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In reply to the discussion: Why the Universe Obviously Has a Creator (and Why Some Atheists Refuse to Even Consider It) [View all]ellisonz
(27,711 posts)31. Thank you.
But I would say this thread is actually doing a pretty good job of showing his second and better point to be useful; those that maintain that others cannot possibly be "correct" should reconsider their purpose in broaching the discussion.
Clearly one does not need to believe in God or follow a religion in order to be a wonderful, happy, caring, human being. What matters most is how we treat each other. But the refusal to even consider that a Creator may exist -- often accompanied by the adamant desire to "prove" otherwise and to ridicule those who do -- especially in the face of much blatant evidence, is an indication that a psychological mechanism is at work.
Is that not a fair point?
I think there is also a useful delineation to consider of two different conceptions of a "Creator" or "God," that belies the idea that there is not a force at play, what matters is not what we call this but rather that we acknowledge this is evident in life itself:
For many, the belief in a Creator is rooted in a personal, direct encounter, in which God is experienced, often as pure consciousness, pure creation, endless love, the animating energy of everything, or the Ultimate Reality. For those who have not experienced this Presence, though, God is a concept.
The idea that there must be a personalization to such experience is unnecessary, and in making that argument he creates an unfounded egoist belief that one would know such a thing. Clearly, something has happened that is as Descartes stated [link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito_ergo_sum|"I think, therefore I am" or "I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am." That's the point he is trying to make, but gets bogged down not adequately fleshing out his definition of what you derisively term "sky beings."
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Why the Universe Obviously Has a Creator (and Why Some Atheists Refuse to Even Consider It) [View all]
ellisonz
Mar 2012
OP
"Anyone want to count the fallacies and factual errors?" I'd rather count fire ants, but sure.
saras
Mar 2012
#15
Well, if it's old and a "philosophy of the east," it must be unquestionably true.
laconicsax
Mar 2012
#34
I suggest that you don't understand the basics because you say terrifically ignorant things.
laconicsax
Mar 2012
#58
Actually there is a good argument that it is highly probable that we are part
Warren Stupidity
Mar 2012
#74
I like that one. Odds of anything being exactly the way it is are astronomical.
DirkGently
Mar 2012
#9
Whatever assumptions he used, the universe is in no way fine-tuned for life.
laconicsax
Mar 2012
#23
"God" is a piss-poor answer because it replaces one unknown with another and stops further inquiry.
laconicsax
Mar 2012
#69
So you expect an "answer" to the question of creation to be found by science? n/t
ellisonz
Mar 2012
#77
Yes, you do realize that everything we know about the physical world...
Humanist_Activist
Mar 2012
#79
Your clumsy anology is rather inaccurate, and God isn't an answer, but a roadblock to the answer...
Humanist_Activist
Mar 2012
#78
An omnipotent god would create all possible simultations within all possible universes
FarCenter
Mar 2012
#75