Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 65 (9164 total)
1 online now:
Newest Member: ChatGPT
Post Volume: Total: 916,913 Year: 4,170/9,624 Month: 1,041/974 Week: 0/368 Day: 0/11 Hour: 0/0


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   Fundamental Atheism and the Conflicting Ideas Problem.
RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 76 of 134 (199040)
04-13-2005 6:38 PM
Reply to: Message 66 by Quetzal
04-11-2005 11:00 PM


Re: Note: the dictionary defines atheism as a belief.
Quetzal, msg 66 writes:
to me it is incumbent upon those making the positive claim (i.e., there exists some entity that for lack of a better term we humans deem "god") to provide evidence for that claim.
I would also say that this applies equally to dark matter and dark energy ... the mystical stuff that makes the universe spin on time.
or not.
I would say it is incumbent on them if they want to convince you, otherwise big deal. I also think it is better to say "I don't know" than to claim to know when you don't, that you should be equally skeptical on both sides. this doesn't mean you aren't free to believe one way or the other, just that you need to distinguish between belief and knowledge.
msg75 writes:
It may be simply a matter of what I call "confidence level". It's a question of functionality. If after 40,000 years or so no evidence for something has been produced in spite of literally billions of humans looking for it, it seems somehow perverse not to assume that another 40,000 years won't produce any either.
Again, what you may be looking at is the evidence regardless of how you see it. Your expectations may be what are in error. Can you distinguish between a wholly natural universe and one that was created and left untouched ... from a sample of <0.00001% of it?

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 66 by Quetzal, posted 04-11-2005 11:00 PM Quetzal has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 80 by Quetzal, posted 04-13-2005 8:28 PM RAZD has replied
 Message 87 by tsig, posted 04-15-2005 7:21 AM RAZD has replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 77 of 134 (199045)
04-13-2005 6:56 PM
Reply to: Message 68 by Ooook!
04-12-2005 5:17 AM


Re: Note: the dictionary defines atheism as a belief.
Ooook, msg 68 writes:
at the momemt I've got a headful of cold
I was down for the count yesterday with a sinus headache (and I have learned to stay away from posting in that condition), so I can feel your ... understand your feeling.
my personal belief is more on the lines of a god creating the universe to see what would happen -- the "now surprise me" approach, so that understanding how things work is as natural as wanting to know what is over the next hill.
I find some people as closed minded and boxed in by their world view insisting on no god as much as others on the other side.
msg72 writes:
don't think I know enough to declare confidently that there is no God(s). However, as there is no evidence of one I'm going act on things I can observe.
And so will I. Seems like a rational approach to me.
{corrected msg #}
This message has been edited by RAZD, 04*13*2005 06:01 PM

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 68 by Ooook!, posted 04-12-2005 5:17 AM Ooook! has not replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 78 of 134 (199049)
04-13-2005 7:13 PM
Reply to: Message 74 by mike the wiz
04-12-2005 4:24 PM


Re: Interesting, but...
and I have no problem with belief as long as folks don't try to impose their {whatever} on others, whether it be ufo's, dark matter, or green aliens making designer genes.

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 74 by mike the wiz, posted 04-12-2005 4:24 PM mike the wiz has not replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 79 of 134 (199051)
04-13-2005 7:18 PM
Reply to: Message 73 by mick
04-12-2005 1:05 PM


Re: Note: the dictionary defines atheism as a belief.
mick, msg 73 writes:
I said that his opinion is unwarranted, not refuted. It's unwarranted, unnecessary, extraneous. Same as UFOs.
and dark matter and dark energy and ....
as long as the yardstick is applied the same in all cases eh?

