lmaopml wrote: » I believe that there is 'evidence' of God, sometimes it's more aesthetic, like Tommy mentions there, and sometimes it's to do with justice and nature; sometimes it's to do with both those things and 'Christ' is the ultimate reason for Christians - but it's not the sort you put under a microscope, or indeed a telescope - it's something you feel or don't feel, sense or don't sense, love or don't love, seek or don't seek, and ultimately is perhaps the one decision that can change a course of your life. Christians believe that God exists beyond nature - so natural studies are not in conflict and not a proof either. No problem there. Anybody familiar with Ecclesiastes will sense the deep meaning beneath the words for that time and place, pretty much that time and knowledge are of nothing to God, his ways are not ours - but can't ( well I can't help) be blown away by the tremendous insight, especially for over 2,300 years ago that a writer could understand or be 'led' to write such knowledge about time and place that we don't fully understand today. Fabulous!
Tim Robbins wrote: » That reason just sounds like you believe because you feel like it - which is your choice - but a pretty lazy and lousy reason to me.I believe in things when there is a good rational reason and I'd prefer the truth warts or all rather than some delusional fantasy just to make me feel better. If there's a God - grand, but show me the evidence - any of you (thor, zeus, Christian God, whoever...) show me a good reason you exist outside people's imagination.Respect.
tommy2bad wrote: » I believe in God because I refuse to accept that love, truth, beauty and justice find no echo in an empty cold universe. Its a defiant assertion in the face of adversity not a dogma to preach.
philologos wrote: » Morbert: I think Russell's understanding was lacking as a lot of philosophy can be. Zombrex: Not at all, because there's still the fundamental question of how all this came to be. It seems pretty clear on a number of grounds that there must have been an ultimate cause to this universe. I've presented a number of arguments for God's existence, which have been flat out ignored time and time again in what seems a mere matter of personal preference. Ultimately, I believe it's down to you if you want to earnestly consider God's word, and ultimately I believe that He is the only one who will make that change. No argument how good, how lofty, how intellectual will break down the barrier that you have created. I'm convinced of that. It is pseudo-psychology, it's atheists trying to explain away what is a genuine philosophical issue. The new-atheists simply fuse opinion with fact without consideration. Sam Harris has done it and Richard Dawkins certainly has done it.
La Petite Fleur wrote: » Pop up another one there.
Zombrex wrote: » . . .Far easier to believe X happened because supernatural agent Y wanted it to happen. . . . . . . Convinced?
La Petite Fleur wrote: » Nope, if athiesm ever presents a single convincing argument, never mind evidence, never mind proof, I'd have no problems in being an Athiest. So please post one up if you have it.
La Petite Fleur wrote: » Er, you're mixing up the arguments of atheism with facts again. You can prove a negative, that is a fact. To say you cannot is factually incorrect, look it up. Because you cannot prove some negatives YET, that does not mean you cannot prove any negatives.
joseph brand wrote: » How honest of you. I say this sincerely. In light of overwhelming evidence that everything you hold true, and believe to have actually happened (in the bible), turns out to be just a story, like any fairytale, you would still believe. Well then, THAT is why you are religious. You WANT it so bad. You probably just need a big hug. (Atheists are capable of hugs btw)
joseph brand wrote: » In light of overwhelming evidence that everything you hold true, and believe to have actually happened (in the bible), turns out to be just a story, like any fairytale, you would still believe. Well then, THAT is why you are religious. You WANT it so bad. You probably just need a big hug. (Atheists are capable of hugs btw)
philologos wrote: » Again, even if you did for arguments sake show Christianity to be a lie, there's still no good reason why I would be an atheist over anything else.
tommy2bad wrote: » Thats why you cant prove a negative.
philologos wrote: » Morbert: I think Russell's understanding was lacking as a lot of philosophy can be.
philologos wrote: » Zombrex: Not at all, because there's still the fundamental question of how all this came to be. It seems pretty clear on a number of grounds that there must have been an ultimate cause to this universe. I've presented a number of arguments for God's existence, which have been flat out ignored time and time again in what seems a mere matter of personal preference.
philologos wrote: » Zombrex: Not at all, because there's still the fundamental question of how all this came to be.
philologos wrote: » It seems pretty clear on a number of grounds that there must have been an ultimate cause to this universe. I've presented a number of arguments for God's existence, which have been flat out ignored time and time again in what seems a mere matter of personal preference.
philologos wrote: » Ultimately, I believe it's down to you if you want to earnestly consider God's word, and ultimately I believe that He is the only one who will make that change. No argument how good, how lofty, how intellectual will break down the barrier that you have created. I'm convinced of that.
philologos wrote: » It is pseudo-psychology, it's atheists trying to explain away what is a genuine philosophical issue.
philologos wrote: » Zombrex: The difference is beyond mere pseudo-psychology there are an abundance of reasons for God's existence. I'm not satisfied with the "there's no evidence" nonsense any more, because in the past atheists did present positive arguments for their position. Look up William Rowe for example or J.L Mackie. Again, even if you did for arguments sake show Christianity to be a lie, there's still no good reason why I would be an atheist over anything else.
philologos wrote: » Zombrex: The difference is beyond mere pseudo-psychology there are an abundance of reasons for God's existence.
