Why Do You No Longer Believe in God? (page 11)

Tenacious

@ Cofty and Viviane:

Please understand that I'm not defending anyone's actions or condemning them, I'm explaining it.

If you guys don't believe that the following quote is indicative of calling someone a bull****er than please accept my apologies. I'm not able to break it down any further:

cofty wrote:
"is the rallying call of the intellectually lazy who like to make shit up

Everybody has a right to express themselves as they see fit but expressing oneself in a professional, firm yet courteous way, can lead to even more insight and participation by other members who won't feel intimidated by the harsh and pointed language specifically aimed at members who disagree with another member's opinion albeit factual information.

While I'm not fragile, like I said, there are those members who wish to participate in some threads yet refrain from doing so due to the nature of the conversation and where it's headed.

I reserve the right to engage anyone on any subject, yet I find it's more beneficial for everyone that healthy respectful thread comments be made in the interest of reading different perspectives and allowing more participation by different board members. This can only lead to a deeper more meaningful productive discussion.

Viviane

If you guys don't believe that the following quote is indicative of calling someone a bull****er than please accept my apologies

We'll, he didn't call anyone a bullshitter. That'reality, not a belief. Apology accepted.

Everybody has a right to express themselves as they see fit but expressing oneself in a professional, firm yet courteous way, can lead to even more insight and participation by other members who won't feel intimidated by the harsh and pointed language specifically aimed at members who disagree with another member's opinion albeit factual information.

So... Everyone has a right to express themselves but do it you way? Oh, and you'll also claim they said things they didn't? Seems like you need a mirror and your own advice.

This can only lead to a deeper more meaningful productive discussion.

Your way is the only way? Yeah, I'm not in any way surprised that you're religious. That's a theme with you guys.

DATA-DOG

OMG!!! I love Tom Cruise movies! Do I need an enema or something??

DD

stuffwotifink

cofty

Evolution happened we know this with a level of certainty that is every bit as great as our knowledge that the earth is not flat.

Certainty is no measure of the veracity of a belief. No idea why you'd even mention it.
One can be certain and wrong, uncertain and right.

Why would anybody who already accepts this to be true want to debate whether this belongs in the set of facts or beliefs?

I wasn't debating the issue.
All facts are beliefs. "Facts" and "knowledge" are subsets of belief.
The statement I originally responded to was "Nobody "believes" in natural selection, it's just a fact."
I wasn't debating that point, I was offering correction.

I read the article on epistemology a while ago. It was outrageously tedious.

Seemingly you didn't understand it.

cappytan

Anyone that points to DNA as "proof" of a creator and evidence against evolution has no idea what the science behind evolution actually says. They're being intellectually dishonest.

If they have "no idea what the science behind evolution actually says": They are not being intellectually dishonest. They are just being ignorant or wrong.
To be intellectually dishonest, you have to know that you are in error...

For example:
Someone who is aware that "facts" belong in the catagory of "belief", but who continues to say that "you don't have to believe a fact", would be intellectually dishonest.

Viviane

All facts are beliefs.

Untrue.

They are not being intellectually dishonest. They are just being ignorant or wrong.

They have been told and choose to remain ignorant.

Someone who is aware that "facts" belong in the catagory of "belief", but who continues to say that "you don't have to believe a fact", would be intellectually dishonest.

Why wod someone believe that to be true?

What value are you adding?

Island Man

Any belief that requires great effort to maintain isn't worth believing and is probably untrue.

Do you have to work to maintain your belief in the existence of air, gravity, electricity? No, because these phenomena are all provably true.

In the same way, if God's existence were provably true then no effort would be required to maintain belief in him and the prospect of losing faith in him would be as ridiculous as the prospect of losing faith in the existence of air, gravity and electricity.

It is precisely because the existence of God is a very weak concept founded in wishful thinking, and devoid of substantive evidence, that religions have devised notions like the need for faith; studying and meditating on religious literature to strengthen and maintain faith; and avoiding information that has the potential to undermine faith, i.e. logically expose the beliefs as being unfounded and without merit.

No God of love and wisdom worth worshiping would create this kind of scenario where the idea of his existence can only be supported by wishful thinking and logical fallacies; and at the same time his "inspired" writings are contradicted by verifiable scientific evidence

Bonsai

Exactly what Island Man said. To the T.

Ucantnome

I dont find it an effort

cofty

Everybody has a right to express themselves as they see fit

You should have stopped right there.

Accusing somebody of "making shhit up" when they are making shit up and refusing to explain himself is not a personal attack. Stop lecturing like a disgruntled grandmother and engage with your own topic.

Xanthippe

Stop lecturing like a disgruntled grandmother and engage with your own topic.

Please don't call a man a women as a derogative. It's still sexist even if you don't use the p-word.

Why Do You No Longer Believe in God?

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