Is it Reasonable to Compare Gods with Bigfoot, Fairies, Unicorns, and Leprechauns?

[McBell]

So your argument is that atheists must follow Biblical advice?

No idea where you pulled that from.
I merely pointed out what the Bible has to say about it.

It is my opinion that theists are getting all up in arms over the fact that there are atheists who have lowered themselves to the bar set by theists.
Sadly, it appears that theists were quite unaware of just how low they set the bar.

As to the OP, it is my thought that it depends entirely on the context the comparison is being used.

 

[SalixIncendium]

No idea where you pulled that from.
I merely pointed out what the Bible has to say about it.

I don't know how that's relevant unless the Bible speaks on all gods.

It is my opinion that theists are getting all up in arms over the fact that there are atheists who have lowered themselves to the bar set by theists.
Sadly, it appears that theists were quite unaware of just how low they set the bar.

I find it sad that there are atheists that do this. That makes them no different, as I see it, than the theist that does the same thing.

As to the OP, it is my thought that it depends entirely on the context the comparison is being used.

That's fair.

 

[McBell]

I don't know how that's relevant unless the Bible speaks on all gods.

I would be most interested in reading the rest of this thread if everything mentioned has to apply to all the proposed deities through out history.

I find it sad that there are atheists that do this. That makes them no different, as I see it, than the theist that does the same thing.

The only difference as far as I can see is that the atheist does not have the backing of a deity...

 

[Revoltingest]

No, it's not reasonable.
Bigfoot has more evidence.
And unicorns actually exist.

 

[McBell]

No, it's not reasonable.
Bigfoot has more evidence.
And unicorns actually exist.

OMG!
No spoiler alert!

Tsk tsk tsk

Now I am dramatized....

 

[McBell]

 

[Revoltingest]

OMG!
No spoiler alert!

Tsk tsk tsk

Now I am dramatized....

Don't go swimming around narwhals.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Believe it or not, there are atheists here that compare gods to Bigfoot, fairies, unicorns, leprechauns, Nessie, etc. Shocking, I know.

I frequently come accross theists who "complain" about that and call it insulting.
But every time it turns out they misunderstand the comparison. It doesn't surprise me... it's always some kind of hysterical emotional response.

When I bring up bigfoot etc, I'm not comparing those creatures to god(s). I'm instead comparing the evidence to support their existence to the evidence supporting god(s)'s existence.

Emotional theists tend to completely fail to understand this.

Personally, I find this to be a logical fallacy: a false analogy, because while there is no objective evidence of their existence, the purposes of these concepts are entirely different. One, in making the analogy, is also applying form to something that doesn't necessarily have form. I also find the comparison rather insulting to those who have had an experience of a god.

So I put it to you. Do you think it's reasonable to compare gods to these creatures? Why or why not?

I don't have an opinion about that.

I can only say that when I bring up such magical creatures, I always do so in context of comparing the evidence for them to the supposed evidence of gods.

They have the exact same type of evidence going for them. And that's what I'm comparing.

 

[McBell]

Don't go swimming around narwhals.

I have no idea where they swim.
So long as they are not inside the continental USA, I should be safe...

 

[SalixIncendium]

I would be most interested in reading the rest of this thread if everything mentioned has to apply to all the proposed deities through out history.

It should. Atheists tend to cast a pretty wide net over gods in general when they make such comparisons.

The only difference as far as I can see is that the atheist does not have the backing of a deity...

The point I was making based on your assessment is that it's disappointing for an atheists lower themselves to a level of one condemning them to eternal damnation.

 

[McBell]

It should. Atheists tend to cast a pretty wide net over gods in general when they make such comparisons.

Really?
I have not seen that.
Do you have an example to link to?

The point I was making based on your assessment is that it's disappointing for an atheists lower themselves to a level of one condemning them to eternal damnation.

Theists do not have a monopoly on being an ****....

