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For theism: "God, what is your religion?"

Started by LukevanVeith, October 08, 2011, 10:27:21 AM

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xSilverPhinx

Quote from: Tank on October 17, 2011, 10:48:04 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on October 16, 2011, 09:04:18 PM
Quote from: Tank on October 16, 2011, 10:20:20 AM

Now I could go on but I think that I have seen enough to reasonably conclude that your Faith is probably based on the use of one of the most notorious hallucinogenic drugs known.

There is a tendency among you to find the easy answer, jump on it, and triumphantly claim victory.  My faith is based on 40 years of experiences.  But, you've made up your mind, so I'm not going to try to change it.
Oh, so Goddidit! isn't the 'the easy answer, jump on it, and triumphantly claim victory'? It is isn't it? It's the simplest cop-out answer humanity can find in the face of the unexplained. And without further evidence that your Faith isn't based on the effects of a hallucinogen I will maintain that view. Why? Because it is the simpler view.
Case A) drug trip influenced by social and personal factors.
Case B) existence of God and that God decided to come into your life just after a drug trip influenced by social and personal factors.

The factors in case A are all verifiable, the God factor in case B is not varifiable, thus case A (a perfectly adaquate evidence based explanation) trumps case B. End of story, until other evidence is presented.

Expectation also plays a considerable part in suggestive states. I have a hard time taking people's religious experiences in churches, or while reading the bible, or maybe even when they're in a low point in their life seriously because of that.
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Ecurb Noselrub

Quote from: Norfolk And Chance on October 17, 2011, 10:25:39 AM

And you are always going to reject the atheist argument to everything. Proof of that is in your faith, because if you started agreeing with us your faith would be destroyed.

I venture to say that since becoming aware of the "new atheists" that I have agreed a lot more with what atheists have said than you have agreed with what Christians have said.  When I first read "The End Of Faith" by Sam Harris, I realized that essentially everything he said was right, other than the fact that I had (at that time) about 35 years of experience that showed me that my individual faith was valid. But everything he said about organized religion was true. 

If you can show me that my God does not objectively exist, I'll stop believing in him.  So far, after 7 years on various atheist fora, no one has done that.  But I'm open.

On the other hand, if I brought you a video of the resurrection, you would reject it. Admit it.

Quote from: Norfolk And Chance on October 17, 2011, 10:25:39 AM
While your experience undoubtably happened to you - well actually it mentally happened to you, in your head - there's just no reason to assume that god did it.

People think stuff all the time that isn't right, or that is wishful thinking, to downright delusion, is it god? Nope. My main point being how do we know you are different? How do you even know yourself?

I don't know. I believe. Two different things.  Faith is like my working hypothesis, and so far, so good.  I've got 40 years of experiences that lead me to believe.  I don't claim knowledge, only faith.  If the hypothesis is disproved, the faith will be destroyed - almost automatically, I assume.  But so far, nobody has disproved it.

Ecurb Noselrub

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 17, 2011, 08:36:51 PM
Expectation also plays a considerable part in suggestive states. I have a hard time taking people's religious experiences in churches, or while reading the bible, or maybe even when they're in a low point in their life seriously because of that.

Expectation does, in fact, pay a considerable part in suggestive states.  What about states in which there is no expectation?   What about states in which someone is not engaged in religious activity?