cofty

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Posts by cofty

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  496

  This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sometimes theists challenge atheists about what evidence would be required before they would believe.

  various unlikely scenarios are offered in reply.

  i have taken the bait myself in the past.. i think the correct answer is much more ordinary.

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  cofty

  How do you know that???

  Because I understand what causes a tsunami.

  Designing a world with all the benefits of plate tectonics but without the earthquakes would be child's-play.
  
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  496

  This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sometimes theists challenge atheists about what evidence would be required before they would believe.

  various unlikely scenarios are offered in reply.

  i have taken the bait myself in the past.. i think the correct answer is much more ordinary.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  But natural evil is a by-product of natural laws. And natural laws probably are a necessity in a world suited to free-willed agents

  No it isn't.

  Any intelligent deity could design a world without tsunamis.

  IMHO natural evil is a necessity in a world of free-willed agents.

  Natural evil and free-will are unconnected. That is why natural evil is an irrefutable objection to christian theism, and the sort of evil that results from the things free-willed agents to others isn't.
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  496

  This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sometimes theists challenge atheists about what evidence would be required before they would believe.

  various unlikely scenarios are offered in reply.

  i have taken the bait myself in the past.. i think the correct answer is much more ordinary.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  Hell is not a punishment. Is a choice.

  That is sick and twisted. It is exactly parallel to the lie that JWs tell about ex-JWs when they blame them for splitting up families. It is like the abusive husband who beats his wife while asking "why did you make me do this?"
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  16

  EU court upholds an employer's right to ban religious symbols

  by careful in

  1. social
  2. current

  first i should say that i do not like islam for multiple reasons, not the least of which is the moslem treatment of women.

  still, the free exercise of anyone's peaceful observance of their religion, including moslems, trumps my personal preferences.

  also, living in america, i evidently enjoy a greater degree of religious liberty than i see in recent years in continental europe, something that continues to baffle me.. today the european court of justice, the same group that has stood up for the rights of jws, has decreed that it is ok for employers to ban the wearing of religious symbols among employees.

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  cofty

  What ever happened to "liberté, égalité, fraternité"?

  Nothing at all.

  Everybody in Europe is free to believe and worship as they wish. Employers are free to ask employees to keep it out of the workplace.

  America panders to religion too much. It is only going to get worse under Trump.
  
  
• 
  16

  EU court upholds an employer's right to ban religious symbols

  by careful in

  1. social
  2. current

  first i should say that i do not like islam for multiple reasons, not the least of which is the moslem treatment of women.

  still, the free exercise of anyone's peaceful observance of their religion, including moslems, trumps my personal preferences.

  also, living in america, i evidently enjoy a greater degree of religious liberty than i see in recent years in continental europe, something that continues to baffle me.. today the european court of justice, the same group that has stood up for the rights of jws, has decreed that it is ok for employers to ban the wearing of religious symbols among employees.

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  cofty

  So should a Jewish receptionist have to take off his kippah?

  Yes an employer should be allowed to decline to employ somebody who insists on wearing any religious dress or jewelry.

  many religious people feel their religious beliefs carry over to all aspects of their lives, including their places of employment.

  Belief is not an issue.

  What if the employer bans religious symbols such as the hijab, but allows someone to wear a jewelry with a cross?

  That would be discrimination.

  What if the employer is adept of a certain religion and wishes to have its religious symbol at the workplace. Can an employee of a different religion feel offended ...

  Yes

  ...and demand that the symbol is withdrawn?

  No
• 
  16

  EU court upholds an employer's right to ban religious symbols

  by careful in

  1. social
  2. current

  first i should say that i do not like islam for multiple reasons, not the least of which is the moslem treatment of women.

  still, the free exercise of anyone's peaceful observance of their religion, including moslems, trumps my personal preferences.

  also, living in america, i evidently enjoy a greater degree of religious liberty than i see in recent years in continental europe, something that continues to baffle me.. today the european court of justice, the same group that has stood up for the rights of jws, has decreed that it is ok for employers to ban the wearing of religious symbols among employees.

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  cofty

  I think an employer should have the right to insist on an entirely secular environment at work.

  One of the ladies involved in the case was a receptionist. You would not allow an employee who deals face-to-face with your customers to wear a political badge in case it alienated some of your customers. The same should apply to religion.
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  496

  This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sometimes theists challenge atheists about what evidence would be required before they would believe.

  various unlikely scenarios are offered in reply.

  i have taken the bait myself in the past.. i think the correct answer is much more ordinary.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  I do in fact wish that I could have a belief in a personal deity that cares about me and will allow me to continue my conscious existence after I die.

  Me too.
  
  
• 
  496

  This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sometimes theists challenge atheists about what evidence would be required before they would believe.

  various unlikely scenarios are offered in reply.

  i have taken the bait myself in the past.. i think the correct answer is much more ordinary.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  May I ask, do you wish to believe? - SKD

  Of course you may ask, thank you for the question.

  I think it's a common mistake to imagine that we can actually choose our beliefs. It's better to ask questions, study, debate and reflect. Our beliefs happen while we engage in that process.

  I used to be a christian. I kept learning new stuff. Now I'm not a believer.

  During the many conversations I have had on this forum and elsewhere I often come across believers who claim that atheists just refuse to believe and that no evidence would ever be enough for them. This thread is a response to that common canard.
  
  
• 
  496

  This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sometimes theists challenge atheists about what evidence would be required before they would believe.

  various unlikely scenarios are offered in reply.

  i have taken the bait myself in the past.. i think the correct answer is much more ordinary.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  John_Man - My OP consists of nine simple, common-sense observations.

  They concern reasons that make me doubt the existence of the god of Jesus. They assume very little about specific doctrines other than the absolute basics of christian theism - a god of love who made the world and who desires a relationship with his creation.
  

  They are not complex philosophical arguments or knock-down proofs that god does not exist. If I had to rate them individually in terms of how compelling I find them, they would be on a spectrum. Imagine a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is a very weak objection to theism and 10 is proof that the christian god does not exist.

  I would would rate all of them above 5 and I would put natural evil at the top of the chart with a 9 out of 10.

  You have not actually addressed one of them yet.
• 
  496

  This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sometimes theists challenge atheists about what evidence would be required before they would believe.

  various unlikely scenarios are offered in reply.

  i have taken the bait myself in the past.. i think the correct answer is much more ordinary.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  cofty

  By the way you have not adequately addressed natural evil.

  To say that it is necessary is not an answer. Tsunamis are clearly not necessary.