Gregory
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I know the Thomistic God doesn't exist because since he sustains the world he would also have to sustain child rape in act, which would contradict his holiness. So that's one god down — Gregory
To the people who assert “there are no gods” or “it is far more likely that there are no gods than that there is at least one”…
…I call, “BULLSHIT.” — Frank Apisa
3017amen
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↪Frank Apisa
Frank! — 3017amen
Wow, this is quite a purging of sorts, eh!? Remember Pascal's Wager? That could be an analogious or a possible thesis to work from there... . — Amen
To that end, I would like to start with your definition of Belief? In your view, philosophically, what does it mean to hold or have a Belief (I'm just putting it in caps for emphasis)? — Amen
Second, as a Christian Existentialist, my 'belief' is that there is much more supporting evidence from history (the Christian Bible), nature, and existence itself for (to support) the existence of God than not. I can succincty enumerate them if you like...then we can go through each one. — Amen
(In fact, I will argue that the Atheist belief system is based more on ignorance than not.) — Amen
whollyrolling
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↪Frank Apisa Hey man, do you know what 'faith' is? — whollyrolling
Hippyhead
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To the people who assert “there are no gods” or “it is far more likely that there are no gods than that there is at least one”…
…I call, “BULLSHIT.”
— Frank Apisa
I believe I've read this before somewhere, just can't remember where though..... — Hippyhead
whollyrolling
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↪Frank Apisa That's not what the dictionary says though. Plays on words only serve to derail conversation. Redefining a word is only convenient inside your own head or the heads of others who believe the same sleight-of-word trick works. — whollyrolling
Judaka
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↪Frank Apisa
What is a god? — Judaka
whollyrolling
460
↪Frank Apisa And if you can't agree on terms, then the entire conversation is pointless and will never go anywhere unless it sidetracks into more interesting things that contain common terms and insightful dialogue.
Repeating the same words without learning or progressing in any way for months isn't philosophy--or maybe it is man, who am I to say I guess. — whollyrolling
I have no idea if “no gods exist” or if at least one does. I prefer not to guess on the issue, because all such guesses would be nothing but blind guesses—nothing more than a coin toss. — Frank Apisa
How reasonable this is depends a lot on what you mean by "exist". — Echarmion
It's fairly obviously the case that our current best empirical theories about the physical world don't include a god or gods. So if existence refers to physical existence, then God or gods don't exist. — echarmion
There is plenty of empirical evidence for people acting as if they believed in a god of gods, and, making some basic assumptions, it follows that God or gods "exist" fairly commonly as mental idea and as a shared social entity. — echarmion
If we're talking about metaphysical "existence" in some unfathomable way, the "coin toss" stance seems apt. But the "unfathomable" bit kind of throws a wrench into things. Can something be meaningfully said to "exist" if it's entirely unclear what such "existence" entails? I tend to answer that with a "no". — echarmion
The two most worthless philosophical protocols are Pascal's Wager and Occam's Razor. I do not use them. — Frank Apisa
In a philosophical discussion (or a religious discussion) the use of "belief" is a way of disguising a guess. — Frank Apisa
am sure the people who "believe" there are no gods or who "believe" it is much more likely that there are no gods than that there is at least one...can also enumerate them.
None hold any water.
But give me your best one if you want and we can discuss it. — Frank Apisa
suppose you would. Just as I would suppose people who guess the other way would argue that your "beliefs" derive from ignorance. — Frank Apisa
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