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 73 by mick, posted 04-12-2005 1:05 PM mick has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 83 by mick, posted 04-14-2005 6:18 PM RAZD has replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 81 of 134 (199075)
04-13-2005 8:35 PM
Reply to: Message 71 by contracycle
04-12-2005 6:06 AM


with {A} list
contracycle, msg 70 writes:
Ha ha ha - thats an appeal to authority, I'm afraid. Who's to say mere dictionary compilers are sufficiently equipped to make such a statement?
umm, because it is their job and the work is checked and cross-checked, while your opinion is just you saying whatever you need to in order to dance around the issue. This also fails to address the issue of communication -- that if you don't use the same meanings as other people then you are speaking a different language that only appears similar.
I will not be held to a bunch of superstitious nonsense, merely becuase you find it useful.
claiming that atheism is a belief system is superstitious? nope. claiming that atheists who claim it is not belief but a known fact is superstitious? again nope: demonstrated. because I "find it useful" is also missing the point that this is observed behavior. by you, in fact.
That is why the cautious and reasonable conclusion that there is no god is entirely reasonable as an inference, and not a belief.
No matter what you call it, it is still a belief.
. Seeing as I have no original p-raxis, have not code, I cannot be a fundamentalist.
LOL. The more you argue as you have in these posts, the more you show your fundamental adherence to your dogmatic tenet that there is no god is factual and not belief. Seems you cannot be anything else but.
It is undoubtedly the case that fundamentalists consider their position as right and true and just, and that they are superior ro non-fundamentalists in their commitment and zeal.
yep. it certainly is. thanks.
And yet, there remains NO SUCH TENET. And there can be no such tenet, because there is no movement. And the behaviour is NOT like those of fundamentalist theists, becuaze it is NOT a belief absent of evidence: there is a great deal of evidence that all claims to the existance of god are baseless. that is sufficient for inferring the non-existance of god: all known phenomenon are suitably accounted for. There is no gap for god to fill.
sounds like a tenant to me. and a fundamental belief that will not accept other viewpoints event though it has no evidence, in spite of your (erroneous) claim (you have not ruled out ALL claims of ALL gods, and "a great deal" is not a unanimous position either).
Umm no, you were left bandying jargon about in lieu of an actual argument. And when pressed, it turned out you did not have an argument, only the reflex of believing your own assumptions.
the actual EVIDENCE supported my model substantially.
Except you are of course 100% wrong; I supported my argument with evidence
Yeah right, you were reduced to insult after insult because your evidence didn't stand up to the sexual dimorphism evidence while sexual selection did. I went down the list of observed patterns of hairiness and hairlessness and showed how it matched sexual selection criteria, while you just made more insults. but like I said, I will be happy to take this particular argument elsewhere.
And you think you are showing ME up? I suggest you keep your mouth shut, as it present opening it only results in the changing of your feet.
like I said. Seems you can't keep from indulging in insult when you really have no facts to back up your position.

msg 71 re dark matter writes:
you are dishonestly failing to discuss the TENTATIVITY of these arguments.
no, I am equating the more than tentatively inadequate knowledge about this behavior with other areas of similar tentatively inadequate knowledge.
ut we DO have evidence foe SOMETHING, even if we do not kniw much about it. And the very name that it was given communicates what we do know about the limits: its matter, becuase it interacts with other matter gravitationally, and it is dark becuase it interacts ONLY gravitationally.
Is it really? Sounds like you are a solid believer in the factual existence of dark matter. Of course that was not enough to explain the anomaly, so now we have to have dark energy too ... to counteract the gravity ... so which is it?
No, what we have -- and all we have -- is an observation that does not match the prediction. Period. Dark matter appealed as an explanation, until they needed to add dark energy (what's next?), but the reality is that there is not just insufficient evidence to justify belief in it, there is no independent evidence: it just doesn't stack up, particularly when you look at the scale of the problem. I also remind you of your words:
that is sufficient for inferring the non-existance of god: all known phenomenon are suitably accounted for.
Seems you are stuck with absolutely believing in dark matter (so that you can believe that all known phenomenon are suitably accounted for), when there is as much evidence for dark matter as there is for a god making the universe spin. It seems your {world view} is forcing you to commit to this concept, regardless of how little evidence is there, just so all the universal ducks are in a row.
And you still have not gone down the list of {A} items. I am guessing that you would show yourself to be inconsistent in the application of your criteria.
Just as you could not answer the list of evidence I had for sexual selection.
Let me repeat it for you, just to give you another opportunity:
perhaps you would like to answer (1) (2) or (3) to the following:
(A) UFO's
(B) Yeti
(C) Sasquatch
(D) Nessie
(E) Dark matter
(F) Dark energy
(G) Dark gravity
(H) Life on other planets
(I) Intelligent life on other planets
(J) Intelligent life on this planet
(K) That 6 times 9 is 42
Some people think there is more evidence for each of these than there is for your brownies ...
Now I could infer from your posts on UFO's and Dark Matter, but I wouldn't want to be accused of putting words in your mouth, and that is only two or three out of 11 anyway, and no god is even on the list.
What say hmmm?
Theism remians a dishonest claim to things that cannot be known. Agnosticism remains the romantic or simply stupid apprehension that all claims are of equal merit merely becuase they are advanced. Agnosticism is not a logical position.
Thank you for summing up your fundamental position on this topic, and I again remind you of your own words:
It is undoubtedly the case that fundamentalists consider their position as right and true and just, and that they are superior ro non-fundamentalists in their commitment and zeal.
Enjoy.
{edited to change subtitle}
This message has been edited by RAZD, 04*13*2005 07:36 PM

