How do you know it is the truth?
Especially when it comes to things like existence of God?
How can you have evidence for God?
- Thread starter Norsefire
- Start date
How do you know it is the truth?
Especially when it comes to things like existence of God?
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
To be noted that many people who consider themselves theists say the same.
You have probably heard them say things like "I believe in God, even if it doesn't make me happy", "I don't believe in God just because it would make me happy", "God is not in the business of making people happy".
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
I can't prove that God doesn't exist so logically I can't know for sure.
But I think it's absolutely ridiculous to believe he does exist without any evidence as it flies in the face of common sense.
Fine, but what's your point ?
Perhaps they have evidence. Perhaps it requires special qualification to gather that evidence. Perhaps that evidence cannot be gathered overnight.
Bottomline, we don't know about theists for sure. We can't know what exactly goes on for another person; we just suspect that it is pretty much the same as for us. But given the versatility of what people on this planet are like, this suspicion is quite unbased.
And as for "common sense" - Whose brand of "common sense" is the relevant one?
The notion that happiness and truth are mutually exlusive, at least sometimes, is not limited to atheism, and can be found among theists as well. Which suggests that those theists have not chosen happiness over truth - even though some atheists argue that this is precisely what some theists do: choose happiness (delusion) over truth.
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
Not that crap again..
Are you a theist ? Why not ?
I am not questioning what goes on in peoples minds.
Let me put it this way: $$God = {unlikely}^{infinity}$$
I think you were the one making that point though..
snake river rufus
Registered Senior Member
All of the creationists make that claim.
snake river rufus
Registered Senior Member
I'll say "very good". Truth is always the better option. Not always the most pleasant, but always better.
snake river rufus
Registered Senior Member
Actually it presumes that the person is unwilling to accept the truth.
Are you suggesting that the universe is not hostile to humans? Just how many other places in this universe can humans live with only your god's help? What qualifacations do you have to judge my (or anyone else's) happiness?
Really? Creationists say they are superstitious and that superstition caused the creation of Earth etc.?
How do you know it is the truth?
So they do already know the truth, but they close their eyes to it?
How do you know they know the truth?
Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. Sometimes, the food and the air are good and sometimes there are no meteorites threatening to collide with Earth and so on.
I don't have a god, so ...
Am I judging your happiness?
Why crap? It is a perfectly legitimate objection.
I don't consider myself a theist. I don't have such love for God that I would consider myself a theist.
But then there can also be no allegations or claims as to whether theists are delusional, whether they act on common sense or not, etc.
In post 92, it was you who brought up this issue of truth, delusion and happiness in response to my previous post, 91.
Although my point in post 91 was simple, and many people have experience of it. For example, once you learned to cook better, you had no desire to go back to the way you used to cook, did you? And there is no doubt that the food you cook now, after having gained some expertise, is better than the one you cooked before, right?
If anything, what some atheists are suggesting is basically that we satisfy ourselves with a certain level of expertise and look no more, aim no higher; that we lower our standards of how meaningful and how happy life can be.
Your post only demonstrates that you know nothing about science and are a believer in creationism.
I believe you are simple minded because you refuse to entertain ideas that differ from yours. This thread is titled "How can you have evidence for God?". I have presented some evidence (not proof) without actually endorsing either side of this argument. My stance all along is that the possiblity exists. However, since it didn't agree with your idealogy you immediately labled me a "desert dwelling pious holy man". If you knew me at all you'd know how absurd that statement is but that doesn't matter to you. Rather than have an intelligent debate with an open mind you want to marginalize anyone who doesn't agree with you and pass them off as a crazy person with a hidden agenda. If you listen only to people who echo your opinions it will be impossible to learn anything. Contrast your response to the reponse I've received from Crunchy Cat. While he/she hasn't necessarily convinced me of anything, I do respect the well thought out informed argument. You just want to call people names.
It is a possibility, just as it is a possibility we exist because we were blown out of the nose of a giant alien creature or were crapped out its ass.
Definite possibilities.
What you don't understand is that a whirlwind cannot blow through a junkyard, resulting in a completed and functioning Boeing 747. That is creationism.
You and spidergoat should head out for some coffee. You'd probably really enjoy listening to each other make things up about people who don't agree with you. I've already presented two scientific laws, the law of conservation of matter and the law of conservation of energy. Both of which state the neither matter nor energy can be created. Since both matter and energy exists, something outside of those laws must have created them.
What evidence?