Atheist "Logic": ET Life is Superstitious and Unreasonable

[Aedus]

So from what I can gather, atheists have chosen a position of denial or disbelief in God because there is no evidence for him. Atheism is a position based on lack of evidence, which I find stupid. How does this kind of thinking serve elsewhere? Take ET life for example: there is no evidence at all that it exists. Going by atheist logic, unless a borg cube holds orbit and destroys the white house then ET life is unreasonable & superstitious. I however, given the extremely vast number of planets and the fact that life has already formed, think it's quite likely that life is out there somewhere.

This also goes for theoretical physics. There is currently no evidence for string theory - but it explains the forces of the universe so elegantly that I think it's very likely to be true. All I can say is that I'm glad that not everyone thinks like atheists, else we'd still be living in caves & banging our heads against the wall.

Note: I neither believe in God nor actually think that ET life doesn't exist.

[LoneMateria]

So from what I can gather, atheists have chosen a position of denial or disbelief in God because there is no evidence for him. Atheism is a position based on lack of evidence, which I find stupid. How does this kind of thinking serve elsewhere? Take ET life for example: there is no evidence at all that it exists. Going by atheist logic, unless a borg cube holds orbit and destroys the white house then ET life is unreasonable & superstitious. I however, given the extremely vast number of planets and the fact that life has already formed, think it's quite likely that life is out there somewhere.

This also goes for theoretical physics. There is currently no evidence for string theory - but it explains the forces of the universe so elegantly that I think it's very likely to be true. All I can say is that I'm glad that not everyone thinks like atheists, else we'd still be living in caves & banging our heads against the wall.

Note: I neither believe in God nor actually think that ET life doesn't exist.

de-evolving into a troll now are you?  When it comes to ET's its AGNOSTICS are supposed to take that position not atheists.  After all agnostics claim you can't know.  Atheists take what evidence we have and come to a conclusion.  Many atheists think there is life out there (whether or not they visit us is a different matter) because of the numbers.  The universe contains 3 to 7 × 10^22 stars (30 to 70 sextillion stars) If the odds of life were one in a billion or a trillion there would still be tons of life in the Universe.  Though we don't know for certain what the exact odds there of life occurring, and even if the number was astronomically small there is still a statical chance for life in the universe.

[McQ]

So from what I can gather, atheists have chosen a position of denial or disbelief in God because there is no evidence for him. Atheism is a position based on lack of evidence, which I find stupid. How does this kind of thinking serve elsewhere? Take ET life for example: there is no evidence at all that it exists. Going by atheist logic, unless a borg cube holds orbit and destroys the white house then ET life is unreasonable & superstitious. I however, given the extremely vast number of planets and the fact that life has already formed, think it's quite likely that life is out there somewhere.

This also goes for theoretical physics. There is currently no evidence for string theory - but it explains the forces of the universe so elegantly that I think it's very likely to be true. All I can say is that I'm glad that not everyone thinks like atheists, else we'd still be living in caves & banging our heads against the wall.

Note: I neither believe in God nor actually think that ET life doesn't exist.

You've already received a warning for your boorish behavior here. What you are now attempting to do is bait people on the forum with strawman arguments (i.e. the position of ALL atheists), in which you are also attempting to be as insulting as possible. What is your problem with discussion? There are ways to discuss opinions, beliefs, and to make arguments without resorting to childish behavior. We might as well paraphrase you and say that we believe that an argument based on name-calling and insults is stupid. Get it?

I personally find it interesting that you used such a poor analogy with Borg cubes, ETs, the Drake Equation, and String Theory (about which I seriously doubt you have any detailed clue).

You have been given opportunities to discuss this rationally and have chosen not to do so. Because of this, you now have a second official warning to change your behavior or be banned from the forum. And really, being banned isn't a badge of honor, as many trolls think it is. So we welcome you to discuss topics with respect and civil discourse, or you can take it elsewhere.

[Aedus]

When it comes to ET's its AGNOSTICS are supposed to take that position not atheists.  After all agnostics claim you can't know.

I've yet to see an agnostic who crusades against ET life, Santa Claus, or the Tooth Fairy because there is a lack of evidence for them. Agnostics take no position on these issues.

Atheists take what evidence we have and come to a conclusion.