Again, even if you did for arguments sake show Christianity to be a lie, there's still no good reason why I would be an atheist over anything else.
philologos wrote: » It seems a little bit disproportionate. The more and more I go on the less and less satisfied I am in the new-atheist cop out (and it is fairly recent - within the last decade) that the burden is not on them. However, if they want to convince me to become an atheist and reject Christianity, to a certain degree the burden is on you to convince me that God is a fable. Much of the new-atheist argument is simply repeating what they claim ad-infinitum without any positive contribution to the argument. E.G God doesn't exist, God's a fable, God's a delusion, God's like Santa for grown ups. The big question is Why is He any of these things? Answers are forthcoming on those really.
Originally Posted byMorbert ; What I didn't bring up at all was any fallacy that a lack of evidence for God implies God exists.
ISAW wrote: » You are not saying christians arent! you have stated they always have one to fall back on. 1. Im not disagreeing with "christians dont make the argument P Q or R" because ther is no significance in arguing about arguments christians are NOT making or not fgalling back on (even if they could). that is one of my points. 2. Burden of proof IS a logical fallacy 3. what sort of "evidence" of God do you claim christians believe? 4. If christians fall back on a fallacy they are committing a fallacy! They arent really interested in discussing the logic of what they are NOT arguing. Have you considered that even though it does not logically follow the reason you are not witnessing christians committing logical fallacies is because they qrent making them and not just because they are making them and you just didnt happen to notice. Have you ever heard of Type 1 and type 2 errors or "false negatives" and "false positives"
philologos wrote: The more and more I go on the less and less satisfied I am in the new-atheist cop out (and it is fairly recent - within the last decade) that the burden is not on them. However, if they want to convince me to become an atheist and reject Christianity, to a certain degree the burden is on you to convince me that God is a fable.
ISAW wrote: » You are ignorant of history. christianity is rooted in logic and reason. It has the same Greek roots as mathematics and science.
ISAW wrote: » You are ignorant of history.christianity is rooted in logic and reason. It has the same Greek roots as mathematics and science.
La Petite Fleur wrote: » Indeed I would. Now what evidence has atheism got to offer ? I've never seen it offer any to date and I'm most keen to see it presented if you have it. I adore science, maths, biology, evolution, etc. but I've never seen any of these disiplines ever present a single convincing argument for atheism (never mind evidence), so I'm most intrested in seeing one if you have it, because if you do, I have no issue in becoming an atheist.
RichieC wrote: » This is a Christian forum so the normal rules of logic aren't applicable. In here saying God doesn't exist is the crazy claim.
La Petite Fleur wrote: » tommy2bad wrote: » Back to Russell's teapot.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell's_teapot[/QUOTE] Your claim was that it is impossible to prove a negative. Bullsheeeeet. "I believe there is milk in your fridge" "There is no milk in the fridge" "Prove it" "You cannot prove a negative, the burden of proof lies with you" "Yes you can, open the fridge door" aha but what if you opened the door and there was a big box in the way behind which there might be milk you can,t see? Or if i have invisible milk? Logically formally universally prove a negative proposition. for example take all the fridges in the world. Even if you could take all the milk out of all the fridges yo would still have to observe them. which is measuring them and creating a premise and not arriving at a conclusion based on what came before. Opening the fridge door is actually establishing a premise that "milk in fridge"=false you have not logically arrived at that conclusion you have begun with it. you had to go and measure the system! similarly you could prove "no unicorns" if you could look everywhere in the universe with a unicorn detector. you would have established no unicorns . One can not logically prove "no unicorns" however. Regarding Russells very leaky teapot, a simple example is the planet vulcan was claimed to exist in our solar system by reputable scientists in the 19th century, some disagreed, and went on to prove Vulcan did not exist. Yet another negative was proven. Because they MEASURED the place where it should be! Looking isnt logically proving! It means "derive from deduction". One cant deduce no milk or no vulcan. Which I suppose demonstrates the limits of mathematics and logic.
tommy2bad wrote: » Back to Russell's teapot.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell's_teapot[/QUOTE] Your claim was that it is impossible to prove a negative. Bullsheeeeet. "I believe there is milk in your fridge" "There is no milk in the fridge" "Prove it" "You cannot prove a negative, the burden of proof lies with you" "Yes you can, open the fridge door"
Regarding Russells very leaky teapot, a simple example is the planet vulcan was claimed to exist in our solar system by reputable scientists in the 19th century, some disagreed, and went on to prove Vulcan did not exist. Yet another negative was proven.
Morbert wrote: » Again, are you disagreeing with something I said? I said that, since burden of proof is not a logical rule, Christians are not logically compelled to provide any evidence. However, since (most) Christians believe there is evidence for God, atheists are happy to critique such evidence presented. I am not saying anyone is committing a logical fallacy.