Ok, let's see here!
- Holy books being taken literally and being logically/empirically unsound.
No holy books in Setianism, at least not ones that need to be accepted literally.
- Arguments without evidence are not themselves evidence
I think I agree with this. The arguments for Setianism are based on empirical evidence.
- Problem of evil
Set is not omnipotent, so no problem.
- Atheistic to all gods but your own
Other gods exist, though they may not be exactly what believers think they are, or there could be deception involved.
- No empirical evidence
That's a biggie, but the empirical evidence for Setianism are the Upper Paleolithic Revolution and the capability of the human mind to go against deterministic nature, as well as the empirical evidence that Mind and Body are separate substances.
- Unethical "morality"
It is not the LHP that wages crusades, molests children, beheads "heretics", brainwashes/indoctrinates adults and children, or anything of the sort. The morality of Setianism relies on nothing but us accepting we are unique individuals with free will. What violates the free will of another is immoral - including rape, murder, and theft. Things like drug consumption in one's home are no longer a concern, and things like child molestation by authority figures should receive swift and brutal punishment.
- Contradicts known science
As I said above this is not true, and there are more scientific reasons to believe in Setianism than many other positions. For instance we know through empirical science that the mind is something different from and capable of working against that natural, deterministic universe. Scientific evidence includes the Upper Paleolithic Revolution, Self-Regulation, Cognitive Therapy, Placebos with or without Deception, the empiric fact that the mind and body have wholly different properties. That is quite a bit of scientific evidence. If the UPR is disprove, or self-regulation, or cognitive therapy, etc., then the question can be readdressed.
- Claims cannot be verified (ex: miracles)
Setianism makes no unverifiable claims.
- Appeal to emotion
Nope, appeal to scientific evidence and logical reasoning. Evidence above. Argument:
1. We can scientifically confirm the mind is different from and separate from nature.
2. We can scientifically confirm the higher consciousness of humans arose across the species, exponentially, in a close amount of time, and ~100,000+ years after we have already evolved as a physiological species.
3. Something unnatural and against natural cannot rise from nature.
4. Nature does not work the way the UPR occurred.
5. Therefore, there is something separate from nature responsible for higher consciousness that either intentionally or accidentally gave it to humans (an maybe others) in the UPR.
- Argument from ignorance
See above.
- Presupposition
Setianism is a conclusion of evidence and reason as explained above, not a presupposition.
- Circular reasoning
See above.
- Special pleading
Setianism is not the one true religion or path. One can have justified belief in other religions or even in atheism, and pragmatism is equally as important - what's good is what works!
- Story tellers by nature
Interesting. It seems many of our stories are weaved based on actual events though, they do not come into being in a vacuum. We also do not seem able to show this is indeed what happened, but I can understand holding the position that this is what occurred. Again...
- Born into right religion
... not the one true religion in any way.
- Irrational arguments
See above.
- Belief can cause negative actions
Sure, and non-belief can cause negative actions too. Look at the State Atheism of the USSR under Stalin and company, persecuting religious believers by the thousands. Religions also have overwhelmingly positive benefits as confirmed by hundreds of studies and meta-studies (see for example: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2012/278730/)
- Benefits can be secular
Maybe, but really this depends on a lot of factors. Think of the people who believe atheists cannot be moral, that are only "moral" out of fear of God. Without out god it appears they would have no ethics or morality, and we dont want that! Again, what's good is what works - Pragmatism. Everyone is a unique individual and require different things.
- No need for God to explain anything.
See above.
- Unfalsifiable
Any of the above scientific facts may be falsified, and the arguments refuted. Proving material reduction of the mind to the brain would also disprove Setianism, but that appears unlikely at best. Plenty to test and falsify.
- Clarke's 3rd law (hyper advanced technology = magic)
This is the best one. I concede Set may be some sort of hyper-advanced thing that is just so far ahead he appears to be a deity. It's a possibility. For me, personally, this would not change anything as the evidence and arguments remain.