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

This thread was actually inspired by a response a member made when asked if it was reasonable to believe in a god, and that member's response was along this lines of "is it reasonable to believe in Bigfoot or fairies?"

Right, sounds to me that the comparison here is thus exactly as I, and @ratiocinator , put it...
The question is "is it reasonable to believe X?". The question thus asks about the justification for accepting a certain claim.
Another way to formulate that is "is there enough evidence to rationally justify accepting X as true".

So yea, seems to me that the response thus is drawing parallells based on the evidence and rational justification of belief rather then the subject of belief itself.
And I think that's perfectly reasonable.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Really?
I have not seen that.
Do you have an example to link to?

I created a whole thread about it...

Atheists: What Do Gods Do?

This thread is inspired by some of the responses I'm reading in Atheists: What would the universe look like if a god existed?. For this thread, I am intentionally excluding the God of Abraham to get some sort of an idea as to the level of knowledge atheists have about gods beyond the Abrahamic...

www.religiousforums.com

Atheists, when asked about gods, tend to default to the Abrahamic concept of deity and make judgments of all gods or all religions based on this.

 

[Revoltingest]

I have no idea where they swim.
So long as they are not inside the continental USA, I should be safe...

They like cold oceans.
So MI lakes are safe.

 

[Soandso]

Personally, I find this to be a logical fallacy: a false analogy, because while there is no objective evidence of their existence, the purposes of these concepts are entirely different.

I would agree with you here for the most part. There can be aspects that are similar to compare with depending on the god or the mythological being in question, though. Depends on the context of the comparison

One, in making the analogy, is also applying form to something that doesn't necessarily have form.

Hmmm... Do you think it would be fair to compare mythological spiritual beings who also don't have form?

I also find the comparison rather insulting to those who have had an experience of a god.

It might be worth noting that many atheists have also had an "experiences of a god." I know for myself that I've experienced things that I thought were god experiences at the time I was having them back when I was a believer

 

[LuisDantas]

So it's reasonable to confront arrogance with arrogance?

Regrettably, yes, it often is.

There are many people who just won't listen otherwise.

Please refer to post #12 above.

These comparisons are made without clear motive. Some tend to apply this comparison to any theist based on unrelated situations.

I think the expression that applies is "jumping the gun".

There are wrong times and wrong manners to make that comparison, no doubt.

I'm confused by this statement. Are you implying that having the experience of a god is theistic chauvinism?

No, of course not.

Demanding other people to either believe or give a reason not to, however is.

You would not believe how usual that is here in Brazil.

So are you saying here that it is only reasonable for Christians who threaten theists with eternal damnation?

Of course not. But that is by far the most common situation here in Brazil and probably elsewhere.

 

[McBell]

I created a whole thread about it...

Atheists: What Do Gods Do?

This thread is inspired by some of the responses I'm reading in Atheists: What would the universe look like if a god existed?. For this thread, I am intentionally excluding the God of Abraham to get some sort of an idea as to the level of knowledge atheists have about gods beyond the Abrahamic...

www.religiousforums.com

Atheists, when asked about gods, tend to default to the Abrahamic concept of deity and make judgments of all gods or all religions based on this.

Ah.
My apologies.
I misunderstood what you actually saying.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Seems to me that that is actually Biblical.
The whole Eye for an eye thing...

You demonstrate a remarkable ignorance of "The whole Eye for an eye thing..."

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Are you willing to expand on this concept for those that might not be aware of it?

Not as well as what can be found here. I have, however, referenced its opposite as:

if God, for all X, God is not X.​

(Interestingly enough, I heard the concept most forcefully articulated by a Sikh gentleman many years ago at an interfaith forum.)

 

[SalixIncendium]

Not as well as what can be found here. I have, however, referenced its opposite as:

if God, for all X, God is not X.​

(Interestingly enough, I heard the concept most forcefully articulated by a Sikh gentleman many years ago at an interfaith forum.)

Here is another resource as well for anyone interested: Divine Simplicity | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy