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I assure you that having a different worldview than yourself does not mean that I don't care about life. No need to be concerned. I care very much about life and am completely willing to do so.I'm not offended, I just know when to stop talking to someone who is unwilling to care about life.
I assure you that having a different worldview than yourself does not mean that I don't care about life. No need to be concerned. I care very much about life and am completely willing to do so.
I imagine that it's difficult or even impossible for someone who thinks there's absolute truth to comprehend that a person could glean existential meaning and fulfillment in the absence of it, or even find the will to care about these questions to begin with. That's absolutely fine.How can you care about life if you accept that we can never find the absolute truth about life?
The point is then subjective. We construct meaning.If you accept that the absolute truth can never be found then you accept that there might not be an absolute truth and if there is no absolute truth, what is the point?
I imagine that it's difficult or even impossible for someone who thinks there's absolute truth to comprehend that a person could glean existential meaning and fulfillment in the absence of it, or even find the will to care about these questions to begin with. That's absolutely fine.
The point is then subjective. We construct meaning.
In the context of your belief system, I suppose this would necessarily be a true statement. But no, I do not believe that life is pointless.You must believe there is no point to life.
Not a supernatural one, no. I submit to human authority figures, of course.Do you believe there is an authority beyond yourself that you should submit to?
Well, just for example, the theory of evolution could be shown to be false by finding fossils in rock layers and with dates that make no sense, like a Precambrian Homo Erectus.
The big bang theory could be falsified by showing that the universe is not expanding, by showing a galaxy distribution inconsistent with a singularity, and there's probably more (astrophysics is not exactly my wheelhouse).
Falsifiability is an absolute necessity for any scientific theory. If you cannot provide falsification criteria for your idea, what that means is that your idea makes no testable predictions about reality, which in turn means that regardless of whether it is true or not (and "unfalsifiable" means we can never find out and thus must assume that it is not through basic skepticism), it is useless. It does not help us understand reality in any way.
In the context of your belief system, I suppose this would necessarily be a true statement. But no, I do not believe that life is pointless.
Not a supernatural one, no. I submit to human authority figures, of course.
Even the most authoritative human figures are not perfect, so why submit to them? Wouldn't you want to submit to the authority of a perfect truth, rather than an imperfect human who is just claiming to be the authority? Why do you think power corrupts? Is it because human's can't be trusted with too much power. Wouldn't you want to let all power go to something that is perfect, rather than imperfect? If so you must believe perfection is possible, yet humans can't achieve perfection, so what can be perfect? I have an answer to this question, do you?
Then why ask for me to explain it?
Is that the universegod that zaps people with lightning bolts?
Because your gods are untestable and unfalsifiable.
I don't.Consider this:
If we believe there is an ultimate authority,
I don't believe there is one.how can we know the authority we submit to is the ultimate authority?
I do.The only way to know is to question the authority we submit to. [...] If your authority is man made law, question this authority to the fullest.
Many people do not come to this conclusion, including myself.After you've fully questioned the authority you submit to you will realize the ultimate authority is Truth
No, I will not. This is not my belief.and that Truth is God and the only question that will remain is if you'll submit your ALL - heart, soul and mind to the Truth of God's authority.
I disagree that I fit into this. Attempting to fit my beliefs into the framework of a different belief system is only going to lead to confusion and inaccurate assessments. I suggest you take it for what it is.I believe you fit in here somewhere, it's up to you to recognize where.
I'm an atheist, and I care about life.How can you care about life if you accept that we can never find the absolute truth about life? If you accept that the absolute truth can never be found then you accept that there might not be an absolute truth and if there is no absolute truth, what is the point? You must believe there is no point to life.
I believe the "point" to life is likely what you believe the "point" to life is: family, relationships, charity, empathy, pleasure, experience, etc.
Because that's how we keep order in society.Even the most authoritative human figures are not perfect, so why submit to them?
I do not believe that such an authority figure exists.Wouldn't you want to submit to the authority of a perfect truth, rather than an imperfect human who is just claiming to be the authority?
That's the basis of many novels.Why do you think power corrupts? Is it because human's can't be trusted with too much power. Wouldn't you want to let all power go to something that is perfect, rather than imperfect?
That's a mighty non sequitur. You're also coming across as if we're in a pastoral therapy session or a Sunday school class. We're not.If so you must believe perfection is possible, yet humans can't achieve perfection, so what can be perfect? I have an answer to this question, do you?
Beliefs are based on evidence, or at least they should be.I'm glad you used the word "believe". Belief is powerful. Unfortunately, atheists acknowledge the possibility of God, but they refuse to believe in that possibility and rather choose to believe God is impossible simply because there is no evidence or proof. This is the same as saying you believe the possible is impossible, how far would science get if every scientist believed the possible was impossible? I'd guess we wouldn't get anywhere. Do we need evidence or proof to believe that we exist? No, so why should we expect evidence or proof to believe that God exists? Can you see that it all comes down to belief?
Beliefs are based on evidence, or at least they should be.
It is my understanding, in terms of neuroscience, that it is more accurate to say that "my brain thinks, and therefore creates a phenomenal self as needed"....
Are you kidding me? "I think therefore I am". The existence of one's own consciousness is the single most trivially obvious statement in all of philosophy. It's essentially the only statement about anything one can make without presupposing more than the logical absolutes.
Indeed.The consciousness of anyone else? That's a much harder philosophical problem; however, not one that is unanswerable by neuroscience.
Replace "God" with "Bob," and you're nowhere nearer understanding reality.The problem is that everyone has a subjective way of interpreting "evidence', and even the term itself becomes subjective. There's plenty of historical evidence of humans writing about an influence on their life called "God" since the dawn of recorded human history. Plenty of atheists report meeting God during NDE events.
Replace "God" with "Bob," and you're nowhere nearer understanding reality.
"God" is that placeholder used by humans when they've run out of evidence.
I do not see how it is applicable. The burden of demonstrating that is on you.I'm asking you to explain how that term is even applicable in this case, <snip off-topic text>
That the universe exists in not in dispute.Ultimately I suppose so.
Nah. All the properties I've ascribed to the universe are completely empirical and they exist in nature.
That you project your concept of awareness onto the universe does not make it true.Even awareness shows up on Earth in a wide variety of various forms.<snip off-topic text>
But not having full understanding of something doesn't preclude the faithful from condemning people to hell, collecting tithes, hatred towards homosexuals and the occasional jihad, does it?Placeholder terms are used all the time in science. What do you think the term 'dark energy' is? The fact we don't have a full understanding of something doesn't preclude us from using placeholder terms in science.
Beliefs are based on evidence, or at least they should be.
Are you saying that if I believe tiny hamsters power my car's engine, there's a possibility it's true?
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