User:Axiom/reason
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Common Reactions
Atheism is a religion
Atheism is a religion, like not collecting stamps is a hobby.
Indeed strong atheism may be considered a dogma, but weak atheism, or agnostic atheism does not need to explicitly deny all forms of God, it merely rejects the the specific forms that people believe in which have contradictory evidence, and states that because there is no positive evidence for any such being, there is not reason to assume one.
One belief without evidence is good as another
There is no evidence either way for the existence of God, therefore our respective beliefs are equiprobable. Holding a belief either way requires evidence.
The problem is not as much believing something without evidence, but believing in things for which no evidence will ever be possible, or for which there is an overwhelming amount of contradictory evidence.
Belief in evolution is an act of faith
It takes more faith to believe that all the marvelous complexity around us is the product of complete chance, than to believe that it was designed by an all-wise, all-powerful being.
In fact belief that the world is more than 6,000 years old, that there have been creatures on it for a very long time, and that some creatures evolved from other creatures does not require faith, because we have evidence.
Cite evidence for evolution, creation. The blind watchmaker. God of the Gaps
Noah's Flood explains the fossil record
No. First of of such explanations do not make sense, and secondly there is no evidence that such a world-wide flood has taken place. See Flood geology.
Given the theory of life-from non-life is unprecedented, but, when you look at the evidence, it is obvious that some kind of evolution has occurred. Layers upon layers of fossils were not laid down in a few days. Indeed, it takes a lot more faith to believe that all life we see now was created in 6 days, little more than 6,000 years ago.
- If the big bang was true, what happened before?
God of the Gaps. Note how much of a simpler question we have been reduced to, rather than ID vs. evolution
- Can we be good without God?
Morality comes from religion, and all men have a sense of it.
Nautral: Morality in fact does not derive from religion, certainly not the Bible (how would we know what parts of the Bible were wrong?) Morality is a collective human construction whose zietgeist (cite Dawkins) changes over time
The Bible
Prophecies prove that the Bible is true
Astronomy
If we can see the stages of the birth and death of stars throughout our universe, why should we assume that our sun was simply created on a Wednesday morning a few thousand years ago? Also, if stars in the rest of the universe are known to die (also [3]), why should we assume that being inhabiting other worlds are immortal?
Conclusions
| Natural | Supernatural |
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Adventism
- EGW Fox sisters
Show quote and history
Natural: EGW was wrong.
Supernatural: Fox Sisters were lying when they confessed
- Catalepsy
Nautral: Old acusation. Inconsistant symptom. (point to beautiful works)
Supernautral: Cite other cases, visions of 'heaven' common, religios devotion
Books
Critique of Pure Reason
Immanuel Kant, 1781
This book looks at reason and attempt to "bridge rationalism with empiricism".
Though Kant holds reason as supreme, and rejects miracles, and the veracity of any specific religious tradition, he concludes in the end that there is a God, though he lies beyond where pure reason can get at Him. In fact he argues that it is fruitless to attempt to know anything about God, from our natural experience alone, because the supernatural by its very definition is beyond that which we can experience.
Nevertheless, God, Kant claims, must exist, because of morality.
Kant postulates that all humans seek happiness (or the greatest good, Summum bonum),which can only be found in living a just life. If God, or the afterlife did not exist, it would not be possible to reach the greatest good, and our morality would have no basis. Kant than talks about the limits of pure reason, and what it is good for (negative statements, and guarding against error), and that moral reason can give something that pure reason cannot, that is positive knowledge. Therefore, Kant concludes, that God must exist, not with logical certainty, but with moral certainty.
Kant was heavily influenced by David Hume's skepticism, and agreed with him that neither God not the afterlife could be known though pure reason, since these were "things in themselves", or ultimate realities. Kant believed that the only way to allow room for faith, was to deny the absolute knowledge of these things was impossible.
The Problem of Pain
- Nebulous Intentions
