Posted by Jerry Stuckle on 09/18/07 20:08

Steve wrote:
> "Jerry Stuckle" <jstucklex@attglobal.net> wrote in message
> news:EM-dnbxp44nLZnLbnZ2dnUVZ_rHinZ2d@comcast.com...
>> Steve wrote:
>>>> Ah, but whether you like it or not, atheism is a religion. It is not a
>>>> "lack of belief" - it is a specifically belief there is no god.
>>>>
>>>> Try to deny it all you want. It won't work.
>>> negative, ghost rider.
>>>
>>> 'a' latin: without
>>> 'theism' latin: belief in god(s)
>>>
>>> try websters instead of your own opinion.
>>>
>> Which does not mean it is not a religion.
>
> so that means it does?! come one jerry, you're more logical than that!
>

Who cares what the Latin roots mean? It's today's current usage that
counts.

>
>>> tell me, what rites, what cerimonies, what traditions do atheists
>>> observe? where do we congregate? what activities do we engage that
>>> resembles anything religious?
>>>
>> Not necessary. You profess a belief in no god. That in itself is a
>> belief.
>
> i 'believe' i *observe no evidence* that would allow me to *logically* lead
> to me to a conclusion that god exists.
>

And it results in a belief. Or, more accurately, a disbelief.

200 years ago there was no proof that microbes existed. 150 years ago
there was no proof that radio waves existed. 100 years ago there was no
proof that atoms existed. So by your logic, since there was no proof,
these things didn't exist.


> that is a PROCESS and not a belief. it is called scientific method. i'm sure
> your response will be that science, too, is a religion. just a prediction.
> ;^)
>

The scientific method deals with proving or disproving the existence of
something - a physical item, a behavior, etc. But according to the
scientific method, lack of proof one way or the other does not mean
something does or does not exist.

>
>>> as i said, there is no objective evidence that would lead me to believe
>>> that god exists. no more *subjective* evidence for god than for santa
>>> clause or the toothfairy or the boogy man. are you saying that this
>>> critical observation makes me a religious atoothfarian or a
>>> asanta-clausian?
>>>
>> That's fine. It's your opinion and you're welcome to it. But don't try to
>> convince me my opinion is wrong.
>
> sorry, religious people are in the *business* of converting. as for opinion?

That is a gross overgeneralization.

> we cannot both be right. and as you have NO evidence to support that there
> is a god, the logical conclusion that should be drawn is that there, in
> fact, is none. further, that our notions of god(s) evolve over time to match
> our changing sophistication of thought is more proof for the idea that man
> created god rather than vice versa. so much the case is this, that we have
> nietche proclaiming that 'god is dead'!
>

Faulty logic.

>> As for proof - I have no proof you exist. All I see is some text on my
>> screen. It could have been generated by a computer. So by your
>> reasoning, I should not believe you exist. But I have faith that you do.
>
> well, you have proof that something respondse to you. what you infer about
> that is up to you. however, you have *objective* evidence from which you can
> draw such conclusions.
>

I have proof that letters appear on my screen. Period. Nothing more,
nothing less. I have no idea what the source of those characters are.

> this is something no one can do for god. subjective evidence is as
> interpretationally valid as the delusions of an insane person.
>
>>> 'it won't work'...lol. a lack of belief in something does not a religion
>>> make. specifically, it is the belief *IN* something that would be the
>>> start of religion.
>> And you have a belief in the lack of a god.
>
> negative ghost rider,
>
> i have drawn the conclusion that god does not exist because there is NO
> objective evidence that he does. one is a conclusion and the other, fact.
> there is no belief in that equation.
>
>

That's fine. That's your opinion. But do not try to convince me that
you are right and I am wrong. And don't try to stop me from practicing
my religion.

--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

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