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 71 by contracycle, posted 04-12-2005 6:06 AM contracycle has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 82 by contracycle, posted 04-14-2005 5:32 AM RAZD has replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 84 of 134 (199460)
04-14-2005 8:34 PM
Reply to: Message 83 by mick
04-14-2005 6:18 PM


Re: Note: the dictionary defines atheism as a belief.
so, when it is a "safe" topic you are comfortable saying "I don't know" but if it is one that doesn't fit your {world view} you feel that your opinion is enough, regardless of the level of evidence being the same.
the difference is belief in the absence of evidence either for or against
and the difference between regular atheism and this subcategory of fundamental atheism is in acknowledging that your belief is a belief.
I know mine is.

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 83 by mick, posted 04-14-2005 6:18 PM mick has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 89 by mick, posted 04-15-2005 12:05 PM RAZD has replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 85 of 134 (199467)
04-14-2005 9:11 PM
Reply to: Message 80 by Quetzal
04-13-2005 8:28 PM


Re: Note: the dictionary defines atheism as a belief.
Quetzal writes:
What does dark matter - or anything else cosmological - have to do with anything I've written in this thread?
um, the amount of evidence that shows that the dark stuff really exists rather than it being just one hypothesis of how to make observation match theory. the hypothesis that god makes the galaxies spin just so is as valid as the dark stuffs hypothesis due to the total lack of evidence one way or the other.
another hypothesis is that the theory is wrong. this is what I happen to believe: that there will be physical evidence that validates some other theory of gravity ability to predict the observed behavior without needing dark stuffs.
I'm sure there's some deep and profoundly important philosophical statement in here, but I'm simply to dense to understand it.
the argument is simple: we have an evidence base on (1) universe on which to judge whether this universe was created or happened.
thus it could have been created exactly as it is (down to the whirling galaxies overspeeding their observable mass behavior), or it just happened that way (and dark stuffs exist ... or they don't {and something else explains it ... or not}).
we cannot know which, because we don't have evidence of {the other} for comparison.
I choose to believe one thing, you choose to believe another -- based on the same (lack of) evidence.
Ooook on the other hand doesn't choose, he waits for evidence.
Sorry if I'm not up to your intellectual level on metaphysics.
LOL. Not metaphysics so much as arguing for the same approach to be used for things with similar levels of evidence.
Because I acknowledge that belief is involved I can go down the list of {A} items and recognize that we can't really know which do and don't exist, but that I can also say which ones I believe to exist and which not, because I choose to so believe.
Acknowledging when belief is involved makes you freer to evaluate the subtle differences and also to consciously distinguish when knowledge is involved and when belief is involved.
Enjoy.

