Any atheists here? Have you come to terms with your new reality?
by kpop 102 Replies latest jw friends
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Finkelstein
I do believe that religion is both a blessing and a curse for the human race but most people today will never be able to accept that there is no God.
In review of statistics concerning religious practice throughout the world to date which shows a dramatically decline in the last century, the belief in a god is obviously fading away.
If this declination continues at this same pace there is going to be very little god belief in the following next century.
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slimboyfat
darth frosty there's a Sam Harris protégé right there: as verbose as he is unreflective and unaccountably certain of his views.
He says he's confident God would know he has never believed a single thing simply because it is convenient, because he himself knows that is the case. How does he know? It seems like an extraordinary claim for any human to make. Never believed anything for convenience, ever?
Certain atheists have such high regard for their own mind that they consider themselves absolute experts on their own actions and psychology. Which is pretty absurd when you think about it.
If there was a fracture in your leg and the doctor wanted an x-ray, imagine telling the doctor: there's nothing about my leg you can tell me that I don't already know. I am the world's leading expert on my own leg. So keep your science and your so-called knowledge to yourself.
So why assume that the working of the brain is entirely transparent to its owner? Or that psychology, psychiatry and sociology have no insights beyond what a person "feels" from the inside?
I have no doubt this young man wishes and believes that all his views are based on evidence rather than convenience. But "wishing does not make it so" as atheists themselves are often fond of saying.
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kpop
I believe that the international community needs to set new standards for everyone if humans are going to get off this rock and explore and inhabit other planets. Two weeks ago the UAE/Qatar said they are going to launch a Mars rocket in the next few years and begin to colonize it in 30 years. Can you imagine that? Rule number 1- NO RELIGION allowed. I'm sorry if I sound intolerant but religion is the cause of most of the problems on earth and we cannot have that if we are to expand humanity and evolve into higher beings. Religion served its purpose. Time to leave it in the past.
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blondie
Christians = many differing views, everyone thinks their view is right
Atheists = many differing views, almost everyone thinks their view is right
I left one group that tried to control my views, I'm going to take some time and form my own views through study and research of various individuals in print and in person, experience, life. Unique to me.
Blondie
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Coded Logic
There's a Sam Harris protégé right there: as verbose as he is unreflective and unaccountably certain of his views.
-SBF
I thought Theoretical BS was very concise and to the point in his video (the complete opposite of verbose). It's also clear he's put a lot of thought into what he wanted to say as he had multiple lines of reasoning to support his conclusions. And he even pondered over the reasons for his own interest in the subject (aka he was reflective). I'm also not sure why you're stating he's "unaccountably certain of his views" as his level of confidence in his claims was never addressed in the video.
He's a very well spoken guy with the ability to make important and valid points. I don't understand why your making a personal attack against him. -
slimboyfat
He makes the statement "none of my views are based on what it is convenient to believe".
Any level of reflection should cause one to pause before making such a sweeping statement.
How does he know his atheism isn't based on convenience? He certainly doesn't want to believe it's based on convenience. But wishing doesn't make it so. And again, some reflection should cause anyone to pause before making such definitive statements about anything as complex as the brain, motivations and human psychology.
He rules out the possibility that God could tell him anything about himself that he doesn't already know. Which is remarkable hubris.
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cofty
I don't understand why your making a personal attack against him.
SBF is hostile to all statements of truth, facts or reasonable certainty.
When you hesitate to affirm that planet earth is not flat it must be really irritating to hear somebody who is comfortable with their evidence-based conclusions.
The god of Jesus does not exist. I am as sure about that as I am about anything. The claims of all theists are wrong; those of diests are just superfluous and uninteresting.
That still leaves an awful lot of things we really don't know, but at least it clears away some of the mess that obscures the search for truth.
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Saethydd
He makes the statement "none of my views are based on what it is convenient to believe".
Any level of reflection should cause one to pause before making such a sweeping statement.
How does he know his atheism isn't based on convenience? He certainly doesn't want to believe it's based on convenience. But wishing doesn't make it so. And again, some reflection should cause anyone to pause before making such definitive statements about anything as complex as the brain, motivations and human psychology.
He rules out the possibility that God could tell him anything about himself that he doesn't already know. Which is remarkable hubris.
Well, perhaps he could have prefaced it with, "to the best of my ability I try to make sure that..." Other than that, his argument seems fairly sound and reasonable to me. He never said God couldn't tell him anything, in fact, the man in the video said that he couldn't tell God anything about himself that God didn't already know. (If God really is omniscient.)
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James Mixon
No Atheists in fox holes< I was faced with this dilemma last week, I had a stroke a Transient ischemic attack,a cerebral artery was temporally blocked. I was lucky my right hand went limp, no speech or vision problems. I was given a Cerebral Angiogram and they saw something in my brain, I knew it was serious when the doctor told me we have bad news....You had a stroke. I was thinking my birthday March-3 and this was Feb.-26, I will not be around for my 70th birthday. The procedure that will be performed your chances are better then driving on our freeways. Hell I live in southern Calif. and our freeways are very dangerous, so that wasn't very comforting....All went well, the blockage dissolved, I had a mini-stroke. How did I feel about facing death. I was OK..I believe I was more afraid of death when I was a JW...But one thing I must mention that was very moving, the calls that came in before the procedure. My friends and family knows how I feel about the Bible but they call to pray with me, my 24-25 year old nephew called and told me uncle I know how you feel about the bible I still would like to pray with you will that be alright, my golf friend called from out of state when he heard the news and he called to pray with me and the members in my senior music /guitar group called and one of the members also ask to pray with me. Their prayers were earnest request, so different from the prayers you here in the KH..I guess that 's why I say I'am a agnostic.. Not one word from my JW family members..My hand is 100%, I dodge the bullet my doctor told me...