT I FORGOT SOMETHING

THE BEST RELIGION IS WORSHIPPING YOURSELF, BECAUSE IF BELIEF MAKES GODS, THEN YOU MAKE YOURSELF A GOD BY SHEER WILLPOWER ! **** YEAH !

Hey.
You this post?
The one I quoted?
Yeah?
It's full of WIN
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 06, 2010, 11:38:51 AM
And i will call it egotheism.

made me laught.

BTW: even though I don`t belive in God I still take part at the christmas thing and stuff. On one side I love to get presents :> and on the other: It`s one day in the year on that many suckers finaly start liking each other.. for 24 hours.

Awwww, Thyrus is a nice guy deep inside that full plate of cynicism and snarkiness !

Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: NFX on November 06, 2010, 11:42:16 AM
WAIT I FORGOT SOMETHING

THE BEST RELIGION IS WORSHIPPING YOURSELF, BECAUSE IF BELIEF MAKES GODS, THEN YOU MAKE YOURSELF A GOD BY SHEER WILLPOWER ! **** YEAH !

And so was born Naryarism. =P
 
I'm probably more Gnostic Aetheist myself. In my view, and I'm probably going to ruffle a few feathers, if something doesn't have a physical form, and it can't be truly explained, then it doesn't exist.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Hydro on November 06, 2010, 11:44:23 AM
Then space does not exist.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: SteveM4 on November 06, 2010, 11:47:37 AM
space is conformed of matter spread widely, it is but a very low gas pressure, about 1/1x1070
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 06, 2010, 12:05:47 PM
Then space does not exist.

Space is composed of a very few hydrogen/helium atoms by square meter, depending where you are. It does exist.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: SteveM4 on November 06, 2010, 12:07:07 PM
it is every where, gases expand to fill the space
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: NFX on November 06, 2010, 12:09:32 PM
Then space does not exist.
Space does have a physical form. It therefore exists. =P
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: SteveM4 on November 06, 2010, 12:12:15 PM
Who am I?
Nary hates too much of it and some cant get enough, people can wish to fly about in it and some fear it. It is what you get between your ears if you are dumb and can be someones personally.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Thyrus on November 06, 2010, 12:13:03 PM
penis
crawlers?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Hydro on November 06, 2010, 12:13:31 PM
...Brain...
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: SteveM4 on November 06, 2010, 12:14:38 PM
Space, duh

It was a question of what is space
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 06, 2010, 12:15:55 PM
Who am I?
Nary hates too much of it and some cant get enough, people can wish to fly about in it and some fear it. It is what you get between your ears if you are dumb and can be someones personally.

EMPTY SPACE
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Sage on November 06, 2010, 12:16:41 PM
f**k yea the only unitarian
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: NFX on November 06, 2010, 12:16:58 PM
JE N'AIME PAS D'EMPTY SPACE. =D
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 06, 2010, 12:20:44 PM
JE N'AIME PAS D'EMPTY SPACE. =D

I already said it wasn't even true... Stupid stereotypes...
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 10, 2010, 05:38:24 AM
Why does this stopped, and other fail threads still go on ?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 10, 2010, 08:53:53 AM
Well, I can say that I am atheist, simply because there is no scientific evidence that god exists, thus he does not exist until proven otherwise.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 10, 2010, 10:20:52 AM
Well, I can say that I am atheist, simply because there is no scientific evidence that god exists, thus he does not exist until proven otherwise.

Pretty much my opinion.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Scorpion on November 10, 2010, 04:24:15 PM
Well, I can say that I am atheist, simply because there is no scientific evidence that god exists, thus he does not exist until proven otherwise.
That, and the fact that there's no reason why we should worship him.
IMO, if there isn't a god fine, I was right, yay for me.
If there is a god, then i'll gladly spit in its face for the sake of humanity.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 10, 2010, 04:34:48 PM
I'm Norse. I worship Thor the god of thunder and Odin his father. I hope someday to die in battle so I can go to Valhalla where I will battle all day and  party all night until Ragnarok. **** yeah!
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: GoldenFox93 on November 10, 2010, 04:37:59 PM
I'm Norse. I worship Thor the god of thunder and Odin his father. I hope someday to die in battle so I can go to Valhalla where I will battle all day and  party all night until Ragnarok. **** yeah!
And let me guess, when you die, you're going to be put on a burning ship with a sword in your hand so you can get to Valhalla, I take it?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 10, 2010, 04:41:09 PM
It's already in my will.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: GoldenFox93 on November 10, 2010, 04:42:29 PM
That sounds quite interesting. I've considered burial in an underground chamber, simularly to the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 10, 2010, 04:48:49 PM
**** yeah, get like a pyramid and sh**.

Anyway since this is a debate thread, I have a challenge for you athiestfags. If Thor doesn't exist. who's going to fight Jormungand at Ragnarok?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 10, 2010, 05:07:48 PM
I don't get this whole emerging faith with all that scientific mumbo jumbo.

Let's face it, most of us don't know enough science to judge the validity and reliability of a given scientific research.  But we believe nevertheless.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Enigm@ on November 10, 2010, 05:10:21 PM
YOU'RE ALL WRONG. SCIENTOLOGY IS THE ONLY TRUE WAY.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 10, 2010, 06:08:26 PM


I don't get this whole emerging faith with all that scientific mumbo jumbo.

Let's face it, most of us don't know enough science to judge the validity and reliability of a given scientific research.  But we believe nevertheless.



Perhaps, but as far as the gods are concerned there is absolutely no evidence beyond their respective religious texts and or stories.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 10, 2010, 06:10:03 PM
And lightning, since Thor makes it.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 10, 2010, 06:51:38 PM
Perhaps, but as far as the gods are concerned there is absolutely no evidence beyond their respective religious texts and or stories.
Not believing in invisible pink unicorn does not translate to the atom is made up of up quark, down quark, and electrons.

I don't know why there's still this Religion vs Science duality in the 21st century.  Actually I am very critical of how this duality somehow give people more blind faith in the science they picked up from a magazine.  Sciences isn't one thing and each finding needed to be consider separately.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 12:04:43 AM
blind faith in the science they picked up from a magazine.  Sciences isn't one thing and each finding needed to be consider separately

Yes, we trust the conclusions made by people who know more than we do. That is absolutely unavoidable. Of course every scientific finding is looked at separately, but it is also looked at in the context of other theories to see what fits. Each finding is connected to other findings. So far science has gotten most things right (or at least quickly fixes things that are wrong), so I don't see the problem with trusting scientists.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 11, 2010, 12:39:05 AM
Yes, we trust the conclusions made by people who know more than we do. That is absolutely unavoidable. Of course every scientific finding is looked at separately, but it is also looked at in the context of other theories to see what fits. Each finding is connected to other findings. So far science has gotten most things right (or at least quickly fixes things that are wrong), so I don't see the problem with trusting scientists.
The track record of science have always come with lots of pseudo sciences and bad practices, especially in emerging sciences like psychology, social science, and economics.  Even in well established science like physics and biology, there are too many nonsense and misinterpretations by non scientist.  Worst is when people vastly misinterpreted certain scientific findings and think they got science behind their back, like the Social Darwinist.

I don't believe in anything I haven't looked at myself.  Knowing more is not a requirement to see the underline assumptions made in each conclusion, and to distinguish well practiced science from bullsh**.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Ben Purse on November 11, 2010, 12:43:22 AM
Im Christan Prodersent
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 12:59:55 AM



The track record of science have always come with lots of pseudo sciences and bad practices, especially in emerging sciences like psychology, social science, and economics.


Can't say I disagree, especially when certain sciences were first emerging. However, modern day science has very little pseudo-science principles.



Even in well established science like physics and biology, there are too many nonsense and misinterpretations by non scientist.


Keyword there is non-scientists. We should just listen to what the scientists say, not use our own "perceptions" of it when we know very little.


Worst is when people vastly misinterpreted certain scientific findings and think they got science behind their back, like the Social Darwinist.


Fully agree there.


I don't believe in anything I haven't looked at myself.


You have lost much of physics, you have lost microbiology, you have lost most of biology (you haven't seen all the living things science claims exist), you have lost astronomy. If you narrow what you believe to only what you have personally seen, then most of science does not exist for you.


Knowing more is not a requirement to see the underline assumptions made in each conclusion, and to distinguish well practiced science from bullsh**.


I suppose you are partially correct, but a person not well versed in the science can not always recognize the underlying assumption, and they do not always know whether it is false or not.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 11, 2010, 01:37:03 AM
Even   in well established science like physics and biology, there are too   many nonsense and misinterpretations by non scientist.
Keyword   there is non-scientists. We should just listen to what the scientists   say, not use our own "perceptions" of it when we know very little.
Problem being, distinguishing between the two is never easy.  Most of us don't get science news directly from the researchers.  We get them from journalist, friends, the media, etc.  Even among established scientist themselves there are many disputes over the interpretation of a certain finding.

One example of this would be global warming.  I can't distinguish which voice comes from established scientist and which isn't.

I don't believe in anything I haven't looked at myself.
You have lost much of physics, you have lost microbiology, you have lost most of biology (you haven't seen all the living things science claims exist), you have lost astronomy. If you narrow what you believe to only what you have personally seen, then most of science does not exist for you.
I don't mean physically observing an object.  I mean looking at the process of which the science is conducted.

So for Astronomy, I can look at the theory of red shifting and standard candles, and how those rationale leads to the conclusion that galaxies are moving away from each other at an accelerating rate.

And you are right about physics, general relativity kinna lost me already, and quantum mechanics makes so little sense to me that it doesn't matter rather I believe it or not.  I think I took 5 audio lectures and well over 100 hours on those 2 topics already.

Knowing more is not a requirement to see the underline assumptions made in each conclusion, and to distinguish well practiced science from bullsh**.
I suppose you are partially correct, but a person not well versed in the science can not always recognize the underlying assumption, and they do not always know whether it is false or not.
Which is why people need to learn about the science they cared about, if only the basics.  We can't claim to rationally believe otherwise.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 11, 2010, 08:56:14 AM
Rational belief can only be true to it's name if it is philosophic.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Squirrel_Monkey on November 11, 2010, 10:44:16 AM
Religion is logical.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 10:54:30 AM
Religion is logical.


In what way?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Squirrel_Monkey on November 11, 2010, 10:57:37 AM
Religion is logical.


In what way?
There's the whole arguement that
1. If God exists then you will go to heaven if you believe, if you don't you won't
2. If God doesn't exist then nothing happens
Therefore, believing gives you nothing to lose whilst not believing could prevent eternal life.
It's Pascal's Wager.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 11:04:04 AM

There's the whole arguement that
1. If God exists then you will go to heaven if you believe, if you don't you won't
2. If God doesn't exist then nothing happens
Therefore, believing gives you nothing to lose whilst not believing could prevent eternal life.
It's Pascal's Wager.


What if a different god that you don't worship exists?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Squirrel_Monkey on November 11, 2010, 11:04:53 AM

There's the whole arguement that
1. If God exists then you will go to heaven if you believe, if you don't you won't
2. If God doesn't exist then nothing happens
Therefore, believing gives you nothing to lose whilst not believing could prevent eternal life.
It's Pascal's Wager.


What if a different god that you don't worship exists?
That's the problem, but believing in one gives you a better chance than believing in one.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 11:12:44 AM
That's the problem, but believing in one gives you a better chance than believing in one.



You know how many gods there are? The statistical advantage gained would be incredibly insignificant. To call it logical is questionable.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Squirrel_Monkey on November 11, 2010, 11:14:03 AM
That's the problem, but believing in one gives you a better chance than believing in one.



