John_Mann

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Posts by John_Mann

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  210

  Morality Without Deity

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the most persistent arguments for belief in god centres on the necessity of an ultimate law-giver and epitome of goodness.. a softer version is seen in the genuine concern that a loss of faith will result in a corresponding loss of a moral compass - a more strident argument links the existence of good and evil with proof of the reality of god.

  it is often asserted that without god, moral decisions degenerate to nothing more than personal preferences and the victory of "might is right".. i want to succinctly lay out my response as an atheist, and show that a supreme being is not required for objective morality.. it is helpful to distinguish between absolute morality, objective morality and subjective morality.

  christian apologists frequently conflate the first two, and secular debaters often fail to point out the difference.. theists who disagree on everything else, are unanimous that god is perfectly good.

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  John_Mann

  We have a sense that we are somehow separate from the rest of us as if we were something ethereal that inhabits and controls our own minds and bodies.

  This is what the "High Priest" of Atheism Daniel Dennett called "Zombic Hunch" and he admitted to feel it too.

  I'm very surprised you admit to sense that too.

  You say that this sense is just an illusion but you must agree that this very sense is a paramount in ours minds.

  If you pay attention to this sense you'll notice that it's not just an instinctive mechanism. Because we can sense it when we are not in real danger and we can think about it and extrapolate it to a lot of other senses, like morality.

  Did you never considered this sense can be a real thing? Why do we have this intricate sense and not just a simple instintictive fight-or-flight response in danger situations?
  

  
  

  ... the conviction that there is a real difference between a conscious person and a perfect zombie — let’s call that intuition the Zombic Hunch — leading them to the thesis of Zombism: that the fundamental flaw in any mechanistic theory of consciousness is that it cannot account for this important difference.

  
  ... and many other philosophers of mind don’t just feel the tug of the Zombic Hunch (I can feel the tug as well as anybody), they credit it. They are, however reluctantly, Zombists, who maintain that the zombie challenge is a serious criticism.

  
  Daniel Dennett, The Zombic Hunch: Extinction of an Intuition?
  
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  210

  Morality Without Deity

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the most persistent arguments for belief in god centres on the necessity of an ultimate law-giver and epitome of goodness.. a softer version is seen in the genuine concern that a loss of faith will result in a corresponding loss of a moral compass - a more strident argument links the existence of good and evil with proof of the reality of god.

  it is often asserted that without god, moral decisions degenerate to nothing more than personal preferences and the victory of "might is right".. i want to succinctly lay out my response as an atheist, and show that a supreme being is not required for objective morality.. it is helpful to distinguish between absolute morality, objective morality and subjective morality.

  christian apologists frequently conflate the first two, and secular debaters often fail to point out the difference.. theists who disagree on everything else, are unanimous that god is perfectly good.

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  John_Mann

  In no way does this lead to nihilism.

  Of course not! Because is already nihilism. You know that! You're an intelligent man!

  Sam Harris supports eliminativism and that means consciousness is just an illusion. It's not just elimination about some especific spooky sense of transcendence but the whole Self is just an illusion. In this talk he's clearing refuting reducionism and promoting eliminativism.

  Don't fool yourself cofty. You know by killing God you kill yourself too. If God is an illusion so are you. There's no point arguing about "differences" between illusions.

  I know in your mind you'll never accept that you are just an illusion, and this will bring a lot of pain in your soul.

  I know that not so deep in your mind, when you think about your own death, automatically comes a steady sensation that someway somehow clinical death is not the end.

  Don't let bad experiences with false prophets (JW's and Pentecostals) fill your soul with revolt against God.

  
  
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  210

  Morality Without Deity

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the most persistent arguments for belief in god centres on the necessity of an ultimate law-giver and epitome of goodness.. a softer version is seen in the genuine concern that a loss of faith will result in a corresponding loss of a moral compass - a more strident argument links the existence of good and evil with proof of the reality of god.

  it is often asserted that without god, moral decisions degenerate to nothing more than personal preferences and the victory of "might is right".. i want to succinctly lay out my response as an atheist, and show that a supreme being is not required for objective morality.. it is helpful to distinguish between absolute morality, objective morality and subjective morality.

  christian apologists frequently conflate the first two, and secular debaters often fail to point out the difference.. theists who disagree on everything else, are unanimous that god is perfectly good.

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  John_Mann

  Catholics doesn't view God as a human male too. It's only a simple way to describe him.

  Even JW's share this view.
  

  But God is Spirit so He can't be male or female or both. Even though now God took a (glorified) human male body into Trinity, Jesus Christ. But the Godhead still is Spirit in nature.

  I think only Mormons view God literally as a human male.

  We only know by revelation the Three Persons of God. But God itself is a complete mystery.

  Just like we know by experience what is past, present and future. Past is time, present is time and future is time but time itself beyond the tripartition is not easy (or possible) to understand.
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  210

  Morality Without Deity

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the most persistent arguments for belief in god centres on the necessity of an ultimate law-giver and epitome of goodness.. a softer version is seen in the genuine concern that a loss of faith will result in a corresponding loss of a moral compass - a more strident argument links the existence of good and evil with proof of the reality of god.

  it is often asserted that without god, moral decisions degenerate to nothing more than personal preferences and the victory of "might is right".. i want to succinctly lay out my response as an atheist, and show that a supreme being is not required for objective morality.. it is helpful to distinguish between absolute morality, objective morality and subjective morality.

  christian apologists frequently conflate the first two, and secular debaters often fail to point out the difference.. theists who disagree on everything else, are unanimous that god is perfectly good.

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  John_Mann

  Cofty did you saw the video?

  "What I'm saying, however, is that the Self is an illusion". - Sam Harris at 3:05 of the video.

