tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457462934916022222.post7174488396853709592..comments2023-05-27T00:06:43.961+09:00Comments on The Preacher and the Skeptic: Why Should I Become an Atheist?Doug DeLonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11885710324806794921noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457462934916022222.post-25561591219747108922009-05-06T14:49:00.000+09:002009-05-06T14:49:00.000+09:00Right on! Accept your pearl of great price is my g...Right on! Accept your pearl of great price is my garbage, and your garbage is my pearl of great price. I find my results usable and good. I hope yours work for you.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12163876007786334757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457462934916022222.post-13010554150043515672009-05-05T22:04:00.000+09:002009-05-05T22:04:00.000+09:00Paul.
in addition to previous post:
it is possib...Paul.<br /><br />in addition to previous post:<br /><br />it is possible to be rational yet dead wrong.<br /><br />in computing they use the acronym GIGO to describe this, "Garbage In, Garbage Out", ie. if you base your thinking on false data, assumptions, you wind up with false, unusable results.<br /><br />hope this helps.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457462934916022222.post-16172114172818080642009-05-05T21:40:00.000+09:002009-05-05T21:40:00.000+09:00Paul.
"What proof do you have that you are thinki...Paul.<br /><br />"What proof do you have that you are thinking rationally?"<br /><br />I suspect, as little, or as much, as yourself. ;)<br /><br />however, "My schizophrenic friend thought.." is a good illustration of a delusion, defined as "may be a symptom of madness" (OED). if I have shown myself to be deluded, please feel free to point it out.<br /><br />you, on the other hand, have claimed that "God is ... my commander and chief." (in the "Mother Teresa: Angel or Agnostic?" debate).<br /><br />you say: "What does the denial or the in of the existence of God ... have to do with making a person rational or not?"<br /><br />my argument is that if you need to base your actions on the words of an "invisible friend", and you use this as a justification to abrogate personal responsibility for your actions, then that makes you delusional -- charitable interpretation.<br /><br />the fact you share this delusion with "..many very rational people.." is neither here nor there, since this can be explained in terms of training and conditioning, group behaviour, peer pressures, and so on.<br /><br />so, while I can share your hope that "..both you and I are thinking rationally..", I have no evidence of it. your apparent "..belief systems or world views" are based on faith alone, I prefer to stick with tangible realities to conduct myself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457462934916022222.post-50021066524011408642009-05-05T11:06:00.000+09:002009-05-05T11:06:00.000+09:00What proof do you have that you are thinking ratio...What proof do you have that you are thinking rationally? What does the denial or the in of the existence of God, and Jesus Christ (many very rational people believe) have to do with making a person rational or not? My schizophrenic friend thought he was a world champion boxer and had to be sedated so he wouldn't hurt himself. That is an example of irrational thinking and behavior. I hope that both you and I are thinking rationally with just different belief systems or world views.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12163876007786334757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457462934916022222.post-37797251695613186832009-05-04T19:15:00.000+09:002009-05-04T19:15:00.000+09:00Paul.
I have to agree with you, agnosticism is as...Paul.<br /><br />I have to agree with you, agnosticism is as unattractive as (mono-)theism, but it is marginally less bankrupt in intellectual terms.<br /><br />thinking that, rationally, it would be the lesser of two evils.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457462934916022222.post-56102013829329000012009-05-03T14:53:00.000+09:002009-05-03T14:53:00.000+09:00A very unattractive proposal!A very unattractive proposal!Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12163876007786334757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457462934916022222.post-51339107503272080122009-05-01T12:08:00.000+09:002009-05-01T12:08:00.000+09:00Paul writes: "Communist China and Russia which are...Paul writes: "Communist China and Russia which are human experiments on trying to get all their people to become athiests have failed and are today known for poluting the environment and much humanitarian abuse."<br /><br />different from USA where every public speech ends in "God bless America"? to be fair, the USA is not alone in polluting and abusing.<br /><br />"Why should I ever want to become an athiest."<br /><br />you *could* start by becoming agnostic. ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457462934916022222.post-62030441564805370812009-05-01T11:39:00.000+09:002009-05-01T11:39:00.000+09:00I have athiest friends in my neighborhod that figh...I have athiest friends in my neighborhod that fight over public money that is left over from the city budget. Communist China and Russia which are human experiments on trying to get all their people to become athiests have failed and are today known for poluting the environment and much humanitarian abuse. Until you can give me a significant example of how well you non-believers get along, are kind to your fellow man and protext the environment, what you say is just a bunch of left wing propaganda. Now, back to my point: You have given me some reasons why I should disassociate myself with Christians and the Church. I find many of the same problems with those outside the Church. Why should I ever want to become an athiest.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12163876007786334757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457462934916022222.post-24574729475898340082009-05-01T09:18:00.000+09:002009-05-01T09:18:00.000+09:00Preacher asks: "Does it really matter what you bel...Preacher asks: "Does it really matter what you believe, anyway?"<br /><br />just look at the environmental disaster that humankind has created through industrialisation coupled with captialism.<br /><br />I put it to you that the Christian (and Judaism/Islamic) belief -- faith, really -- that your "god" has "created" humans to be the master of all "creation" has led to the exploitation (some call it rape) of all nature, without regard for other species and harmonious co-existence.<br /><br />quite unlike the animists and pagans you (ie. "believers") have invested so much in eradicating; they did live their lives aware that we all are part of nature -- not above it.<br /><br /><br />Preacher also says that "..your basis for rejecting Christianity is based on conclusions made from a limited amount of knowledge, the unproven theories.."<br /><br />but you have faith -- I thought it is impossible to prove what one has to take on faith, and, regarding the limited knowledge -- are you omniscient?<br /><br /><br />Preacher says "As a Christian responsible before God I will take responsibility for myself.."<br /><br />I think that is decent of you as a person, however, the problem remains that most other believers live their lifes as they please, knowing that all they have to do is utter "I believe in Jesus" or somesuch phrase on their deathbed to be absolved from all their "sinful" behaviour, no matter how atrocious their conduct has been. IMO, this get-out clause has been a significant contributing fact to the mess that we find ourselves in.<br /><br /><br />to conclude, people who leave judgement to their "god" are, on balance, an impediment to peaceful co-existence on our planet.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457462934916022222.post-84045383246616288422009-05-01T03:58:00.000+09:002009-05-01T03:58:00.000+09:00I'd like to know why or how the Preacher can serio...I'd like to know why or how the Preacher can seriously believe that his religion is the one true religion.<br /><br />Does he not realize that it's only a matter of where in the world he happened to be born?<br /><br />If he had been born in the Middle East, he'd most likely be a Muslim and would adamantly preach that Islam is the one true religion.<br /><br />That is one of the reasons I believe that if there WAS a one true religion, God (if he exists) would make it known.<br /><br />Otherwise, if the Christian God is real he's just an ass who is knowingly condemning half the world to hell for not being born in the right place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com