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 80 by Quetzal, posted 04-13-2005 8:28 PM Quetzal has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 103 by Quetzal, posted 04-17-2005 9:47 PM RAZD has replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 86 of 134 (199479)
04-14-2005 10:05 PM
Reply to: Message 82 by contracycle
04-14-2005 5:32 AM


Re: with {A} list
contracycle writes:
Your appeal to fatuous authority is dismissed. I will not be held to the opinions of a few individuals who cannot possibly reasearch the absolute validity of every word in the language.
And yet I am not the one using archane and unusual if not abnormal definitions of words to bolster a tenuous position and call it logical.
You have to deal with atheists as we are, not how we are in your imaginings.
LOL. in one breath you claim you are not part of a group, and in another that you are.
No, its not a belief. To describe my position as a "belief" renders the term "belief" useless, as it now means any opinion on any topic, no matter how tentative.
so you assert again, but then that is what you believe. or is it just your opinion?
No, I will let belief stand as it is commonly defined and used by the rest of us. Atheism is not an opinion, but a belief. Perhaps you can tell us what your definition of belief is?
And assignation of "fundamentalist" remains a blatant and insulting slander, as I have neither tenet nor dogma, nor is there any such for atheism.
heh. you're mixing up belief "Something believed or accepted as true, especially a particular tenet or a body of tenets accepted by a group of persons" with fundamentalism. Of course to a fundamentalist they are the same.
A tenet of which movement, faction, fraction, sect or tradition? Please be specific. Where are they headquartered?
see there you go again. in a group, not in a group, in a group, not in a group ... depending on the argument? of course, that the same questions can be posed for deism is probably beyond you. or do you contend that deism is not a belief
You claimed there was no evidential support for the running ape model, and that sexual selection was therefore chosen by default.
No, you were hurling the insults, accusing me rather fatuously of not being an expert in the field. Your argument was destroyed. Deal with it.
your penchant for blatantly misrepresenting the facts is, again, hereby noted. these are both falsehoods. I challenge you to show a post where I said either. this is just one more example of your complete inabilty to deal with the subject honestly.
let me refer you to
EvC Forum: the evolution of clothes?
http://EvC Forum: the evolution of clothes?
and
EvC Forum: the evolution of clothes?
where, rather than my accusing you "fatuously of not being an expert in the field" it seems you were ducking and running from honestly participating in the argument. you made an agreement, and never lived up to it.
the agreement was proposed here
EvC Forum: the evolution of clothes?
and your acceptance of it is here
EvC Forum: the evolution of clothes?
I have given you a siutable answer; your word-games do not amuse me much and I see no reason to go through the motions again and again. I am not your baby-sitter.
fundamental is as fundamental does.
contracycle, msg 70 writes:
It is undoubtedly the case that fundamentalists consider their position as right and true and just, and that they are superior ro non-fundamentalists in their commitment and zeal.
I couldn't have said it better.
Enjoy.

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 82 by contracycle, posted 04-14-2005 5:32 AM contracycle has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 88 by contracycle, posted 04-15-2005 7:36 AM RAZD has replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 90 of 134 (199656)
04-15-2005 7:43 PM
Reply to: Message 87 by tsig
04-15-2005 7:21 AM


Re: Note: the dictionary defines atheism as a belief.
if it's mystical it must be eastern eh?

This message is a reply to:
 Message 87 by tsig, posted 04-15-2005 7:21 AM tsig has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 93 by tsig, posted 04-16-2005 5:11 AM RAZD has replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 91 of 134 (199661)
04-15-2005 7:51 PM
Reply to: Message 89 by mick
04-15-2005 12:05 PM


Re: Note: the dictionary defines atheism as a belief.
so an untested hypothesis has more validity than a common concept even though both can be wrong and both can be correct?
either you are consistent in application of skepticism, or you use a {world view} filter that is based on the sum of your beliefs to choose which you believe are valid and which are not.
Because I acknowledge that belief is involved I can go down the list of {A} items and recognize that we can't really know which do and don't exist, but that I can also say which ones I believe to exist and which not, because I choose to so believe.
acknowledging that belief is involved, and then {making\holding} distinctions between knowledge and belief, actually leaves me freer to pursue understanding.

