Atheist sees image of Big Bang in piece of toast

[Lanny_MacDonald]

Originally Posted by evman150

UFOs are not something you "believe in" or "don't believe in". We just don't know. But we do know they are not subject to belief or disbelief.

Crystals are not something you "believe in" or "don't believe in". They are 100% bull****. "Believing" in them is not possible, the only possibility is that you are crazy, (remarkably) credulous, moronic or all of the above.

Astronomy is a science. My degree is in astronomy. You are looking for "astrology". And for what it's worth, you can take my last paragraph and sub in "astrology" for "crystals". Exact same thing. Exact same bull****.

Most of your post should be precluded with a big IMO. People may choose to believe what ever they wish (just as long as they don't try to impart their beliefs on you by going door-to-door with it or having regular Sunday info-mercials). No harm in that. CalgaryBornAgain has the right to believe in his Christian religion and Cheese is allowed to believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster. You're allowed to believe that your astronomy degree is impressive and other can believe that it qualifies you to be a greeter at WalMart. Heck, there are people on this site that believe the Flames are a playoff team! Whatever gets people through their days, right?

[photon]

Didn't we have a poll like this while back?

Let me know when you guys come up with the exact wording and I can put it up; it should avoid the words theist, atheist and agnostic because those words have different definitions to different people.

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by photon

Didn't we have a poll like this while back?

Let me know when you guys come up with the exact wording and I can put it up; it should avoid the words theist, atheist and agnostic because those words have different definitions to different people.

Yeah we called it the Faith Poll.....you could modify that one LOL...or someone could "Bring it Back from the Dead" V3.4

[Kev]

I wonder if he is related to Hulk Hogan too in some way? At least that way we could have some sort common thread to try and rationalize the complete ######edness of this.

[Lanny_MacDonald]

Originally Posted by Cheese

Yeah we called it the Faith Poll.....you could modify that one LOL...or someone could "Bring it Back from the Dead" V3.4

I'd prefer we went more black and white this time.

Do you believe in a supreme being or creator? Yes or no. No grey area and no hedging of bets. Having faith in a god is like being pregnant. You either are, or you aren't. There's no such thing as being a little pregant and there's no such thing as having a little faith in the existence of a diety.

[photon]

So just yes or no, where yes would cover all religious Gods as well as the fuzzy supreme being parts, and no covering the strong atheist as well as the not enough evidence right now crowd?

Kind of leaves agnostics out of the group a bit.

How about a poll to determine the poll?

[Bobblehead]

What if you made it something along the lines of, "After you pass away, do you believe you will be judged by a supreme being?"

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

What if you made it something along the lines of, "After you pass away, do you believe you will be judged by a supreme being?"

Can I be judged by Cate Blanchett?

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

What if you made it something along the lines of, "After you pass away, do you believe you will be judged by a supreme being?"

Well that turns everything into a question of faith because none of us have died and came back to report. My belief in god doesn't consider faith, it's a matter of experience. Even the word belief isn't correct as, to me it's a matter of wether I know or don't know. Atheists and everyone else on that side 'just don't know'. Agnostics at least understand this.

[Thor]

Originally Posted by Lanny_MacDonald

I'd prefer we went more black and white this time.

Do you believe in a supreme being or creator? Yes or no. No grey area and no hedging of bets. Having faith in a god is like being pregnant. You either are, or you aren't. There's no such thing as being a little pregant and there's no such thing as having a little faith in the existence of a diety.

I'd agree with Lanny here, something more direct forcing a person to either choose one or the other.

Maybe make it:

"Do you believe in a supreme being, intelligent force or creator?"

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Thor

"Do you believe in a supreme being, intelligent force or creator?"

I could not answer such a question. There is no evidence, one way or the other, that is convincing to me.

(though the universe does seem to behave in exactly the way we would expect it too, if there was no creator).

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by troutman

I could not answer such a question. There is no evidence, one way or the other, that is convincing to me.

(though the universe does seem to behave in exactly the way we would expect it too, if there was no creator).

That's why I think the question should be, are you an agnostic or a gnostic. To open up the gnostic side a little, lets allow those who have found some evidence of god, leading them to believe that god exists to vote gnostic.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

That's why I think the question should be, are you an agnostic or a gnostic. To open up the gnostic side a little, lets allow those who have found some evidence of god, leading them to believe that god exists to vote gnostic.

There are more than two categories (at least).

