Ask an atheist

[Millman]

It's tempting to go atheist but they still need to prove there isn't any deities. Not words, physical verifiable proof. Same for theists.

You could argue deities have come and gone and/or will visit us again. In that case you need to prove the things they left behind couldn't have been man-made.

You'll also need real eye-witnesses not hallucinating when you see a deity. Remember-not words, proof.

 

[Askthepizzaguy]

It's tempting to go atheist but they still need to prove there isn't any deities.

Counter:
It's tempting to believe that three-headed leprechauns don't exist, but I need PROOF.

Hey pizzaguy, it's cool man, it's not your fault. In your defense, it's no less ridiculous than Chick Tracts, and they are totally sincere.

I've read Chick Tracts. I was simultaneously amused, offended, disturbed, and also reassured that being opposed to this kind of religious lunacy was the correct idea.

 

[GhostWriter16]

Counter:
It's tempting to believe that three-headed leprechauns don't exist, but I need PROOF.

Question: Do you really believe that belief in God is as ridiculous as belief in "Three-headed leprechauns"?

Because if so, you're pretty much calling every religious person stupid.

Or was there some kind of metaphor here that I'm not getting?

 

[SuperJay]

Or was there some kind of metaphor here that I'm not getting?

Obviously PizzaGuy can explain; it's not a metaphor, but neither it is an insult to all religious people everywhere - it seems you're looking to be offended about your faith.

 

[GhostWriter16]

I really enjoy how food and sleep (and lipstick) are wrong, and money is evil, but you give money to the church and they buy food with it, cook themselves a nice meal, and then take a nap while wearing lipstick.

Food, sleep, and lipstick aren't evil from any perspective I've ever heard (And I'm an Evangelical Christian.)

I've heard that the love of money, sleeping so much that you don't want to work, and gluttony are wrong, but that's totally different.

Oh, I love it. All atheists are so sad!


That must be why I spend all my free time playing games and telling jokes and laughing off this kind of horse [bleep].

Remember kids, stay away from atheists. Don't try to talk to them, they might lash out at you in anger because they hate God (and leprechauns. We also hate leprechauns. STUPID CREATURES FROM FOLKLORE!! GRRRRR!!!).

They might try to trick you into not believing with their words, skepticism, and logic.

DON'T QUESTION WHAT WE TELL YOU TO THINK. DON'T LISTEN TO BOTH VIEWPOINTS OR ELSE YOUR BRAIN WILL MELT.


Advanced techniques are required to witness to them. You'll need whips, chains, hot candle wax, and edible undergarments....

Ooooh, I just got owned. Nice. Very nice.

The fact that it almost completely mirrors a half-dozen "christian" websites I've had the misfortune of reading, means they did a very good job.

I am usually fairly decent at spotting sarcasm. I didn't read this very closely, but I'll be darned if it didn't seem genuine, almost word-for-word what I've read elsewhere. From folks who were NOT joking.

You know exactly what and whom I am talking about.

I've never seen a site that crazy before....

 

[GhostWriter16]

Obviously PizzaGuy can explain; it's not a metaphor, but neither it is an insult to all religious people everywhere - it seems you're looking to be offended about your faith.

No, I'm giving Pizzaguy the benefit of the doubt that he's NOT trying to be offensive.

I'm giving him a chance to explain himself rather than jumping to conclusions...

 

[SuperJay]

No, you're already jumping to conclusions - you had to actively TRY to go from his counter-example of "Do I need some proof three-headed leprechauns don't exist, before I can lack belief in them?" to your ridiculous claim about him thinking belief in God is as stupid as belief in three-headed leprechauns, and thus all religious people are stupid.

 

[Arakhor]

Well, as far as I'm concerned, God could be a three-headed leprechaun. I have no reason to believe that he is such a creature, but his shape makes no difference to what I believe. His personality is a much more thorny issue.

 

[bathsheba666]

Well, as far as I'm concerned, God could be a three-headed leprechaun. I have no reason to believe that he is such a creature, but his shape makes no difference to what I believe. His personality is a much more thorny issue.

Perhaps that is why God cannot be seen by man.
Nothing to do with light, it's just if he showed us, then he'd have to kill us.

Question: Do you really believe that belief in God is as ridiculous as belief in "Three-headed leprechauns"?

Because if so, you're pretty much calling every religious person stupid.

Or was there some kind of metaphor here that I'm not getting?

Are you attempting to limit the forms available for God to take?
Sounds presumptuous to me.

