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Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by ichommy(m): 7:47pm On Mar 30, 2016 |
1. "Science can't explain the complexity and order of life; God must have designed it to be this way." First, when considering this position, it's important to recognize the difference between complexity and design. Complexity itself does not require an intelligent creator. It's easy to impose a design upon things that exist by chance or developed through a natural process like evolution. To an extent, this argument gains traction because of wide misunderstanding of science and especially evolution. Everything in the universe conforms to certain simple scientific rules that have been repeated over billions of years. While this can be awe-inspiring, it by no means suggests a creator. Failure to understand the scientific principles guiding the creation and development of the universe does not mean that a deity must exist to explain the natural world. 2. "God's existence is proven by scripture." This argument presupposes its premise. People believe in scripture and place value in the words because they already believe in the religious principles the text describes. There is no inherent value to the Bible, Quran or any other religious text; these documents are not self-authenticating in any way. In fact, many factual inaccuracies and inconsistencies can be found within religious texts themselves. For example, the Bible contains two separate creation stories, each of which provides a very different explanation. Similarly, there is no historical, archaeological or scientific evidence to support many of the stories in the Bible and the Quran. Ultimately, religious texts are infinitely fallible because they are man-made products of whimsy, poetry, mythology and some history woven together into a new whole. The texts in the Bible have been gathered from many oral sources over thousands of years and compiled arbitrarily into a single document; it's hardly surprising that the narrative would be so inconsistent. Other religious texts have similarly convoluted histories. Aside from the problems with individual texts, there's also the obvious issue that the very presence of multiple scriptures negates the authenticity of any single religious document. It's impossible for every religious book to be true; it's highly presumptuous to assume that one's own preferred scripture is the single "true" scripture while all the others are false accounts. It's far more likely that every religious book is equally fictitious and unreliable. 3. "Some unexplained events are miraculous, and these miracles prove the existence of God." A miracle is typically understood as an extraordinary event or happening that is explained as being the work of a divine agency and having a supernatural origin. However, before miracles can be used as irrefutable proof of God's existence, the cause or origin of so-called miracles must be proven. There is currently no evidence to suggest that miracles truly exist. In reality, there are several underlying explanations behind most miracles, for example: -- The event is statistically unlikely, and its unlikeliness has caused some people to attribute significance to it. For example, some cultures believe that all-white animals are miraculous or somehow magical. However, science has proven that albinism is a perfectly normal genetic condition that happens to be rarer than other forms of pigmentation. Similarly, a single person surviving a natural disaster is no more miraculous than a single person winning the lottery; it's simply an unlikely random occurrence. -- The event has a scientific cause that is not immediately apparent or understood but is later identified. Many natural phenomena were once viewed as miraculous. After science demonstrated the reason behind previously incomprehensible things, like aurora borealis, earthquakes and hot springs, they stopped seeming like the actions of a mysterious deity. -- The event was inherently meaningless, but meaning and significance was attributed after the fact. In science, hearsay and anecdotal evidence are not sufficient to prove something. Each time a "miracle" occurs, it's easy to see magical thinking, misattribution and other human errors at work. For example, if a child is ill in the hospital, a family member might pray for his recovery. If that child does recover, the praying relative will attribute this to the power of prayer, not to any medical innovations, immunological responses or sheer power of chance. It's curious to note that the miracles performed by an "all-loving" and benevolent God so often involve sparing a handful of people from a tragic accident, devastating disaster or deadly disease. God is rarely held accountable by believers for all of the deaths that occur when people are not saved by a "miracle." On the whole, the tiny percentage of "miraculous" recoveries would be greater evidence of a deity's arbitrary cruelty than his benevolence, but this is never something believers seem comfortable discussing. 4. "Morality stems from God, and without God, we could not be good people." So-called "moral" behaviors, such as altruism and reciprocity, are not inherently human. In the natural world, they can be observed in a variety of animal species, especially social animals. Science shows that such behavior has an evolutionary benefit: creatures who learn to interact well with their kin will have a stronger likelihood of survival and passing on their genes. All of this means that, from a scientific viewpoint, morality does not stem from God. Instead, it has its roots in brain chemicals and is supported by strong cultural conditioning. Parents pass their morals along to their children, and individuals take social cues regarding "right" and "wrong" behaviors from friends, family, media influence and more. Religious texts are just an attempt to codify acceptable behaviors into a set of laws. Unfortunately, these rules can quickly become outdated, irrelevant and even painfully arbitrary. It's fashionable for religious people to claim that atheists are immoral hedonists, but a quick survey of real people shows that to be false. By and large, atheists are no less moral than any other group of people. 