Trying To Understand Atheism

[1137]

What do you think I just said?

"I do not believe that Cosmic Unicorns exist as equally strongly as I do not believe that gods exist."
-Me

Alright so you'll just shake your head and scream you don't believe in a godless universe. That's fine.

 

[McBell]

Alright so you'll just shake your head and scream you don't believe in a godless universe. That's fine.

why is this pigeon chess so important to you?

 

[jonathan180iq]

Alright so you'll just shake your head and scream you don't believe in a godless universe. That's fine.

I believe in a godless Universe.
I equally as strongly disbelieve in a Universe filled with gods.

How else would you like me to put it?

I believe in a Universe that is not filled with invisible Cosmic Unicorns.
I do not believe in a Cosmic Unicorn filled Universe.

EDIT:
Why would I agree to the statement which is directly inverse of my position? Are you sure you meant to write what you wrote how you wrote it?

 

[ArtieE]

So you see no reason to believe X, think believing X is the incorrect position, but STILL won't say you believe Non-X?

If a person doesn't believe X for lack of evidence he can perfectly well not believe non-X also for lack of evidence.

 

[Revoltingest]

I would venture to say that this type of atheism is the ironic belief in lack of belief. (Aversion to belief.)

I feel aversion to belief.
Where it leads people.....ew.
Sure, sure, many are happy there.
But I still find it ew.
(I'm purposely avoiding details in rare display of diplomacy.)

 

[crossfire]

I feel aversion to belief.
Where it leads people.....ew.
Sure, sure, many are happy there.
But I still find it ew.
(I'm purposely avoiding details in rare display of diplomacy.)

It goes back to this old thread:
http://www.religiousforums.com/threads/on-faith-doubt-certainty-and-uncertainty-poll-added.186741/

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Uh.... of course they aren't mutually exclusive.

Your agreement with the statement is inconsistent with your response to me. I guess you're confused about something else.

 

[Revoltingest]

It goes back to this old thread:
http://www.religiousforums.com/threads/on-faith-doubt-certainty-and-uncertainty-poll-added.186741/

Ooooo, thanx....I got to vote in another poll !
(Anti-faith pro-doubt)

 

[1137]

I believe in a godless Universe.
?

So the question becomes: why was it like pulling teeth trying to get you to admit this?

 

[1137]

Your agreement with the statement is inconsistent with your response to me. I guess you're confused about something else.

Nope. You can believe in a godless universe without claiming certainty there are no gods. Super simple.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Nope. You can believe in a godless universe without claiming certainty there are no gods. Super simple.

You sure can. I never said otherwise. You can also not believe in a godless universe because of absence of evidence either way. Super simple too.

 

[1137]

You sure can. I never said otherwise. You can also not believe in a godless universe because of absence of evidence either way. Super simple too.

So it seems to boil down to thinking there are no gods, but not having the courage/honesty/whatever to say as much.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

So it seems to boil down to thinking there are no gods, but not having the courage/honesty/whatever to say as much.

Maybe for some people. I have no idea. For myself, and most people who are rationalists/skeptics, it boils down to logical consistency and honesty. I realize these things aren't of particular value to many people though.

 

[jonathan180iq]

So the question becomes: why was it like pulling teeth trying to get you to admit this?

It wasn't...
You asked for clarification of my first statement at 10:34am this morning. I responded at 12:54pm declaring my position. It is now 2:19pm and nothing about my statement from 12:54 has changed - you just finally understand it.

If you could not infer that "I do not believe in gods" equally applies on Earth, Saturn, Alpha Centauri, or the Universal boundary, that's not my problem.

 

[1137]

Maybe for some people. I have no idea. For myself, and most people who are rationalists/skeptics, it boils down to logical consistency and honesty. I realize these things aren't of particular value to many people though.

... so you are willing to admit you believe there are no gods?

 

[1137]

Hahahahahahahahaha, please quote below where you admitted "I believe there are no god's/the universe is godless." you took every step to avoid it and now are pretending otherwise. Just stop.

Yes. The dichotomy that you've constructed is rather perplexing - so I can understand your confusion.

You've been given all of the various answers that I could posit here, so I've not much to add.
There are weak atheists and strong atheists. As long as we're all willing to admit that the likely hood of gods existing in the Universe is currently equal to the likelihood of Cosmic Unicorns existing in the Universe, then I'm happy.

No. I do not have have that problem.

I do not believe that Cosmic Unicorns exist as equally strongly as I do not believe that gods exist. That should be a logical conclusion that you make about me, knowing that I'm an atheist from previous conversations.

The point of my post, however, was not about my "belief", as it has been readily established.

The point of the post was about probability or likeliness of a claim.
We should all agree, given the evidence for the subject and given the argument that you are making, that there is an equal probability for the existence of said Cosmic Unicorn as there is for god. The evidence for those two subjects is equatable. Thus, to argue for one is to also argue for the other. If we can all make that agreement, then I am happy with our collective understanding and see no further reason to debate this topic. If you have a problem with that equation, I would like to know what it is.

What do you think I just said?

"I do not believe that Cosmic Unicorns exist as equally strongly as I do not believe that gods exist."
-Me

 

[jonathan180iq]

Hahahahahahahahaha, please quote below where you admitted "I believe there are no god's/the universe is godless." you took every step to avoid it and now are pretending otherwise. Just stop.

You just quoted it - twice...

"I do not believe that Cosmic Unicorns exist as equally strongly as I do not believe that gods exist."


I will now extract those words in bold so that they can be seen more clearly, without the distraction of other confusing words around them.

"...I do not believe that gods exist."


I will now enlarge the size of those words, so as to make them as clearly legible as possible.

"...I do not believe that gods exist."

The embolden and enlarged words above cite where I made the initial declaration.

Again, your inability to logically infer that statement as applying to your additional parameter of "anywhere in the Universe" is not my problem.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

... so you are willing to admit you believe there are no gods?

I'm not in the habit of admitting to things I don't think. Again, I realize that this type of consistency and honesty isn't as valuable to other people as it is to me. I don't expect everyone to be logically or rationally consistent, or necessarily to even have the tools to be so, so I don't hold it against you.

 

[1137]

You just quoted it - twice...

"I do not believe that Cosmic Unicorns exist as equally strongly as I do not believe that gods exist."


I will now extract those words in bold so that they can be seen more clearly, without the distraction of other confusing words around them.

"...I do not believe that gods exist."


I will now enlarge the size of those words, so as to make them as clearly legible as possible.

"...I do not believe that gods exist."

The embolden and enlarged words above cite where I made the initial declaration.

Again, your inability to logically infer that statement as applying to your additional parameter of "anywhere in the Universe" is not my problem.

Forgive my confusion, the entire point of this thread was that non belief is, in fact, belief in the negative. That you argued with me while agreeing with that main point is in no way my fault. You're more than welcome to come in and say "yes, I agree with the OP."

 

[1137]

I'm not in the habit of admitting to things I don't think. Again, I realize that this type of consistency and honesty isn't as valuable to other people as it is to me. I don't expect everyone to be logically or rationally consistent, or necessarily to even have the tools to be so, so I don't hold it against you.

Lol are you an atheist, or not? maybe you can address this directly instead of you little childish insult games?