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 89 by mick, posted 04-15-2005 12:05 PM mick has not replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 92 of 134 (199687)
04-15-2005 9:46 PM
Reply to: Message 88 by contracycle
04-15-2005 7:36 AM


Still no {A} list response, but more misrepresentation from contracycle.
contracycle writes:
RAZD quote:
your penchant for blatantly misrepresenting the facts is, again, hereby noted. these are both falsehoods. I challenge you to show a post where I said either. this is just one more example of your complete inabilty to deal with the subject honestly.
LOL. Your challenge is accepted, becuase I already succesfully posted them once. But it will have to wait for another post.
I want to see an exact quote of what you claimed, and not your usual misrepresentation.
contracycle, msg 82 writes:
You claimed there was no evidential support for the running ape model, and that sexual selection was therefore chosen by default.
No, you were hurling the insults, accusing me rather fatuously of not being an expert in the field. Your argument was destroyed. Deal with it.
specifically (1) where I said sexual selection "was therefore chosen by default" -- this has been one of your bigger and most consistent misrepresentations of my position. you know, the position you could not define?
and (2) that I accused you "fatuously of not being an expert in the field" -- these are your words, and not mine, and attributing them to me is misrepresentation.
you were the one hurling insult after insult after insult, even after I made an attempt to reach a compromise position with you.
Do you know why I like this quote of you:
contracycle, msg 70 writes:
It is undoubtedly the case that fundamentalists consider their position as right and true and just, and that they are superior ro non-fundamentalists in their commitment and zeal.
Because it describes you exactly.
I note you have failed to answer with any indication of where these tenets exist, or where your mythical organisation of dogmatic atheists is to ,located.
again you misrepresent. as pointed out several times so far, your main tenant is the belief that there is no god.
another tenant is that this belief is based on fact and is not a belief.
I also note that you do not need to be a member of a "mystical" organisation to be a member of a group with tenets - this is another mistrepresentation of the argument, a strawman.
and you do claim to be a member of a group (or is this off again now?) Did you not say:
contracycle, msg 82 writes:
You have to deal with atheists as we are, not how we are in your imaginings
or is there a word there that I am missing your definition of to make sense of this.
That is your group and those are your tenents.
And in regards deism, they do have tenets - having been in Friends House, a deist facility, I have seen them on the walls. Duh.
Of course deists have tenets, it is, after all, another belief, eh? but that was not my question, oh master of misrepresentation. my statement was: "of course, that the same questions can be posed for deism is probably beyond you. or do you contend that deism is not a belief" and it was in response to:
contracycle, msg 88 writes:
of which movement, faction, fraction, sect or tradition? Please be specific.
those questions you have not answered.
Note too that it is easy to compile a list of organizations for any form of belief from the web - here is a sample of atheist organizations from google:
Positive Atheism
Atheists United
Atheist Alliance International
American Atheists
but also see Atheists United (links to other organizations) and Yahoo listing of Atheist Organisations (alphabetical) if that isn't enough of a list for you.
Of course the existence of the organizations per se is not really the issue ... the issue is "the belief that the tenets of atheism are literally true, and that the belief is based on logic and rational thinking after reviewing the applicable evidence" that characterizes the fundamental atheist as opposed to the atheist that just believes there is no god.
ahahaha... having appealed to dictionary authority, RAZD now appeals to the vulgar argot. Hypocritical much?
No matter how much you dance and protest on this issue, the point still comes down to communication. Either the words mean the same to both parties or there is no communication.
If I bought a publishing company, and we printed a dictionary containing the definition "RAZD: noun, a fool" would that then become True?
another strawman argument. of course you could publish any fool thing you want to foolishly part with money to publish. the difference is whether you want to be taken seriously or are doing it for foolish reasons. and whether you want to appear any more foolish on this issue.
I have maintained all along that the reasons for common definitions are to promote communication of ideas. Your approach does not do that, you want to use a uncommon, unlisted, unsupported definition to justify your ideology. fundies do this.
Yes, that exactly what you have done - remember, you prposed that keys I saw 10 minutes ago are equivalent in their mystery to a god who has never been observed ever in human history.
sigh ... don't you ever get tired of misrepresenting what people say? this is another example of gratuitous misrepresentation to make a strawman argument.
my argument with the keys was to specifically show that the argument that {an absence of evidence} is {evidence of absence} is false, because it is a logical fallacy. or perhaps you could (seeing as you are so familiar with my posts) post that exact quote for me eh?
that "keys I saw 10 minutes ago are equivalent in their mystery to a god who has never been observed"
again, I want a post of mine cited with those exact words.
enjoy.

