Atheism is stupid

Self | 6-28-02 | Matt Festa

[B4Ranch]

The rights of individuals

Is there anywhere to recover the ones we've lost?

[The Enlightener]

I'll have to dig out my Non-Euclidian Geometry book, since it's been a bunch of years since I studied it. I can't remember any equations off the top of my head, but I do remember somehow ending up deriving maxwell's equations during one of our proofs, since it turns out that magnetic fields can be described as a series of lines are formed from two points(the poles), so when you derive the math you are actually describing the magnetic field--if you put in a factor for field strength(ie distance from the poles), you can derive the equations.

I'll post more examples later when I can get back to my books.

[Physicist]

Would like to hear more about this. Physicist, would you comment/can you confirm?

Can't say that I'm familiar with that one. Perhaps he's thinking of Euclid's postulate that parallel lines never meet (or meet at infinity, same thing). Dispensing with that one led Georg Riemann to devise differential geometry (AKA "Riemannian geometry"), which forms the basis of general relativity and several other useful formalisms.

[vannrox]

Once, a reporter asked noted physist Albert Einstein if he believed in God.

The great scientist stopped for a moment and thought about it and answered;

"Yes! Yes I do believe in God and a life after death..."

The reporter was stunned. And asked a follow up question.

"How can you possibly believe in something that is not scientifically proven? It is just hard for me to see a man such as yourself saying this..."

Einstein Smiled. He responded:

"...There is existance after death. You see, nothing in this universe can be destroyed. It can only change form..."

[Physicist]

If the earth was one degree more off its axis, we would have no seasons. If there were no Himalayan mountains, there could be no agriculture. If we were just a bit more close to the sun, life would be untenable. If there was a bit more nitrogen in the air, say bye bye.

"You see, there's no question whether Grape Nuts are right for you. It's whether you're right for Grape Nuts." --Wilford Brimley

[Cogadh na Sith]

Atheism is not stupid. It is absolutely, perfectly rational and logical.

That should be the first clue that something is wrong with it--none of the rest of the universe is absolutely, perfectly rational and logical.

As such, atheism is a product of the human intellect and specifically avoids the 'Holy'.

It's like the story of the guy looking for his car keys under the street lamp when asked where he lost them, he says: "Somewhere up the street, but the light is over here." God is in the place that cannot be illuminated by human thought.

As such, I am disgusted with seeing all kinds of crappy pseudo-science to somehow justify and prove God and faith through intellect. There is no reason for it, it is a waste of time and creates bad science.

Faith must only exist in spite of all evidence either for it or against it!

[Cogadh na Sith]

That is to say that I do not subscribe to any of the world religions. I've looked into them, I've wanted to join and become "one of the flock", but every time I run up into questions that don't make sense to me and that there are no answers to.

Do you really want a God that Billy Bob Bod can intellectually grasp in His entirety?

Do me a favor, will you? Get together with the preachers, the rabbis, the ministers, the Buddhists, the Hindi's and the Muslims, and come to some agreement on what it is I'm supposed to worship.

First start by finding all that isn't worthy of worship, in what remains, you'll have an answer.

[Physicist]

Faith must only exist in spite of all evidence either for it or against it!

Bingo. Reason and faith are orthogonal to each other.

Unlike the faithful, I myself don't know where I lost my keys. Looking under the streetlamps seems the best approch for me.

[Dimensio]

Atheism is not stupid. It is absolutely, perfectly rational and logical.

Atheism is the abscence of belief in deities. It is nothing more than that. It is an empty set, a descriptor for the lack of a property, it is to religion as bald is to hair colour.

[Dimensio]

Uh, do you have a citation for this alleged exchange?

[Dimensio]

The atheist denies the existence of God.

Of which god is existence being denied? You might as well claim a denial of the existence of "xwert". Without someone who holds belief in "xwert" to define it, the letter string has no meaning.

[Cogadh na Sith]

Bingo. Reason and faith are orthogonal to each other.

Actually, I don't believe they have any identifiable relationship to each other at all; Neither in harmony nor opposition; Neither precluding nor enforcing the other; utterly nonlinear.

Unlike the faithful, I myself don't know where I lost my keys. Looking under the streetlamps seems the best approch for me.

If you do happen to find them, keep looking.

[Cogadh na Sith]

Atheism is the abscence of belief in deities. It is nothing more than that. It is an empty set, a descriptor for the lack of a property, it is to religion as bald is to hair colour.

Sure, and it makes perfect, rational sense to the human mind. It's probably the only thing that makes perfect, rational sense. That fact alone should arouse suspicion...

[jejones]

...isn't the United States of America supposed to be about MAJORITY RULE?

No, America is about rights that individuals have just by virtue of being human, independent of government, which government cannot take away from them, even if the majority thinks it should.

[Dimensio]

Sure, and it makes perfect, rational sense to the human mind. It's probably the only thing that makes perfect, rational sense.

Not accepting a proposition without evidence for it is rational, I'll admit...though the "not accepting" part only comes into play when the proposition is presented. An atheist lacks belief in all deities, including those that have never been presented. Are you saying that it would be better to believe in something about which a person has never even heard? How would someone even go about believing in something without being informed of the concept?

That fact alone should arouse suspicion...

Why? What is wrong with being rational? What is wrong with not accepting unsupported assertions and not believing things of which you've never even heard at all?

[Festa]

you mean non-religious. You do not have to accept any religion to believe in God. All you have to do is think logically, use faith (based on fact and reason), and come to the conclusion. Ignore all the religions for now. Just focus on whether God exists.

[Festa]

why did I mess up in the essay and say good where I meant to say God?

[B4Ranch]

ROTFLMAO That takes in periods when we feel like idiots also, doesn't it?