Posts by EdenOne

posted

233
What is BELIEF ?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
stemming from the 'absentheism' thread, an old question came to my mind.

what exactly is "belief"?.

is it the same to ask: "do you believe in god?
EdenOne

OK. Now define it.
So, Spanx, the Almighty created the universe, originated life, good and evil. He set evolution in motion and observed life develop, undisturbed. When one life form on earth came to be that had enough intelligence that Spanx felt he could interact with these creatures, he gave them several revelations in form of apparitions, and gave them a moral code of conduct to follow. This moral code was transmitted in the form of oral traditions and metaphorical stories that at a certain point were reduced to writing form and became a revered "holy book". Spanx the Almighty exists in the spiritual realm, we don't know what substance he's made of, but he remains invisible to the human eye. He is powerful and wise beyond human comprehension, and wants humans to live a good life and upon their physical death, he wants humans to join him in the spiritual realm to become part of his spiritual family, for eternity. That's the basic purpose of human life.
The end.
So, now what?
Eden
233
What is BELIEF ?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
stemming from the 'absentheism' thread, an old question came to my mind.

what exactly is "belief"?.

is it the same to ask: "do you believe in god?
EdenOne

Ah, the appeal to authority. The last gasp of a failed argument
Not so, I didn't name any authority. Just curious to know as to why your opinion is more credible than that of Mr. Cline. Because you say so? Because you speak in the name of the atheist community? Because if two atheists can't agree on the definition, then confusion starts for a newcomer.
Since you can't seem to grasp the nuances of the terms and how it's applied,
It is you now who pretend to know what I think and what I do and don't understand. I can understand all the nuances, but I'm trying to figure out why your definition is the 'agreed upon definition' and Mr. Cline's definition isn't.
233
What is BELIEF ?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
stemming from the 'absentheism' thread, an old question came to my mind.

what exactly is "belief"?.

is it the same to ask: "do you believe in god?
EdenOne

Jonathan Drake and Viviane,
For the sake of argument, let's assume a monotheistic god akin to the Christian god, minus the whole god-became-man part. Let's call it Spanx, the Almighty. I wonder where do you want to take the discussion from there.
Eden
233
What is BELIEF ?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
stemming from the 'absentheism' thread, an old question came to my mind.

what exactly is "belief"?.

is it the same to ask: "do you believe in god?
EdenOne

Sorry ... is there an official certification program for quality atheist websites? Please enlighten me. Because if one demands 'agreed upon definitions', then it would be expected that a website that offers research tools for someone who's interested in learning about atheism, presents an article written by someone who claims to be an expert in agnosticism and atheism [Mr. Austin Cline], and then gives definitions that are incorrect? Seems to me that there's confusion in the atheist side of the fence. Why then should your authority be more credible than that of Mr. Cline? Just curious about credentials.
Eden
233
What is BELIEF ?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
stemming from the 'absentheism' thread, an old question came to my mind.

what exactly is "belief"?.

is it the same to ask: "do you believe in god?
EdenOne

Viviane: As usual, you demonstrate you understand neither.
It was you who so insisted that we stick to 'agreed upon definitions'. That definition comes from an official page on atheism. What more can I say?
Eden
233
What is BELIEF ?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
stemming from the 'absentheism' thread, an old question came to my mind.

what exactly is "belief"?.

is it the same to ask: "do you believe in god?
EdenOne

Are you talking monotheism or polytheism?
I didn't know I had to chose. The traits I gave apply to both monotheist god or polytheist gods. Let's just say that polytheist gods are specialized gods. Why not throw into the possibilities henotheism also? And still, why do I have to define?
Eden
233
What is BELIEF ?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
stemming from the 'absentheism' thread, an old question came to my mind.

what exactly is "belief"?.

is it the same to ask: "do you believe in god?
EdenOne

Talesin: Actually, it's exactly the opposite.
Well, are you sure you got your facts right?
"By now, the difference between being an atheist and being an agnostic should be pretty clear and pretty easy to remember. Atheism is about belief, or specifically what you don't believe. Agnosticism is about knowledge, or specifically about what you don't know. An atheist doesn't believe in any gods. An agnostic doesn't know if any gods exist or not. These can be the exact same person, but need not be."
Extracted from atheism.about.com
.. you're welcome.
Eden
233
What is BELIEF ?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
stemming from the 'absentheism' thread, an old question came to my mind.

what exactly is "belief"?.

is it the same to ask: "do you believe in god?
EdenOne

Atheism is a position about belief, while agnosticism is a position about knowledge.
Eden
233
What is BELIEF ?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
stemming from the 'absentheism' thread, an old question came to my mind.

what exactly is "belief"?.

is it the same to ask: "do you believe in god?
EdenOne

Jonathan Drake,
You're not making sense to ME. I didn't attempt to define God, nor rationalize God. Viviane kept challenging me to do it, as if I was a theist. That's like trying to make a water spring produce ginger ale. And that's why it was upsetting me, because I can't see the point in doing so.
Eden
233
What is BELIEF ?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
stemming from the 'absentheism' thread, an old question came to my mind.

what exactly is "belief"?.

is it the same to ask: "do you believe in god?
EdenOne

Simon: The OP is deliberately unclear.
The OP was asking for a clarification, that's why it was a question. What exactly are we talking about when we talk about belief? And what exactly are we talking about in the definition of atheism as "lack of belief in deities"? And how is that related to the common claim that such lack of belief stems from "lack of evidence"?
As the debate went on, I expressed some of my ideas and perplexities, and received a big backlash because I don't yield just because X and Y say so. It's not a fair critique to say i was deliberately unclear.
Eden