Atheism is retarded... - Page 2

CallMeIshmael · #11 06-17-2005, 09:40 PM

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a·the·ist Audio pronunciation of "atheist" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (th-st)
n.

One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.

an atheist is one who does not believe in god. it doesnt say that they are certain that there isnt a god.

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Forgot to respond to this...

IMO, denying the existence = concluding that there is not a God, no?

I guess, I dont see a difference between:

- I deny the existence of God
- I believe, with 100% certainyty, that God does not exist.

If there is a difference between the two, and, somehow, atheism does not necessarily imply that said person is 100% sure that God doesnt exist, then I retract my statement.

(FWIW... I dont feel I am being close-minded, because my point is that atheism (at least my understanding of it) has a logical hole)

Jules22 · #12 06-17-2005, 11:16 PM

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Here's the thing though...

Part of the theism debate, is, that there is no scientific way to prove the existence of a God.

When this is the case, it becomes impossible to scientifically DISPROVE the existence of God.

Given this, no one can be 100% certain that there is no God.

Thus, atheism is not a valid viewpoint, IMO.

Agnosticism, however, accepts that there is at least some non zero probability that there exists a God. Thus, making it a valid viewpoint.

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using your logic, it would make sense to say christianity is not a valid viewpoint, imo. you're trying to condense deep multifaceted issues into sound bites, and youre just coming off as kinda of nitty imo

CallMeIshmael · #13 06-17-2005, 11:26 PM

Basically, I was trying to say that atheists tend to make the same mistakes that they accuse theists of: blindly accepting something without evidence.

I feel this hypocrisy is something worth noting, and have had many agree with my viewpoint.

Jules22 · #14 06-18-2005, 12:20 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Basically, I was trying to say that atheists tend to make the same mistakes that they accuse theists of: blindly accepting something without evidence.

I feel this hypocrisy is something worth noting, and have had many agree with my viewpoint.

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maybe next time u could just say that instead of lobbing a hand grenade into the ranks?

exist · #15 06-18-2005, 12:26 AM

the problem is that you don't know what atheism or agnosticism are. you should read Atheism: The Case Against God by George H. Smith. the relevant passage is here. read parts II, III, and IV.

CallMeIshmael · #16 06-18-2005, 12:40 AM

This was quite an interesting read.

I change the statement to: critical atheism is retarded.

But, I feel my understanding of agnosticism was in line with the article.

contentless · #17 06-18-2005, 12:55 AM

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Basically, I was trying to say that atheists tend to make the same mistakes that they accuse theists of:

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Not really. Like those that do believe in God, there are multiple denominations of atheists. The type you're talking about are the ones that don't understand atheism - surely Christianity isn't stupid because of some Christians. Neither is atheism. Both are belief systems based on faith (or faith in a lack of faith). Either way, stupid followers does not a stupid belief system make.

exist · #18 06-18-2005, 12:58 AM

i think one of the key points of the article was that positions with respect to belief in the existence of a god are not theism, agnosticism, and atheism, they are instead limited to theism and atheism. there is no third position. agnosticism refers to whether it is possible to determine whether a god exists. using these definitions, a person holding agnostic beliefs could be either theistic of atheistic. however, agnostic theism is of course an irrational position.

CallMeIshmael · #19 06-18-2005, 01:14 AM

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however, agnostic theism is of course an irrational position.

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Not necessarily. The article talks about agnostic theists as people who believe there is a God, but also believe that there is no way for us to know of God's nature.

CallMeIshmael · #20 06-18-2005, 01:16 AM

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Not really. Like those that do believe in God, there are multiple denominations of atheists.

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If you read the linked article, you will read about critical atheists.

My contention is no longer: Atheism is retarded.

It is: critical atheism is retarded.

This is the group I deem to be hypocritical, and I still believe very stronly that I am correct.