5. "Belief in God would not be so widespread if God didn’t exist." This type of claim is called an "argumentum ad populum" or “appeal to the majority,” and it's simply not true. Many beliefs are popular or widely held without being true, and things that are true exist whether anyone believes in them or not. Alchemy, at one time, was extremely popular and widespread, but few people today would seriously claim that lead could be transmuted into gold. There are similarly few people who still believe that the earth is flat or the center of the universe despite those also being very popular beliefs at one time. Furthermore, the widespread nature of religion says little about the veracity of any given religious belief. While it's true that many cultures around the world all hold religious beliefs, those beliefs themselves are widely variable and often at odds with each other. When every religion states that it is the one true path to salvation, it by necessity claims that all others are false. If religion were true by virtue of widespread belief, it would certainly make more sense for all people to at least believe the same thing. 6. "God answers prayers; therefore, he must be real." Just as miracles are impossible to prove without resorting to unreliable anecdotes, the power of prayer is certainly not supported by science. Belief in prayer relies on confirmation bias. Essentially, people remember the times that prayer seemed to "work" but conveniently forget the many occasions that they prayed and saw no response or received the opposite result of what they'd wanted. These unwanted results are often ignored completely or rationalized away. Prayer is a type of magical thinking. Its appeal is undeniable; it feels empowering and makes individuals feel as though they have a measure of control over the world around them. But there is simply no evidence that prayers are anything more than a placebo. And unlike many placebos, prayer can actually be harmful. The "power of prayer" is one of the most insidious and even harmful beliefs proffered by religion. When faced with any sort of tragedy or misfortune, prayer is one of the least helpful responses imaginable. When tragedy strikes, prayer may make people feel better, but it doesn't actually help the victims. Donating blood, giving money to the Red Cross or volunteering with a relief organization would all be far more beneficial than praying to the same hypothetical deity who ostensibly caused the disaster in the first place. 7. "I feel a personal relationship to God, so I know that he is real." Such personal testimonies are difficult to refute because they are completely subjective. They're also impossible to prove for the same reason. When individuals report a private revelation or communication with God, it's never about factual information that could be confirmed or denied. These religious experiences are always personal and emotional, which makes them count as nothing more than anecdotal “evidence”. The human brain has evolved to be particularly sensitive to patterns and causality. It's so effective at this, in fact, that people often see a pattern or purpose in things that are actually random. This is why it's easy to identify objects or faces in the clouds, for example, or why white noise can be interpreted to resemble human speech. This same sensitivity can make random or unrelated events seem like the presence of God, especially if the person experiencing them has a predisposition toward wanting those beliefs to be true. In other cases, a religious experience can be triggered by any number of outside forces, including drug use or mental illness. Indeed, many people in multiple cultures have experienced similar symptoms but variously attributed them to a variety of different sources, both religious and secular. 8. "It's safer to believe in God than be wrong and go to Hell." This concept, called Pascal's Wager, does not actually support religious beliefs. Instead, it acts as a way to coerce belief out of unwilling participants. The logic goes something like this: if I believe in God and am wrong, then nothing bad will happen. But if I renounce God and am wrong, I will be punished in Hell. There are several problems with this line of reasoning: -- Religions are inconsistent. In order for Pascal's Wager to work, the believer would need some assurance that believing in God would, in fact, save him from punishment. When multiple religions exist with conflicting messages, however, this is impossible. What if you choose to believe in the wrong God and go to Hell anyway? -- A truly benevolent God would not punish his creations simply because they did not believe in him. God could just as easily reward his creations for being skeptical. Because there is no way to ascertain what a deity's motives might be, there's no way to know that Pascal's Wager would even work. -- If a person believes in God only out of fear of punishment, that belief would be thin and false. Surely an omniscient deity could see through that act and choose to reward only true believers. 9. "I have faith; I don't need facts. I just want to believe." This argument would be perfectly valid if the believer was willing to concede that their God is a social construction or metaphorical concept. Most believers aren't comfortable with that, though, and faith simply does not stand up in the face of scientific scrutiny. Believing in something does not make it true. Truth is not subjective or democratic. It does not need belief to make it work. Gravity, for example, works the same whether you have faith in it or not. You do not need to choose to believe in gravity because it's an immutable fact of the universe. Faith is often lauded as a positive quality, but it is, in fact, very intellectually lazy. Faith precludes scientific thinking and the natural wonder of discovery; it stops people from searching for answers to questions about the real world. Faith is little more than the glorification of willful ignorance. 