My dear, wonderful wife woke at 4:30 AM to my raspy screeches of attempts to inhale. She helped me. Why curse her like this?
I was too weak and unstable today to get from my wheelchair to the shower chair safely: A distance of three feet, with grab bars and a CNA helper.
I think the cough lingers because of the cold, which started Wednesday. My cogent wife points out that at the clinic they had me breathing through the bipap for an hour with no humidifier. Maybe that dried me out and set me up? Geniuses.
CapnOAwesome wrote:
> Because I believe there is no god.
I replied:
OK, but since the faiths tend to define God as beyond the reach of human minds, science, etc., then you have a cosmic faith (There Is No God) akin to the flying spaghetti monster. You have a religion. I really doubt that there is a personified god, but it remains possible, however remotely, that perhaps even the Christian god is real. The question then becomes one of relevance ("Who cares?"). But even I would not be so foolish to believe that there is no god, given that it is -- by definition -- beyond my power.
No, I am NOT saying that you must provide a valid reason for absence of faith.
He replied:
Don't be stupid. Atheism is consistent with the natural world. Is it a jump of faith. Sure, but a very very very small one. Since god is not observable or recordable, any sort of interferance by a god in the natural world be a huge leap of faith.
And you are simply wrong about the active faith of most people. Most religions that define a god have a very specific definition of god, or at the very least very specific characteristics (I.E. a triune nature for the christian god) So very few peoples faith, and certainly nobody who takes a religion seriously actually defines god as beyond the human mind to understand.
Then I...
> Don't be stupid.
This goes a long way towards convincing me of your perspective. Just so you know, I'm smarter than you. And wiser. And way more experienced.
One can argue (but you knew this) that the natural world indicates a divine plan. After all, it gave us you, in all your glory, to advise us not to be stupid.
The anthropomorphic principle guarantees that we wonder why all the variables of our universe just happen to favor life. We wouldn't be here if it didn't. That supports the idea of a Creator until you realize that it's the anthropomorphic principle in action. But try telling that to the average person.
Of whom, sadly and in a very callow way, you are an excellent example. Have fun on YouTube, and perhaps some lucky day you will have the epiphany that implying that people are stupid to hold ideas other than your own is stupid.
And by the way, you are ignorant. You've heard some Christian say "Don't believe in Jesus? It's OK -- He believes in you!" This is based on the idea that God is beyond your power of reason. You state that religions have very specific God characters -- how true. But how dishonest of you to extend that into the thought that they have specific rational steps that will lead you to God. If they did, we would all believe. Or not.
Of COURSE no religion lays out the evidence and says, "Here, convince yourself!"
Like many so-called 'atheists,' you retreat to talking about what most people of faith believe. But let's assume they're all wrong -- every single one of them. You have no basis for thinking God didn't intend it that way. Believing that there is no god is your act of faith.
Don't believe I took your reply seriously enough to attempt to educate you -- a mere fledgling troll. I wrote because it will make a good post in my blog.
I was too weak and unstable today to get from my wheelchair to the shower chair safely: A distance of three feet, with grab bars and a CNA helper.
I think the cough lingers because of the cold, which started Wednesday. My cogent wife points out that at the clinic they had me breathing through the bipap for an hour with no humidifier. Maybe that dried me out and set me up? Geniuses.
CapnOAwesome wrote:
> Because I believe there is no god.
I replied:
OK, but since the faiths tend to define God as beyond the reach of human minds, science, etc., then you have a cosmic faith (There Is No God) akin to the flying spaghetti monster. You have a religion. I really doubt that there is a personified god, but it remains possible, however remotely, that perhaps even the Christian god is real. The question then becomes one of relevance ("Who cares?"). But even I would not be so foolish to believe that there is no god, given that it is -- by definition -- beyond my power.
No, I am NOT saying that you must provide a valid reason for absence of faith.
He replied:
Don't be stupid. Atheism is consistent with the natural world. Is it a jump of faith. Sure, but a very very very small one. Since god is not observable or recordable, any sort of interferance by a god in the natural world be a huge leap of faith.
And you are simply wrong about the active faith of most people. Most religions that define a god have a very specific definition of god, or at the very least very specific characteristics (I.E. a triune nature for the christian god) So very few peoples faith, and certainly nobody who takes a religion seriously actually defines god as beyond the human mind to understand.
Then I...
> Don't be stupid.
This goes a long way towards convincing me of your perspective. Just so you know, I'm smarter than you. And wiser. And way more experienced.
One can argue (but you knew this) that the natural world indicates a divine plan. After all, it gave us you, in all your glory, to advise us not to be stupid.
The anthropomorphic principle guarantees that we wonder why all the variables of our universe just happen to favor life. We wouldn't be here if it didn't. That supports the idea of a Creator until you realize that it's the anthropomorphic principle in action. But try telling that to the average person.
Of whom, sadly and in a very callow way, you are an excellent example. Have fun on YouTube, and perhaps some lucky day you will have the epiphany that implying that people are stupid to hold ideas other than your own is stupid.
And by the way, you are ignorant. You've heard some Christian say "Don't believe in Jesus? It's OK -- He believes in you!" This is based on the idea that God is beyond your power of reason. You state that religions have very specific God characters -- how true. But how dishonest of you to extend that into the thought that they have specific rational steps that will lead you to God. If they did, we would all believe. Or not.
Of COURSE no religion lays out the evidence and says, "Here, convince yourself!"
Like many so-called 'atheists,' you retreat to talking about what most people of faith believe. But let's assume they're all wrong -- every single one of them. You have no basis for thinking God didn't intend it that way. Believing that there is no god is your act of faith.
Don't believe I took your reply seriously enough to attempt to educate you -- a mere fledgling troll. I wrote because it will make a good post in my blog.
posted by brainhell at 8:36 AM
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