Which for ET life & God is none. But atheists only crusade against God's existence, not ET life.

Many atheists think there is life out there (whether or not they visit us is a different matter) because of the numbers.  The universe contains 3 to 7 × 10^22 stars (30 to 70 sextillion stars) If the odds of life were one in a billion or a trillion there would still be tons of life in the Universe.  Though we don't know for certain what the exact odds there of life occurring, and even if the number was astronomically small there is still a statical chance for life in the universe.

What is the statistical chance of God existing?  Even if the number was astronomically small there is still a statistical chance for God to exist. Your argument gets us nowhere.

What you are now attempting to do is bait people on the forum with strawman arguments (i.e. the position of ALL atheists)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism
"Atheists tend to lean towards skepticism regarding supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence."

You have been given opportunities to discuss this rationally and have chosen not to do so. Because of this, you now have a second official warning to change your behavior or be banned from the forum. And really, being banned isn't a badge of honor, as many trolls think it is. So we welcome you to discuss topics with respect and civil discourse, or you can take it elsewhere.

Fine, but I didn't directly insult anyone. Tell me, do you give out warnings for people who attack theism & theists on these boards? Or does that protection apply only to atheists?

I personally find it interesting that you used such a poor analogy with Borg cubes, ETs, the Drake Equation, and String Theory (about which I seriously doubt you have any detailed clue).

Personal attack. Or do you disagree with my statements about string theory?

[McQ]

When it comes to ET's its AGNOSTICS are supposed to take that position not atheists.  After all agnostics claim you can't know.

I've yet to see an agnostic who crusades against ET life, Santa Claus, or the Tooth Fairy because there is a lack of evidence for them. Agnostics take no position on these issues.

Atheists take what evidence we have and come to a conclusion.

Which for ET life & God is none. But atheists only crusade against God's existence, not ET life.

Many atheists think there is life out there (whether or not they visit us is a different matter) because of the numbers.  The universe contains 3 to 7 × 10^22 stars (30 to 70 sextillion stars) If the odds of life were one in a billion or a trillion there would still be tons of life in the Universe.  Though we don't know for certain what the exact odds there of life occurring, and even if the number was astronomically small there is still a statical chance for life in the universe.

What is the statistical chance of God existing?  Even if the number was astronomically small there is still a statistical chance for God to exist. Your argument gets us nowhere.

What you are now attempting to do is bait people on the forum with strawman arguments (i.e. the position of ALL atheists)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism
"Atheists tend to lean towards skepticism regarding supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence."

You have been given opportunities to discuss this rationally and have chosen not to do so. Because of this, you now have a second official warning to change your behavior or be banned from the forum. And really, being banned isn't a badge of honor, as many trolls think it is. So we welcome you to discuss topics with respect and civil discourse, or you can take it elsewhere.

Fine, but I didn't directly insult anyone. Tell me, do you give out warnings for people who attack theism & theists on these boards? Or does that protection apply only to atheists?

I personally find it interesting that you used such a poor analogy with Borg cubes, ETs, the Drake Equation, and String Theory (about which I seriously doubt you have any detailed clue).

Personal attack. Or do you disagree with my statements about string theory?

Four replies to your three statements directed to me:

1. Your Wiki reference means nothing and does not directly address what I said, hence even more proof your are trying to misrepresent atheists' views.

2. Yes, you did attempt to directly insult everyone who does not agree with you. Attempt. And we give out warnings to everyone who fails to comply with the forum rules and the requests of the moderators and administrators. We've banned atheists, christians, white, black, brights, trolls, spammers, agnostics...doesn't matter. And you have been given quite a bit of leniency to this point. Had you just stuck to something called good manners, you wouldn't be getting this message.

3. Don't know why you'd consider me telling you that you use poor analogies as a personal attack. You did, and it is not. My comment on String Theory is likely valid, given your general lack of meaningful discussion coming from you. I seriously doubt you have anything more than a basic understanding of String Theory. And I don't care, because if we were to try and discuss it, it would be useless anyway, since the top minds in cosmology have yet to form a consensus on it.

4. You are banned from the the forum for a period of one week, beginning in just a few minutes. Should you wish to return to the forum after that period, you are welcome to come back and participate as long as you maintain civil discourse, regardless of the topics discussed. Repeat offenses will simply result in a permanent ban from the forum.

