citizen01

Ok... this is by a special request stemming from the abortion debate.

I think the best thing to do is to keep it very simple. First person to prove that god exists wins. Heck, just a shred of evidence will do.

draxcaliber

you can't prove that god exists because the very definition of faith is believing in something that cannot be proven.

that is why you can't mix religion and logic. they just don't mix.

captainlaziness

Evidence that God exists huh? The Bible. I win.

citizen01

That's ridiculous. To believe in something without any logical merit is defined as madness/dillusional. Are you saying that is what religion is?

seattledave

right, you can't mix religion and logic, rationale, reason, intelligence, or even reality.

citizen01

Last time I checked the bible was written by men and not god. So was Dr. Seuss books. Should I start a religion based on them?

citizen01

seattledave, I think we would get along famously.

tCTaco

iTrader: (1)

Who made me?......besides my dads sperm and my moms egg?

Why did Indians pray to the Sun before the white people came and killed them, raped the women, and change their beliefs?

Why does milk upset my stomach when I drink it outside in the Summer Heat?

and Finnally,

Does god really kill kittens when I **********?







If there is no god.......Then who is killing the Kittens?

captainlaziness

....mmmm....it's called "humor." You should look into it. And a religion based on Dr. Seuss books sounds like fun.

seattledave

What if I told you I heard voices?
you'd say I was crazy unless I was claiming it was a god. then yuo'd back off and say I was very religious.

Or say I believed the world is going to end with me and only very like minded people against everyone else in the entire world in a fight to the death to see who rules eternity. Again you'd say I was crazy unless I told you i was muslim or christian. then you'd back off and say I was very religious.

citizen01

Why do Indians pray to the sun? That is a great question and I'm glad you asked, in fact it corresponds with the who made me question?

When humanity can't explain something it is so easy to say that it was a higher power. Before we knew about nimbus and cumulus clouds etc there was a Rain god, lightning god etc... The Indians were relatively primitive like the greeks and thus they each had lightning gods. I'm not willing to accept "god did it" for where we come from but I can accept that maybe science hasn't found the answer yet.

draxcaliber

exactely. all religions originated in times of war, conflict and instability. they were a means of calming the masses and explaining the unknown.

if you behave in this life, some god will reward you after you die by taking you to heaven or giving you a harem with 72 virgins etc, but if you die, you will go to hell, or be reincarnated as a lesser creature... how can i prove it...well...a burning bush told me, or i heard it in a dream, or while meditating in a cave for forty days (why is it always 40 days?)

earthquake? god is angry, lightning? god is angry. dry growing season, the gods are angry. bountiful harvest, the gods are pleased etc.

the bible was written thousands of years after the events that they claimed happened. until then they were recited by mouth generation to generation. they were not written down as they happened.

so the bible is not proof of god.

seattledave

i'd pray to a god if i was actually going to get real superpowers after i die.(maybe even for 144 virgins)

BigMURR

Well the only solution to this dilemma is death. If your wrong then by most God based religions you will burn in hell; if not then your memories, beliefs, and being will no longer exist. (I would like to think there is more to the afterlife than that)

draxcaliber

oh snap, citizen01, you did NOT just call ancient greeks primitive! they were polytheistic pagan worshippers.

better becareful who you call primitives. don't make me call the geico cavemen on your @$$!

citizen01

Haha. Ok. I retract that in case there are any ancient greeks lurking around these forums. I wasn't worried because I hear they drive Hondas mostly.

draxcaliber

okay...for a debate...this is pretty onesided...

i'll just throw the only point i can remember, which is that just because you can't prove god exists, you haven't proved that he doesn't exist either.

somebody take that and run with it.

burstaneurysm

Wow... this can't end well.

I'm an atheist. I realize that there's a lot in the world and our history that can't really be explained, however, I don't feel that the way to explain these things is through a supreme being. It just doesn't work for me.
I'd rather not be able to explain something than lump all of the unexplained under this religion blanket.

Here's the thing... if it works for people, then more power to them. I'm certainly not going to argue about religion with someone who has faith, it whatever it may be. If belief in god is something that people need to give them a reason for being here, or a reason to live life, then let them have that.

If someone ever asks if they can tell you about their beliefs, they rarely want to hear about yours... politely tell them that it's not your thing and walk away. Perhaps it's cheap to avoid the conflict that is inevitable during a debate about religion, but that's how I handle it.

I really like this quote from Melvin Goes to Dinner... I highly recommend the movie to anyone.
"This belief thing kills me. It's like, all theological concepts are basically unprovable. So they invented faith. Which was genius!"
That pretty much sums it up.



Captain - do you want to start a Seussian religion?

seattledave

you can only prove something is.
you can not prove something isn't.

you took one science class in junior high and remember the scientific method, you'd know that.

That's the number one response ("prove he doesn't exist") that I've got when debating christians, and it just shows how unintelligent they can be.

Look, prove my magical fairy land doesn't exist. I'm not going to help you, and there's no actual parameters, nothing to test. just prove it.
see?

draxcaliber

i'm an alvian scientist. i believe in drinking, drinking and revenge.

alvis was the holiest man to ever slap iron, he killed for your sins!

some religions find alvis's love of guns and revenge kinda creepy.
well other religions can hash it out in hell for all eternity, alvis will smoke them b!^*#es!

now drink with me deeply of the bourbon wiskey and scotch until such that we are fightin drunk! then we shall find and beat the @$$'s of the unbelievers who ruined my feast!