You know how many gods there are? The statistical advantage gained would be incredibly insignificant. To call it logical is questionable.
Still a statistical advantage. 0.0000000000000001% is infinite times more likely than 0%
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 11:17:58 AM

Still a statistical advantage. 0.0000000000000001% is infinite times more likely than 0%
From a purely statistical standpoint you are correct. However time wasted in religious activities (festivals, church, etc) that could have been used for better purposes (curing world hunger, research, etc), then you are better off not partaking in any religion at all.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Scorpion on November 11, 2010, 11:33:53 AM

Still a statistical advantage. 0.0000000000000001% is infinite times more likely than 0%
From a purely statistical standpoint you are correct. However time wasted in religious activities (festivals, church, etc) that could have been used for better purposes (curing world hunger, research, etc), then you are better off not partaking in any religion at all.
I was just about to say that urjak.
Besides, as I always say, would you really want their to be a god given all that goes on in this world?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Squirrel_Monkey on November 11, 2010, 11:51:37 AM
Still a statistical advantage. 0.0000000000000001% is infinite times more likely than 0%
From a purely statistical standpoint you are correct. However time wasted in religious activities (festivals, church, etc) that could have been used for better purposes (curing world hunger, research, etc), then you are better off not partaking in any religion at all.
Why not follow a religion without all that effort?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 11:54:09 AM
Why not follow a religion without all that effort?
Like?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: madman3 on November 11, 2010, 11:57:12 AM
To be honest the only religious people who haven't been fooling around are the Sikhs.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Squirrel_Monkey on November 11, 2010, 11:59:10 AM
Why not follow a religion without all that effort?
Like?
Basic Christianity. Just be good
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 12:02:54 PM
Basic Christianity. Just be good
Secular Humanism states the same thing, yet it is not Christianity. So then what makes a "Basic Christian" different from a Secular Humanist?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Squirrel_Monkey on November 11, 2010, 12:03:57 PM
Basic Christianity. Just be good
Secular Humanism states the same thing, yet it is not Christianity. So then what makes a "Basic Christian" different from a Secular Humanist?
Belief in God.
EDIT: WTF with this post?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 12:05:22 PM
And how do "basic Christians" express that belief?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Squirrel_Monkey on November 11, 2010, 12:08:30 PM
By believing, if God is real they he will know what you think and will reward you for your faith. Actions are a plus but not necessary.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 11, 2010, 12:13:10 PM
You can call a system of thought based on a hypothesis (the existence of God) logical, but you can't call it reasonable.

Oh, and Pascal's wager is basically a self-centered and egoist calculus. While I encourage these, I very much doubt the christian God, if he exists, likes these to be his followers.

Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 12:18:07 PM
The way I see it, it is more likely none of the gods exist and everyone just made it up then one religion exists and everyone besides that one group made theirs up.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 11, 2010, 12:25:49 PM
Still a statistical advantage. 0.0000000000000001% is infinite times more likely than 0%
From a purely statistical standpoint you are correct. However time wasted in religious activities (festivals, church, etc) that could have been used for better purposes (curing world hunger, research, etc), then you are better off not partaking in any religion at all.
Christians have done a lot more to end world hunger than Atheists ever have.
The   way I see it, it is more likely none of the gods exist and everyone   just made it up then one religion exists and everyone besides that one   group made theirs up.
Or maybe, they're all real! :bigO:
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 11, 2010, 12:30:39 PM
Still a statistical advantage. 0.0000000000000001% is infinite times more likely than 0%
From a purely statistical standpoint you are correct. However time wasted in religious activities (festivals, church, etc) that could have been used for better purposes (curing world hunger, research, etc), then you are better off not partaking in any religion at all.
Christians have done a lot more to end world hunger than Atheists ever have.

And killed a lot more infidels. Actually, same goes for Islam.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 12:35:53 PM

Christians have done a lot more to end world hunger than Atheists ever have.



Yeah, primarily because there are 2 billion Christians in the world. Them helping world hunger has nothing to do with their Christianity.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 11, 2010, 12:42:33 PM
Christians have done a lot more to end world hunger than Atheists ever have.


Them helping world hunger has nothing to do with their Christianity.
So the fact that Christ teaches things like giving to the poor, and loving your neighbor has nothing to do with the fact that there are hundreds of Christian charity organizations?


And killed a lot more infidels. Actually, same goes for Islam.
I can't speak for Islam, but I know enough about Christianity to tell you that those who kill in the name of Christianity are not Christians at all.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Incredirobotwars on November 11, 2010, 12:44:25 PM
I'm gonna be blunt, post my views and why I think them, and not bother argueing. I believe in it, and nobody can change it. I won't try to get anyone to believe in what I do, and leave it at that.

I'm an atheist. Not agnostic, atheist. I believe that God doesn't exist. Plain and simple.

If there are so many different religions that all think they are right, and start wars over such issues, then either they are all idiots who take religion the wrong way, or there is no divine power at all. I don't think that so many people could be so idiotic as to make a war over religion when there is a god (then again, they could be - president Bush?), and so I think that they fight over religion because there is no god to stop it from happening. There are plenty of other reasons, but I won't go into them.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 12:45:59 PM
So the fact that Christ teaches things like giving to the poor, and loving your neighbor has nothing to do with the fact that there are hundreds of Christian charity organizations?


I phrased my answer wrong. The fact that people are Atheist does not mean that they don't help world hunger. There are simply MANY more Christians.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 11, 2010, 12:51:44 PM
Christians have done a lot more to end world hunger than Atheists ever have.


Them helping world hunger has nothing to do with their Christianity.
So the fact that Christ teaches things like giving to the poor, and loving your neighbor has nothing to do with the fact that there are hundreds of Christian charity organizations?
Don't be a self-pretentious faggot who thinks that it's thanks to their religion that these virtues exist. You don't have to have an imaginary friend to be a good person, sorry.


And killed a lot more infidels. Actually, same goes for Islam.
I can't speak for Islam, but I know enough about Christianity to tell you that those who kill in the name of Christianity are not Christians at all.

"Later that year, at the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II called upon all Christians to join a war against the Turks, promising those who died in the endeavor would receive immediate remission of their sins."

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades#First_Crusade_1095.E2.80.931099 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades#First_Crusade_1095.E2.80.931099) - sources present)
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 12:54:55 PM
The Crusades are the greatest example of religious wars and how Christianity is twisted by its followers.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 11, 2010, 12:56:14 PM
I'm a gnostic atheist myself.  Organized religion is, in my opinion, outdated.  We have a law system to keep people in order now, and people don't need an organization to tell them what their beliefs ought to be.  People should form their own beliefs about the unexplainable.

I for one believe that if there is some sort of a god, it has remained uninvolved in the universe since it's beginning.

So the fact that Christ teaches things like giving to the poor, and loving your neighbor has nothing to do with the fact that there are hundreds of Christian charity organizations?

That is irrelevant.  If a proper atheist creates a charity organization, he or she isn't going to call it something like "Atheists Against Hunger" just to add to atheist credibility.  It would be an organization that isn't exclusive to one religion and leaves religion completely out of the equation.  It would focus on one thing and one thing alone: giving donated money/goods to the poor.  I'm sure there are more of those types of organizations then there are Christian ones.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 11, 2010, 01:33:09 PM
Christians have done a lot more to end world hunger than Atheists ever have.


Them helping world hunger has nothing to do with their Christianity.
So the fact that Christ teaches things like giving to the poor, and loving your neighbor has nothing to do with the fact that there are hundreds of Christian charity organizations?
Don't be a self-pretentious faggot who thinks that it's thanks to their religion that these virtues exist. You don't have to have an imaginary friend to be a good person, sorry.

I never said there weren't good people who aren't Christians, but the fact reamins that Christians are responsible for the vast majority of charitiy organizations that exist. Hater's gonna hate.


And killed a lot more infidels. Actually, same goes for Islam.
I can't speak for Islam, but I know enough about Christianity to tell you that those who kill in the name of Christianity are not Christians at all.

"Later that year, at the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II called upon all Christians to join a war against the Turks, promising those who died in the endeavor would receive immediate remission of their sins."

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades#First_Crusade_1095.E2.80.931099 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades#First_Crusade_1095.E2.80.931099) - sources present)


The Roman Catholic Church is the greatest perversion of Christianity to ever exist. Catholicism is not true Christianity, never was true Christianity, and never will be true Christianity. Most of the sh** they teach isn't even in the Bible.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 01:38:58 PM

I never said there weren't good people who aren't Christians, but the fact reamins that Christians are responsible for the vast majority of charitiy organizations that exist. Hater's gonna hate.



That is because 1/3 people are Christian.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 11, 2010, 01:48:09 PM
Excuses excuses, Urjak.

Anyway, I'm done arguing for Christianity unless I see some more blatant misconceptions to refute.

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me that Thor doesn't exist. Don't forget, the Norse religion does encourage violence, and we don't give a ****.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Little lost bot on November 11, 2010, 01:52:17 PM
What I find odd is how other beliefs systems can go blabbing out in public about how bad we are yet if a Christian goes and does the same thing about other belief systems were told were being narrow minded and selfish. Heck You do that to Muslims and your life could be in danger.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: GoldenFox93 on November 11, 2010, 02:08:04 PM
What I find odd is how other beliefs systems can go blabbing out in public about how bad we are yet if a Christian goes and does the same thing about other belief systems were told were being narrow minded and selfish. Heck You do that to Muslims and your life could be in danger.
Quoted for truth. It's a problem in real life that just bothers me, just how if a woman murders a man, her story is always given a justified reason for it, and the tabloids make you believe you should be sympathetic to her.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 02:16:52 PM
yet if a Christian goes and does the same thing about other belief systems were told were being narrow minded and selfish.


Please give an example.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Little lost bot on November 11, 2010, 02:29:42 PM
All right If a Christan speaks out against homosexuality its horrible but if a Muslim does that who cares. If the another belief system want a class for its belief system they'll do it Eg natives belief system is taught but a Christan once it in schools its a very big hassle.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 11, 2010, 02:38:08 PM
All right If a Christan speaks out against homosexuality its horrible but if a Muslim does that who cares.
No, it is horrible if either of them do it.


If the another belief system want a class for its belief system they'll do it Eg natives belief system is taught but a Christan once it in schools its a very big hassle.

Do you honestly believe that classes on the history and interpretation of Christianity are not found in schools? This is blatantly false.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Little lost bot on November 11, 2010, 02:49:53 PM
All right If a Christan speaks out against homosexuality its horrible but if a Muslim does that who cares.
No, it is horrible if either of them do it.


Theres a lot less fussing about it.

If the another belief system want a class for its belief system they'll do it Eg natives belief system is taught but a Christan once it in schools its a very big hassle.

Do you honestly believe that classes on the history and interpretation of Christianity are not found in schools? This is blatantly false.

Over here I have yet to even hear of a public school with a class teaching about Christianity. SS and history teach it in a negative way and or a way to have others think that its something of the past or you don't want to do it.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 11, 2010, 04:12:48 PM
All right If a Christan speaks out against homosexuality its horrible but if a Muslim does that who cares.
No, it is horrible if either of them do it.


Theres a lot less fussing about it.

If the another belief system want a class for its belief system they'll do it Eg natives belief system is taught but a Christan once it in schools its a very big hassle.

Do you honestly believe that classes on the history and interpretation of Christianity are not found in schools? This is blatantly false.

Over here I have yet to even hear of a public school with a class teaching about Christianity. SS and history teach it in a negative way and or a way to have others think that its something of the past or you don't want to do it.