- Holy books being taken literally and being logically/empirically unsound.
No holy books in Setianism, at least not ones that need to be accepted literally.
- Arguments without evidence are not themselves evidence
I think I agree with this. The arguments for Setianism are based on empirical evidence.
- Problem of evil
Set is not omnipotent, so no problem.
- Atheistic to all gods but your own
Other gods exist, though they may not be exactly what believers think they are, or there could be deception involved.
- No empirical evidence
That's a biggie, but the empirical evidence for Setianism are the Upper Paleolithic Revolution and the capability of the human mind to go against deterministic nature, as well as the empirical evidence that Mind and Body are separate substances.
- Unethical "morality"
It is not the LHP that wages crusades, molests children, beheads "heretics", brainwashes/indoctrinates adults and children, or anything of the sort. The morality of Setianism relies on nothing but us accepting we are unique individuals with free will. What violates the free will of another is immoral - including rape, murder, and theft. Things like drug consumption in one's home are no longer a concern, and things like child molestation by authority figures should receive swift and brutal punishment.
- Contradicts known science
As I said above this is not true, and there are more scientific reasons to believe in Setianism than many other positions. For instance we know through empirical science that the mind is something different from and capable of working against that natural, deterministic universe. Scientific evidence includes the Upper Paleolithic Revolution, Self-Regulation, Cognitive Therapy, Placebos with or without Deception, the empiric fact that the mind and body have wholly different properties. That is quite a bit of scientific evidence. If the UPR is disprove, or self-regulation, or cognitive therapy, etc., then the question can be readdressed.
- Claims cannot be verified (ex: miracles)
Setianism makes no unverifiable claims.
- Appeal to emotion
Nope, appeal to scientific evidence and logical reasoning. Evidence above. Argument:
1. We can scientifically confirm the mind is different from and separate from nature.
2. We can scientifically confirm the higher consciousness of humans arose across the species, exponentially, in a close amount of time, and ~100,000+ years after we have already evolved as a physiological species.
3. Something unnatural and against natural cannot rise from nature.
4. Nature does not work the way the UPR occurred.
5. Therefore, there is something separate from nature responsible for higher consciousness that either intentionally or accidentally gave it to humans (an maybe others) in the UPR.
- Argument from ignorance
See above.
- Presupposition
Setianism is a conclusion of evidence and reason as explained above, not a presupposition.
- Circular reasoning
See above.
- Special pleading
Setianism is not the one true religion or path. One can have justified belief in other religions or even in atheism, and pragmatism is equally as important - what's good is what works!
- Story tellers by nature
Interesting. It seems many of our stories are weaved based on actual events though, they do not come into being in a vacuum. We also do not seem able to show this is indeed what happened, but I can understand holding the position that this is what occurred. Again...
- Born into right religion
... not the one true religion in any way.
- Irrational arguments
See above.
- Belief can cause negative actions
Sure, and non-belief can cause negative actions too. Look at the State Atheism of the USSR under Stalin and company, persecuting religious believers by the thousands. Religions also have overwhelmingly positive benefits as confirmed by hundreds of studies and meta-studies (see for example: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2012/278730/)
- Benefits can be secular
Maybe, but really this depends on a lot of factors. Think of the people who believe atheists cannot be moral, that are only "moral" out of fear of God. Without out god it appears they would have no ethics or morality, and we dont want that! Again, what's good is what works - Pragmatism. Everyone is a unique individual and require different things.
- No need for God to explain anything.
See above.
- Unfalsifiable
Any of the above scientific facts may be falsified, and the arguments refuted. Proving material reduction of the mind to the brain would also disprove Setianism, but that appears unlikely at best. Plenty to test and falsify.
- Clarke's 3rd law (hyper advanced technology = magic)
This is the best one. I concede Set may be some sort of hyper-advanced thing that is just so far ahead he appears to be a deity. It's a possibility. For me, personally, this would not change anything as the evidence and arguments remain.