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 88 by contracycle, posted 04-15-2005 7:36 AM contracycle has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 94 by tsig, posted 04-16-2005 5:42 AM RAZD has replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 95 of 134 (199723)
04-16-2005 7:56 AM
Reply to: Message 93 by tsig
04-16-2005 5:11 AM


Re: Note: the dictionary defines atheism as a belief.
in fact mysticism is common around the world and in every single culture
mysticism n.
1.a. Immediate consciousness of the transcendent or ultimate reality or God.
. b. The experience of such communion as described by mystics.
2. A belief in the existence of realities beyond perceptual or intellectual apprehension that are central to being and directly accessible by subjective experience.
3. Vague, groundless speculation.
It is this common mystical experience regardless of culture and faith and knowledge, that leads me to believe. The fact that each such experience, to be communicated, is trapped by the {limited expression} of the person explaining it through his {world view} and by the {limited understanding} of the people trying to understand it with their {world view}s. It is no surprise to me that such communicated images are inadequate to the task, one need only look at the jumble of "eye witness" reports on crimes to know that {events} are generally not {experienced\communicated} the same way by different people with similar {situations}.
I also choose to believe that {not quite nihilism\buddhism} is closer to {that general\my own} experience, because it fits better with my {world view}.

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 93 by tsig, posted 04-16-2005 5:11 AM tsig has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 97 by tsig, posted 04-16-2005 8:03 AM RAZD has replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 96 of 134 (199724)
04-16-2005 8:02 AM
Reply to: Message 94 by tsig
04-16-2005 5:42 AM


Re: Still no {A} list response, but more misrepresentation from contracycle.
If there's no organization how are the dogmas agreed on?
the way they are by any person. the dogmas and creeds of religions do not exist without the people that choose to agree to them.
you read a book or an article and something {clicks} with your {world view} so you pursue the concept and develope it with further study.
do you disagree that the belief {there is no god} is a common belief among atheists?
would you not say that it is the defining tenent of being an atheist?

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 94 by tsig, posted 04-16-2005 5:42 AM tsig has not replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 98 of 134 (199726)
04-16-2005 8:18 AM
Reply to: Message 97 by tsig
04-16-2005 8:03 AM


Re: Note: the dictionary defines atheism as a belief.
the same way you choose ethics and moral values, the way you choose friends, the way you build your {world view} from your experiences and choose the way they are related.
some choose a {path\goal and then pick steps, others choose many steps to find that they have chosen a path. a bold path straight up the mountain may succeed or fail in reaching a {peak experience}, but it also does not guarantee understanding of the mountain.

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 97 by tsig, posted 04-16-2005 8:03 AM tsig has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 99 by tsig, posted 04-16-2005 8:41 AM RAZD has replied

RAZD
Member (Idle past 1435 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 100 of 134 (199810)
04-16-2005 10:44 PM
Reply to: Message 99 by tsig
04-16-2005 8:41 AM


Re: Note: the dictionary defines atheism as a belief.
why? good friends respect your beliefs but also don't let you get away with mistakes. they will challenge you and comfort you and stretch you.
ethics and morals that are not challenged and stretched will not become more evolved and better understood.
you friends are your testing grounds and proving grounds for your beliefs

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
RebelAAmerican.Zen[Deist
{{{Buddha walks off laughing with joy}}}

This message is a reply to:
 Message 99 by tsig, posted 04-16-2005 8:41 AM tsig has not replied

Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024