Why do Athiests challenge Thiests?

[AmbiguousGuy]

I generally agree with you. But what if I hold a harmless belief that happens to be false. For instance, suppose I believe I'm a very good singer when I am not. If the consequences of that belief are harmless to myself and to others, is anyone obligated to disabuse me of it? That is, does anyone have a legitimate moral reason to point out that my singing sucks? Genuine question. I don't have a firm opinion one way or the other.

I'd say there are lots of variables to consider so each case would be different. If I had an unrealistic opinion of my singing, I'd want to be told. But others are different. So I'd have to judge the person's personality, along with other issues, to make the decision.

I'm a wonderful singer, by the way. My mama and my dog both say so.

 

[FranklinMichaelV.3]

No I said I cannot comprehend everything there is of God,
Not that there are no things that I can comprehend.

I suppose, for some, It is like having a conversation with anyone else, But for me it's different.

It's knowledge. No words, Just is.

So what don't you understand about God?

All the things that people attribute to God are fully comprehensible. Love, Anger, Hate, Jealousy, Mercy, Justice.

What is it that you don't comprehend?

 

[Thana]

OK. It's just a label. It doesn't mean much.



I have no idea what question you think I'm avoiding. In your reply, mark it as Question #1 and present it to me. I'll answer.



I'm sorry to hear that. It means you will be worshipping the same god in twenty years as you worship now.



Once upon a time you had a desire to know and experience God... yes?

And what did you do to satisfy that desire? Well, I'm guessing that you decided to embrace some 'scripture', probably the Christian Bible, and convince yourself that the words in that book came directly from God and that by reading and thinking about those words, you could come to know God.

Yes?

To suit my desires for God, I determined that no such thing as scripture actually exists. A sensible God just wouldn't send a text of words down to humanity, most especially to some small tribe in a backwater region thousands of years ago.

People suit their own desires when finding their God, I think.



See what I mean? It is your desire for infallibility, for certainty, which drives you to embrace the Bible and indeed the concept of scripture itself.

May I ask if you also believe in prophecy -- in the sense of magical prognostication?

It's not really relevant. I'm just curious.

Question 1: Why do you think people make up the fantasy of God, But nothing else?
Would you not think that if they were delusional enough to create one thing, They'd create more?



Of course I'll be worshipping the same God, God does not change.
Why would I want a different God?

What was wrong with "some small tribe in a backwater region thousands of years ago."
Did they not deserve salvation or something?

I never embraced God because of the bible, In the beginning I never bothered to read it, I ignored my pastors when they spoke, I rolled my eyes at my father when he lectured me on God.

No I never really found God in that sense, He found me. He touched me, He came to me and I knew this was God, And I knew I wasn't meant to wallow in my own self pity, self loathing and self serving desires. I knew he was real, I felt Him like nothing in this world. Not because of anything else, But because of Him.

Prophecy.. Now thats a difficult subject.
Yes I believe Revelations, And everything in it will happen.
But concerning the other prophets well, The problem with that is that it's quite easy to see what one wants to see, It's vague enough to have multiple meanings.
So I've yet to ask God for guidance when reading them.

 

[Thana]

So what don't you understand about God?

All the things that people attribute to God are fully comprehensible. Love, Anger, Hate, Jealousy, Mercy, Justice.

What is it that you don't comprehend?

Hmm, The basics I suppose.
I don't understand all of the 'How'
And I don't understand all of the 'Why'
And I don't understand why he blesses me so, Though I'm eternally grateful.

I don't understand why I don't hear God like others, I don't understand what his will is, I don't understand what God wants for my life.

I don't understand Hell.
And I don't understand some things about about Him.
There's more, But I can't think of them atm.

 

[FranklinMichaelV.3]

Hmm, The basics I suppose.
I don't understand all of the 'How'
And I don't understand all of the 'Why'
And I don't understand why he blesses me so, Though I'm eternally grateful.

I don't understand why I don't hear God like others, I don't understand what his will is, I don't understand what God wants for my life.

I don't understand Hell.
And I don't understand some things about about Him.
There's more, But I can't think of them atm.

So why do you feel confidant that you understand other things?

For instance you say you don't understand hell, but those who also have talked to God also do not believe in Hell, so why would God tell you one thing "Hell exists" and tell others that "God doesn't exist"

 

[Thana]

So why do you feel confidant that you understand other things?

For instance you say you don't understand hell, but those who also have talked to God also do not believe in Hell, so why would God tell you one thing "Hell exists" and tell others that "God doesn't exist"

I don't understand everything, But I understand that there is a God. That he loves me, That I love Him. That He blesses me, Protects me, And guides me.
And much more.

I don't know, I can't speak for the others, But for myself, I'd say it's God's Will.
I don't need to understand everything, I'd like to, Because I'm curious by nature, But I don't need to. My knowledge of these things will not change anything however.

 

[Aquitaine]

Or... the real reason: if you don't have sex before marriage, your father will get a better bride-price for you when he sells you to your husband.

Sadly, I cannot Frubal you yet until I spread 'em a bit. Consider yourself owed. :yes:

 

[outhouse]

Of course I'll be worshipping the same God, God does not change.


.

If you studied the concept, you would see your deity evolved and changed for thousands of years before coming into the version you now know that was canonized and took as written

 

[ruffen]

I generally agree with you. But what if I hold a harmless belief that happens to be false. For instance, suppose I believe I'm a very good singer when I am not. If the consequences of that belief are harmless to myself and to others, is anyone obligated to disabuse me of it? That is, does anyone have a legitimate moral reason to point out that my singing sucks? Genuine question. I don't have a firm opinion one way or the other.

