All the atheists need to stfu. I want to hear what the theists have to say(cause it's gonna be so surprising ).
Confirmed what? Your belief? That claim IS valid.
But, that's it.
Agreed, your claim that you believe is substantial, to you.
Indoctrination into a religion is commonplace throughout the world.
How would gods live if I didn't exist?
...
"Indoctrination into a religion" has nothing to do with the question.
It was suggested that my belief (in God), was a belief in "absurdity".
...
Wouldn't it go without saying that to hold an absurd belief, indoctrination would be an effective means of effecting this?
I find that the OP is flawed in that it assumes that god does in fact exist.
And so, being flawed, I cannot answer the question as such.
I can say this however: I do live, and I live well.
That goes without saying, but so is a non-absurd belief.
In short there is no getting away from indoctrination, unless you isolate yourself.
It is a "question for theists", people who have a belief in God.
How does it assume "as fact" that God exists?
You mean you can't answer this question effectively, because it is not intended for you. Evidently.
I see your point regarding the intended audience, but this is a public forum...
"Indoctrination into a religion" has nothing to do with the question.
It was suggested that my belief (in God), was a belief in "absurdity".
A belief in gods IS a belief in 'absurdity,' and in most cases was probably a result of childhood indoctrination.
The belief itself is validated because you do believe, we can see that. The belief has nothing to do with the validity of gods existence.
Look deeply into what you're saying, you, like the others, are asking me to give evidence of my claim. My claim is, i believe God exists, not that I know God exists. Validation of my claim is confirmed when I, the claimant, comfirms it.
Do you know whether the bible or any other scripture has God's signature on it? Or is there something that you do actually know which leads you to believe God is not the inspiration behind scriptures?
And finally, why speak as though you are correct?
There is no scripture to my knowledge that says this, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. This is beside the point.Which part of any scripture teaches that lightening strikes are the works of an angry god?
Why is belief in "God" absurd?
Just repeating it over and over doesn't make it so.
How do you know?
Do you know what God's existence means?
Or are you waiting for that old grey bloke depicted by the Greeks, as God, to
to turn up?
Belief in the invisible and undetectable is what is repeated over and over, Jan.
That's what religion entails, the ongoing repetition reaffirming the belief.
Hence, theists like yourself continuously state, "God exists" while others respond, "That's absurd."
Repeating over and over that "God exists" doesn't make it so, either.
I'm waiting for anything at all that resembles anything YOU or any other theist claims about gods, Jan. Nothing to date has surfaced, as yet.
How many more centuries are you theists going to take to demonstrate your gods exist?
By this flawed logic anything can be validated.
By the way, did you know pigs can fly? My claim is, I believe pigs can fly, not that I know pigs can fly. Validation of my claim is confirmed when I, the claimant, confirms it.
Validated means to be proven true, as in the subject matter of the claim is validated (it's proven true). Proving that you made a claim is just smoke and mirrors to the real issue.
Ok, yes, you are making a valid claim. But arguing that you are, when the subject matter is in question (of the claim) is just redirection.
It is a rhetorical argument, and makes the claim's subject matter appear to have more credence. Everything anyone says is a valid claim (as in anyone is allowed to have a belief), so it is pointless to argue it.
Here's what it all boils down to: No one knows if God exists or not, but it is improbable.
If no one could deny the existence of God, one would not have to choose to have faith.
There is no scripture to my knowledge that says this, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. This is beside the point.
The point was that much of the supernatural has been proven by scientific theory.
Much of religion has been proven as the product of culture and philosophy of man because of the culture.
The only argument you have is that science and philosophy are the studies of God's universal laws, so man is merely uncovering God's selected mysteries that God's okay with revealing.
As I suspected. "I can't see God, therefore God does not exist. Your only other option is, "I don't believe in God, because I don't.
The former generally has reason, the latter reacts in that way because there is no reason, or argument to support their illogical, and irrational belief.
But, repeating, or not, does make my ACTUAL claim, the one you have trouble settling with, so.
So far, you are wrong, and I am right.
That would make no difference to you, as you can't actually see God.
From your perspective, none. Because you can't actually see him, or you won't believe, because, you won't.
Exactly the way I live now.
I am compassionate, scrupulously honest (and demand honesty from others), and non-violent except in extremis.
Few believers can say the same.
Why is it improbable?
Examples? (of science proving supernatural as natural)
I know, I was too. Keep trying.
I was in your shoes when I first came to sciforums years ago.
All my theist arguments I believed were good and challenging.... All the things I learned from the Bible, theologians, and apologeticists, were my ammunition. I was very strong in the faith.
What I thought was God got me through a lot of difficult trials in life. The idea of God was my crutch, it kept me sane. I could lean on it no matter what.
The thing is, when real life knocks, you must answer. You must come to terms with what you believe because you have been taught, and things you believe because you have tried. The answers are everywhere, we just have to keep looking and stumbling upon.
Keep fighting for the truth, whatever that means to you.
To say the majority of the world, the majority of the time, throughout history and ancient history, are classed as "believers".