Question For Atheists

[David Sklansky]

Can you still call yourself an athiest if you think that it is quite possible that our universe was created by a non omnipotent being from another dimension. Sort of like the Sphere in Flatland. Some being that worked out the laws of physics and subatomic particles, muons, quarks, Higgs fields etc etc for us and then watched what happened. Like some of us do with those "Life" type games on our computer. Maybe a sixth dimensional high school student doing a science project. Can you accept that possibility and still be an atheist?

for me, yes.

[Lestat]

<font color="red">Can you still call yourself an athiest if you think that it is quite possible that our universe was created by a non omnipotent being from another dimension. </font>

I think anyone who considers this as *quite* possible shouldn't consider themselves an atheist. Off hand (and without much thought and zero study), I would make the line at less than 2%. I doubt anything I could learn in the near future would cause me to make it any higher than 10%. In other words, I think it is unlikely. Is 2%-10% considered quite possible? I suppose it could be, but then, I don't consider myself an atheist.

[David Sklansky]

The answer has nothing to do with how possible you think it is. You could even think it PROBABLE. The question was whether the theory I espoused is compatible with the definition of atheism.

[purnell]

It totally depends on what the word atheist means, doesn't it? We have had a hard time agreeing on this definition.

Could we correctly call your hypothetical kid "god"? I don't think so.

It was thinking about this kind of possibility that first led me to question the religion I was born into. I was maybe ten at the time, and I still don't have a satisfactory answer.

[DougShrapnel]

[ QUOTE ]
Some being that worked out the laws of physics and subatomic particles, muons, quarks, Higgs fields etc etc for us and then watched what happened. Like some of us do with those "Life" type games on our computer. Maybe a sixth dimensional high school student doing a science project.

[/ QUOTE ]

Finally, someone has the guts to tell the world the one true creation story. It's not a debate about first cause but merely a chance for first prize. Testify know that you have seen Sped.

For sure this creation story is at least as credible and probably more comforting than most.
I'll take it.
And while we're at it, I give the 6th dimensional kid a D-...I'm guessing that he was a mediocre student and there are better worlds the top students made where all people do is [censored] and eat ice cream.

g

[Lestat]

Then I would say yes you can still consider yourself an atheist, because your theory has little to do with a God. I don't think God and creator mean the same thing. I also think God and omnipotent must go together although I could be wrong, since I know little about linguistics.

It's very possible the unviverse was created by accident, or by something that doesn't understand what it had created or even KNOW that it created it! I don't see that acknowledging these possibilities necessarily interferes with an atheistic view.

I agree with that idea and certainly think I am an aethiest. Thats because I almost treat being a theist as requiring irrational thoughts. The way you have posed the question makes the option non-rediculous.

I think the other difference between an atheist that believes that is a possiblity, and a religious believer, is that the atheist wouldn't preach it as a certainty without more information.

[DougShrapnel]

[ QUOTE ]
For sure this creation story is at least as credible and probably more comforting than most.
I'll take it.
And while we're at it, I give the 6th dimensional kid a D-...I'm guessing that he was a mediocre student and there are better worlds the top students made where all people do is [censored] and eat ice cream.

g

[/ QUOTE ]You are indeed a tought grader. D-!? you should see what some of the other universes looked like. But if you wish to grade it upon us, an unitended consequence that probably wasn't noticed by Sped or Sped's teacher fine and great. In order to understand the univese and Sped one must realise that the universe was created by Sped to help Spedkind figure out the question of "Why are we here?" Sped's creation answered back in many different tongues a resounding "Because you created us, duh". I give it a B- on irony alone, and much higher marks for other things. Now that the answer was given, Sped has been uncaring enough to let us continue on and answer some other questions we wish to know about Sped's creation, thus knowing Sped. It's really quite brillant cmopared to the universes that blew up, or have time flying in different directions or any number of different settings.