"Why I am Not a Christian"
Blue_Nose @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 2:35 pm
$1:
If we're wrong, no big deal.
It's a big deal if Zeus is pissed off being neglected for so long, or if God doesn't appreciate blind faith as much as some would like to hope.
Tricks @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 6:06 pm
lily lily:
One area where we Christians have the atheists beat...
If we're wrong, no big deal.
If they are....
oops.
Ah pascal's wager. Except if one does not truely believe in god, and he acts as if he does to get into heaven, he will be committing one of the 7 deadly sins (greed) and therefore, screwed either way.
If we're wrong, no big deal.
If they are....
oops.
romanP @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 6:22 pm
I think belief is a dangerous thing, whether you're the Pope or an atheist.
Blue_Nose @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 6:30 pm
So what does "oops" allude to?
Blue_Nose @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 6:52 pm
lily lily:
If you're right and there's no afterlife, then neither of us has lost anything.
If I'm right and there IS a Heaven, then maybe you won't get in.
Oops. That's all.
What if I get in for using my brain instead of dreaming up fairytales? There are a unlimited number of criteria you could come up with that might result in "getting in", so pretending yours is the best bet is silly.
If I'm right and there IS a Heaven, then maybe you won't get in.
Oops. That's all.
Blue_Nose @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:04 pm
lily lily:
Perhaps you're right.
Unfortunately, I don't have any dire consequences to allude to do scare people into believing I'm right.lily lily:
But calling my belief system a fairy tale and insinuating I don't use my brain seems kind of silly to me.
Don't Christians pride themselves on having faith in the unknowable? I figured you'd take that as a compliment.
Blue_Nose @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:28 pm
lily lily:
Blue_Nose Blue_Nose:
lily lily:
Perhaps you're right.
Unfortunately, I don't have any dire consequences to allude to do scare people into believing I'm right.Yeah... I've never gotten into that old "repent or die" thing myself.
Either that, or you're just gloating over your "one up" on Atheists in getting into Heaven... neither is particularly admirable.
Blue_Nose @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:34 pm
No, actually I asked you to clarify "oops" - remember?
Tricks @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:06 pm
lily lily:
No... a person that doesn't believe in God is an atheist, regardless of what he "pretends" to believe.
Then why is Pascal's wager a highly discussed topic if it's so essentially flawed?lily lily:
But calling my belief system a fairy tale and insinuating I don't use my brain seems kind of silly to me.
Actually it isn't. Where do you think the term "Leap of Faith" came from? Kierkegaard: Faith, not logic, is the basis of belief.
Blue_Nose @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:06 pm
"One area where we Christians have the atheists beat" sounds like gloating to me, and Pascal's Wager is specifically intended to scare agnostics and atheists into reconsidering their beliefs - it turns a search for truth into a search for the least probablity of getting screwed over for eternity.
Blue_Nose @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:09 pm
Tricks Tricks:
lily lily:
No... a person that doesn't believe in God is an atheist, regardless of what he "pretends" to believe.
Then why is Pascal's wager a highly discussed topic if it's so essentially flawed?...which is why the motive of anyone who brings the wager up is the real question.
Tricks @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:09 pm
Blue_Nose Blue_Nose:
"One area where we Christians have the atheists beat" sounds like gloating to me, and Pascal's Wager is specifically intended to scare agnostics and atheists into reconsidering their beliefs - it turns a search for truth into a search for the least probablity of getting screwed over for eternity.
R=UP Well put.
Tricks @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:09 pm
Blue_Nose Blue_Nose:
Tricks Tricks:
lily lily:
No... a person that doesn't believe in God is an atheist, regardless of what he "pretends" to believe.
Then why is Pascal's wager a highly discussed topic if it's so essentially flawed?...which is why the motive of anyone who brings the issue up should be questioned.
He loves Pascal's wager.
PluggyRug @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:22 pm
Tricks Tricks:
lily lily:
No... a person that doesn't believe in God is an atheist, regardless of what he "pretends" to believe.
Then why is Pascal's wager a highly discussed topic if it's so essentially flawed?lily lily:
But calling my belief system a fairy tale and insinuating I don't use my brain seems kind of silly to me.
Actually it isn't. Where do you think the term "Leap of Faith" came from? Kierkegaard: Faith, not logic, is the basis of belief.Thats why I'm taking a trip to Vulcan, need to get away from this "faith" thing.
Being an Agnostic, on the way back, I intend to stopover at the Agnos system for some cultural uplift.
Tricks @ Mon Feb 11, 2008 9:30 pm
lily lily:
Tricks Tricks:
lily lily:
No... a person that doesn't believe in God is an atheist, regardless of what he "pretends" to believe.
Then why is Pascal's wager a highly discussed topic if it's so essentially flawed?I didn't say it was flawed... I just said that your post didn't have anything to do with what I said.
$1:
$1:
lily lily:
But calling my belief system a fairy tale and insinuating I don't use my brain seems kind of silly to me.
Actually it isn't. Where do you think the term "Leap of Faith" came from? Kierkegaard: Faith, not logic, is the basis of belief.My beliefs are based on a combination of faith and logic. I don't see it as a fairy tale, and for someone to say so and then imply that I believers don't use their brains, i.e. they're stupid, is silly, and contrary to Blue_Nose's claim, it's not complimentary, it's insulting.
For him to continue and say that I'm being smug smacks of irony.
Definition:
belief that is not based on proof