History classes teach just that - history.  If you're religion decided strolling on over to the "holy land" to kill a few thousand infidels was a good idea, it's going to be mentioned.  History classes aren't going to re-write what happened just for the sake of portraying it in one religion's point of view.

To add to this, if you wanted a class to teach about Christianity, you'd have to have classes about Islam, Hindu, Buddhism, and any other major religions as well.  There simply isn't enough time or reasons to teach classes for each religion's part in history.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 11, 2010, 04:32:34 PM
Now, when you go to college, at least my college, you're required to take a religion class, even if you're a physics major such as myself.
However, if you haven't noticed that Christianity tends to get more hate than other religions, you're either unobservant, or willfully ignorant. The reason behind it is pretty simple though. Christianity is one of the three main religions in the modern world, along with Judaism and Islam. If you say bad things about Jews, you're instantly compared to the Nazis. If you say bad things about Islam, a suicide bomber kills a few hundred people. If you say bad things about Christianity, well...nothing really happens.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: martymidget on November 11, 2010, 04:34:54 PM
Hinduism is the third :P

/nitpicking
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Scorpion on November 11, 2010, 04:38:10 PM
Criticism of religion is something that should always be encouraged anyway, assuming it's actuall criticism and not just trolling abuse.

Personally I don't see why any of it should be taught in schools, if people want to know about a certain or certain aspects of religion, the knowledge is out there and easy to find on their own accord.

Religion should be each individuals opinions, not some major groups opinion.
The only worth while religion nowadays is something along the lines of budhism, people can't needlessly kill themselves and others over that can they?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 11, 2010, 04:39:53 PM
Hinduism is the third :P

/nitpicking
Good point, my mistake.
Criticism of religion is something that should always be encouraged anyway, assuming it's actual criticism and not just trolling abuse.
Hahahahhahahahahahaha, yeah right

Personally I don't see why any of it should be taught in schools, if people want to know about a certain or certain aspects of religion, the knowledge is out there and easy to find on their own accord.
Well, religion has probably had a bigger impact on world history than anything else. Not to mention, it's an incredibly important part of a people's culture. The study of religion goes far beyond the teachhings and aspects of a particular religion.
Religion should be each individuals opinions, not some major groups opinion.The only worth while religion nowadays is something along the lines of budhism, people can't needlessly kill themselves and others over that can they?
You might be surprised.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 11, 2010, 04:47:18 PM
If you say bad things about Christianity, well...nothing really happens.

I hope you're not implying that because nothing happens as a result of speaking out against Christianity that there is no actions taken by Christians.

Every time I've seen people publicly go out against Christianity, they get hit by a tsunami of bitching and moaning courtesy of the Catholic church.  In the end, though, nothing much usually happens.  It's not that Christians just sit back and "turn the other cheek."  They have a method of refuting criticism the wrong way, it's just that their method isn't as effective as the ones you described for the Muslims and Jews.

The real reason Christianity is attacked the most is because it's the biggest target.  If you dislike organized religion and you're trying to see that people don't join any organized religions, you're not going to ignore the biggest one in the world.  That'd just be completely illogical.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 11, 2010, 04:58:12 PM
Indeed. Anyway, the Catholic church isn't Christian by any means, it just likes to think it is. But, I've already said that, so I'll shut up now.

Thats a load of cow poop (put politely).  The very fact that the Catholic Church bases it's teachings on Jesus makes it by definition a Christian church.

EDIT: Any reason you deleted it?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: martymidget on November 11, 2010, 05:01:12 PM
My own opinion is that some aspects of religion are primitive. From my untrained eye, religion can make people dependent on one thing, and totally focused on defending that thing with their own wellbeing. In my opinion, defending something else is often a good thing, but I would rather risk myself on defending something that I am 100% sure exists than something that I cannot be sure about (May be hypocritical, since I wish to be a particle physicist).

However, some aspects of religion I do agree with. Such as respecting people and generally the good things. It does have the capability of turning a person's life around. It depends on the personality of the individual. The crusades were just an excuse for the European countries at the time to get more land and so they didn't kill each other. Plus, they were misguided into thinking that all other religions are evil. Sadly, with some people like this these days, this is the main reason that religion gets into the headlines.

I am indifferent to religion. If anybody could show me conclusive proof that a higher being does indeed exist, I will acknowledge that fact and change some things accordingly. I am indifferent to religion, it has bad points, and good points. Unfortunately the bad points are often cause by greed or other malicious feelings, and in the media's eye, these outweigh the good points completely.

Let the feather ruffling begin :p
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 11, 2010, 05:07:20 PM
Indeed. Anyway, the Catholic church isn't Christian by any means, it just likes to think it is. But, I've already said that, so I'll shut up now.

Thats a load of cow poop (put politely).  The very fact that the Catholic Church bases it's teachings on Jesus makes it by definition a Christian church.

EDIT: Any reason you deleted it?
I had already said something almost exactly the same in a previous post, so I decided it was just redundant, but since you've already replied...
The Catholic church follows some of the teachings of Jesus, but a lot of what they teach is stuff Jesus never said and isn't even in the   Bible. (Praying to Saints, priests can't have sex, The pope). It also happens to be the one responsible for the Crusades and the Inquisition (which primary targeted Protestants).
Catholism is a perversion of the Christian faith to such an extent that it's really no better than Mormonism or the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 11, 2010, 11:38:31 PM
Quote from: Meganerdbomb
it's really no better than Mormonism or the Jehovah's Witnesses.
WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH!!!!!!

Someone gotta mention it.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Pwnator on November 12, 2010, 03:02:47 AM
Quote from: Meganerdbomb
it's really no better than Mormonism or the Jehovah's Witnesses.
WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH!!!!!!

Someone gotta mention it.

trololololololololololo
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 12, 2010, 03:24:44 AM
If anyone is interested, my main point is :

There is no evidence of a higher being, so why should we believe in it ?

If there was a reasonable God here he would be manifesting to us humans.

Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Pwnator on November 12, 2010, 03:59:40 AM
There is no evidence of a higher being, so why should we believe in it ?

Probably because the idea already existed back then. When people didn't understand the science behind day and night, water cycles, and thunderstorms, they just assumed that these were the actions of a higher being. An idea that's planted in the minds of a whole colony is pretty tough to eradicate. It's kinda like saying 'I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT BUTTER!', even if it was clear that margarine was used. Some people are just too ignorant to acknowledge new scientific breakthroughs.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 12, 2010, 12:40:38 PM
There is no evidence of a higher being, so why should we believe in it ?

Probably because the idea already existed back then. When people didn't understand the science behind day and night, water cycles, and thunderstorms, they just assumed that these were the actions of a higher being. An idea that's planted in the minds of a whole colony is pretty tough to eradicate. It's kinda like saying 'I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT BUTTER!', even if it was clear that margarine was used. Some people are just too ignorant to acknowledge new scientific breakthroughs.

That, and religion was a good way of keeping people in line.  Way back when, the law enforcement systems sucked.  So a simple solution was to threaten spending forever in hell, something nobody'd want to do.

It was a good thing back then, it kept people from killing each other when nothing else could effectively.  Nowadays it's just a bother.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Zog on November 12, 2010, 02:15:25 PM
I'm gnostic atheist, and proud of it.


Squirrel Monkey, from what I remember, in the Bible, God said that we have FREE WILL. AKA We can choose to worship him or not. So you will not go to hell if you don't worship him.


I've got nothing against Christians, but why bother saying sorry to the same guy over and over again just for kicking a dog when you can be doing better things?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Scorpion on November 12, 2010, 02:19:13 PM
Yeah, I agree with zog.
Having read most of the bible when I was younger, I'm surprised that the church still keeps it in high regards.
It's got more plot holes in it than transformers 2 ;P
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Zog on November 12, 2010, 02:20:12 PM
Especially the feeding of the 5000.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Squirrel_Monkey on November 12, 2010, 02:24:23 PM
from what I remember, in the Bible, God said that we have FREE WILL. AKA We can choose to worship him or not. So you will not go to hell if you don't worship him.
But if you believe that he gave you free will, then you believe in him :P
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Zog on November 12, 2010, 02:26:36 PM
No...


Our R.S. Nowadays is basically philosophy.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 12, 2010, 02:26:47 PM
But if you believe that he gave you free will, then you believe in him :P


Let's assume that he did give us free will. Then not believing in him would not be bad. We don't have to believe he gave us free will, he either did or he didn't.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Little lost bot on November 12, 2010, 02:27:56 PM
No one said you HAD to it's just he would like us to.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Squirrel_Monkey on November 12, 2010, 02:31:39 PM
No one said you HAD to it's just he would like us to.
So it it better to.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 12, 2010, 05:35:12 PM
No one said you HAD to it's just he would like us to.
So it it better to.

Right, so he simply suggests that you do as he'd want you to...
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 12, 2010, 08:02:58 PM
An "all knowing" God giving "free will" is a contradiction.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 12, 2010, 09:14:15 PM
Atheists need to stop being so anal about religion. It's really a fascinating subject. Besides, scientific studies show that people with religious beliefs are happier on average than those without them, but it doesn't really matter what religion you believe. Just go find one that suits your tastes, and be happy. 
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 12, 2010, 09:34:44 PM
Besides, scientific studies show that people with religious beliefs are happier on average than those without them


Please show me them, or at least the source of this info.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Sage on November 12, 2010, 10:10:56 PM
Fully believing in a religion eliminates the unknowns of life, and because the unknown is one of the greatest factors in fear of death, "knowing" what happens when you die removes that worry and allows one to travel through life without that worry nagging at their minds.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 12, 2010, 10:28:35 PM
Besides, scientific studies show that people with religious beliefs are happier on average than those without them


Please show me them, or at least the source of this info.
Self report surveys conducted by religious groups.......  Sorta like how Pepsi generated it's 85% people choose Pepsi over Coke.  When you go up to someone asking "would you like to take a survey conducted by Pepsi" guess who's going to respond?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 13, 2010, 03:52:56 AM
Fully believing in a religion eliminates the unknowns of life, and because the unknown is one of the greatest factors in fear of death, "knowing" what happens when you die removes that worry and allows one to travel through life without that worry nagging at their minds.
The opiate of the masses.

Intelligent beings, like me, don't need such nonsense to be happy (http://i.imgur.com/5F8a5.gif).

