passwordprotected

Joined 17 years ago

• started 157 topics
• posted 2,338 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by passwordprotected

• 
  232

  Is Atheism a Form of Blind Faith?

  by passwordprotected in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  16 years ago

  if god is outside of nature and therefore cannot be proved or disproved by science, is atheism a form of blind faith?

  after all, it cannot be defended on the basis of pure reason.. steven jay gould said;.

  "science simply cannot by its legitimate methods adjudicate the issue of god's possible superintendence of nature.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

  16 years ago
• 

  passwordprotected 16 years ago

  @ ATJ - "I find in your post that this idea that "faith" must include a "faith of non belief" is absurd. But I can't change your mind on that it seems.

  Should atheists continue to look for god because you insist Password? When is it time to stop looking at what hasn't/cannot be found?"

  You can find it absurd if you wish, but look at it logically; lack of evidence and belief despite the lack of evidence requires faith. Maybe you need to unhook the word 'religious' from faith for it to make sense in this context.

  I'm not insisting that atheists look for God. Where did that come across? I'm challenging them to look at the fact that some of the mud they sling at believers in God has actually managed to get on them too, namely both groups have a faith.

  Dawkins says it should be illegal for parents to indoctrinate their children with their religious beliefs. Yet he wrote an open letter to his daughter that starts with the line "Now that you are 10..." and goes onto explain how it's wrong to have beliefs without evidence (it's an interesting read, it's like the Ladybird Books version of the God Delusion).

  Isn't that indoctrinating a child with his particular beliefs?

  So, sometimes both camps have the same junk in their backyard, but are pointing and shouting at the other camp to clean their mess up.

  Link
• 
  232

  Is Atheism a Form of Blind Faith?

  by passwordprotected in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  16 years ago

  if god is outside of nature and therefore cannot be proved or disproved by science, is atheism a form of blind faith?

  after all, it cannot be defended on the basis of pure reason.. steven jay gould said;.

  "science simply cannot by its legitimate methods adjudicate the issue of god's possible superintendence of nature.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

  16 years ago
• 

  passwordprotected 16 years ago

  @ AllTimeJeff - "I suppose thats the thing. Password and Perry, you might mean well, but your agenda is not lost on anyone here. The agenda isn't to show that god may or may not exist. The agenda is to convince us that Jesus is that higher power, that god that must be worshipped."

  Now, come on. I'm not saying anywhere on this thread that Jesus is to be worshipped. Please don't slap agendas onto my arguments.

  As for faith, it might be worth seeking a scientist and asking him about faith and whether he has it. You may find, if he's very honest, he'll be like the physicist I was speaking to a few weeks ago who conceding that faith is an intrinsic part of what he does, day in day out; until he has the data, he's working with faith.

  Earlier someone said something about their being multi-universes, or similar. Do scientists have the data on this theory, or are they taking a hunch and going on faith, faith that their hunch may be true - even though they've no evidence - and then working to prove their theory?

  It's amazing how prickly the atheists here get when the word faith is put anywhere near them in a sentence. At the end of the day, take a long hard look at what you believe;

  - humans are pitiless creatures with no hope or purpose, no better than fish or elephants

  - God is a fanciful notion invented by humans in a more stunted intellectual state

  Yet you believe this without the data.

  You believe it, perhaps, because it's what you want to believe or because it's what your experience tells you.

  I believe it's important to consider the wording when your read atheist CliffNotes;

  There's probably no God.

  The word 'probably' is key. That means they don't have the evidence to say 'there's absolutely no God'. And because they don't have the evidence they're working blind.

  Therefore their faith (i.e. complete trust and confidence) that God does not exist is blind (there's no data or evidence to back it up).

  Link
• 
  232

  Is Atheism a Form of Blind Faith?

  by passwordprotected in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  16 years ago

  if god is outside of nature and therefore cannot be proved or disproved by science, is atheism a form of blind faith?

  after all, it cannot be defended on the basis of pure reason.. steven jay gould said;.

  "science simply cannot by its legitimate methods adjudicate the issue of god's possible superintendence of nature.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

  16 years ago
• 

  passwordprotected 16 years ago

  "The burden of proof is on you.

  Scientists are beginning to suspect that there is a Multiverse, a Universe of universes from which our own popped out. You can think of our universe as a bubble in a foam of eternal beer.No, I'm not kidding.

  villabolo"

  Why is the burden of proof on us? Prove that God doesn't exist/prove that he does exist. Face it; faith is required whatever side you fall down on.

  Link
• 
  232

  Is Atheism a Form of Blind Faith?

  by passwordprotected in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  16 years ago

  if god is outside of nature and therefore cannot be proved or disproved by science, is atheism a form of blind faith?

  after all, it cannot be defended on the basis of pure reason.. steven jay gould said;.

