Why don't we start with "God?" Y'know ... just so we're all on the same page 'n stuff?
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Addendum: Oops. Just noticed that Winston Churchill beat me to the punch on this one.
Another End-Of-The-World prediction? I guess there really is one born every minute.
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Indeed. The Bible does say that no one knows when the world will end. However, since (as far as I'm aware) the Bible doesn't explicitly ban making predictions I guess we'll have to leave it to the...
Correct. Only unreasonable beliefs regarding unsubstantiated claims.
Note: I'm going to feel compelled to remind you of this first concession of yours throughout my comments that follow. Just so you're forewarned.
That's another refreshing concession on your part. And I would tend to...
Except for God, of course!
It may stand to reason that there must be a source to all things, but it does not stand to reason that God must have a source.
Correct?
Yes. May I cite the Crusades and the persecution of the Jews as shining examples of that underlying "imagery of unity" that...
So Keira Knightly could exist?
I don't know how you could claim to know that as a fact.
Perhaps the universe was just a bit of marginal doodling and the creator being is simply too arrogant to admit it?
Perhaps. However, I'll maintain that the fundamental disconnect is between what you're trying to discuss and the theme of the thread.
But never mind.
If I'd stated the conclusion anywhere aside from the end of my response, it wouldn't have been much of a conclusion. Perhaps I erred by not...
:::rolls eyes:::
So does it follow that polytheism isn't the belief that there exists more than one god, but rather the belief that the nature of divinity is such that there couldn't possibly be only one god because a sole, solitary deity would be inherently contradictory?
Perhaps I was too...
Not really. Religion is merely the pretext that actual living entities employ to (en)force their will on other people.
Aren't humans also rather prone to rebellion? Are leaders built up just so they can be torn down? And are leaders simply a by-product of organized, communal societies...
Because the evidence suggests otherwise. People have been incessantly judging other people based on religion since ... I dunno ... the inception of religion. Basically.
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Remove religious prejudice from human history and what are you left with? It'd still be heftier than a mere pamphlet...
And you know this ... how? What sort of scientific evidence can you provide to support your assertion?
And for the sake of clarity: Are you asserting that human activity cannot impact the climate, or that it merely hasn't so far?
Climate change can be debated in the context of the evidence...
How so?
From Ancient Greek μόνος (mónos, “alone, only, sole, single”)
You'll need to clarify your point, please. It seems to amount to semantic tap-dancing. "Single" would certainly appear to indicate a specific count (as would "only" and "sole" and "alone").
As henotheism apparently...
Your demand could only be met by a being capable of mind-reading.
So I'll not address it again.
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You are of course free to offer up a list of religious claims that you actually do think make sense. We'll then be free to resume a normal discussion.
I disagree ... and for a reason that you're about to conce--
See?
Q. - Are you suggesting that having a leader provides a reproductive benefit to the group?
Because if you can't demonstrate that, I'm struggling to see how you can attribute the existence of authoritarian figures to...
Ritualized genital mutilation must have been a part of His Plan® from the get-go, as he allegedly announced that his creation was "very good" when he was done with it. If He seriously found foreskins distasteful (in the aesthetic sense, of course) ... would he have included them in the anatomy...
Evidently, God is:
1.) That which cannot be demonstrated to exist.
2.) That which cannot be rendered believable.
3.) That which no one can agree on.
Anyone who disagrees with #3 is cordially invited to think twice about their rebuttal before they wind up proving my point for me by disagreeing.