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Author Topic:   Immaterial "Evidence"
Hyroglyphx
Inactive Member


(1)
Message 78 of 154 (522620)
09-04-2009 9:31 AM
Reply to: Message 69 by New Cat's Eye
09-03-2009 1:04 PM


Re: Inventing Gods?
there isn't objective evidence to suggest that all gods are human invention.
Just most of them, then?
On some level I can appreciate the fact that there seems to be some intrinsic part of human beings that historically draw close to the concept of a god or gods. I do think that needs to be examined closely to determine what physical or metaphysical reason exists for this pervasive phenomena.
Some particular gods, like the one that pulls the sun across the sky with a chariot, have been shown to be an invention but a non-descript high-power type god has not.
Like in Ezekiel?

"The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms." - Samual Adams

This message is a reply to:
 Message 69 by New Cat's Eye, posted 09-03-2009 1:04 PM New Cat's Eye has replied

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Hyroglyphx
Inactive Member


(1)
Message 102 of 154 (524522)
09-17-2009 10:02 AM
Reply to: Message 101 by Kitsune
09-17-2009 9:13 AM


Re: Warnings
There are several phenomena that exist like Deja vu', feelings of impending doom, ESP, etc, that lend some superficial credence to the paranormal. There are plently of Eastern medicine's and philosophies that aren't explained very well by Western thought. Deja vu', in particular, really messes with my head. I have heard many people attempt to rationalize it and their explanations may very well be true, but I think it is worth taking a closer look for further examination.
There are three kinds of people when it comes to topics like. You have your cynics and skeptics who desire to rationalize everything with their own standardized understanding of how the world works. They deny these kinds of claims right off the bat and attempt to debunk it. Then you have the dreamer types who are given over to all things mystical. They desire to look beyond the normal to find answers, and even when a more scientific answer is demonstrated by science, they still tend to hold on to their dream. Then you have people like me that remain neutral for the most part and open to all possibilities.

"Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind." -- Bertrand Russell

This message is a reply to:
 Message 101 by Kitsune, posted 09-17-2009 9:13 AM Kitsune has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 103 by Kitsune, posted 09-17-2009 10:29 AM Hyroglyphx has replied
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Hyroglyphx
Inactive Member


(1)
Message 105 of 154 (524531)
09-17-2009 10:43 AM
Reply to: Message 103 by Kitsune
09-17-2009 10:29 AM


Re: Warnings
If science eventually explains them, then how is that any closer to finding God?
I doubt that it would. There's just too many unknowns to account for.

"Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind." -- Bertrand Russell

This message is a reply to:
 Message 103 by Kitsune, posted 09-17-2009 10:29 AM Kitsune has replied

Replies to this message:
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Hyroglyphx
Inactive Member


(1)
Message 127 of 154 (524751)
09-18-2009 11:29 AM
Reply to: Message 125 by Modulous
09-18-2009 11:15 AM


Re: degrees of acceptance
Dawkins has a seven point scale which, copying from wiki looks like this:
1. Strong theist. 100 per cent probability of God. In the words of C.G. Jung, 'I do not believe, I know.'
2. Very high probability but short of 100 per cent. De facto theist. 'I cannot know for certain, but I strongly believe in God and live my life on the assumption that he is there.'
3. Higher than 50 per cent but not very high. Technically agnostic but leaning towards theism. 'I am very uncertain, but I am inclined to believe in God.'
4. Exactly 50 per cent. Completely impartial agnostic. 'God's existence and non-existence are exactly equiprobable.'
5. Lower than 50 per cent but not very low. Technically agnostic but leaning towards atheism. 'I do not know whether God exists but I'm inclined to be sceptical.'
6. Very low probability, but short of zero. De facto atheist. 'I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life on the assumption that he is not there.'
7. Strong atheist. 'I know there is no God, with the same conviction as Jung "knows" there is one.'
Iano is a 1, Dawkins, Straggler and myself are about a 6.
Based on the descriptions, I'd rank myself at a 5.

"Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind." -- Bertrand Russell

This message is a reply to:
 Message 125 by Modulous, posted 09-18-2009 11:15 AM Modulous has seen this message but not replied

  
Hyroglyphx
Inactive Member


(1)
Message 128 of 154 (524752)
09-18-2009 11:50 AM
Reply to: Message 124 by Kitsune
09-18-2009 11:05 AM


Re: tod und verzweiflung
I'm getting off topic here but the point I'm making is that I think we make a mistake if we rationalise all anecdotal information away. The more anecdotes, and the more consilience between them, the likelier they are to be true (though of course that's no guarantee).
Not necessarily. The more one speaks about anecdotes, the more they become affixed in the subconscious. If you grow up being taught about God, chances are you aren't going to question it, as you view your parents and other adults as authority figures who have already taken the appropriate steps in determing its reality. People being taught that God is mysterious and elusive may in turn try and find God in the minor details and will then expect God to be as such.
They may then likely associate or attribute any anomalies as God communicating to them in that mysterious way that was taught to them as children, and what they've come rationalize all their lives.
The same could be said of ghost stories. Where I work is co-located with an old Army fort that dates back to the Revolutionary War. There is also an old lighthouse on the grounds, both of which set the mood for spooky ghost tales. The old lighthouse keeper's home is also located on the property and it is said that at night (conveniently) on occasion you can see the lighthouse keepers wife's ghost vigilantly standing in the window.
My point is, prior to hearing the story, I didn't think twice about it. Now that I've been told the spook story, it really is kind of creepy at night. So is it that there really are ghosts at the fort or the lighthouse, or that now my subconscious has been tapped in to?
The more one hears about ghost stories or about the divine, the more one contemplates on their existence. That may not necessarily be consilience but rather a manufacturing of beliefs.

"Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind." -- Bertrand Russell

This message is a reply to:
 Message 124 by Kitsune, posted 09-18-2009 11:05 AM Kitsune has replied

Replies to this message:
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