Even Atheists Think That Atheists Are More Immoral.

[firstfloor]

You can assign meaning to anything. But will it ACTUALLY mean anything? Not in a godless universe.

[Tassman]

That is why there is a hell... And how is God authoritarian? Is He forcing you to love Him? To follow Him?

He's making you an offer you can't refuse, in true mafia style.

[Tassman]

Prove it, logically. And of course one wonders why the majority of humans, for the majority of history, even today, have believed in some form of the divine. Atheism certainly has not been the default position in practice.

For the "majority of humans, for the majority of history" the understanding where the sun went at night could only be explained by attributing it to all powerful deities. The gods were many and varied and it was only an accident of geography which god you ended up worshipping...it still is. More to the point, modern science is better equipped to explain these things than imaginary gods.

[seer]

He's making you an offer you can't refuse, in true mafia style.

Well you are refusing it.

[seer]

For the "majority of humans, for the majority of history" the understanding where the sun went at night could only be explained by attributing it to all powerful deities. The gods were many and varied and it was only an accident of geography which god you ended up worshipping...it still is. More to the point, modern science is better equipped to explain these things than imaginary gods.

Yet even today the majority of mankind is religious - atheism is a decidedly minority position. So atheism is not, and has not been, the default position.

[Roy]

Yet even today the majority of mankind is religious - atheism is a decidedly minority position. So atheism is not, and has not been, the default position.

Since default positions don't have to be the majority, or even the most common, your argument fails.

[seer]

Since default positions don't have to be the majority, or even the most common, your argument fails.

So, why then is atheism the default position? Based in what?

[Roy]

So, why then is atheism the default position?

I didn't say it was.

[seer]

I didn't say it was.

Well then Tass needs to explain because if it is not based on the majority position, or historical realities, then what is it based on? And you did say that default positions don't have to be the majority - I assume that in this case you must have a reason for asserting that - or you just said it for no good reason.

[JimL]

I think they need better PR!

For one thing, so what, that, if it be fact, has nothing to do with whether or not any religious belief is true or not. What it might tell you is why it is that we created religions in the first place.

[Charles]

I didn't say there was a problem, it is just not a logical reason. And emotion can be turned to do more harm than good.

Not in a nihilistic world. That follows by definition:-)

[seer]

Not in a nihilistic world. That follows by definition:-)

What?

[Charles]

And Charles, you said you were not an atheist - so what exactly are you?

I am an agnostic, but not in the most traditional sense. I think some God beyond the grasp of our understanding could exist. The Gods of established religions could not (in my opinion).

[seer]

I am an agnostic, but not in the most traditional sense. I think some God beyond the grasp of our understanding could exist. The God's of established religions could not (in my opinion).

OK...

[Charles]

OK...

You should try it, seer :-)