Atheists need to stop being so anal about religion.
Well, we're in a debate thread. I know it's all very wrong to oppose your views and we will be damned forever and we will burn in hell and whatever, but please don't use that line.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 13, 2010, 07:17:23 AM
I don't need nor want a prebuilt philosophy to adhere to. I'm smart enough to build my own system of morals and my own philosophy  and live without guilt nor regrets.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: GameKing3 on November 13, 2010, 11:56:02 AM
I think religion is a total sham. Also I believe the only reason it exists is because some people can't accept that once you die then your dead and thats it. Another point is how many places in the bible dont make sense. Such as Adam and eve,  Adam and eve had two sons Kane and abel so how did they populate the rest of the earth. It just doesn't make sense.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 13, 2010, 11:59:53 AM
how did they populate the rest of the earth without spawning a metric fuckton of genetically-impaired trisomic kids

FTFY
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: GameKing3 on November 13, 2010, 12:03:21 PM
Exactly lol.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 13, 2010, 01:52:43 PM
Maybe back then their genome had no flaws ? :p

Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 13, 2010, 02:45:34 PM
Besides, scientific studies show that people with religious beliefs are happier on average than those without them


Please show me them, or at least the source of this info.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11392866 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11392866)
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 13, 2010, 09:33:31 PM
Besides, scientific studies show that people with religious beliefs are happier on average than those without them


Please show me them, or at least the source of this info.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11392866 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11392866)

It's providing credibility to the saying "Ignorance is bliss." I suppose.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Enigm@ on November 13, 2010, 09:34:49 PM
LOL RELIGION.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Pwnator on November 14, 2010, 01:23:39 AM
Maybe back then their genome had no flaws ? :p

NO WAI THAT CONTRADICTS THE MECHANICS OF EVOLUTION :O :O :O
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Incredirobotwars on November 14, 2010, 03:05:17 AM
That is SO true.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: GameKing3 on November 14, 2010, 11:05:09 AM
Atheists need to stop being so anal about religion. It's really a fascinating subject. Besides, scientific studies show that people with religious beliefs are happier on average than those without them, but it doesn't really matter what religion you believe. Just go find one that suits your tastes, and be happy.
I find this rather shallow and pedantic.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Incredirobotwars on November 14, 2010, 11:09:04 AM
Find one that suits our tastes? OK...Atheism!
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: GoldenFox93 on November 14, 2010, 11:09:29 AM
Pastafarian.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Incredirobotwars on November 14, 2010, 11:10:32 AM
Yay!
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: GoldenFox93 on November 14, 2010, 11:11:25 AM
For I too was touched by his Noodly Appendage.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 14, 2010, 01:12:48 PM
Find one that suits our tastes? OK...Atheism!
Sweet, I just you to admit that Athiesm is a religion! My work here is done. :coolface
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 14, 2010, 01:17:36 PM
Find one that suits our tastes? OK...Atheism!
Sweet, I just you to admit that Athiesm is a religion! My work here is done. :coolface

If that's your best counterargument, then religion really is doomed to be wiped off the face of the earth.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 14, 2010, 01:28:41 PM
Not really, since Athiesm is a religion, the most that will happen is the takeover of a new religion, just like Christianity in Europe during the first and second century A.D. Also, this is now just an argument about who's religion is better, which is one of the things you Athiests seem to dislike about religion. Therefore, there is no point in continuing this discussion. Therefore, my work is done.

Me: 1
Athiests: 0
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 14, 2010, 01:40:40 PM
Not really, since Athiesm is a religion, the most that will happen is the takeover of a new religion, just like Christianity in Europe during the first and second century A.D. Also, this is now just an argument about who's religion is better, which is one of the things you Athiests seem to dislike about religion. Therefore, there is no point in continuing this discussion. Therefore, my work is done.

Me: 1
Athiests: 0

There is plenty of reasons to continue this discussion.  Firstly because you haven't ended the argument like you think you have.  Secondly because atheism is NOT a religion, its the state NOT BELIEVING all your crackpot beliefs.  Thirdly this isn't a discussion only of who's religion is better, but an argument about whether or not religion is a good thing to begin with.

I know you'd very much like to get atheists out of the formula, but declaring that you've won the debate and that it's over before the fact isn't the way to do that.  You still haven't provided a valid argument.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 14, 2010, 02:08:12 PM
Alright, I'll admit I was using troll logic, but you gotta admit, incredirobotwars was asking for it with a post like that.
 Still other than the lack of a god, Atheism is still very much like a religion, albeit a loosely organized one. You still have your own beliefs that you hold to with great faith. Sure, you claim to follow only reason and logic, but really, a lot what you believe makes no more sense than anything any other religion believes. And really your reason for not believing in God boils down to wanting to claim independence. You don't like the idea of being beholden to something greater than you, so you deny its existence. You'll deny anything that conflicts with your view and you in fact, want religion, as you said "wiped off the face of the earth". So, who sounds extremist now?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 14, 2010, 02:20:21 PM
Alright, I'll admit I was using troll logic, but you gotta admit, incredirobotwars was asking for it with a post like that.
 Still other than the lack of a god, Atheism is still very much like a religion, albeit a loosely organized one. You still have your own beliefs that you hold to with great faith. Sure, you claim to follow only reason and logic, but really, a lot what you believe makes no more sense than anything any other religion believes.

And what would some of those "beliefs" be?

And really your reason for not believing in God boils down to wanting to claim independence. You don't like the idea of being beholden to something greater than you, so you deny its existence. You'll deny anything that conflicts with your view and you in fact, want religion, as you said "wiped off the face of the earth". So, who sounds extremist now?

Now thats pretty ignorant, I gotta be honest.  Saying that atheists are basically "unable to deal with the facts" is a pretty hypocritical statement.

It's highly unlikely that any god exists.  It's impossible for the god of the religious to exist, simply because it makes no sense.  There are so many contradictions with your god.

Also, extremist comments warrant extremist answers.  But think about it, "wiped off the face of the earth" isn't that much of an extremist answer to begin with.  For example, many a species has been "wiped off the face of the earth" through a slow, natural process of extinction.  This is hardly an extreme process.  Likewise, wiping religion off the face of the earth is probably a process which will happen slowly by convincing each person one by one that it's a load a baloney.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 14, 2010, 02:23:43 PM
You still have your own beliefs that you hold to with great faith.

No. We follow common sense.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 14, 2010, 06:06:47 PM
Quote
New studies are revealing predictors of subjective well-being,   often assessed as self-reported happiness and life satisfaction.   Worldwide, most people report being at least moderately happy,   regardless of age and gender. As part of their scientific pursuit of   happiness, researchers have examined possible associations between   happiness and (a) economic growth and personal income, (b) close   relationships, and (c) religious faith.
Surprise surprise.  A "self reported" scale of happiness with obviously rigged in favorite of certain "religion" that tells their believer to be contempt with the little that they have, or be burn in eternal hell.  Being happy and reporting moderately happy are two different things.

Plus a survey that ask both a person's religion and happiness is totally rigged.  Asking an Atheist "What 'religion' are you" is like asking the Tea Party "which democrat candidate do you support", or a black person "which white supremacist would you support".  To add insult to injury, "None" is probably placed as the last choice.  No wonder Atheist answer more negatively in the rest of the survey.


The opiate of the masses.

Intelligent beings, like me, don't need such nonsense to be happy (http://i.imgur.com/5F8a5.gif).

No. We follow common sense.
THIS IS HYPOCRISY!!!!!!!  What is this common sense non sense you are talking about?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 14, 2010, 06:47:32 PM
What I meant, is from my point of view, I can either:
a) Try to convince myself that there is a superior being (even though there is no proof of it), then make my life miserable by following an old book written by crazy people, live in fear, blame everything on an arch enemy, learn to accept things because an old man dressed funny tells me to, yell at people because they don't think my superior being is the best, interfere in others' life and morality, saying that if they don't accept my higher being then they are the followers of my arch enemy, see everything in two colors, with no intermediaries, like a child, know that there are superior people here on earth, and they require special rights (especially when they want to rape little boys in the mouth), and refrain from doing anything that might piss my higher being off because I don't want to burn for eternity.

b) Live as I lived before, have my own system of values, think by myself, learn from scientific research and lead a happy life without fearing anything, since I know I'll die some day anyway. Be able to have my own opinion on important matters, do not be dependent of what others say. Think critically and rationally. Live like a normal human not bound by the membership in an organization that to me looks like something out of a horror flick.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Enigm@ on November 14, 2010, 06:54:41 PM
I'm agostic but you're post is comeplete bullsh**
Not ALL people who are religious live by the Torah/Bible/Koran/Whatever.
And people only live in fear if they are Jewish or Baptist.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 14, 2010, 07:13:20 PM
What I meant, is from my point of view, I can either:
a) Try to convince myself that there is a superior being (even though there is no proof of it), then make my life miserable by following an old book written by crazy people, live in fear, blame everything on an arch enemy, learn to accept things because an old man dressed funny tells me to, yell at people because they don't think my superior being is the best, interfere in others' life and morality, saying that if they don't accept my higher being then they are the followers of my arch enemy, see everything in two colors, with no intermediaries, like a child, know that there are superior people here on earth, and they require special rights (especially when they want to rape little boys in the mouth), and refrain from doing anything that might piss my higher being off because I don't want to burn for eternity.
That only rules out a few religions.  You still got a whole bunch of religions to discredit.

b) Live as I lived before, have my own system of values, think by myself, learn from scientific research and lead a happy life without fearing anything, since I know I'll die some day anyway. Be able to have my own opinion on important matters, do not be dependent of what others say. Think critically and rationally. Live like a normal human not bound by the membership in an organization that to me looks like something out of a horror flick.
Surely you are not only left with option B just because you rule out A.

I choose option C, indifferent to other people's imaginary friends.  I recognize that I cannot refute every version of tooth fairies or invisible pink unicorn that people made up.  An Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent God just happens to be the more ridiculous of them.  To be consistent with believing any of those nonsense, I would need to check under my bed every morning to see if a million dollars magically spawn when I was asleep.  After all, in the world of magic where the inability to disprove == grounds to believe, money spawning under my bed is a very believable concept.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 15, 2010, 01:00:12 PM
I'm agostic but you're post is comeplete bullsh**
Not ALL people who are religious live by the Torah/Bible/Koran/Whatever.
And people only live in fear if they are Jewish or Baptist.

The ","s were meant to be interpreted as an OR logic connection and not AND.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 15, 2010, 11:55:17 PM
Quote
New studies are revealing predictors of subjective well-being,   often assessed as self-reported happiness and life satisfaction.   Worldwide, most people report being at least moderately happy,   regardless of age and gender. As part of their scientific pursuit of   happiness, researchers have examined possible associations between   happiness and (a) economic growth and personal income, (b) close   relationships, and (c) religious faith.
Surprise surprise.  A "self reported" scale of happiness with obviously rigged in favorite of certain "religion" that tells their believer to be contempt with the little that they have, or be burn in eternal hell.  Being happy and reporting moderately happy are two different things.

Plus a survey that ask both a person's religion and happiness is totally rigged.  Asking an Atheist "What 'religion' are you" is like asking the Tea Party "which democrat candidate do you support", or a black person "which white supremacist would you support".  To add insult to injury, "None" is probably placed as the last choice.  No wonder Atheist answer more negatively in the rest of the survey.
You are an idiot. The study had the people rate their overall "happiness" than asked them some basic questions such as their financial situation and how important religion was to them etc. This was a scientific study that was published in a psychological journal, not some bullsh** survey conducted by a religious institution.This could simply mean, as Noodle said, that ignorance is bliss, but the information is valid.

I   choose option C, indifferent to other people's imaginary friends.  I   recognize that I cannot refute every version of tooth fairies or   invisible pink unicorn that people made up.  An Omnipotent, Omniscient,   and Omnipresent God just happens to be the more ridiculous of them.  To   be consistent with believing any of those nonsense, I would need to   check under my bed every morning to see if a million dollars magically   spawn when I was asleep.  After all, in the world of magic where the   inability to disprove == grounds to believe, money spawning under my bed   is a very believable concept.

I simply believe an Omnipotent,   Omniscient, and Omnipresent God makes a lot more sense than, "a ball of matter existed for eternity before it randomly exploded and made the universe then life started somehow." Now, I respect your free choice to believe differently, but if I don't expect to see puddles of mud spring to life. The Unmoved Mover argument applies here.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 16, 2010, 12:58:22 AM
You are an idiot. The study had the people rate their overall "happiness" than asked them some basic questions such as their financial situation and how important religion was to them etc. This was a scientific study that was published in a psychological journal, not some bullsh** survey conducted by a religious institution.This could simply mean, as Noodle said, that ignorance is bliss, but the information is valid.

I did a little research into the validity of that study.  Here's what I found from the very link you provided (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11392866).

