Refuting Theistic Arguments

[Recusant]

Science is about testable hypotheses and theories. These should be falsifiable as well. That is, new evidence can "disprove" a theory.

A well designed experiment has a number of positive and negative controls that give more statistical and scientific weight to the conclusions reached. How on Earth could you control for these things when dealing with the supernatural when science can only test natural events? Any supernatural occurrence (if they actually do occur), are beyond the realm of scientific inquiry. They are not testable and they are not falsifiable.

Whether god or gods exist is not a scientific question.

Thank you, xSilverPhinx. My post was faulty. Yours is much better, which is to be expected. 

[Ricardo]

Science is about testable hypotheses and theories. These should be falsifiable as well. That is, new evidence can "disprove" a theory.

A well designed experiment has a number of positive and negative controls that give more statistical and scientific weight to the conclusions reached. How on Earth could you control for these things when dealing with the supernatural when science can only test natural events? Any supernatural occurrence (if they actually do occur), are beyond the realm of scientific inquiry. They are not testable and they are not falsifiable.

Whether god or gods exist is not a scientific question.

Seu Avatar ficou muito legal !
 xSilverPhinx: Thank you very much for the clarification!
Eu sou do interior do Estado de São Paulo !  que boa surpresa uma Brasileira ! 

  I don't think that in the past nine years there's been another Brazilian here.

We're taking over the internet.

[Ricardo]

Science is about testable hypotheses and theories. These should be falsifiable as well. That is, new evidence can "disprove" a theory.

A well designed experiment has a number of positive and negative controls that give more statistical and scientific weight to the conclusions reached. How on Earth could you control for these things when dealing with the supernatural when science can only test natural events? Any supernatural occurrence (if they actually do occur), are beyond the realm of scientific inquiry. They are not testable and they are not falsifiable.

Whether god or gods exist is not a scientific question.

Seu Avatar ficou muito legal !
 xSilverPhinx: Thank you very much for the clarification!
Eu sou do interior do Estado de São Paulo !  que boa surpresa uma Brasileira ! 

  I don't think that in the past nine years there's been another Brazilian here.

We're taking over the internet
Your Avatar is very cool! 

[Ecurb Noselrub]

Just say "you can't prove that God does exist" and then invite them for a beer at your local oasis and talk about College Football.

[Icarus]

Good suggestion Bruce.  Are you emotionally attached to a particular college team?

I am a Univ. of Florida alumni so I have to be a die hard Gator fan.  ( WHoopee! My Gators defeated #7 Auburn this afternoon)

[Ecurb Noselrub]

Good suggestion Bruce.  Are you emotionally attached to a particular college team?

I am a Univ. of Florida alumni so I have to be a die hard Gator fan.  ( WHoopee! My Gators defeated #7 Auburn this afternoon)

Baylor (D-1 - 5-0 right now)
Mary Hardin Baylor (D-3, 4-0 right now, defending National Champions, ranked No. 1).

These are my two alma maters.  I played football in high school and love the game, violent as it is.

[xSilverPhinx]

Your Avatar is very cool! 

Thank you, I like it very much. I like googly eyes, they basically express what I'm feeling most of the time.

[xSilverPhinx]

Science is about testable hypotheses and theories. These should be falsifiable as well. That is, new evidence can "disprove" a theory.

A well designed experiment has a number of positive and negative controls that give more statistical and scientific weight to the conclusions reached. How on Earth could you control for these things when dealing with the supernatural when science can only test natural events? Any supernatural occurrence (if they actually do occur), are beyond the realm of scientific inquiry. They are not testable and they are not falsifiable.

Whether god or gods exist is not a scientific question.

xSilverPhinx: Thank you very much for the clarification!
Eu sou do interior do Estado de São Paulo !  que boa surpresa uma Brasileira ! 

  I don't think that in the past nine years there's been another Brazilian here.

We're taking over the internet.

Soon there will be gazillions of Brazilians here.

[xSilverPhinx]

Science is about testable hypotheses and theories. These should be falsifiable as well. That is, new evidence can "disprove" a theory.

A well designed experiment has a number of positive and negative controls that give more statistical and scientific weight to the conclusions reached. How on Earth could you control for these things when dealing with the supernatural when science can only test natural events? Any supernatural occurrence (if they actually do occur), are beyond the realm of scientific inquiry. They are not testable and they are not falsifiable.

Whether god or gods exist is not a scientific question.

Thank you, xSilverPhinx. My post was faulty. Yours is much better, which is to be expected. 

Thanks, Recusant. I couldn't find fault with your post, I thought it was pretty accurate. 

[Ricardo]

 So do theists believe in something that doesn't exist? would it be a self-delusion? Can this be harmful to others?

[Bad Penny II]

So do theists believe in something that doesn't exist? would it be a self-delusion? Can this be harmful to others?

No, I don't think so, I've never heard of a theist hurting anyone 'cause of their delusion, couldn't happen, their delusion's about niceness, how could that possibly turn to not niceness?

[Bluenose]

In my view I agree with the idea that lack of evidence can be evidence of lack.  In the case of gods the lack of evidence does indeed approach the status of evidence of lack.  Personally I think the probability of there being any gods to be so low as to effectively be zero, just not *quite* zero.  So, I don't waste my time wondering if there are any gods, I simply choose to live my life under the assumption that none do exist.  In the unlikely event that some actual evidence ever gets produced in favour of some god's existence, then and only then I will review my opinion based on the strength of that evidence.  However religion has had thousands of years to come up with such evidence and so far all it has managed is self delusion, logical fallacies and sophistry so I'm not concerned that such evidence is imminent.

[Bluenose]

So do theists believe in something that doesn't exist? would it be a self-delusion? Can this be harmful to others?

No, I don't think so, I've never heard of a theist hurting anyone 'cause of their delusion, couldn't happen, their delusion's about niceness, how could that possibly turn to not niceness?

Indeed, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition...

[Bad Penny II]

Have we proved the sun isn't Ra in his sun boat yet?
I don't know, I don't know how southern hemisphere people fit into this.
We could be in the underworld, only see him in his night boat.
Maybe, it is very shiny though, anyway whatever the wise ones decide I'll go along with.

[xSilverPhinx]

In my view I agree with the idea that lack of evidence can be evidence of lack.  In the case of gods the lack of evidence does indeed approach the status of evidence of lack.  Personally I think the probability of there being any gods to be so low as to effectively be zero, just not *quite* zero.  So, I don't waste my time wondering if there are any gods, I simply choose to live my life under the assumption that none do exist.  In the unlikely event that some actual evidence ever gets produced in favour of some god's existence, then and only then I will review my opinion based on the strength of that evidence.  However religion has had thousands of years to come up with such evidence and so far all it has managed is self delusion, logical fallacies and sophistry so I'm not concerned that such evidence is imminent.

You know, if it weren't for the earphone pixies that constantly leave my earphones in knots whenever I leave them in my bag overnight I would agree with you. I don't have direct evidence they're there -- I've never seen any of them --  but I just know they're responsible and I curse them every time I get my earphones out.