Searching for GOD...

[Stranger]

It's just a colloquailism...

Exactly, it's even in the dictionary: criminal - informal (of an action or situation) deplorable and shocking.

[ippy]

Fraud
He's a danger to children and the feeble minded
His crimes are covered under the Chip Shop Law
ie : there's bloke works down the chipshop swears he's Elvis ......

In defence of A B, I really do think he's been subjected to some serious indoctrination at some time in the past, probably when very young, and it's, I would guess, also possible he's one of the percentage of those most susceptible to succumb to this form of treatment.

That's how A B comes over to me, and of course I could be wrong.

ippy 

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

My opinion of AB's posts is that they are smug, self-satisfied, arrogant, inane word salads. He is presented with courteous, clear arguments and explanations and blandly ignores them all, which I think is very bad mannered on his part.

Lots of smug, self-satisfied, arrogant atheist posters on here to balance things out - I think the arrogance is  part of this forum’s charm.

[ippy]

Lots of smug, self-satisfied, arrogant atheist posters on here to balance things out - I think the arrogance is  part of this forum’s charm.

Beats arsing about with semantics.

ippy

[Walter]

Beats arsing about with semantics.

ippy

Ding dong ! 

[Walter]

Lots of smug, self-satisfied, arrogant atheist posters on here to balance things out - I think the arrogance is  part of this forum’s charm.

I can only wonder what it's like to live in a religious delusion   
It must be really odd

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

Beats arsing about with semantics.

ippy

Sure - makes sense to stick to discussions your brain can cope with.

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

I can only wonder what it's like to live in a religious delusion   
It must be really odd

Life is odd.

It also seemed odd as an atheist.

Nothing wrong with odd either way - odd is interesting.

[Alan Burns]

My opinion of AB's posts is that they are smug, self-satisfied, arrogant, inane word salads. He is presented with courteous, clear arguments and explanations and blandly ignores them all, which I think is very bad mannered on his part.

It is, again in my opinion,  bordering on criminal that he does not learn, as I do, from the thousands of interesting, excellent responses he has received. More fool him.

Dear Susan,

I can't force myself to believe something I know is not true - namely the postulation that we are all just blobs of re constituted star debris entirely controlled by the unguided forces of nature.

[Walter]

Dear Susan,

I can't force myself to believe something I know is not true - namely the postulation that we are all just blobs of re constituted star debris entirely controlled by the unguided forces of nature.

Alan ,have you got a photo of me or something ? 

[ippy]

Dear Susan,

I can't force myself to believe something I know is not true - namely the postulation that we are all just blobs of re constituted star debris entirely controlled by the unguided forces of nature.

Why not? You've managed to make yourself believe there's such a thing as a soul?

Kind regards sad man, ippy

[Maeght]

Dear Susan,

I can't force myself to believe something I know is not true - namely the postulation that we are all just blobs of re constituted star debris entirely controlled by the unguided forces of nature.

Quite right, because that is something which is predetermined. You are not free to do this.

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

Quite right, because that is something which is predetermined. You are not free to do this.

And here we all are on this forum due to events in our past - enjoying trying to be the cause that determines someone else to change their world view or beliefs. Cosy isn’t it.

[SusanDoris]

In defence of A B, I really do think he's been subjected to some serious indoctrination at some time in the past, probably when very young, and it's, I would guess, also possible he's one of the percentage of those most susceptible to succumb to this form of treatment.

That's how A B comes over to me, and of course I could be wrong.

ippy

I could consider that if it were not for the fact that he just goes on and on and on posting the same stuff with no indication that he has even tried to consider the arguments in response to his - well, you can't call them arguments.

Why does he keep on posting on this thread? Where is it getting him? Does he think he is persuading anyone out there, i.e. browsers perhaps?  Does he think that he is earning bonus points for heaven? What would persuade him to give up posting on this thread, I wonder?!!

And the bottom line for me is always: if he's teaching children this stuff as truth, how can he justify it to himself?

[floo]

I could consider that if it were not for the fact that he just goes on and on and on posting the same stuff with no indication that he has even tried to consider the arguments in response to his - well, you can't call them arguments.

Why does he keep on posting on this thread? Where is it getting him? Does he think he is persuading anyone out there, i.e. browsers perhaps?  Does he think that he is earning bonus points for heaven? What would persuade him to give up posting on this thread, I wonder?!!