The study was published by a man named DG Myers.  Right below his name is contact information.  It cites Hope College as where hes working.  Now if I'm reading this wrong, there still is only two reasons why Hope College would be put there - 1) because that's where the study took place or 2) because that's where hes working now.

Either way, I looked up Hope College on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_College) and sure enough...
Quote
...it retains a Christian atmosphere...
Hope's motto is taken from Psalm 42:5: "Spera in Deo" ("Hope in God").

Obviously that college has some Christian attitudes.  Now let's put that aside assuming it had nothing to do with the study.  I also did a little research on the publisher, DG Myers.

I happened to find this - a little excerpt from one of his books, published on his own website. (http://www.davidmyers.org/Brix?pageID=73)
Quote
Let no one be smug. Cruelty and compassion, mischief and morality, are exhibited by people of all faiths and none. Many are good without God and many believers go to sleep each night behind bars. Yet the accumulating evidence indicates that faith often tethers self-interest and nurtures character. Godliness and goodliness are more than typographically linked.

Not to mention this bombshell. (http://www.davidmyers.org/Brix?pageID=139)

I think I've found reasonable evidence that Mr. Myers is biased, and the study study was biased as well.

I simply believe an Omnipotent,   Omniscient, and Omnipresent God makes a lot more sense than, "a ball of matter existed for eternity before it randomly exploded and made the universe then life started somehow." The Unmoved Mover argument applies here.

A few posts ago you made an ignorant statement that more or less said "atheists are atheists because they can't deal with the fact that there is a god."

With similar logic regarding this statement, I can say that believers are believers simply because they cannot deal with not knowing.


Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 16, 2010, 02:48:22 AM
Quote
New studies are revealing predictors of subjective well-being,   often assessed as self-reported happiness and life satisfaction.   Worldwide, most people report being at least moderately happy,   regardless of age and gender. As part of their scientific pursuit of   happiness, researchers have examined possible associations between   happiness and (a) economic growth and personal income, (b) close   relationships, and (c) religious faith.
Surprise surprise.  A "self reported" scale of happiness with obviously rigged in favorite of certain "religion" that tells their believer to be contempt with the little that they have, or be burn in eternal hell.  Being happy and reporting moderately happy are two different things.

Plus a survey that ask both a person's religion and happiness is totally rigged.  Asking an Atheist "What 'religion' are you" is like asking the Tea Party "which democrat candidate do you support", or a black person "which white supremacist would you support".  To add insult to injury, "None" is probably placed as the last choice.  No wonder Atheist answer more negatively in the rest of the survey.
You are an idiot. The study had the people rate their overall "happiness" than asked them some basic questions such as their financial situation and how important religion was to them etc. This was a scientific study that was published in a psychological journal, not some bullsh** survey conducted by a religious institution.This could simply mean, as Noodle said, that ignorance is bliss, but the information is valid.
So it's pseudo science, big deal.  Self report automatically means it's survey, and to get both someone's religion and "happiness" they need to ask both.  And those are the natural limitation with any survey, that early question affects future outcomes.

Ask me how important my religion is just makes me more unhappy than I already am, you already prove my point.  Why am I ask such nonsense question reminding me of all the garbage about other people's imaginary friends?  But you won't notice that since you are religious and ever one of those rigged question feeds your ego and makes you feel good.

Using name calling just show your argument lacks substance.  I don't need to use name calling to show my point.


I   choose option C, indifferent to other people's imaginary friends.  I   recognize that I cannot refute every version of tooth fairies or   invisible pink unicorn that people made up.  An Omnipotent, Omniscient,   and Omnipresent God just happens to be the more ridiculous of them.  To   be consistent with believing any of those nonsense, I would need to   check under my bed every morning to see if a million dollars magically   spawn when I was asleep.  After all, in the world of magic where the   inability to disprove == grounds to believe, money spawning under my bed   is a very believable concept.

I simply believe an Omnipotent,   Omniscient, and Omnipresent God makes a lot more sense than, "a ball of matter existed for eternity before it randomly exploded and made the universe then life started somehow." Now, I respect your free choice to believe differently, but if I don't expect to see puddles of mud spring to life. The Unmoved Mover argument applies here.

Your feeling does not justify rationality.

I don't believe in either.  Omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent contradicts itself in so many ways it's not even funny.  I rather believe in imaginary pink unicorn because at least it's philosophically consistent.  No entity can be omniscient and have a will at the same time, because no choice or changes can be made.  No entity can be omnipotent and omniscient at the same time, because this entity cannot make any changes without violating his all knowing.  And omnipotent is inconsistent with omnipresent because such entity is limited to all space of all time and nothing more.  The closest thing that fits all 3 will be an inactive body that is the same rather you call it natural forces or God.

Big bang is not even consistent with modern science anyway.  They are both trash.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 16, 2010, 12:44:42 PM
Big bang is not even consistent with modern science anyway.

Explain.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: GoldenFox93 on November 16, 2010, 01:00:05 PM
Big bang is not even consistent with modern science anyway.

Explain.
To quote some troll-
 
Quote

"GOD MAED US ALL, THE ONLY EVIDENCE YOU HAVE IS THE STUPID BIG BANG. AND GOD IS GOING TO HELP ME DESTROY 4CHAN AND MAEK THAT HORRIBLE RACIST NAZZY SITE ABHOR"
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: NFX on November 16, 2010, 03:20:04 PM
I simply believe an Omnipotent,   Omniscient, and Omnipresent God makes a lot more sense than, "a ball of matter existed for eternity before it randomly exploded and made the universe then life started somehow." The Unmoved Mover argument applies here.

I don't think it does. Granted, there's still a few loose ends with the Big Bang Theory, I've got ideas on that myself, but the idea of a being that is everywhere at once, knows everything in the universe there is to know, and has absolute power and control over every single force in nature seems, to me, a bit ludicrous. To start with, in order to be everywhere in the universe at once, a being would have to travel at, or faster than, the speed of light, which is impossible for anything that has mass. So God must either be some bizzare massless particle humans haven't discovered yet, or a photon.
 
A few posts ago you made an ignorant statement that more or less said "atheists are atheists because they can't deal with the fact that there is a god."
With similar logic regarding this statement, I can say that believers are believers simply because they cannot deal with not knowing.
But then you can apply that statement to almost anything.
 
The reason I'm more or less Aetheist is because there has been no conclusive and absolute proof of the existence of a god. And before people jump on me saying "Try and prove that there ISN'T a god", it is not possible to prove the absence of something. For instance, videogame testers try and find as many bugs in the game as they can, and the games are made as clean and airtight as they can. But one or two glitches always make their way through. In my view, the only reason religious people use the argument "Prove that there is not a god" is because they know that they can't logically prove that there is.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 16, 2010, 03:51:59 PM
A few posts ago you made an ignorant statement that more or less said "atheists are atheists because they can't deal with the fact that there is a god."
With similar logic regarding this statement, I can say that believers are believers simply because they cannot deal with not knowing.
But then you can apply that statement to almost anything.
 
The reason I'm more or less Aetheist is because there has been no conclusive and absolute proof of the existence of a god. And before people jump on me saying "Try and prove that there ISN'T a god", it is not possible to prove the absence of something. For instance, videogame testers try and find as many bugs in the game as they can, and the games are made as clean and airtight as they can. But one or two glitches always make their way through. In my view, the only reason religious people use the argument "Prove that there is not a god" is because they know that they can't logically prove that there is.

I was kinda making a point about the flawed logic he used to come to a conclusions about all atheists.  What I said wasn't supposed to be taken seriously. :P
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 16, 2010, 04:52:04 PM
Alright, I'm not going to quote this time to avoid a massive wall of text. I'll just clear up a few things this time.
 First: @Noodle, I admit I actually did not bother to look into Mr. Meyers' background. I see you may be right about his bias. I first got the information form a Psychology textbook, and just looked up the source reference in the back. Oh well, I think that post still served its purpose.
Also my statement wasn't that atheists can't deal with the fact that there is a god, but that the very concept is just so horrifying to them, that they refuse to even consider that there might be a god.

@123savethewhales & NFX. You are being extremely limited in your thinking because you are trying to constrain God to the confines of this physical world. By Omnipresence, I do not mean that God exists everywhere in this dimension, but that God exists in infinitely many dimensions. God is not confined within the physical limitations of time and space, and is not made up of anything that we can measure.  By Omniscience, I do not mean simply that  God knows everything that's going to happen, but everything that can happen. God can see the infinite possibilities in every choice we make, and that He makes. He knows every possible implication of every possible action ad infinitum. Finally by Omnipotent there is NOTHING that is impossible to Him. The things that to you seem like logical impossibilities are nothing to a being who has infinite possibility. The fact that your mind is too small to grasp infinity does not make it impossible.

Finally I refer once again to the Unmoved Mover argument:

That's all for now.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 16, 2010, 06:21:19 PM
Also my statement wasn't that atheists can't deal with the fact that there is a god, but that the very concept is just so horrifying to them, that they refuse to even consider that there might be a god.

You just reworded the phrase.  If a concept is horrifying to someone, they obviously can't deal with it.

Finally I refer once again to the Unmoved Mover argument:
  • There exists movement in the world.
  • Things that move were set into motion by something else.
  • If everything that moves were caused to move by something else, there would be an infinite chain of causes. This can't happen.
  • Thus, there must have been something that caused the first movement.
  • From 3, this first cause cannot itself have been moved.
  • From 4, there must be an unmoved mover

That's all for now.

I knew this one would rear it's head eventually.

The main problem with this argument is in point 3.  We don't have any definitive evidence that rules out the idea of infinite chain of causes.  You can't just say "that can't happen" unless you have facts to back it up.

Even if you're right, what about your god?  Your god is supposed to have existed since forever and continue to do so forever.  Why would it be that your god could have always existed but the universe could not?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 16, 2010, 08:31:58 PM
@123savethewhales & NFX. You are being extremely limited in your thinking because you are trying to constrain God to the confines of this physical world. By Omnipresence, I do not mean that God exists everywhere in this dimension, but that God exists in infinitely many dimensions. God is not confined within the physical limitations of time and space, and is not made up of anything that we can measure.  By Omniscience, I do not mean simply that  God knows everything that's going to happen, but everything that can happen. God can see the infinite possibilities in every choice we make, and that He makes. He knows every possible implication of every possible action ad infinitum. Finally by Omnipotent there is NOTHING that is impossible to Him. The things that to you seem like logical impossibilities are nothing to a being who has infinite possibility. The fact that your mind is too small to grasp infinity does not make it impossible.

Finally I refer once again to the Unmoved Mover argument:
  • There exists movement in the world.
  • Things that move were set into motion by something else.
  • If everything that moves were caused to move by something else, there would be an infinite chain of causes. This can't happen.
  • Thus, there must have been something that caused the first movement.
  • From 3, this first cause cannot itself have been moved.
  • From 4, there must be an unmoved mover

That's all for now.
Your definition of omniscient then still breaks his omnipotent.  Because he "can" do everything, there's no such thing as "knowing all possibility" as that too will be infinite due to his Omnipotent.  Your definition then, creates a God that knows nothing.

Just because your mind is too small to understand infinite does not mean it will solve the omniscient/omnipotent contradiction.

Your definition of  omniscient also breaks his omnipresent.  Again, he is everywhere, he is part of everything of all time, there is no "can" as he is everything.  The only way those two are compatible is by replacing "can" with "is".  In such case you end up with a passive body without a will, which can be labeled as natural force.

Your definition of omnipotent also contradicts with his omnipresent.  Because nothing is impossible to him, except that he already covered everything that is and are everywhere.  Anything else God do will require him to repeat himself.  So then he's actually powerless as all is already covered and there's nothing God can do except repeat himself an infinite amount of time.  Even then the amount of diversity has not increase.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 17, 2010, 01:59:17 PM

I knew this one would rear it's head eventually.

