Why don't you believe in God?

[Krayzie 0ne]

Let me start off by saying that I'm a practicing, non-denominational Christian.

My questions to y'all: why do you not believe in God? (This is obviously directed to those who don't.)

Is it because of science, apparent biblical contradictions, philosophical arguments ... What?

And have any of you actually experimented this idea of God? If so, what were the results?

[Tuah]

I've seen no evidence to support the claim that a god exists.

[Krayzie 0ne]

Tuah

I've seen no evidence to support the claim that a god exists.

What evidence do you have for the heat produced by the sun?

[Arturos Knightblade]

Sir Alfred Muffin

Tuah

I've seen no evidence to support the claim that a god exists.

What evidence do you have for the heat produced by the sun?

Silly question. The fact that the sun produces heat can be empirically verified, the question of whether there is a God cannot be. I'm not really sure what sophistry you're trying here, but you're being dishonest if you're trying to argue these questions are the same. If you think there is convincing evidence of a God, by all means present it, or make your point clearer.

[Tuah]

Sir Alfred Muffin

Tuah

I've seen no evidence to support the claim that a god exists.

What evidence do you have for the heat produced by the sun?

Edited for lack of sarcasm.

I've never asserted that it produces heat. I don't have to provide evidence. However, if you're wondering why I accept that it is, it's for practical reasons. It is practical to accept what the actual scientific community accepts, because the scientific process is designed for understanding.

Not to mention, my personal observation and deduction has suggested it as well.

[Kessler Dusseldorf]

I fear that if I begin to believe in God, he will come to be and immediately damn me to hell.

[Ban]

Laplace said, "Je n'avais pas besoin de cette hypothèse-là." Roughly translated, "I have no need for that hypothesis." It isn't a scientific argument, insofar as I am not much of a scientist. It's simply parsimony. There has never been a compelling reason to believe in a deity, Abrahamic, Brahmic, Buddhist, Norse, Greek, Taoist, Shinto, or otherwise.

As to your second query, how does one experiment with this idea? Do you mean have I ever gone to a service? Have I ever studied religious texts? If so, then yes, though with the caveats of being very young at the time and in an academic setting, respectively. If you mean, have I ever tried to have faith in some concept I found fundamentally uncompelling, then the answer is no.

That seems like it would take a level of control over my own thought processes that I simply lack, or quite a lot of drugs, and I have the sense that you are not referring to that sort of religion.

[Krayzie 0ne]

Ban

Laplace said, "Je n'avais pas besoin de cette hypothèse-là." Roughly translated, "I have no need for that hypothesis." It isn't a scientific argument, insofar as I am not much of a scientist. It's simply parsimony. There has never been a compelling reason to believe in a deity, Abrahamic, Brahmic, Buddhist, Norse, Greek, Taoist, Shinto, or otherwise.

As to your second query, how does one experiment with this idea? Do you mean have I ever gone to a service? Have I ever studied religious texts? If so, then yes, though with the caveats of being very young at the time and in an academic setting, respectively. If you mean, have I ever tried to have faith in some concept I found fundamentally uncompelling, then the answer is no.

That seems like it would take a level of control over my own thought processes that I simply lack, or quite a lot of drugs, and I have the sense that you are not referring to that sort of religion.

I mean have you ever sat down, and attempted to speak to God? To pray to Him? To test His reality, based on personal experience, and not a text or logic?

[Arturos Knightblade]

Sir Alfred Muffin

Ban

Laplace said, "Je n'avais pas besoin de cette hypothèse-là." Roughly translated, "I have no need for that hypothesis." It isn't a scientific argument, insofar as I am not much of a scientist. It's simply parsimony. There has never been a compelling reason to believe in a deity, Abrahamic, Brahmic, Buddhist, Norse, Greek, Taoist, Shinto, or otherwise.

As to your second query, how does one experiment with this idea? Do you mean have I ever gone to a service? Have I ever studied religious texts? If so, then yes, though with the caveats of being very young at the time and in an academic setting, respectively. If you mean, have I ever tried to have faith in some concept I found fundamentally uncompelling, then the answer is no.

