by EdenOne 284 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Here is the heart of the dilemma.
You refuse to define god, and then assert that nobody can prove that this totally vacuous concept does not exist.
You are correct. So what? You have added precisely nothing to the sum of knowledge.
Every word has to have an agreed definition or it is just a noise.
You want to use a word with no definition. This is con-trick.
As soon as somebody defines "god" then we can prove beyond all reasonable doubt that it is a fantasy.
An atheist is somebody who doesn't accept the grandiose claims of theism.
An atheist does that by making yet another grandiose claim, this time about the inexistence of deities.
Eden
An atheist does that by making yet another grandiose claim
No. An atheist does not need to claim anything at all other than the fact that they are unimpressed by theism.
I repeat...
Here is the heart of the dilemma.
You refuse to define god, and then assert that nobody can prove that this totally vacuous concept does not exist.
You are correct. So what? You have added precisely nothing to the sum of knowledge.
Every word has to have an agreed definition or it is just a noise.
You want to use a word with no definition. This is con-trick.
As soon as somebody defines "god" then we can prove beyond all reasonable doubt that it is a fantasy.
You want a definition? Let me play your game.
Ancient tribes worshipped the sun. To them it was the source of light, heat and the nurturing of life. They didn't think of it as a person, an intelligence. They accepted it at face value. For them, it was their God. In this case, does God exist or not?
Eden
The sun exists. Some people worshipped it. It was their god. It was visible and not absent.
OneEyedJoe: What's the point in having a god that deserves neither worship, nor respect?
I would add another question to yours: if God exists, does he want and require our worship? Does he care for that? Why would he, anyway?
Eden
You haven't defined the "god" of these ancient sun-worshippers yet.
As soon as you do we can prove their god didn't exist. The sun exists. The personal deity who could be weak in December and revived by fires and rituals didn't.
This is a good example. Define god - say some things about him/her - and we can destroy it.
So, in this case:
a) The sun exists
b) Humans thought of the sun as their God and worshipped it.
c) Therefore, God exists.
Eden
I just defined a deity for you. I said, to them they took the sun at face value, they didn't think of it as a person with a personality. They took it for what they received from it and worshipped it as their God.
are you telling me that said God doesn't exist? You're going against evidence.
Eden
a) The sun exists
b) Humans thought of the sun as their God and worshipped it.
c) Therefore, God exists.
Nope.
The god that sun-worshippers adore isn't defined by facts of cosmology. You cannot conflate our nearest star with the god of ancients.
Their god was a personal deity who responded to the actions of humans. It got tired around December and needed to be encouraged by lighting fires and offering sacrifices.
As soon as you define any god we can dismantle it.
