by EdenOne 233 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
"Sociologist Darren Sherkat researched the belief of Americans in a higher power. He based his research on data from 8,000 adults polled by the Chicago-based National Opinion Research Center between 1988 and 2000. Among his findings were that 8% stated "I don't believe in a personal god, but I do believe in a higher power of some kind."
So, this is a perfectly pertinent question. 8% of Americans believe in a "higher power" - some sort of non-personal god.
Eden
"ok, I mean, some sort of higher power that rules over the universe and the physical laws. - Eden1
Vague, vacuous nonsense.
Define exactly what the properties are of this "sort of higher power". Tell us in what way it "rules over the universe and the physical laws".
Does it interact with humans? Does it hear and answer prayers? In what way is the world different than if it didn't exist? Did it create the world? Did it create humans?
Once you have told me as much as possible about what you are proposing, then and only then I could tell you if I believe in it.
Evade the question as much as you want. The question stands. Do you refuse to answer?
Eden
I've been reading this thread with interest and would like to add one point:
I feel that, as EdenOne has not mentioned antitheism at all, he might be confusing antitheists (those for whom atheism isn't enough and so oppose belief in god/gods and/or deny the existence of god) with atheists.
Just a thought.
I would classify those amongst "strong atheists". But I concede that it may be a different group altogether.
Eden
But don't you see that such question can also be turned on you?
An atheist says: "I lack belief that god [or: deities] exist". Ok, so define "god". Or define a deity.
Any number of made up things people give time, energy and worship to, such as Jesus or Allah, usually because of a circumstance of the the location of their birth and an inability to use critical thinking, People also tend to get very upset when you don't partake of this shared delusion.
See? Defined.That wasn't hard.
Let's see Cofty work out from THAT definition. (if one can call it such)
After all, he expects such definition to attempt to answer to:
Does it interact with humans? Does it hear and answer prayers? In what way is the world different than if it didn't exist? Did it create the world? Did it create humans?
I don't see any of that in your definition. My take is that Cofty would classify that as:
Vague, vacuous nonsense.
Unless, of course, he would open an exception for you. But let's wait and see. Shouldn't take long now.
Eden
Actually, I've a better definition... where <deity> = x, <definition of deity> = x/0.
Either you can't read or won't read, Viviane. Go back and read that it wasn't me that was asking for a definition of "god". That is the sort of thing that should be asked to a theist. It's nonsensical to be insistingly asking to a non-theist like me to define a god. It's stupid and obtuse. For the empth time, I don't know.
But I get it. You need a definition given by a theist so you can then debunk it. But when a non-theist asks you to logically explain how come your so-called absence of belief in deities that stems from lack of evidence for their existence is in itself different than a belief proper, what I observe is some sort of broken record, headless chicken attitude.
Eden
