@cystic:
As YB says, the myth of the tooth fairy is easily dispelled. For one to say that “it is impossible for the tooth fairy to have created the world” is something that is a little more difficult to dispell, except for the fact that our parents have announced that they ARE the tooth fairy, and they never created the world.
As the tooth fairy, there is an human being (well, some human being) behind every religion.
That would imply that you knew it. You might say “due to O’s Razor it is philosophically unlikely that the universe needs to have a creator”, but that is playing with likelyhoods based on your take on philosophy.
If there is no reason to believe in an intelligent design, if as we go further in science, everything seem to be natural, then how can you say it is unscientific to say god does exist ? How can it be unscientif to tell a theory is false when there is nothing to support it ? Science is the enemy of religion, when science gain knowledge, religion loose power. Just look how much god is small now.
With regards to YB’s argument based on 85% of the world, i think the point here is that God has obviously influenced a great many people, possibly many more than might be diagnosed schizophrenic/schizo-typal etc. If only 2-4% of the world believed in God and that corresponded to the numbers of people with mental illnesses, one might begin to suggest a correllation.
Here CC you support an argument just because it go by your side just like when you supported YB’s circular argument, which is not very logic. The fact that people believe something to be true does mean it is true. I cannot believe someone can use argumentum ad populum as anything near a method of understand what is true and what is false. Then why don’t you go outside asking people how to treat X sickness ? Most people don’t have the knowledge to be atheist, when you don’t know how nature work, how evolution and how logic work; god seem to be theonly answer. (note that i am not saying Theist lack education and logic, nor do they lack intelligence, i just think they lack objectivity).
Your argument against miracles because “the Shroud was not likely one” is also poor.
I never said that, but the Shround of Turin is a good exemple of how blind people are when they face religion. Also the argument of Miracles is by itself very poor… it is an argument for nothing. Lots of phenomean attributes in ancient time to god(s) are now scientificly explained. A mircales is something we don’t understand, and that we will likely understand someday, claiming it is some sort of divine message it what i call a lack of vision/objectivity.
YB’s reference to the existance of the Catholic Church is not that unsound.
I don’t believe you really support this kind of argument, this is using very poor, demagogic rethoric ! Just look at how christianism spread in the world ! Certainly not with tender words about god’s love. It is more an argument about the religion conformism, it does not change.
Also, has it been proven that opium and religious beliefs stimulate the same part of the brain? Or that the two have an identical effect? If we were to take a person in pain, sit him in a church for an hour, would that be worth an hour’s worth of a morphine-derivative? No, what a silly thing to say.
You misunderstood something in the opium analogy, religion is certainly not for physical pain. But for moral/psychological pain. It is far more easy to go in life, following some rules, don’t have to think about how the world came to existance, and to believe you will have eternity just for following some rules…
Also - please note that the New Testament and words of Jesus are significantly different than what the Israelites were ordered to do in order to establish their home. Jesus is very clear on the “no killing” bit - “turn the other cheek”, etc.
… still it is the same god, no ? Jesus is the messager of the god who give order to Joshua ?
Finally, your deft ability to counter an argument with “you’re a fool” does not seem as effective as some of your other ones. Are you slipping?
In fact it is full of logical fallacies, i don’t said he was a fool (only when he said he want communist to go on working camp). And no, i am not slipping, are you ? But when someone he saying that the fact most people on earth believe in god constitute an argument for religion; that is just really funny and the only answer i can give to that is; this is fallacious. If i say; X is the greatest genius, he did not believe in god, then god does not exist, that is clearly fallacious, what will you say to that ?