Those that believe in a supreme being on faith alone.

Those that believe in a supreme being on some kind of evidence.

Those that know of no reliable evidence, one way or the other. The question of a supreme being is unanswerable today.

Those that believe there is no supreme being on some kind of evidence (this is what Dawkins says - he makes an argument that the evidence shows there is no god).

Those that believe there is no supreme being on instinct alone.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by troutman

There are more than two categories (at least).

Those that believe in a supreme being on faith alone.

Those that believe in a supreme being on some kind of evidence.

Those that know of no reliable evidence, one way or the other.

Those that believe there is no supreme being on some kind of evidence (this is what Dawkins says - he makes an argument that the evidence shows there is no god).

Those that believe there is no supreme being on instinct alone.

To me there are only the two. The one I've put in bold are the gnostics, the rest are agnostics whether they know it or not. Each could comment on what evidence they've found or not found, if they wish.

[Antithesis]

Originally Posted by Lanny_MacDonald

Most of your post should be precluded with a big IMO. People may choose to believe what ever they wish ...

Lanny, allow me to humbly offer you some perspective: I've come to the conclusion that evman is pulling our legs and has been for some time! I find it a statistical improbability that anyone could be so dismissive of anything that does not equate with his beliefs that anyone who opposes him must by definition be a moron. From that hypothesis comes this conclusion: it's all a big joke, and now I am in on it too! With a bit of a tweak of your perspective (darned post-modernism), you, like me, can add a great deal of hilarity to your life when you realize The Truth: it's all a ruse.

Seriously. We need more Calvin and Hobbes cartoons! More! MORE!

[evman150]

Originally Posted by Lanny_MacDonald

Most of your post should be precluded with a big IMO. People may choose to believe what ever they wish (just as long as they don't try to impart their beliefs on you by going door-to-door with it or having regular Sunday info-mercials). No harm in that. CalgaryBornAgain has the right to believe in his Christian religion and Cheese is allowed to believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster. You're allowed to believe that your astronomy degree is impressive and other can believe that it qualifies you to be a greeter at WalMart. Heck, there are people on this site that believe the Flames are a playoff team! Whatever gets people through their days, right?

I never said CalgaryBornAgain couldn't believe in what he wants to believe in. I'm not them, I don't believe in removing rights from those whose beliefs fly in the face of mine. I think it's ignorant, but being ignorant doesn't mean you have less rights than the rest of us.

Some things are just not subject to belief though. UFOs are an example. The flying spaghetti monster or "God" are not examples.

It's like "believing" in the graviton particle (quantum of gravity). Well...that just doesn't make sense. In a way it's a kind of category error. Either it exists or it doesn't exist. Nothing is stopping it from existing (that is to say it fits within the current scientific paradigm) but we have not observed it. So it is with UFOs.

[evman150]

Originally Posted by Antithesis

I find it a statistical improbability that anyone could be so dismissive of anything that does not equate with his beliefs that anyone who opposes him must by definition be a moron.

This is not true and is a gross exaggeration of my position. I even stated above why this is not the case.

Instead of straw manning in an attempt to make me look like a bigot, maybe you could come up with something substantive.

[Antithesis]

Originally Posted by evman150

This is not true and is a gross exaggeration of my position. I even stated above why this is not the case.

Instead of straw manning in an attempt to make me look like a bigot, maybe you could come up with something substantive.

Oh, you kidder, there you go again! You kill me!

Had you been serious (which I know you were not, I so appreciate the complexity of your sense of humour), I'd point to this passage:

Originally Posted by evman150

Crystals are not something you "believe in" or "don't believe in". They are 100% bull****. "Believing" in them is not possible, the only possibility is that you are crazy, (remarkably) credulous, moronic or all of the above.

But like I said, I know you're not serious ('cause I'm in the joke! Shh.) so it's not an issue.

[evman150]

Originally Posted by Antithesis

Oh, you kidder, there you go again! You kill me!

You sound like my mom when I was young. Faced with a bully, she taught me to say "Oh xxxx, you're such a NUT".

It's surprisingly disarming.

LOL.

As for crystals, they have been proven to be BS. "Believing" in them is like "believing" in a flat Earth. Like I said, moronic (or crazy).

[Antithesis]

Then you and I disagree ... you'd say that those people would all be morons, while I'd offer that they have a different perspective of the world than I do.

For the record, give me Tylenol for my pain relief needs.