Why is science wrong?

[MKJ]

MKJ,

Here is your claim with which I took issue...



It is clearly in error, because the only people who WOULD burn witches are those who have a belief that witches are real and should be destroyed. The ONLY people so disposed are those with beliefs in the supernatural - viz, the religious.

Well, not strictly. We know that in many cases people were falsely accused for reasons like personal vendettas or monetary benefit. And it is in fact possible to believe in witches without being a theist - believing in the "supernatural" isn't actually identical with theism or with religion.

However, given that the people who were involved in witch burnings in the Christian past were theists, I think we can let the sloppy thinking lie without it causing much trouble.

Do I claim that ALL theists will or have taken part in that ghastly practice...?

No....that is the inference that YOU have chosen to draw, in order to bolster your shoddy argument....

Now, if you wish, I can also demonstrate how the other horn of your case is errant nonsense as well...?

The difficulty is that you don't seem to have taken account of the fact that I was responding to a particular point, that is, the idea that we can talk about theism as if it is all one thing, but not atheism. That precisely was the idea that the actions of some theists can be taken to say something inherent about the general catagory theism.

If you don't mean to say that, why would you have bothered to contradict my pointing out that it doesn't make sense?

 

[biggles53]

Well, not strictly. We know that in many cases people were falsely accused for reasons like personal vendettas or monetary benefit.

In which case, they weren't witch killers - they were simple, common murderers....so stop stalling..

And it is in fact possible to believe in witches without being a theist - believing in the "supernatural" isn't actually identical with theism or with religion.

Oh stop quibbling...! Of course it is, you could find Buddhists, for example, who believe in witchcraft, but are these the people we're talking about..? I don't think so....you are already showing classic signs of someone losing an argument....get it over with, for Pete's sake....

However, given that the people who were involved in witch burnings in the Christian past were theists, I think we can let the sloppy thinking lie without it causing much trouble.

What you can do is allow that your argument is shredded...

The difficulty is that you don't seem to have taken account of the fact that I was responding to a particular point,

As was I....are you the only one permitted to do so...?

that is, the idea that we can talk about theism as if it is all one thing, but not atheism. That precisely was the idea that the actions of some theists can be taken to say something inherent about the general catagory theism.

A point which I have never attempted to refute...

If you don't mean to say that, why would you have bothered to contradict my pointing out that it doesn't make sense?

Because MY point was, and remains, that in order to be someone who agrees with burning witches, you need to be someone of a belief system that holds that witches exist....ie, a theist.

And you very conveniently amplified that point with your follow-up comment about AGREEING that people who make pacts with the devil should be so treated...!

 

[biggles53]

Now, the other part...

Well, the first statement is a bit simple, but its true so far as it goes. The Marxist undoubtedly murdered many clergy members during and after the Russian Revolution, more than a thousand clergy in the first five years. And they did so because of their Marxist beliefs, and atheism is an integral component of Marxism. And what's more, it was specifically their Marxist/atheist view of religion that was the justification behind those murders - it was the policy of the state to oppress and eliminate religion because it was untrue and seen as destructive.

Not only is your logic faulty, your knowledge of atheism lacking, but you also appear to have a schoolboy's understanding of Marx's views about religion....