And the bottom line for me is always: if he's teaching children this stuff as truth, how can he justify it to himself?

AB has stated that god is requiring him to 'preach' to unbelievers. Maybe god should have found a more convincing representative to present its case.

[Stranger]

I can't force myself to believe something I know is not true - namely the postulation that we are all just blobs of re constituted star debris entirely controlled by the unguided forces of nature.

Yet you appear to lack the courage of your convictions, honesty, or ability (in some combination) to face up directly to the argument that you are (whether you have a soul or not) either a fully deterministic mind or one that includes some randomness.

This has been presented multiple times and in many ways and you've either totally ignored them, been blatantly dishonest in asserting that they are based on assuming a fully material mind (which is untrue), or just repeating the idiotic assertion that in order to consider it you'd have to use your will which means you have a soul.

Why are you afraid to tackle it head-on?

ETA: Oh, and I missed out your other evasion tactic: pretending that there is more than one sort of determinism (even though the concept has been explained to you many times).

[Alan Burns]

Yet you appear to lack the courage of your convictions, honesty, or ability (in some combination) to face up directly to the argument that you are (whether you have a soul or not) either a fully deterministic mind or one that includes some randomness.

This has been presented multiple times and in many ways and you've either totally ignored them, been blatantly dishonest in asserting that they are based on assuming a fully material mind (which is untrue), or just repeating the idiotic assertion that in order to consider it you'd have to use your will which means you have a soul.

Why are you afraid to tackle it head-on?

ETA: Oh, and I missed out your other evasion tactic: pretending that there is more than one sort of determinism (even though the concept has been explained to you many times).

I have been given knowledge of good and evil, and the freedom to choose between them.

[Stranger]

I have been given knowledge of good and evil, and the freedom to choose between them.

But not, it would seem, the courage, honesty, or ability (in some combination) to face up to logical arguments that clearly undermine your claims...

[ekim]

I have been given knowledge of good and evil, and the freedom to choose between them.

So, you're eating from the tree of the knowledge of goog and evil, you naughty boy!

[jjohnjil]

Dear Susan,

I can't force myself to believe something I know is not true - namely the postulation that we are all just blobs of re constituted star debris entirely controlled by the unguided forces of nature.

But I was under the impression that you think you can do, say or believe anything, no matter what has happened or you've learnt previously?  That would mean you can believe something that you know isn't true!

You know, your free will and all that.

[floo]

I have been given knowledge of good and evil, and the freedom to choose between them.

What would you consider good and bad? The Bible is full of bad things attributed to the god character.

[BeRational]

What would you consider good and bad? The Bible is full of bad things attributed to the god character.

Is slavery good or bad?

God certainly condones slavery in the bible.

[torridon]

Dear Susan,

I can't force myself to believe something I know is not true - namely the postulation that we are all just blobs of re constituted star debris entirely controlled by the unguided forces of nature.

Firstly, you don't have any superiority over everyone else to justify your claim to just 'know', implying others are somehow lesser beings.  I don't feel like I am just a blob of star debris either, but with a little humility we can stand our ego down and learn from others.  Nobody 'knows' anything with 100% objectivity; all we can do is assess evidence in the light of our personal experience to come to an opinion, and this surely must be true for all of us.

Secondly, why keep insisting that the forces of nature are unguided ?  The idea that a god with intentions and purpose in mind would create a random chaotic cosmos as a backdrop into which some secondary act of creation is then required to bring life into being despite the antipathetic nature of the broader host cosmos makes no sense to me.  If you want to believe in a god, surely it would be better to frame it as the forces or nature not being chaotic, not random, not unguided at all, but are in fact chosen purposefully to bring about life. Think of the beautiful symmetry of a spiral arm galaxy, or of a simple snowflake; these don't look like 'chaos' to me, they look like order, and yet they are the direct consequences the simple insentient forces of nature.  The laws of nature give rise to all manner of diversity and beauty at the levels of both life and non-life, why should a believer in god be so dismissive of his creation ?

[torridon]

I have been given knowledge of good and evil, and the freedom to choose between them.

Childish platitudes hardly do justice to Stranger's questions.

[floo]

Is slavery good or bad?

God certainly condones slavery in the bible.

Paul told slaves to honour their masters!