[Will]

So from what I can gather, atheists have chosen a position of denial or disbelief in God because there is no evidence for him. Atheism is a position based on lack of evidence, which I find stupid.

Your opinion doesn't carry any weight with us yet, but calling us all stupid before building a very weak case is only going to lead us to the conclusion that you're not here to be a part of the community but rather simply to start trouble. That would be a waste of your time and ours.

How does this kind of thinking serve elsewhere? Take ET life for example: there is no evidence at all that it exists. Going by atheist logic, unless a borg cube holds orbit and destroys the white house then ET life is unreasonable & superstitious. I however, given the extremely vast number of planets and the fact that life has already formed, think it's quite likely that life is out there somewhere.

When was the last time someone flew planes into buildings because they thought ET wanted them to? When was the last time someone went broke donating money to the church of ET? When was the last time that ET inspired a collective effort to attack evolution?

[Squid]

I've yet to see an agnostic who crusades against ET life, Santa Claus, or the Tooth Fairy because there is a lack of evidence for them. Agnostics take no position on these issues.

False comparison, try again.

Which for ET life & God is none. But atheists only crusade against God's existence, not ET life

First, the word "crusade is a poor choice".  Second, the ONLY commonality between atheists is a lack of belief in god(s).  Thirdly, not all atheists think there is no possibility of ET life.  There is no consensus amongst all atheists about anything else but the existence of god(s).

What is the statistical chance of God existing?  Even if the number was astronomically small there is still a statistical chance for God to exist. Your argument gets us nowhere

.

If you know anything about statistics, you'd know that you must have proper assumptions upon which to base the calculations.  These assumptions themselves have no support when attempting to estimate the probability of something like the existence of a deity as evidence by a paper in the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society by Bartholomew (1988) *:

The difference between a fallacious deductive proof and a plausible inductive argument which lends support to a hypothesis may not be easy to define in practice.  However, since a deductive proof can only make explicit what is already implicit in the axioms of the system it is difficult to see how the whole idea could have any place in relation to a being who encompasses all systems (pp.153)

Fine, but I didn't directly insult anyone. Tell me, do you give out warnings for people who attack theism & theists on these boards? Or does that protection apply only to atheists?

The rules apply to all doucebags atheist or theist or anything else.  And yes, both theists and atheists have been banned.

* Bartholomew, D. (1988). Probability, statistics and theology.  Journal of Royal Statistical Society. Series A. (Statistics and Society), 151, 137-178.

[SSY]

The reason I, an atheist, do not believe in god, is the lack of evidence I have seen to indicate his existence. I do believe that ET life is very likely though. I base this belief on evidence.

The evidence is quite simple, we know life can form on planets, we know that there are many other planets, at other places in the universe, therefor, life could form out there in the universe, the matter of how much of it, and how likely it is etc etc are of course, completely different. Simple no? Feel free to reply when your ban is up.

[Ninteen45]

http://speculativeevolution.wikia.com/w ... Scenario_I

[Renegnicat]

Wow. It's like I can no longer contribute... the stuff that you guys are arguing about isn't absurd, it's not stupid or anything, but there's no longer any point of connection between that stuff and what I see.

...wow, I feel so lonely...  

[Whitney]

Wow. It's like I can no longer contribute... the stuff that you guys are arguing about isn't absurd, it's not stupid or anything, but there's no longer any point of connection between that stuff and what I see.

...wow, I feel so lonely...  

So...because you are a Buddhist it means you can't comment on if ET is superstition, likely, unlikely, confirmed etc? Hmm, doesn't sound like the Buddhists I know.

The OP, as written, isn't worth anyone's time spent.

[Renegnicat]

It certainly seems less relevant, Whitney.  

[Whitney]

It certainly seems less relevant, Whitney.  

Ok...whatever.

[Renegnicat]

Aww... I'm sorry. It's very relevant. Just not my cup of tea. Cheer up, please?  

[Ellainix]

Atheists don't believe in God because there is no evidence of God.

Proof for aliens:
1. Life exists on Earth.
2. There are planets is space that are similar to Earth or could sustain some of Earth's life forms.
3. Life could exist on other planets.

Because there is evidence of life existing PERIOD, it is not unreasonable to believe an unknown life-form exists in an unknown place.