The main problem with this argument is in point 3.  We don't have any definitive evidence that rules out the idea of infinite chain of causes.  You can't just say "that can't happen" unless you have facts to back it up.

Even if you're right, what about your god?  Your god is supposed to have existed since forever and continue to do so forever.  Why would it be that your god could have always existed but the universe could not?
For your second question, because God exists outside of the universe, and by the Ontological Argument, existence is a necessary property of God.
For the first, allow me to try and convince you with an analogy. Imagine, if you will, a train. At the end of this train is a caboose. You ask, "What makes the caboose move?", and I answer, "It's being pulled along by the boxcar in front of it." So, of course you ask what makes the boxcar move, and I answer that it's the boxcar in front of it, ad infinitum. Now, in this imaginary train with an infinite number of boxcars, we have an explanation for why any one car in the train moves. However, we do not have an explanation for why the train as a whole moves. You should, in fact, be able to see that this train cannot move at all. In order for the train to move, it would need an engine. In order for the universe to move, it would need an unmoved mover.
Your   definition of omniscient then still breaks his omnipotent.  Because he   "can" do everything, there's no such thing as "knowing all possibility"   as that too will be infinite due to his Omnipotent.  Your definition   then, creates a God that knows nothing.

Just because your mind is too small to understand infinite does not mean it will solve the omniscient/omnipotent contradiction.

Your   definition of  omniscient also breaks his omnipresent.  Again, he is   everywhere, he is part of everything of all time, there is no "can" as   he is everything.  The only way those two are compatible is by replacing   "can" with "is".  In such case you end up with a passive body without a   will, which can be labeled as natural force.

Your definition of   omnipotent also contradicts with his omnipresent.  Because nothing is   impossible to him, except that he already covered everything that is and   are everywhere.  Anything else God do will require him to repeat   himself.  So then he's actually powerless as all is already covered and   there's nothing God can do except repeat himself an infinite amount of   time.  Even then the amount of diversity has not increase.
You've actually been making a lot of sense up until now, but this time, you were trying too hard.
  Your first argument: Because God must have infinite knowledge he therefore knows nothing? Your argument is nonsense.
  Your second: God being everywhere is not the same as being in everything, that's pantheism, not omnipresence. Your argument is invalid.
  The third: Once again, your thinking of pantheism, not omnipresence.   Also, I think your grammar is off, because that last sentence makes zero   sense.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 17, 2010, 04:34:01 PM
I simply believe an Omnipotent,   Omniscient, and Omnipresent God makes a lot more sense than, "a ball of matter existed for eternity before it randomly exploded and made the universe then life started somehow."

Not "somehow". Life is just a series of chaotic chemical reactions. Given enough entropy from the environment, shit will happen sooner or later.

Also, a big explosion makes way more sense than a dude making life just for the kicks, and then demanding an evolved form of it worship him.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: CaptainUseless on November 17, 2010, 05:02:38 PM
I simply believe an Omnipotent,   Omniscient, and Omnipresent God makes a lot more sense than, "a ball of matter existed for eternity before it randomly exploded and made the universe then life started somehow."

Not "somehow". Life is just a series of chaotic chemical reactions. Given enough entropy from the environment, shit will happen sooner or later.

Also, a big explosion makes way more sense than a dude making life just for the kicks, and then demanding an evolved form of it worship him.

^QFT^
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 17, 2010, 10:10:33 PM
You've actually been making a lot of sense up until now, but this time, you were trying too hard.
  Your first argument: Because God must have infinite knowledge he therefore knows nothing? Your argument is nonsense.
  Your second: God being everywhere is not the same as being in everything, that's pantheism, not omnipresence. Your argument is invalid.
  The third: Once again, your thinking of pantheism, not omnipresence.   Also, I think your grammar is off, because that last sentence makes zero   sense.
I will try to rephrase them.

My first argument
1a.  Either God is Omnipotent but has no knowledge, as all things are possible, can change at any time, and hence nothing fixed to know, or
1b.  God is Omniscient but cannot do anything.  Because everything is already known, it then cannot be changed.

Omnipotent and Omniscient therefore are incompatible with each other.

My Second argument
2.  To truly be "everywhere" requires him to occupy all space of all time, in all scales.  He don't have to "be" the object.  But the point is all time, which leads to

My Third argument
3.  This one goes into the idea of perfection, and how "Omnipotent there is NOTHING that is impossible to Him."  God occupies all time, "everything" is already done in "all time".  There's nothing left for God to "do" as the whole concept of change is time driven.  In this case God is more a passive natural force than an interactive, decision making, sentient will.  Part of the property of an infinite world.

Lastly, an argument I didn't mention last time
4.  If such a force exist, it contradicts the idea that we can have free will.  We have never existed outside of his presence, knowledge, and power since creation.  Every action you take he "knows", is "there", and "made" you do it.

On a side note:  I drank half a bottle of Tanqueray while I was writing that last post.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 17, 2010, 10:23:06 PM
Big bang is not even consistent with modern science anyway.

Explain.
Time breaks down as we get closer and closer using relativity theory.  It's not "something out of nothing", but "we cannot use the theory to predict any further".  So the furthest we can see is still "from something to something".

Then, there's no conventional "bang" either.  The two main modern observations contradict the bang are
1.  The cosmological microwave background is extremely uniformed
2.  The discovery that our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate

Currently the popular theory among the scientific community is the inflation theory.
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/bb_cosmo_infl.html (http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/bb_cosmo_infl.html)
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 18, 2010, 12:13:25 AM
For your second question, because God exists outside of the universe, and by the Ontological Argument, existence is a necessary property of God.
For the first, allow me to try and convince you with an analogy. Imagine, if you will, a train. At the end of this train is a caboose. You ask, "What makes the caboose move?", and I answer, "It's being pulled along by the boxcar in front of it." So, of course you ask what makes the boxcar move, and I answer that it's the boxcar in front of it, ad infinitum. Now, in this imaginary train with an infinite number of boxcars, we have an explanation for why any one car in the train moves. However, we do not have an explanation for why the train as a whole moves. You should, in fact, be able to see that this train cannot move at all. In order for the train to move, it would need an engine. In order for the universe to move, it would need an unmoved mover.

A universe is not a train.  While comparing them in an analogy like that may seem to make perfect sense, it really doesn't.

A train, being a physical thing, is bound by the laws of physics - time and space, relativity, etc.  If a train is moving, there must be a reason.  There is no way a train could move without a physical reason as to why.

Our universe is much different.  Before the big bang the universe was in a state of singularity.  When in singularity (as we have observed in black holes) space and time kinda get tossed out the window while forces like gravity are still existent (it's a bit tricky to explain).  As far as we know, the universe could have started for no reason whatsoever because of how the laws of space and time aren't applicable.

Now I'm no expert on whatever happened before the big bang.  I'm sure if you were talking to Stephan Hawking or Michio Kaku they'd be able to explain it a lot better than I can and probably have more insight on the subject.

Time breaks down as we get closer and closer using relativity theory.  It's not "something out of nothing", but "we cannot use the theory to predict any further".  So the furthest we can see is still "from something to something".

Then, there's no conventional "bang" either.  The two main modern observations contradict the bang are
1.  The cosmological microwave background is extremely uniformed
2.  The discovery that our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate

Currently the popular theory among the scientific community is the inflation theory.
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/bb_cosmo_infl.html (http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/bb_cosmo_infl.html)

Quote from: Nasa.gov
Inflation is now considered an extension of the Big Bang theory...

That's certainly not what you implied when you said...

Big bang is not even consistent with modern science anyway.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 18, 2010, 12:36:51 AM
Time breaks down as we get closer and closer using relativity theory.  It's not "something out of nothing", but "we cannot use the theory to predict any further".  So the furthest we can see is still "from something to something".

Then, there's no conventional "bang" either.  The two main modern observations contradict the bang are
1.  The cosmological microwave background is extremely uniformed
2.  The discovery that our universe is expanding at an accelerating rate

Currently the popular theory among the scientific community is the inflation theory.
http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/bb_cosmo_infl.html (http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/bb_cosmo_infl.html)

Quote from: Nasa.gov
Inflation is now considered an extension of the Big Bang theory...

That's certainly not what you implied when you said...

Big bang is not even consistent with modern science anyway.
Here's the reason.
On a side note:  I drank half a bottle of Tanqueray while I was writing that last post.
I have a hard time understanding most of what I wrote on that post.  I am guessing that was what I meant.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 18, 2010, 12:47:15 AM
Here's the reason.
On a side note:  I drank half a bottle of Tanqueray while I was writing that last post.
I have a hard time understanding most of what I wrote on that post.  I am guessing that was what I meant.

Ah, I missed that part.

Also, is it just me, or has this thread gone from religious debate to quantum physics?
Not like thats a problem, quantum physics are a much more interesting topic. :P
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Pwnator on November 18, 2010, 03:39:02 AM
Also, is it just me, or has this thread gone from religious debate to quantum physics?

Not like we're terribly off-topic. We're still dealing with supernatural forces here, present or not. :P
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on November 18, 2010, 08:20:50 AM
On a side note:  I drank half a bottle of Tanqueray

Alcoholics Gin lovers unite!

*grabs a drink*
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 18, 2010, 08:37:06 AM
lol ?

Anyways, i've got an answer for how life and the universe was created : there are multiple theories, each with their strengths and weaknesses, but WE DO NOT KNOW. We weren't here back then and we probably will never know for sure what happened.

And that discussion is not advancing any more. While rhetorically interesting, now it's more like an artillery battle and a war of positions.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Incredirobotwars on November 29, 2010, 03:05:27 PM
Oh, and on that note that MNB made about a giant explosion happening randomly and 'life start[ing] somehow'...WTF?!?!:

-Big Bang - A singularity in multiple dimensions, which contains the entire weight of the universe, suddenly expands in terms of our '4 dimensions'. That single point is the 'center of the universe', and must be a gravitational center to the universe, as otherwise the expansion of the universe wouldn't be slowing down. I wouldn't exactly call this a radical theory.

-'Life started somehow' - There are plenty of theories based around plenty of evidence. I don't see that this is a problem. It could have been due to a reaction of chemicals in the depths of the ocean (perhaps around geothermal 'hotpoints' where we can now see that see life thrives), which caused the chemical bases for dna to form, and thus for life to occur.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 29, 2010, 04:16:30 PM
-Big Bang - A singularity in multiple dimensions, which contains the entire weight of the universe, suddenly expands in terms of our '4 dimensions'. That single point is the 'center of the universe', and must be a gravitational center to the universe, as otherwise the expansion of the universe wouldn't be slowing down. I wouldn't exactly call this a radical theory.

Care to explain how the hell a singularity and single point can be multidimensional ?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Scorpion on November 29, 2010, 04:24:52 PM
Isn't the 4th dimension time?
Which would make that point even more confusing.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 29, 2010, 05:20:00 PM
-Life started somehow' - There are plenty of theories based around plenty of evidence.