If you waste your time, talent, money and effort on singing instead of doing something really useful or something you're really talented at, then yes, it would be the right thing to do to tell you to stop wasting your life on singing if you'll never get good at it.

But if you only sing (or worship God) at home and it doesn't interfere with the life of others, and does no harm, then by all means, go ahead.

 

[Koldo]

Obviously, it wouldn't be typical of me to sing in public, for -- as I said -- my singing must be harmless to myself and others. But even if it were, would the level of harm done to others justify someone's disabusing me of my notion that I'm a good singer? What level of harm is required for it to be worth anyone's effort to disabuse someone of a false belief?

None. No harm required.
Is there a need for justification?

 

[Koldo]

God told me about them, not people.

Do you mean literally?
What did he say?

 

[FranklinMichaelV.3]

I don't understand everything, But I understand that there is a God. That he loves me, That I love Him. That He blesses me, Protects me, And guides me.
And much more.

I don't know, I can't speak for the others, But for myself, I'd say it's God's Will.
I don't need to understand everything, I'd like to, Because I'm curious by nature, But I don't need to. My knowledge of these things will not change anything however.

Then it is not knowledge then. Knowledge changes. Knowledge that does not change you is wasted.

 

[AmbiguousGuy]

Question 1: Why do you think people make up the fantasy of God, But nothing else? Would you not think that if they were delusional enough to create one thing, They'd create more?

I believe I've answered this question already. People do indeed make up other things than God. Do you know about Bigfoot? The Loch Ness Monster? Vampires? Ghosts in attics? Angels? Demons? Jinns? Zombies? Trolls under bridges? Unicorns? Invisible pink dragons?

Is there something about my answer which you don't understand?

People also make up their own personal image of God.

Of course I'll be worshipping the same God, God does not change.
Why would I want a different God?

I didn't say you wanted a different God. I said it would be a shame if you worship the same God twenty years from now.

What was wrong with "some small tribe in a backwater region thousands of years ago." Did they not deserve salvation or something?

Try to get a sense of who I am. I've already told you that I don't believe in salvation at all. So you waste our time asking me questions like that.

Anyway, what is wrong with God sending His Eternal Message to a primitive, superstitious, famous-for-their-storytelling tribe of backwater folk -- in a language which no one evey speaks anymore?

Well it's just dumb. If God really wanted people to believe in Him, He'd have come in modern times when we could set up a video camera and various other monitors to record the event.

Even then, God would not be so dumb as to leave us with a Holy Text. If He is intelligent, He knows that words are not to be worshipped.

I never embraced God because of the bible, In the beginning I never bothered to read it, I ignored my pastors when they spoke, I rolled my eyes at my father when he lectured me on God.

So you don't believe that the Bible is the Word of God?

No I never really found God in that sense, He found me. He touched me, He came to me and I knew this was God, And I knew I wasn't meant to wallow in my own self pity, self loathing and self serving desires. I knew he was real, I felt Him like nothing in this world. Not because of anything else, But because of Him.

Sounds a bit like magic. Really it sounds like me when I am sitting in a quiet garden and composing a poem. Some theologians call it the oceanic feeling.

Prophecy.. Now thats a difficult subject.
Yes I believe Revelations, And everything in it will happen.

OK. Thanks for answering. I myself find Revelation to be way weird. If everything in it happened, I think we would be in BizarroLand. But it's been a long time since I've read it.

 

[fantome profane]

Question 1: Why do you think people make up the fantasy of God, But nothing else?
Would you not think that if they were delusional enough to create one thing, They'd create more?

People have delusions about all kinds of things, ghosts, aliens, demons, fairies, giants, elves etc. The human capacity to create, and to deeply believe in all kinds of fantasies seems unlimited.

 

[FranklinMichaelV.3]

People have delusions about all kinds of things, ghosts, aliens, demons, fairies, giants, elves etc. The human capacity to create, and to deeply believe in all kinds of fantasies seems unlimited.

Mind you whatever it is we create tends to be based off what already exists too. There's very few human creations that do not personify what we see or feel.

 

[fantome profane]

Mind you whatever it is we create tends to be based off what already exists too. There's very few human creations that do not personify what we see or feel.

Exactly, as I said we create "Gods" in our own images. And we create all manner of monsters in our own image as well.

 

[Uberpod]

Why is atheist commonly misspelled? Is athiest the way people pronounce it? Just aksing.

 

[AmbiguousGuy]

Why is atheist commonly misspelled? Is athiest the way people pronounce it? Just aksing.

Because '-est' is a more common suffix than '-ist'. That's my guess.

 

[Mycroft]

As an atheist I don't just reject the existence of god(s). A rejection made by the lack of evidence thereof. But I reject all notions of anything supernatural based on the same principle.

I find some (not all) atheists reject the idea of god(s) by saying 'well there's just no evidence for it is there?' but by the same token are willing to believe in ghosts and suchlike.

 

[AmbiguousGuy]

I find some (not all) atheists reject the idea of god(s) by saying 'well there's just no evidence for it is there?' but by the same token are willing to believe in ghosts and suchlike.

I've known a lot of atheists in my life but I can't remember ever meeting one who believed in ghosts. Have you known some of those? I'd be curious to hear about them.