Why do so many people think this quote is deep or witty?

[Rio Rebel]

Baffled,

I've sat through some dry homilies before. In fact, I've been to mass many times at a church down the road, and I've never once (literally - never ONCE) heard a sermon from the priest there that had even the slightest resemblance to lucidity. But I've heard some really interesting ones, too.

Until you've sat through a 45 minute repetition in logic butchery in a Southern Baptist church, you can't complain to me.

 

[miniMUNCH]

If you believe in A god or many gods, you are, by definition NOT an atheist...so that quote is stupid to begin with.

Secondly, justification of the existence of a god or gods is emprically impossible just as the justification of the non-existence of god is impossible; it is a matter of rationale...there is a big difference between 1 (something) and 0 (nothing).

I believe at least one universe exists...but if I believed that no universe existed I'd be insanely dumb, right?

Well, some people look at our universe and understand that the universe "happened" somehow...others don't seem to get it that there is no scientific, natural explanation for why the universe IS...it precludes something beyond natural and scientific law, "supernatural" dare I say.

I would like an atheist to answer me this, "Why does our world, our reality, exist? What caused it? What created the matter and energy that we can observe?"

Religion answers that most fundamental question...however unsatisfactory that answer may be.

In my opinion, it requires more faith and fortitude of mind to be an atheist than it does to believe in God.

 

[Rio Rebel]

<< Secondly, justification of the existence of a god or gods is emprically impossible just as the justification of the non-existence of god is impossible; it is a matter of rationale...there is a big difference between 1 (something) and 0 (nothing). >>



Are you sure about that? Justification of the existence of God is empirically impossible?

Certainly, justification of the non-existence of God is empirically impossible, by definition, because you can't prove the non-existence of a thing by empirical data. Only by proving that something is self-contradictory could you *prove* that a thing does not exist.

But the same does not hold to proving that a thing does exist (or at least "justifying the belief"). I can easily think of a scenario that would justify belief in the existence of God, if that scenario were to come about.

 

[GL]

<< "I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." >>



Well, I pretty much take it at face value. It's witty but I wouldn't say it is deep - because it is pretty much a blatant statement that means nothing it does not already say.

As a theist, the thought of multiple gods existing is preposterous to me. The very idea just sounds ridiculous - yet I have firmly denied the potential for a polytheistic scenario to exist within the realm of my spirituality. So, like somebody already stated, the atheist is merely trying to draw a parallel between their train of though and a monotheist's by implying "if you go one step further in your logic, you'd arrive at my conclusion". And logically, you eventually do arrive at their conclusion.

I'd say I'm a non-cynical agnostic in that I believe in one god but there's absolutely no logical reason for me to. I haven't heard one good logical reason for the existence of a god that hasn't been counter-argued with a multitude of better logical reasons for god's non-existence. But, I pretty much don't care because in my mind, god is pretty much a creator who left the world to itself. Essentially he set the groundwork for things to work by themselves in the way a programmer develops a program and lets it run without his assistance. So, in my train of thought, it's perfectly within reason that god has not provided much (if any) evidence for god's existence that would be acceptible in the realm of a logical debate.

My logical response to the specific statement here would be - "My existence, along with the existence of this universe and everything contained within, is what prevents me from dismissing the existence of at least one god"....I would then feverishly think up witty arguments to prove several assertions in that statement such as the fact I exist and the universe exists, and several attempts to come to grips with the notion of causality I'd eventually lose, but I could argue the atheist into a corner where we were both talking gibberish about string theorem and other (practically) unproveable things.

 

[Geekbabe]

<< Baffled,

I've sat through some dry homilies before. In fact, I've been to mass many times at a church down the road, and I've never once (literally - never ONCE) heard a sermon from the priest there that had even the slightest resemblance to lucidity. But I've heard some really interesting ones, too.

Until you've sat through a 45 minute repetition in logic butchery in a Southern Baptist church, you can't complain to me. >>




LOL,Rio, there's not a chance of that happening anytime soon



At any rate,in my musings I've considered the possibility that there is no God, he's just a fiction created by humans to comfort themselves the world was created by some sort of huge big bang and we get born,live ,die and that's it... pretty basic and for a long time that idea was pretty scary to me. I mean we live,we die,life rolls on isn't as pretty as the clouds,harps and angels but it is simple,easy to understand and prone to making a person live out their time on this earth exactly as *they* wish to and not according to the dicates of some religion that says they'll go to hell if they don't.


If doing as God wants is so wonderful, such a desirous state of being,then why the threat of the ultimate penalty box?

 

[Rio Rebel]

<< At any rate,in my musings I've considered the possibility that there is no God, he's just a fiction created by humans to comfort themselves the world was created by some sort of huge big bang and we get born,love die and that's it >>



I consider that possibility every day, and I've never come up with an answer that leaves me comfortable.

In the end, I think we break down into two camps - those who drown out the fear of the unknown by choosing one of the extremes and holding on for life, and those who try to muster the courage to look for the truth in the midst of uncertainty. As I see it, there can be no faith until a person truly comes face to face with the possibility of being completely wrong, and facing that possibility every moment that you believe. Without that struggle, it is not faith, it's denial and fear.

 

[sitka]

An interesting twist? As I was reading a thread on religion I recalled the sig

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."

but I couldn't located it and just the idea stuck in my head. That idea I formed into a little story to relate what I thought was the same meaning.

Been reading these religious threads lately. There was an AT member that had a little story in his sig.

It went something like this.

When the christian found out one of his good friends was an atheist he asked
"How is it possible for you to deny the existence of the Lord?
the atheist replies
"Since you are a practicing christian I assume that you lack belief in the Jews Yahweh, the Islamic Allah, the Hindu's Brahman. We are very much the same my brother, I simply believe in one less God than you do."

Apparently the 'real' quote was changed by my interpretation/rememberance and recommunication of it. Much like that party game where the story gets passed around the room.
Within the context of this thread they appear to follow different logic. Neat huh.

This mechanism should be incorportated as part of the 'No-ords Prayer'
...and thank-you for the filter that is the individual. Ahmen

 

[yodayoda]

<< it makes sense. Any religious person dismisses all other gods except theirs. EWG- Christians dismiss Allah, Jehovah, whatever; Muslims dismiss he Christian God. Atheists dismiss all of them. >>



this isn't true. to a muslim, there is no "christian God" or "jewish God", they are all the same God, and the word for God in arabic is Allah. muslims believe that all of the prophets, like Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jesus, but revere Mohammed at the last prophet. also, muslims do not believe that Jesus is the son of God, rather that he is a prophet of God. go ahead, read the Koran/Qu'ran, it is mostly the Old and New Testament.