10. "There's no evidence that God doesn't exist." This argument is often offered as a last line of defense in religious debates, and the person posing it might feel very clever coming up with it. However, the premise of the argument is both flawed and ridiculous. The failure to disprove something does not constitute proof of its existence. The burden of proof is always on the person making a claim, especially in cases where the claims are unsupported or unfalsifiable. With no enduring evidence that a God exists, there is simply no reason to believe in a deity, even if it's not possible to irrefutably disprove his existence. Many thought experiments have been created to show the absurdity of these claims, such as the Invisible Pink Unicorn, Carl Sagan's "The Dragon in My Garage," Russell's Teapot or the Flying Spaghetti Monster. All of which are absurd claims without evidence and yet impossible to disprove. Familiarizing yourself with these thought experiments can give you a clear picture of exactly why the burden of proof should always be on the person making a claim. http://www.atheistrepublic.com/blog/arminnavabi/why-there-no-god-quick-responses-10-common-theist-arguments 1 Like
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Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by tr3y(m): 8:10pm On Mar 30, 2016 |
Make I do like a typical NLder! Can you summarize all that thing up there? |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by missdebs(f): 8:33pm On Mar 30, 2016 |
I actually read through it all, all I can say is may God help you see the truth, cos arguing will only harden your mind more. so cheers 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by asalimpo(m): 8:45pm On Mar 30, 2016 |
you can't determine right from wrong without religion. Period. Whatever notion of right you try to reason out will be contested in the future and proved invalid, then you and the committee on deciding human morals will have to come out with version 2.0 (whatever next version there is ) of morality. the base will keep shifting because that's the pattern with man. Man is always re-writing his constitution. He's always rethinking things through and reclassifying things. so bro, its stupid and funny to think man on his own can finally come to a finite conclusion of what constitutes right/wrong. If they change the post , what happens to all those they prosecuted for being "wrong"! 2 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by asalimpo(m): 8:59pm On Mar 30, 2016 |
Did evolution really single man out and bestow on him a mind so complex it could create all the marvel of science and yet deny other creatures of the same gift , while distributing this gift in a random chaotic manner? Did evo make so many animal all of which only one emerged to be seeking something that never existed (God), while other animals wanted sx, food, and a place to shelter and breed like the beasts they are? Did evo really do this? A random, chaotic, unplanned process. Op, think about this poo you are drinking bf selling it to others . 5 Likes 3 Shares |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Ezedon(m): 9:41pm On Mar 30, 2016 |
A fool is the one that says ; theirs no God 2 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Viktor1983(m): 9:58pm On Mar 30, 2016 |
Agno....Reading through. |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Nobody: 10:30pm On Mar 30, 2016 |
tr3y: aswear.. e long ooo atheists can talk plenty sha |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by ichommy(m): 5:55pm On Mar 31, 2016 |
Ezedon: 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Weah96: 8:41pm On Mar 31, 2016 |
asalimpo: Like the OLD and NEW testaments? 7 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Charlesdock(m): 4:02pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
I read everything bro but those points doesn't proof God doesn't exist. I have a question what trigger the big bang? it couldn't have just happen there must have been an external factor. For example when you program (computer programming) you create your own universe but your creation won't know of your presence. Your presence would be like a miracle. Without FAITH you can't know God. Good day. 1 Like |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by matrix600(m): 5:15pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
[quote author=Charlesdock post=44972652]I read everything bro but those points doesn't proof God doesn't exist. I have a question what trigger the big bang? it couldn't have just happen there must have been an external factor. For example when you program (computer programming) you create your own universe but your creation won't know of your presence. Your presence would be like a miracle. Without FAITH you can't know God. Good day.[/qu which version of god do you mean? Because faith is what makes my God different from your own |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by KingEbukasBlog(m): 5:58pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
Fatuous arguments . The atheists make up stuff and then refute it . Their absurdity indeed knows no bounds |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Charlesdock(m): 7:24pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
Am talking about the I AM THAT I AM [quote author=matrix600 post=44974473][/quote] |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Oluwaseytiano(m): 8:40pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
