I don't think hypothesizing alien life (I'm talking unicellular organisms) is extraordinary despite not having any evidence that any exists. logical inferences may not carry a much weight as empirical evidence, but they can still be a valuable tool.
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What makes God an extraordinary claim?
- Thread starter Jeremiahcp
- Start date
I think the discovery of alien life would be a most extraordinary event. That would throw a major spanner in the abiogenesis argument.
Jeremiahcp
Well-Known Jerk
My favorite color is pink. Do you have empirical evidence for that? Is it an extraordinary claim?
Here I'll step it up.
I bought 7 new notebooks. Do you have empirical evidence for that? Is it an extraordinary claim?
You should be careful with absolutes like the word any, they are often wrong.
Mister Silver
Faith's Nightmare
That your favorite color is pink is not an extraordinary claim because we have evidence that the color pink exists. Where is the evidence that god exists?
I'm certain you have a receipt as evidence that you purchased those notebooks, plus you could simply point to those notebooks in your possession to prove it. Now point to god, where is he?
Jeremiahcp
Well-Known Jerk
"I'm certain you have a receipt"
You are? So you believe that with no empirical evidence. . . and even certain of it.
Mister Silver
Faith's Nightmare
Jeremiahcp
Well-Known Jerk
Unless of course you stole them.I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.
Or maybe I am lying, but I find it interesting how easily you believed me with no empirical evidence at all.
Mister Silver
Faith's Nightmare
Because notebooks exist. I know you think you have somehow pulled one over on me, but you have not.
The logic still stands that the color pink and notebooks exist, it is easy enough to prove the existence of both those things. The same cannot be stated for god.
Jeremiahcp
Well-Known Jerk
I think you are forgetting what you posted, maybe you want to reconsider the wording.
NewGuyOnTheBlock
Cult Survivor/Fundamentalist Pentecostal Apostate
"Omnipotence", by itself, is an extraordinary claim.
"Eternity" is also extraordinary.
"Eternity" is also extraordinary.
Skwim
Veteran Member
Nothing. I believe the claim for the existence of (a) god is the product of the human need to believe there's an agent greater than ourselves that's capable of giving meaning to our seemingly senseless world. Therefore, the claim for the existence of (a) god is not extraordinary at all.
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Jeremiahcp
Well-Known Jerk
OK, I don't disagree but what makes them so?
PureX
Veteran Member
Yes, which makes it meaningless in this instance, because how we choose to "view God" is not the question at hand.
Depends on the theology.
Take the Christian god, First, many say [he]'s omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and perfect. (If anyone knows how [he] got that way, let me know ─ I'd like to try it.)
The trouble with these qualities is that they're phrased as absolutes, and absolutes tend to have the same problems as infinity puzzles do. You can show eg that 2=1 so easily that they have to invent special rules to stop you (not unlike the rule, 'No, you simply may not divide by zero').
So a real being with such qualities would indeed be extraordinary. Extraordinarily so.
Second, [he]'s also supernatural, immaterial, &c. Since those words have no actual denotation, 'supernatural' means [he]'s imaginary, and 'immaterial' means [he]'s non-existent.
So a being that was simultaneously real, imaginary and non-existent would also be right up there on the extraordinarimeter.
The mythology taken literally.
BilliardsBall
Veteran Member
Since most people not only believe in God but find God self-evident within, I don't think it's an extraordinary claim. I find Jesus Christ's claims that He is divine and Christianity the sole valid faith extraordinary. This is met by the extraordinary evidence within the scriptures.
What's your definition of 'extraordinary' here?