  "science simply cannot by its legitimate methods adjudicate the issue of god's possible superintendence of nature.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

  16 years ago
• 

  passwordprotected 16 years ago

  @ Farkel - "How can non-faith be a "faith?" The whole idea is ridiculous. It's as dumb as saying atheism is a "religion": non-belief is a "belief."

  Absurd"

  You may wish to re-read this.

  @ besty - where is the empirical evidence that not believing in God, based on all of the available evidence (ie. the same evidence used to say that he does exist), is the simpler option?

  ----

  If there's not evidence that God doesn't exist, believing it to be so requires faith.

  Link
• 
  232

  Is Atheism a Form of Blind Faith?

  by passwordprotected in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  16 years ago

  if god is outside of nature and therefore cannot be proved or disproved by science, is atheism a form of blind faith?

  after all, it cannot be defended on the basis of pure reason.. steven jay gould said;.

  "science simply cannot by its legitimate methods adjudicate the issue of god's possible superintendence of nature.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

  16 years ago
• 

  passwordprotected 16 years ago

  "A fourth dimensional purple unicorn appeared out of nowhere and stole my car keys. I will not provide any empirical evidence to support my claim.

  If you don't accept my claim, are you doing so out of "blind faith"?"

  I say that you're talking rubbish, there is no such purple unicorn and I'm not going to provide any "empirical evidence" (as I haven't experienced your purple unicorn in my life) to support my claim.

  If I don't accept your claim it's because I choose not to believe your personal experience.

  Link
• 
  232

  Is Atheism a Form of Blind Faith?

  by passwordprotected in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  16 years ago

  if god is outside of nature and therefore cannot be proved or disproved by science, is atheism a form of blind faith?

  after all, it cannot be defended on the basis of pure reason.. steven jay gould said;.

  "science simply cannot by its legitimate methods adjudicate the issue of god's possible superintendence of nature.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

  16 years ago
• 

  passwordprotected 16 years ago

  @TheClarinetist great answer.

  Link
• 
  232

  Is Atheism a Form of Blind Faith?

  by passwordprotected in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  16 years ago

  if god is outside of nature and therefore cannot be proved or disproved by science, is atheism a form of blind faith?

  after all, it cannot be defended on the basis of pure reason.. steven jay gould said;.

  "science simply cannot by its legitimate methods adjudicate the issue of god's possible superintendence of nature.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

  16 years ago
• 

  passwordprotected 16 years ago

  If God is outside of nature and therefore cannot be proved or disproved by science, is atheism a form of blind faith? After all, it cannot be defended on the basis of pure reason.

  Steven Jay Gould said ;

  "Science simply cannot by its legitimate methods adjudicate the issue of God's possible superintendence of nature. We cannot affirm nor deny it; we simply can't comment on it as scientists."

  Link
• 
  4

  Is Atheism a Form of Blind Faith?

  by passwordprotected in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  16 years ago
  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

  16 years ago
• 

  passwordprotected 16 years ago

  Link
• 
  27

  has your life been "blessed" since leaving?

  by tigeress in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  16 years ago

  while in the org we are constantly told that if we just tow the line and behave that will we be blessed and everything we want will come to us.

  personaly i havn't found that to be the case in the 30 years i spent trying to tow the line.. but now i've left wonderfull things are starting to happen in my life and i'm so very happy!.

  so i wondered, have you encountered more "blessings" or less since leaving?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

  16 years ago
• 

  passwordprotected 16 years ago

  I've received many, many blessings since leaving.

  Link
• 
  75

  Why Do people think they need A GOD to be good people?

  by LucyA in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  16 years ago

  i decided after much study and soul searching that i dont believe in god.

  ive noticed recently (not on the forum but others) some people seem to think that if i dont believe in a god that im obviously morally bankrupt.

  i dont feel this way as i give a portion of my income to charity and i have never set out to harm anyone else.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 

  16 years ago
• 

  passwordprotected 16 years ago

  No one has addressed the existence of Moral Law. This desire to do good - even when no reward is offered - where did it come from?

  And I'm never done being stunned at the response of people on this forum to religion (yes, I can understand bitter antipathy and resentful suspicion towards any form of religion), but seriously?

  This has the effect of devaluing one's life. Most commonly, it results in wasted time and inhibitions that should not have been there. Sometimes it means going to war. Other times, it means accepting hardships (up to and including death) for one's religion (including doctrinal issues and to spread the religion). Rarely, people even kill their families and/or themselves hoping to take a shortcut to that reward.

  Without religion, you are going to have good people doing good things. You are going to have bad people doing bad things. But, once you start adding religion to the mix, you start having otherwise good people doing bad things.

  Link