 

[emzie]

Question: Do you really believe that belief in God is as ridiculous as belief in "Three-headed leprechauns"?

Because if so, you're pretty much calling every religious person stupid.

Or was there some kind of metaphor here that I'm not getting?

I'd say Christianity requires belief in some rather strange things, but that doesn't make Christians stupid. Belief is an interesting thing and belief in something crazy doesn't mean one is stupid. There are plenty of smart Scientologists, a lot of smart "ufologists"

But yes, if your standard is evidence rather than internal affirmation, belief in God is as ridiculous as any other unfalsifiable strawman.

 

[Whiskey_Lord]

One doesn't have to be stupid to be religious. I find that some of the most intelligent people are also the best at deluding themselves.

 

[emzie]

One doesn't have to be stupid to be religious. I find that some of the most intelligent people are also the best at deluding themselves.

I like Michael Shermer's quote: "Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons."

So Dommy, being religious doesn't make one stupid, and not being religious doesn't make one smart. I know people I consider much smarter than myself who are religious, and I know people I consider to be morons who aren't religious (though generally can't explain why).

 

[Mechanicalsalvation]

But yes, if your standard is evidence rather than internal affirmation, belief in God is as ridiculous as any other unfalsifiable strawman.

For some internal affirmation is evidence.

Somebody who lives within five senses and outward mind cant perhaps find proof of God but if one can go beyond these one can get althogether different evidence. Just as it is natural for animal live by instincts it can be natural for man to live by some higher faculties (intuition, higher layers of mind, or developed psychic part)

 

[Whiskey_Lord]

Those aren't higher faculties. Those are underdeveloped, partially evolved functions of the human brain which can easily lead people to false assumptions about themselves and their universe.

 

[Mechanicalsalvation]

Those aren't higher faculties. Those are underdeveloped, partially evolved functions of the human brain which can easily lead people to false assumptions about themselves and their universe.

I think we can agree that if you develope something underdeveloped you get something higher. And as with everything in the universe you can also expect some sorts of laws and rules to go by so hence no intense fear of being lead astray is needed.

 

[Wolfbeckett]

It's tempting to go atheist but they still need to prove there isn't any deities. Not words, physical verifiable proof.

No, they don't. The burden of proof is on those that make extraordinary claims.

 

[Midgard Eagle]

Question: Do you really believe that belief in God is as ridiculous as belief in "Three-headed leprechauns"?

May I answer your question with a question? Why is belief in three-headed leprechauns ridiculous?

Because it's not held by a large number of people?
Because there's no mass-distributed holy book defending its existence?
Because it did not originate, to your knowledge, thousands of years ago?

The point of analogies about made-up entities such as the Flying Spaghetti Monster or leprechauns is to make people think about the reasons for their beliefs. Lots of people (heck, let's face it, all people) are less critical about established beliefs than they are of new ideas, especially if those new ideas challenge our existing stances.

One doesn't have to be stupid to be religious.

Soo true. This goes for all kinds of beliefs, really, from vaccination fears to religion to the belief that crossing you can alter the outcome of an event by crossing your fingers behind your back. All too often it has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with experience and critical thinking skills.

It's tempting to go atheist but they still need to prove there isn't any deities.

No, we don't. That's another reason for the leprechaun analogy above. As was stated in the OP, all of us have "disbeliefs". Trolls, leprechauns, rain dances, voodoo, "foreign" gods, tarot cards, exorcism, lucky and unlucky numbers, prayers, chakras, yetis, the list goes on. Probably few, if any of the people on the board believe in all of these, but the thing is, most of the people here believe in some of them. Thing is, I do not expect anyone to ask me to prove trolls do not exist. Is it, when it comes down to it, irrational not to believe in trolls? Probably yes, but that doesn't change the fact that there is no evidence for them.

I can't say with a 100% degree of certainty that God does not exist, more than I can say to a person from Haiti that I'm 100% sure voodoo does not work. But until I see convincing evidence, I have no choice but to disbelieve. The alternative would be to believe everything I came across.

 

[Ayatollah So]

I find that some of the most intelligent people are also the best at deluding themselves.

This - times a million. Rationalization actually requires intelligence.

 

[Whiskey_Lord]

I think we can agree that if you develope something underdeveloped you get something higher. And as with everything in the universe you can also expect some sorts of laws and rules to go by so hence no intense fear of being lead astray is needed.

Big "if." How can one willfully increase their mental capacity in such ways? This seems to go against what we know of neuroscience.

 

[Ahovking]

tell me how hell is will you