Nice |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by matrix600(m): 10:27pm On Apr 23, 2016 |
Charlesdock:no matter what you call your god my faith does not allow me to know it, because my faith is already established on my god. I am blind to your faith and so are you to mine So you and i will always walk different roads. Every faith leads to a different path, it is why we have so many religions, gods and doctrines. 1 Like |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Charlesdock(m): 1:02pm On Apr 24, 2016 |
matrix600:but there is only one Supreme God - The I AM THAT I AM |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by ichommy(m): 2:46pm On Apr 24, 2016 |
Charlesdock: |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Weah96: 3:49pm On Apr 24, 2016 |
Charlesdock: That's a human being, bro. Only humans use the pronoun I. |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Charlesdock(m): 4:09pm On Apr 24, 2016 |
Weah96:who you dey talk then :-/ |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by matrix600(m): 8:59pm On Apr 26, 2016 |
Charlesdock:so says the holy book of the christians. Those of us who are not christians dont acknowledge that. |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Nobody: 12:04am On Apr 27, 2016 |
. |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Charlesdock(m): 10:31am On Apr 27, 2016 |
matrix600:Ok that's your belief. |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by matrix600(m): 2:41pm On Apr 29, 2016 |
Charlesdock:I leave you to yours aswell |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by tr3y(m): 6:28pm On May 03, 2016 |
“We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.” -Richard Dawkins 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Image123(m): 2:51pm On May 05, 2016 |
make i park here. ichommy: This is most convenient nonsense, i was also around billions of years ago, can you disprove that? Also, kindly give examples of complexities that do not require a creator, let's measure it's order and design. Note that you have by no means disproved a Creator. 2. "God's existence is proven by scripture." What do you mean by the term "self authenticating"? You are probably unaware or mischievously skip the reasons why some say that the Bible shows/proves God's existence. You're dodging the points. On many scriptures, you do know that truth is exclusive i hope? In similar vein and reasoning as yours, we may also state that it is impossible for every worldview or belief/disbelief to be true, therefore, atheism is not true but equally fictitious and unreliable as other worldviews. 3. "Some unexplained events are miraculous, and these miracles prove the existence of God." You've mistaken superstition for miracles, much like people mistake atheism for intelligence. Remember also that the Christian worldview doesn't only present God but also presents another important character, the devil. 4. "Morality stems from God, and without God, we could not be good people." What is good? Why are you good and what makes what you term good to be better than what i term as good? 5. "Belief in God would not be so widespread if God didn’t exist." Alchemy popular where and how? Do you know how popular theism is for all ages and generation? Even football clubs are more popular than alchemy, rubbish. The belief in the supernatural is not just popular, it is people's often honest testimonies of experiences, not hearsay only, not tradition. 6. "God answers prayers; therefore, he must be real." Don't be ridiculous, Theism is not science and does not have to be a subset or under the laws of science, duh. It's like expecting emotions to be mathematical, and if they are not it means they don't exist or are invalid. they are two different things. BTW, the deity caused the disaster to you and is responsible for all the frustrations of your life but He does not exist, right? 7. "I feel a personal relationship to God, so I know that he is real." Lol, you obviously have never met christians with the gifts of the Spirit, or other theists with spiritual powers. i forgive your myopia. 8. "It's safer to believe in God than be wrong and go to Hell." So you suggest paralysis? 9. "I have faith; I don't need facts. I just want to believe." Actually would not suggest or encourage anyone not to need facts, neither does scriptures. However, facts are not only limited to science or gravity. Facts are seen in our everyday life, our marriages, our relationships, our emotions, our health, our existence. Faith indeed have helped many millions in these areas. 10. "There's no evidence that God doesn't exist." The bolded says it all "The failure to disprove", nothing more needed to add really. |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Image123(m): 11:09am On May 12, 2016 |
I've just edited my earlier post. cc: ichommy |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by ichommy(m): 11:11am On May 12, 2016 |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by tartar9(m): 11:29am On May 12, 2016 |
In order words-a God doesn't exist because I can invent theories to explain the complexity of nature ... Atheism is just as dogmatic as much of the religions you condemn.Agnostism is much better. |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Image123(m): 12:07pm On May 12, 2016 |
ichommy:Very fine,thank you. 1 Like |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by Ruq: 12:10pm On May 12, 2016 |
tartar9: Just say you're scared of rapture so when God asks you'll say "at least I did totally deny your existence" then maybe He will give you heaven's pass. You're either theist or atheist. |
Re: Why There Is No God: Quick Responses To 10 Common Theist Argument's by justwise(m): 4:29pm On May 12, 2016 |
@ichommy Done. ..but please that post is far too long and will only make this thread longer than necessary. |
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