Ask a Radical Atheist

skeptigirl said:
You mean if you interrupt or distort the electrical-chemical neuro-transmissions in your brain, that is what you think is the territory of gods?

Maybe you'd like to borrow one of my anatomy and physiology books. I think you might find that we've made a lot of scientific progress in the field of the brain. It isn't really all that mysterious as you might think.
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Hi Skeptigirl,

I don't personally believe in God. I was just advancing reasons why I think certain experiences can get labelled that way.

Nick
 
CFLarsen said:
skeptigirl said:
Well it is wrong because the Adam and Eve story doesn't say a thing about star dust or elementary particles or even atoms. You are fitting the evidence to the story by changing what the Bible actually says.
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And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Gen. 2.7
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If you want to criticize a point, it is a very good idea to do your homework first.
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I can't see Star Dust or Elementary particles or Atoms in that quote.
 
skeptigirl said:
Your conceptualization of "existence" is confused here.
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I don't think so.
Math 'exists' but is simply a concept. Most argue math does not exist except as a thought.
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That's still existence. It is not existence as a material thing, but I'm not aware that has to be a necessary quality of things that exist.

The United States may not technically be a real geographical place like a mountain is and borders might be arbitrary, but the United States physically exists. Because "America" can be seen, touched, and physically felt.
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In what way does it physically exist? Where can I go touch it?

The god concept certainly exists and has an impact.
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Agreed.

But that doesn't provide evidence that a real physical god exists.
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I don't think I said it did.

And if it is just a concept (which is what the evidence supports), then it is not the same as Monsanto or the United States.
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How not? Any quality a corporation or a nation can be said to have any particular god will also have, as I see it.

skeptigirl said:
God beliefs are just an idea.
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Isn't there a categorical difference between a simple idea- say, "I really like yellow"- and an idea that is shared, grows, evolves, replicates, and causes changes in the physical world?

If you wanted to compare god beliefs to democracy, on the one hand you could compare the philosophy of democracy. That would compare with your god concept. But we also refer to a physical government that accompanies that philosophy. There is no evidence of a physical god and that just leaves the philosophy part. One is in the real world the other is just in peoples' heads.
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What is a "physical government" though? It is a collection of people, acting under the guidance of and on behalf of the idea of democracy. How is this different from a church? Any "physical" manifestation "Democracy" has is shared by "god"- buildings, documents, electorates/congregations, statuary, what have you. You can no more touch "democracy" itself than you can god- you can only touch their respective artifacts.

This has a false underlying premise here, Piscivore. I already asked you and you ignored the question, does the fact a suicide bomber believes strongly enough in paradise with 72 virgins mean it must exist?
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Sorry. No, believing in something does not make it physically manifest. As I see it, the false underlying premise here is that you think something must be material to exist.

Again, are you even trying to think through what you are proposing here? By this reasoning if someone believes in a golden calf and builds a monument then there must be a golden calf god.
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There is. If you were there, you could even touch it, at least the artifact representing it. You could have spoken to its followers, learned about what the god thought was important, what it expected from its people, could have watched or participated in the rite that honoured it.

And what, did Zeus quit existing or will Jesus quit existing if people change to a new god in a couple more thousand years?
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They will cease to exist only if they are entirely forgotten.

How does believing in Santa make Santa real? You are not making any sense.
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Depends on what you mean by "real". If you mean will I ever be able to pull the beard of a 400 year old magical elf-saint that flies in a sleigh and personally delivers presents to all the good little children with his own flesh and blood hands- no.
If you mean something that is instantly recognisable to nearly everyone on earth, in whose name gifts are given, about whom stories are told, that entity that inspires good will and holiday cheer- yes, that is real. No less so because we create him.

Answer me this. Is "skeptigirl" a thing that is "real" in and of itself, independantly in the world, or is it something created by the workings of your brain cells? Do you doubt your own existence simply because what you "are" is just the result of some process?
 
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Nick227 said:
Bet you do really. Bet you just say you don't coz you think it looks cool. Probably say prayers and everything.

Nick
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I want you to know that skeptigirl was this close (my thumb and forefinger are really close, picture that) to flirting with me. Closest thing I'll have to sex this decade. You ruined it. You live with that knowledge.

Where's piggy anyway?
 
martu said:
I can't see Star Dust or Elementary particles or Atoms in that quote.
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The point of both is that we come from something we don't expect - at first. We don't think about it in our daily lives that we are, in fact, made of star stuff.

Likewise, the story of Adam and Eve is to remind us that we are creations of God - so don't get any ideas.
 
Piscivore said:
It doesn't matter- it would support Claus' point if it did so It Must Be So. He's a Skeptic, after all.
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Hey! What'd us skeptics ever do to you?

Not all of us argue just to get a check mark in the win column, you know.
 
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Piscivore said:
"Skeptic" means something very different to Claus than it means to you and I.
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Randi seems to agree with us. Otherwise he'd never dismiss a claim would he? Look at this week's SWIFT Mabus's claims are dismissed. Sometimes you decide the probabilty is 0.
 
Senex said:
He is living the rest of his life in the well deserved shame he deserves for mesiing with my love life.
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You have to take more control of your life, Senex man. Blaming me means you can't change it. All is not lost. You have to just say what you want to say to her.
 
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