  This is eliminativism and/or nihilism cofty, like you or not. And you said to me before you just accept "shit happens".

  If you is just an illusion why bother with anything? Why "waste" time debating with nothing by nothing?

  It's not only God being an illusion but you're an illusion too. You can't deny this logical conclusion. You can't have both ways and you know it.

  Do you at least accepts that you're just an illusion like Harris (Dennett explicitly says that too) said?
• 
  210

  Morality Without Deity

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the most persistent arguments for belief in god centres on the necessity of an ultimate law-giver and epitome of goodness.. a softer version is seen in the genuine concern that a loss of faith will result in a corresponding loss of a moral compass - a more strident argument links the existence of good and evil with proof of the reality of god.

  it is often asserted that without god, moral decisions degenerate to nothing more than personal preferences and the victory of "might is right".. i want to succinctly lay out my response as an atheist, and show that a supreme being is not required for objective morality.. it is helpful to distinguish between absolute morality, objective morality and subjective morality.

  christian apologists frequently conflate the first two, and secular debaters often fail to point out the difference.. theists who disagree on everything else, are unanimous that god is perfectly good.

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  John_Mann

  https://youtu.be/fajfkO_X0l0
  
• 
  210

  Morality Without Deity

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the most persistent arguments for belief in god centres on the necessity of an ultimate law-giver and epitome of goodness.. a softer version is seen in the genuine concern that a loss of faith will result in a corresponding loss of a moral compass - a more strident argument links the existence of good and evil with proof of the reality of god.

  it is often asserted that without god, moral decisions degenerate to nothing more than personal preferences and the victory of "might is right".. i want to succinctly lay out my response as an atheist, and show that a supreme being is not required for objective morality.. it is helpful to distinguish between absolute morality, objective morality and subjective morality.

  christian apologists frequently conflate the first two, and secular debaters often fail to point out the difference.. theists who disagree on everything else, are unanimous that god is perfectly good.

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  John_Mann

  Sam Harris points out the difference between...

  A nihilist quoting another nihilist about differences.

  Sam Harris as an eliminativist says consciousness does not exist. It's not only about God not existing but we are just an illusion too. There's no God, no Self, no free will, no absolutes, just nothing.

  There are no differences in nothingness.

  How funny is that?
  
  
• 
  210

  Morality Without Deity

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the most persistent arguments for belief in god centres on the necessity of an ultimate law-giver and epitome of goodness.. a softer version is seen in the genuine concern that a loss of faith will result in a corresponding loss of a moral compass - a more strident argument links the existence of good and evil with proof of the reality of god.

  it is often asserted that without god, moral decisions degenerate to nothing more than personal preferences and the victory of "might is right".. i want to succinctly lay out my response as an atheist, and show that a supreme being is not required for objective morality.. it is helpful to distinguish between absolute morality, objective morality and subjective morality.

  christian apologists frequently conflate the first two, and secular debaters often fail to point out the difference.. theists who disagree on everything else, are unanimous that god is perfectly good.

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  3. 
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  John_Mann

  You found the need of the big picture that others don't see.

  I'm not saying that I can see what is the big picture. Actually it's very hard to see it. The problem of evil is the hardest theological problem.

  I'm saying that I believe there is a big picture. Based in analogous experiences.

  
  
  
• 
  210

  Morality Without Deity

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the most persistent arguments for belief in god centres on the necessity of an ultimate law-giver and epitome of goodness.. a softer version is seen in the genuine concern that a loss of faith will result in a corresponding loss of a moral compass - a more strident argument links the existence of good and evil with proof of the reality of god.

  it is often asserted that without god, moral decisions degenerate to nothing more than personal preferences and the victory of "might is right".. i want to succinctly lay out my response as an atheist, and show that a supreme being is not required for objective morality.. it is helpful to distinguish between absolute morality, objective morality and subjective morality.

  christian apologists frequently conflate the first two, and secular debaters often fail to point out the difference.. theists who disagree on everything else, are unanimous that god is perfectly good.

  1. 
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  John_Mann

  I think the ultimate goal of morality is the well-being of people.

  But in the meantime some acts can be seen as immoral if you don't see the big picture.

  Parents submitting children under painful treatment for instance.

  Sometimes an apparent evil is the only way to achieve a greater good.
• 
  210

  Morality Without Deity

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the most persistent arguments for belief in god centres on the necessity of an ultimate law-giver and epitome of goodness.. a softer version is seen in the genuine concern that a loss of faith will result in a corresponding loss of a moral compass - a more strident argument links the existence of good and evil with proof of the reality of god.

  it is often asserted that without god, moral decisions degenerate to nothing more than personal preferences and the victory of "might is right".. i want to succinctly lay out my response as an atheist, and show that a supreme being is not required for objective morality.. it is helpful to distinguish between absolute morality, objective morality and subjective morality.

  christian apologists frequently conflate the first two, and secular debaters often fail to point out the difference.. theists who disagree on everything else, are unanimous that god is perfectly good.

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  John_Mann

  "There's no absolute."

  ( the statement above is the ONLY exception)
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  20

  Death and Judgement Day

  by Tirisilex in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i'm having a hard time with this.

  what does the bible say what happens when you die?

  when jesus was on the cross he said to the man that when he dies he will be with jesus in heaven.

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  John_Mann

  If you not believe in purgatory so you believe Jesus went to hell and preached to demons.

  Hell is the very absence of God. So Jesus is not God?

  The verdict of the two judgements is equal.

  The difference being one particular and another public, with Christ presence. And after that the souls will be reunited with the bodies (maximizing the verdict).

  There's no second chance after death. Your destiny is eternally fixed. Purgatory is not a second chance. We have infinite opportunities to repent while on earth but after death there's no more chances.