Hi 1137,
I think you are entirely misunderstanding why atheists sometimes compare deity concepts with mythical creatures such as unicorns. This "False Association" argument is actually the same argument as your "You Can't Show" argument. That unicorns and gods have different traits or...
I'm in the same boat, Rick. I find the idea appealing, but ultimately hard to find feasible. Who knows, though.
I guess we're mostly a bunch of skeptical westerners here on RF, though. I expect traditional Buddhists (i.e. from Asia) would probably have a far higher rate of believers in rebirth.
Hi paarsurrey,
Since no evidence has been shown to support the existence of God, it therefore appears that God is nothing but conjecture.
And therein lies the chief argument against God's existence, as previously stated.
Hi Willamena,
I agree. I find that for those who postulate that material existence is an illusion, there's indeed a tendency to conflate differing concepts of illusion. Concerning the straw in a glass analogy, we can discern the "bend" in the straw is indeed illusory. Yet for some, they'd jump...
Hi Chakra,
Given our limitations as human beings, we cannot be 100% certain of anything. Yet it makes the most logical sense to me to assume material reality as our baseline for existence, and therefore that we do exist as physical beings. Certainly reality as we experience it is not exactly...
Hi paarsurrey,
As a number of us have already posted, the primary argument against God's existence is the complete lack of evidence for God's existence. As far as we can factually discern, various depictions of God only exist in collections of old fables and in the human imagination, but not...
Hi Paine,
I did not claim that we are born with it. I claimed that IF we were hypothetically born with it (i.e. IF a God exists and bestowed us with it from birth), we would be born with more, rather than less, freedom, because being wiser means being more free.
And so, notwithstanding...
Hi Godobeyer,
This question seems to be asking if I am a monotheist, if I'm a believer in one of the monotheistic deities from the world's religions. Only people who believe in one and only one God (Jews, Christians, Muslims, and maybe Hindus) would be expected to answer "Yes," while everyone...
Hi Paine,
You agreed with me that freedom is proportionally improved by wisdom. Yet, somehow, you also think that being born with more wisdom early on has the opposite effect, that it somehow makes you less free or a "pre-programmed automaton." This makes absolutely zero sense to me.
In what...
Hi Godobeyer,
No to all three questions. I consider the monotheistic theologies of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to be fabrications of the human imagination.
Hi Paineful,
I think you clearly have it backwards, actually. In creating people with less wisdom, they are born with less freedom, not more. They are more prone to unconscious urges, compulsions, cravings. People with more wisdom though have more freedom, not less. They can see themselves and...
Hi buddhist,
Thanks for the link, I'll have to check that out when I get a chance. I'll see what some of these articles have to say.
The claims I've read to date though essentially point to events that are easily explained by simple chemical reactions rather than anything akin to neural...
Hi buddhist,
I am seriously interested in tracking down the research which has supposedly established that plant life is sentient. Do you happen to have a link to an abstract at least, if not the actual study (or studies)?
I do find it difficult to take this claim seriously, to be honest. If...
Hi George and buddhist,
Apologies if this thread already delved into this, I don't have the time to go through 13 pages at present, but...
I must agree with George's sentiments on this issue. Indeed, I think the Buddha's intentions were a bit different than you're thinking, buddhist. Even...
Hi Paineful,
The free will argument is not based on sound reasoning, though. A deity with the intelligence and power ascribed to him by traditional western monotheistic religions could have easily created a humanity with the innate wisdom to be an enlightened species and still be free, thereby...
Hi David,
I am sorry, but as others have mentioned, your facts are entirely off the mark.
I mean this sincerely: you would do well to study up on biology and other sciences, gain a sound basic science education. For a fun and fact-filled start, you might try Cosmos, a TV series featuring Neil...
Hey George-ananda,
Just wanted to clarify that I was also referring to the same group of creationists LuisDantas is in my previous post. I believe the term creationism generally refers to YECs, or at least anyone who believes all was not only created by a creator deity but who also explicitly...
Hi jeager,
Look, of course it was used as such by the Nazi regime.
That is not the point here. The point is that the swastika was appropriated from its more benevolent religious roots in Hinduism and several other religious traditions in the world. For the earlier users of the swastika for...
Hi George,
Creationism is not a competing scientific theory, though. Calling it a theory comparable to evolution implies a lack of understanding of the large distinction between evidence-based scientific theories and mere imaginings and thoughts about a subject matter.
Hard to find? I don't...
Hi George & Skwim,
I agree with Skwim here. In some public elementary and high schools in certain States (and some private schools which accept public money), creationism is being taught in science classes (not just in religion classes). In Kansas for instance, there's been an ongoing battle...