That seems like it would take a level of control over my own thought processes that I simply lack, or quite a lot of drugs, and I have the sense that you are not referring to that sort of religion.

I mean have you ever sat down, and attempted to speak to God? To pray to Him? To test His reality, based on personal experience, and not a text or logic?

What kind of test could you possibly do? What would falsify the hypothesis? If we pray to her, and she responds with a booming voice from the heavens, then that's proof of SOMETHING perhaps, but we can't rule out aliens or hallucinations. If she does not respond - would that necessarily mean she's not there? No. She could be there, but just be the kind of deity that doesn't answer prayers.

The idea isn't testable on principle, because empirical evidence works on falsification, and the idea cannot be falsified. What result would show that she doesn't exist?

[Ban]

Sir Alfred Muffin

I mean have you ever sat down, and attempted to speak to God? To pray to Him? To test His reality, based on personal experience, and not a text or logic?

Only insofar as this was a rote part of my youth, and the aforementioned services I have attended. My understanding of the thing is that the liminal experience of prayer requires some amount of faith to begin with, which I lack. Otherwise, it is simply much like talking to yourself.

I think, perhaps, if your goal is to convert or offer a suggestion of how to become Christian, you are going about it in the wrong way, and possibly addressing the wrong audience. Prayer, by itself, does not produce any sort of theophany. As a prerequisite, you have to desire such an experience.

Which I don't, really. I suppose that's kind of obvious when I implied I really don't seem to need any sense of the divine in my life. I'm perfectly happy without it.

[Krayzie 0ne]

Arturos Knightblade

What kind of test could you possibly do? What would falsify the hypothesis? If we pray to her, and she responds with a booming voice from the heavens, then that's proof of SOMETHING perhaps, but we can't rule out aliens or hallucinations. If she does not respond - would that necessarily mean she's not there? No. She could be there, but just be the kind of deity that doesn't answer prayers.

The idea isn't testable on principle, because empirical evidence works on falsification, and the idea cannot be falsified. What result would show that she doesn't exist?

I totally respect this answer, in which case I will cease this argument, for it will get nowhere.

[Krayzie 0ne]

Ban

Sir Alfred Muffin

I mean have you ever sat down, and attempted to speak to God? To pray to Him? To test His reality, based on personal experience, and not a text or logic?

Only insofar as this was a rote part of my youth, and the aforementioned services I have attended. My understanding of the thing is that the liminal experience of prayer requires some amount of faith to begin with, which I lack. Otherwise, it is simply much like talking to yourself.

I think, perhaps, if your goal is to convert or offer a suggestion of how to become Christian, you are going about it in the wrong way, and possibly addressing the wrong audience. Prayer, by itself, does not produce any sort of theophany. As a prerequisite, you have to desire such an experience.

Which I don't, really. I suppose that's kind of obvious when I implied I really don't seem to need any sense of the divine in my life. I'm perfectly happy without it.

I have found that it is useless to try and convert in any way other than in person, and those were not my intentions. Was just looking for intellectual conversation, and without a doubt you, and that other one on this thread, have destroyed me quicker than I anticipated. I applaud you for this.

But anyways, what denomination of "services" did you attend as a youth, if I might ask?

[Ban]

Sir Alfred Muffin

But anyways, what denomination of "services" did you attend as a youth, if I might ask?

Catholic. I wouldn't blame my apostasy on Rome, though.

[Nityananda-rama dasa]

Sir Alfred Muffin

apparent biblical contradictions

stare

[homobutt]

Sir Alfred Muffin

Let me start off by saying that I'm a practicing, non-denominational Christian.

My questions to y'all: why do you not believe in God? (This is obviously directed to those who don't.)

Is it because of science, apparent biblical contradictions, philosophical arguments ... What?

And have any of you actually experimented this idea of God? If so, what were the results?

Yes to all of those questions. I am an Athiest because of the scientific evidence against God and the incomprehensible paradoxes that would need to be ignored in order for me to be faithful, and the oppressive customs that have developed in most major religions. Everyone has the right to believe what they want to believe, but the Westboro Baptist sort of put me off the whole idea of religion.