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Atheists: Does Energy fall under Magical Thinking?

Rainbow Mage

Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
So you guys have no trouble accepting the existence of unseen energies that science has to observe through special instruments because they can't see it, but if a theist says we have experiences with unseen forces you deny it?
 

The_Evelyonian

Old-School Member
So you guys have no trouble accepting the existence of unseen energies that science has to observe through special instruments because they can't see it, but if a theist says we have experiences with unseen forces you deny it?

Unseen energies - Measureable, Testable, Verifiable.

Theistic "experiences" - Not.

I reject theistic claims until they can be proven. End of story.
 
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Penumbra

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Energy can be measured and used.

It's powering the various systems that allow this post to be created. I use it every day at work.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
So you guys have no trouble accepting the existence of unseen energies that science has to observe through special instruments because they can't see it, but if a theist says we have experiences with unseen forces you deny it?

You say "special instruments" as if there's something mystical about them. There's no mystery to a thermometer or a voltmeter. Heck - I could build a basic version of either one based just on what I know from my high school science classes.
 

dust1n

Zindīq
Who cares if we can see it? We can see the affects of it and can utilize them to make **** happen. Different than God.
 

LuisDantas

Aura of atheification
Premium Member
You can't see most energy and you have no reason to believe it exists except that sciencists tell you it's there. Your logic that because you can't see or observe something it doesn't exist is a major fail.

Not so. Energy can be detected by its properties. It does not take an authority call to make its presence known.
 

Amill

Apikoros
So you guys have no trouble accepting the existence of unseen energies that science has to observe through special instruments because they can't see it, but if a theist says we have experiences with unseen forces you deny it?

Scientists can and do demonstrate their findings and observations, people with religious experiences can only recall their observations. If a scientist said he detected an actual dark matter particle but couldn't provide any substance behind his claim, his word wouldn't be worth jack.

Demonstrating observations vs recalling observations. Demonstrable evidence wins.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Energy isn't magical. It can be measured & used. It's behavior can be predicted by theory.
That all sounds pretty much in the realm of the material world to me.
 

Penumbra

Veteran Member
Premium Member
That's the atheist position on the existence of the supernatural.
No reasonable skeptic would put that much emphasis on a single sense. It's not just about what someone "sees".

It's about what can be seen, interacted with, measured, used, proven, etc. Basically, it's what can be shown to exist.

Energy can be described with equations, used to do work, stored, generated, etc. Sometimes its effects can even be seen.
 

Midnight Pete

Well-Known Member
So you guys have no trouble accepting the existence of unseen energies that science has to observe through special instruments because they can't see it, but if a theist says we have experiences with unseen forces you deny it?

Well done! It is usually at this point that atheists start to squirm.
 

Father Heathen

Veteran Member
Groan...

Energy and the effects thereof can easily be observed, experienced and tested. The same cannot be said of god, so the comparison is totally retarded.
 
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