I can only think of Abiogenesis. What are the other theories?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Incredirobotwars on November 29, 2010, 05:27:47 PM
A singularity has 0 shape dimensions, but can exist in other dimensions, such  as Parallel and Quantum. And yes, Scorp. The Time dimension is usually refered to as the 4th. If it is expanding in this dimension, then time (as we percept it) continues...theoretically. Oh, and the only way to visualise our universe is as a 4-dimensional conventional donut shape. Just thought that would enlighten you to a small extent.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Enigm@ on November 29, 2010, 05:30:13 PM
I only believe in the Chaos Theory.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 29, 2010, 05:49:36 PM
Oh, and on that note that MNB made about a giant explosion happening randomly and 'life start[ing] somehow'...WTF?!?!:

-Big Bang - A singularity in multiple dimensions, which contains the entire weight of the universe, suddenly expands in terms of our '4 dimensions'. That single point is the 'center of the universe', and must be a gravitational center to the universe, as otherwise the expansion of the universe wouldn't be slowing down. I wouldn't exactly call this a radical theory.

-'Life started somehow' - There are plenty of theories based around plenty of evidence. I don't see that this is a problem. It could have been due to a reaction of chemicals in the depths of the ocean (perhaps around geothermal 'hotpoints' where we can now see that see life thrives), which caused the chemical bases for dna to form, and thus for life to occur.
In other words, a random explosion and life started somehow.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on November 29, 2010, 05:57:34 PM
I only believe in the Chaos Theory.
You sure you understand that thing?  Maybe you can tell us what the heck happens at the accumulation point.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 29, 2010, 05:59:13 PM
In other words ... life started somehow.


Not just somehow. We have narrowed down the likely conditions of the start of life.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 29, 2010, 06:40:52 PM
In other words ... life started somehow.


Not just somehow. We have narrowed down the likely conditions of the start of life.
We? Are you a biologist?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on November 29, 2010, 06:46:08 PM

We? Are you a biologist?



Stop arguing semantics. I often use" we" to mean then humans race or scientific community, or whatever group of people the context fits. I don't intend to include myself in that category necessarily, though I often use it when I agree with that groups stance. Don't know if it is the correct usage...
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Scrap Daddy on November 29, 2010, 06:46:22 PM
if you say jesus backwards it sounds like sausage
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 29, 2010, 07:30:56 PM
In other words ... life started somehow.


Not just somehow. We have narrowed down the likely conditions of the start of life.
We? Are you a biologist?
I don't see you holding any scientific degrees.  If what you're saying refutes his statement, then by nature everything you've said over the course of this entire thread in regards to science can't be taken seriously either.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on November 30, 2010, 01:24:27 AM
In other words ... life started somehow.


Not just somehow. We have narrowed down the likely conditions of the start of life.
We? Are you a biologist?
I don't see you holding any scientific degrees.  If what you're saying refutes his statement, then by nature everything you've said over the course of this entire thread in regards to science can't be taken seriously either.
Did I say I was refuting his statement? I was simply venting on one of my pet peeves of English usage.
His statement does not require refuting.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: madman3 on November 30, 2010, 12:16:33 PM
I believe in Saxon-ism.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 30, 2010, 12:34:37 PM
In other words ... life started somehow.


Not just somehow. We have narrowed down the likely conditions of the start of life.
We? Are you a biologist?
I don't see you holding any scientific degrees.  If what you're saying refutes his statement, then by nature everything you've said over the course of this entire thread in regards to science can't be taken seriously either.
Did I say I was refuting his statement? I was simply venting on one of my pet peeves of English usage.
His statement does not require refuting.

Well that petty nit-picking was pretty pointless.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: madman3 on November 30, 2010, 12:40:46 PM
It seems likely that life was created by random chance to be honest. It makes more sense than having a God/Deity.
Back when the asteroid hit infant Earth, it seems by random chance that life forms were made, maybe during the collision the moisture and the various debris were colliding.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 30, 2010, 03:36:39 PM
It seems likely that life was created by random chance to be honest. It makes more sense than having a God/Deity.
Back when the asteroid hit infant Earth, it seems by random chance that life forms were made, maybe during the collision the moisture and the various debris were colliding.

Early life came about from a chemical mixture.  A lot of the elements and such in this chemical mixture were brought to Earth by an asteroid/asteroids.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Incredirobotwars on November 30, 2010, 04:07:11 PM
Early life came about from a chemical mixture.  A lot of the elements and such in this chemical mixture were brought to Earth by an asteroid/asteroids.

Well said!

Oh, and I'm a firm believer in Quantum Theory, if anybody wants to know. That's why I don't believe in...this argument! :D...but I am definitely on the side of the atheists.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on November 30, 2010, 06:01:53 PM
I haven't studied the original original of life for some time, so I don't remember all the details so well. 

The point still stands - life didn't come about because some deity came about and said "ORGANISMS GET!"
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 30, 2010, 07:03:35 PM
We do not know anything about the creation of life. The automatic assembly of all the elements that constitued the first living cell on Earth (even a prototype bacteria) makes even less sense than an intelligent entity making it.

But as I never saw that intelligent entity, I will not believe in any of the life creation theories. We don't have any real elements to prove it happened like that.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: NFX on November 30, 2010, 07:16:39 PM
It wasn't an automatic assembly, really. The oceans of the young earth were rich in amino acids that were floating about and bumping into each other, and by pure chance a combination of amino acids was made that was capable of reproducing itself. Some other combinations capable of reproduction were made, and this would have brought on natural selection, favouring those combinations that were more efficient at reproduction.

There was also a group of organisms, I can't remember what they're called, which are now seen off the coast of Australia somewhere, IIRC, which use carbon dioxide as their energy source, and they produce oxygen, which is widely believed to be what fuelled the sudden explosion of life that began on Earth.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on November 30, 2010, 10:18:39 PM
It wasn't an automatic assembly, really. The oceans of the young earth were rich in amino acids that were floating about and bumping into each other, and by pure chance a combination of amino acids was made that was capable of reproducing itself. Some other combinations capable of reproduction were made, and this would have brought on natural selection, favouring those combinations that were more efficient at reproduction.

I had lessons on that last year.

That looks just so random...

There was also a group of organisms, I can't remember what they're called, which are now seen off the coast of Australia somewhere, IIRC, which use carbon dioxide as their energy source, and they produce oxygen, which is widely believed to be what fuelled the sudden explosion of life that began on Earth.

Cyanobacteria ? Unsure that these were the first organisms on Earth.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on December 01, 2010, 02:19:08 AM
I haven't studied the original original of life for some time, so I don't remember all the details so well. 

The point still stands - life didn't come about because some deity came about and said "ORGANISMS GET!"
More like, life didn't start because a bunch of random chemicals sprang to life of their own accord. Do you know the mathematical odds of a chain of amino acids randomly combining to form DNA? Well, I'll tell you. They're 1 over 10 to the 67th, or practically zero.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Scorpion on December 01, 2010, 03:00:30 AM
I haven't studied the original original of life for some time, so I don't remember all the details so well. 

The point still stands - life didn't come about because some deity came about and said "ORGANISMS GET!"
More like, life didn't start because a bunch of random chemicals sprang to life of their own accord. Do you know the mathematical odds of a chain of amino acids randomly combining to form DNA? Well, I'll tell you. They're 1 over 10 to the 67th, or practically zero.
Perhaps, but it's not like it happened instantly did it?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: NFX on December 01, 2010, 03:10:34 AM
I haven't studied the original original of life for some time, so I don't remember all the details so well. 

The point still stands - life didn't come about because some deity came about and said "ORGANISMS GET!"
More like, life didn't start because a bunch of random chemicals sprang to life of their own accord. Do you know the mathematical odds of a chain of amino acids randomly combining to form DNA? Well, I'll tell you. They're 1 over 10 to the 67th, or practically zero.

But there is still a chance. It's similar to drawing all four aces out of a pack of cards (1 in 6.5 million), or even winning the lottery. The odds are one in ten billion, but people still walk away with the jackpot. And just as the chances of amino acids randomly combining in the oceans of the young Earth, when you think about all the billions and billions of collisions between the amino acids there must have been, it was probably inevitable that sooner or later, a combination would form that was capable of reproducing. It was a very slim chance, but the point is, there was still a chance.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on December 01, 2010, 09:14:49 AM
They're 1 over 10 to the 67th, or practically zero.


Can I have the exact source of those odds please.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Incredirobotwars on December 01, 2010, 10:43:59 AM
While I note the use of the term 'practically'...there is still a chance, though. Many things are improbable, but can still happen.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on December 01, 2010, 02:17:31 PM
They're 1 over 10 to the 67th, or practically zero.

Well no crap the odds were against it, but it happened anyway.  It's a pretty rare occurrence, we're (and by that I mean the human race) the only documented case.  Just because the odds were against it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

It's kinda like this story I head about a woman who's parked car got hit by a meteor about the size of a baseball.  Now the surface of the earth is roughly 510,072,000km2, and lets say the car was about 2 meters wide and 5 meters long (an area of 10m2).  That means that there was about a one in five hundred billion chance that the meteor could have hit anywhere on that car, and there's a much lower chance for hitting the particular area that it did.  Despite the 1/500,000,000,000 chance of it happening, the car got hit by the meteor anyway.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Incredirobotwars on December 01, 2010, 02:34:53 PM
Hear, hear!
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: frezal on December 01, 2010, 06:09:17 PM
I haven't studied the original original of life for some time, so I don't remember all the details so well. 

The point still stands - life didn't come about because some deity came about and said "ORGANISMS GET!"
More like, life didn't start because a bunch of random chemicals sprang to life of their own accord. Do you know the mathematical odds of a chain of amino acids randomly combining to form DNA? Well, I'll tell you. They're 1 over 10 to the 67th, or practically zero.
Which is why completely new forms of life don't spring up too often.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: NFX on December 01, 2010, 07:06:41 PM
I haven't studied the original original of life for some time, so I don't remember all the details so well. 

The point still stands - life didn't come about because some deity came about and said "ORGANISMS GET!"
More like, life didn't start because a bunch of random chemicals sprang to life of their own accord. Do you know the mathematical odds of a chain of amino acids randomly combining to form DNA? Well, I'll tell you. They're 1 over 10 to the 67th, or practically zero.
Which is why completely new forms of life don't spring up too often.
And even if they did, they'd probably be killed off by superior predators. Like Naryar, for instance. =P
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on December 02, 2010, 02:21:45 AM
I haven't studied the original original of life for some time, so I don't remember all the details so well. 

The point still stands - life didn't come about because some deity came about and said "ORGANISMS GET!"
More like, life didn't start because a bunch of random chemicals sprang to life of their own accord. Do you know the mathematical odds of a chain of amino acids randomly combining to form DNA? Well, I'll tell you. They're 1 over 10 to the 67th, or practically zero.
Which is why completely new forms of life don't spring up too often.
And even if they did, they'd probably be killed off by superior predators. Like Naryar, for instance. =P
rawr ?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Incredirobotwars on December 02, 2010, 02:53:10 PM
Guys, in terms of this thread, Quantum theory, and the words of Supertramp:

'We have no reason to fight,
'cos we both know that we're right.'
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on December 02, 2010, 03:50:09 PM
Guys, in terms of this thread, Quantum theory, and the words of Supertramp:

'We have no reason to fight,
'cos we both know that we're right.'

If only it was that simple.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on December 02, 2010, 04:43:26 PM
They're 1 over 10 to the 67th, or practically zero.

