I don't get it

Quote: FrGamble

The whole atheism idea. I don't get it.

You're making three big mistakes about this:

1) You assume there is an atheist ideology encoded in the belief that there is no god. This is simply not the case. There are organized atheist groups who may hold any of a number of different ideologies, but that's a different matter. Atheism is not a religion. There is no atheist ideology like there is a Christian ideology.

2) You keep trying to determine how atheists can do religion without believing in god. The answer is simple: most of us don't do religion, period.

3) You've ignored about everything I've written on this board.

The last is inexcusable :)

Quote: FrGamble

All of which is quickly and summarily dismissed by atheists.

I'm sure you're familiar with the concept of fallacy.

I've learned that in arguments it's better to dismiss fallacies rather than to try to disprove them. Otherwise the argument becomes about the fallacy, and you get bogged down in the nitpicking of minutiae and punctuation among ever more outrageous analogies.

If God is all-powerful and all-knowing, and wants us to do things a certain way, why doesn't he just simply tell us?

A physical manifestation and a demonstration of god-like powers (like teleporting people around the room, or manifesting in front of everybody simultaneously from thin air so you could look around and see other people talking to the same manifestation) would quickly silence any doubters.

Happy as a bug in the rug. ... Does the bug believe in a Heaven? Has he already found it?
how about a bug in a clock? Does the bug believe there is a clock maker; does the bug aspire to meet the clock maker?

Quote: Nareed

I'm sure you're familiar with the concept of fallacy.

I've learned that in arguments it's better to dismiss fallacies rather than to try to disprove them. Otherwise the argument becomes about the fallacy, and you get bogged down in the nitpicking of minutiae and punctuation among ever more outrageous analogies.

Aha, using your words I have my excuse for the third big mistake you claim I've made above.

Did the clock maker give the bug rules to live by?

Quote: Fleastiff

Happy as a bug in the rug. ... Does the bug believe in a Heaven? Has he already found it?
how about a bug in a clock? Does the bug believe there is a clock maker; does the bug aspire to meet the clock maker?

fine I guess if your happy just being a bug or a flea.

Quote: Dalex64

A physical manifestation and a demonstration of god-like powers (like teleporting people around the room, or manifesting in front of everybody simultaneously from thin air so you could look around and see other people talking to the same manifestation) would quickly silence any doubters.

Do you really think that this is they way in which people would come to believe? Do you think this would really work?

Quote: FrGamble

Aha, using your words I have my excuse for the third big mistake you claim I've made above.

I would believe that, from your relativistic perspective, had you not expressed agreement a number of times in the past.

As they say in chess: "Check"

Quote: FrGamble

Do you really think that this is they way in which people would come to believe? Do you think this would really work?

Yes, I think that would easily convince most people. Simple, straight-forward, obvious, clear. No need to believe anyone else, just believe yourself. Seeing with your own eyes.

The rest might think it was extraterrestrials with technology so far beyond ours that they appeared to be gods.