Well no crap the odds were against it, but it happened anyway.  It's a pretty rare occurrence, we're (and by that I mean the human race) the only documented case.  Just because the odds were against it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

It's kinda like this story I head about a woman who's parked car got hit by a meteor about the size of a baseball.  Now the surface of the earth is roughly 510,072,000km2, and lets say the car was about 2 meters wide and 5 meters long (an area of 10m2).  That means that there was about a one in five hundred billion chance that the meteor could have hit anywhere on that car, and there's a much lower chance for hitting the particular area that it did.  Despite the 1/500,000,000,000 chance of it happening, the car got hit by the meteor anyway.
Alright, but 1/500,000,000,000 are much better odds than1/10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
Which is greater than the age of the universe.
I won't even say that this means abiogenesis couldn't have happened, I'll just say that you can't say that your beliefs make any more sense than mine.
Abiogenesis is really just a variation of spontaneous generation, which was disproved  by Lois Pasteur. The only real difference is abiogenesis uses the convenient explanation that anything can happen if you wait long enough, ****ing miracles.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Incredirobotwars on December 02, 2010, 04:47:41 PM
Guys, in terms of this thread, Quantum theory, and the words of Supertramp:

'We have no reason to fight,
'cos we both know that we're right.'

If only it was that simple.
Oh, but it is. According to the uncertainty principal, unless a physical measurement is done, we don't know - and all probabilities therefore exist. We can both determine that we're right, as the probabilities that there is and isn't both exist. It's much like if two horses finish neck-and-neck...until someone checks the finish photograph, both have won, because either may have.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on December 03, 2010, 12:44:32 AM
Alright, but 1/500,000,000,000 are much better odds than1/10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
Which is greater than the age of the universe.

First of all, it was just an example.  Second of all, I want to know where you're getting this number.

I won't even say that this means abiogenesis couldn't have happened, I'll just say that you can't say that your beliefs make any more sense than mine.
Abiogenesis is really just a variation of spontaneous generation, which was disproved  by Lois Pasteur. The only real difference is abiogenesis uses the convenient explanation that anything can happen if you wait long enough, ****ing miracles.

You're right about Pasteur disproving spontaneous generation, but aside from that you couldn't be more wrong.

There's a significant difference between abiogenesis and spontaneous generation.  Spontaneous generation states that organisms can simply come into existence for no reason whatsoever.  According to spontaneous generation, complex microorganisms can simply create themselves from nothing as if it was an everyday occurrence.  Abiogenesis states that life can be created from inanimate matter only if a certain set of rare criteria are met.

Put simply...
...according to spontaneous generation, a streptococcus can appear for almost no reason at all and infect your throat. 

...according to abiogenesis, that streptococcus cell can only come about after a precise set of circumstances are met and a simple organism is created which reproduces and over millions of years of evolution it becomes streptococcus. 


The main difference between the two is circumstances.  It's not just a matter of how long you wait.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on December 03, 2010, 01:42:36 AM
I won't even say that this means abiogenesis couldn't have happened, I'll just say that you can't say that your beliefs make any more sense than mine.
I agree.  People draw way too much conclusions out of the obvious lack of information.

Arguing for "Random chance" is really no better than "God".  They are both philosophically unfalsifiable and indistinguishable.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on December 03, 2010, 12:57:06 PM
I won't even say that this means abiogenesis couldn't have happened, I'll just say that you can't say that your beliefs make any more sense than mine.
I agree.  People draw way too much conclusions out of the obvious lack of information.

Arguing for "Random chance" is really no better than "God".  They are both philosophically unfalsifiable and indistinguishable.

That's a load of crap.

Yes, the scientific community isn't 100% sure about abiogensis yet, but it's held up well to testing so far.  The big difference between the two is that abiogenesis can be tested.  As our knowledge and equipment improves, we will continue to perform more and more experiments and discover more and more facts.  If our observations contradict the current theory of abiogensis and prove it wrong, we can modify it or replace it with another theory to suit our observations.

The concept of a god is, by nature, not testable.  You can't prove if it is real or unreal, and it ends there.  If you choose to believe in a god, you can't do it based on factual evidence.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on December 03, 2010, 02:02:03 PM
And how is abiogenesis right ? It's just a wacky theory.

When I learned about it last year I was already thinking "WTF is this ? even creationism is more believable !"

This coming up from an empirical agnostic.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: NFX on December 03, 2010, 02:29:39 PM
And how is abiogenesis right ? It's just a wacky theory.

When I learned about it last year I was already thinking "WTF is this ? even creationism is more believable !"

This coming up from an empirical agnostic.

It's monkeys and typewriters, basically. Eventually they'll write Shakespeare through random chance. And eventually abiogenesis will bring about a replicating combination of amino acids through random chance. There's more chance of abiogenesis than some kind of all-powerful deity, in my view.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Scorpion on December 03, 2010, 02:34:01 PM
Well for all you guys know an all-powerful deity could be on this earth right now.

Maybe even on this forum *brushes hair out of eyes in dramatic fashion*
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: NFX on December 03, 2010, 02:43:19 PM
......nah. Nah, I don't think that there's anyone on the planet that is truly as selfless and all-powerful than The Almighty Jeff apparently was.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Scorpion on December 03, 2010, 02:48:47 PM
What?!?
Who is this jeff fellow?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on December 03, 2010, 02:48:54 PM
Well for all you guys know an all-powerful deity could be on this earth right now.

Maybe even on this forum *brushes hair out of eyes in dramatic fashion*

CLICKBEETLE

THE GOD OF RA2
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Scorpion on December 03, 2010, 02:50:47 PM
Well for all you guys know an all-powerful deity could be on this earth right now.

Maybe even on this forum *brushes hair out of eyes in dramatic fashion*

CLICKBEETLE

THE GOD OF RA2
Fair enough, although Nar, I hope you do realise that RA2 =/= the universe;P
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: NFX on December 03, 2010, 02:52:16 PM
What?!?
Who is this jeff fellow?

Jesus. S'what I call him. Partly to make him more modernish, partly because I don't care that much for religion and such, and partly to make some sort of satire about it. Not meaning to cause offense at all.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Scorpion on December 03, 2010, 03:03:53 PM
Oh, that's alright then.

Seriously though, if there was a god, he'd be evil, not good or self-less.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on December 03, 2010, 06:11:28 PM
It's monkeys and typewriters, basically. Eventually they'll write Shakespeare through random chance. And eventually abiogenesis will bring about a replicating combination of amino acids through random chance. There's more chance of abiogenesis than some kind of all-powerful deity, in my view.
It is just like the philosophical random generator that spits out nothing but 3.  No matter how many 3 it spits out you can never disprove that it's not a random generator.

Have you guy ever consider that both of them can be wrong?  That in 20 years we probably move to another popular theory?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Scorpion on December 03, 2010, 06:19:23 PM
It's monkeys and typewriters, basically. Eventually they'll write Shakespeare through random chance. And eventually abiogenesis will bring about a replicating combination of amino acids through random chance. There's more chance of abiogenesis than some kind of all-powerful deity, in my view.
It is just like the philosophical random generator that spits out nothing but 3.  No matter how many 3 it spits out you can never disprove that it's not a random generator.

Have you guy ever consider that both of them can be wrong?  That in 20 years we probably move to another popular theory?
Like that i'm in a simulator and everybody else are just AI who think they are alive but aren't and i've already programmed in the future to fit my fancies?
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on December 03, 2010, 06:26:51 PM
Well for all you guys know an all-powerful deity could be on this earth right now.

Maybe even on this forum *brushes hair out of eyes in dramatic fashion*

CLICKBEETLE

THE GOD OF RA2
Fair enough, although Nar, I hope you do realise that RA2 =/= the universe;P

Yes, I realise. I am not stupid.

You said "maybe even on this forum". If there is an all-powerful god on this forum, the closest thing is Click.
It's monkeys and typewriters, basically. Eventually they'll write Shakespeare through random chance. And eventually abiogenesis will bring about a replicating combination of amino acids through random chance. There's more chance of abiogenesis than some kind of all-powerful deity, in my view.
It is just like the philosophical random generator that spits out nothing but 3.  No matter how many 3 it spits out you can never disprove that it's not a random generator.

Have you guy ever consider that both of them can be wrong?  That in 20 years we probably move to another popular theory?
Personally I don't believe in both abiogenesis and intelligent design.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: 123savethewhales on December 03, 2010, 06:28:26 PM
Like that i'm in a simulator and everybody else are just AI who think they are alive but aren't and i've already programmed in the future to fit my fancies?
At least solipsism is consistent with all possible observations.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on December 03, 2010, 06:33:52 PM
It's monkeys and typewriters, basically. Eventually they'll write Shakespeare through random chance. And eventually abiogenesis will bring about a replicating combination of amino acids through random chance. There's more chance of abiogenesis than some kind of all-powerful deity, in my view.
It is just like the philosophical random generator that spits out nothing but 3.  No matter how many 3 it spits out you can never disprove that it's not a random generator.

Have you guy ever consider that both of them can be wrong?  That in 20 years we probably move to another popular theory?

Yes, I did.  As a matter of fact, it's almost certain that the theory of abiogensis will be at least changed if it isn't discarded.  The reason I choose abiogenesis over 'god makes creatures' is that abiogensis makes a lot more sense.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: NFX on December 03, 2010, 06:37:10 PM
I am in agreement with Noodle here. Random chance seems a much more logical and reasonable explanation than "God made it happen". That's never provable.
 
It's monkeys and typewriters, basically. Eventually they'll write Shakespeare through random chance. And eventually abiogenesis will bring about a replicating combination of amino acids through random chance. There's more chance of abiogenesis than some kind of all-powerful deity, in my view.
It is just like the philosophical random generator that spits out nothing but 3.  No matter how many 3 it spits out you can never disprove that it's not a random generator.

Have you guy ever consider that both of them can be wrong?  That in 20 years we probably move to another popular theory?

You can't actually disprove anything of being false. You can only supply proof to validate a claim that something is true. I'm pretty sure that this was discussed earlier in the thread.
 
And as long as science and technology both continue advancing at the rate they are now, then our explanations of the universe will undoubtedly become more and more accurate, maybe some new theories will arise, maybe some will be proven wrong, but we're never really going to figure out how the universe started, and why it exsts. We can continue going further back in time towards the beginning of the universe, but we're never going to get to the very very beginning.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Urjak on December 03, 2010, 11:02:10 PM
I love how you guys are totally trashing abiogenesis as if it was just some crackpot theory that will soon be replaced. Through experimentation, we are getting closer and closer to being able to recreate a plausible chain of events to the rise of life.

Of course, it will be impossible to prove that it actually happened that way. That is one of the cool things about the origin of life. There are many possibilities, and each can be freely studied without depending on one another.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on December 14, 2010, 11:46:04 PM
http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Proof_That_God_Exists (http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Proof_That_God_Exists)
I win.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Incredirobotwars on December 15, 2010, 09:19:47 AM
That was the largest pile of made-up, fact-bent, irrelevant sh** I have ever read.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: CaptainUseless on December 15, 2010, 09:43:31 AM
I'm sorry but that page was a load of rubbish.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: J24 on December 15, 2010, 09:47:42 AM
Twas Funny Though
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Serge on December 15, 2010, 10:08:47 AM
lol people taking ED seriously
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Noodle on December 15, 2010, 03:49:38 PM
lol people taking ED seriously

lol people taking 4chan seriously
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Enigm@ on December 15, 2010, 03:56:17 PM
That was the largest pile of made-up, fact-bent, irrelevant sh** I have ever read.
Lawl new fag.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: G.K. on December 15, 2010, 04:11:38 PM
wat
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Naryar on December 16, 2010, 06:34:06 AM
wat

Enigma is trolling
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Enigm@ on December 16, 2010, 06:38:37 AM
I'm simply pointing out the truth, everyone should know not to take ED seriously.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Pwnator on December 16, 2010, 06:44:48 AM
I'm simply pointing out the truth, everyone should know not to take ED seriously.

Or most of the stuff on the net, for that matter.
Title: Re: religious debate thread
Post by: Meganerdbomb on December 16, 2010, 08:56:52 AM
Teh internetz r srs bizness.