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Bringing you atheist articles and building active godless communities takes hundreds of hours and resources each month. If you find any joy or stimulation at Atheist Republic, please consider becoming a Supporting Member with a recurring monthly donation of your choosing, between a cup of tea and a good dinner.
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"He brings out the fact that Athiests go out of their way to ignore evidence"
You mean the way you're ignoring every instance of prayers that fail in favour of the odd one or two that end favourably, refusing to believe the few favourable outcomes are luck, but happy to believe the unfavourable ones are bad luck. This is too obviously stupid for me to believe you are being serious.
Prayer doesn't work, and there is objective research to support that claim, all you've offered is selection bias.
I am using "prayer" as evidence that miracles can happen and it is probably my only real evidence for God's existence. Just putting words in my mouth and assume everything I say is stupid.
Do learn to read please, I quite specifically referred to one claim as stupid, so it is you who is putting words into my mouth. I also explained that the claim is stupid because you are cherry picking one example, but ignoring all the ones that contradict your claim. So your example doesn't objectively evidence a miracle, it's bizarre you think it does, but even you must see the selection bias here. It's absurd to claim your deity saved this woman but killed all those other worshippers while they were grovelling to it in church, including the pastors 4 year old daughter?
We also have innumerable posts from theists claiming their deity won't show himself unequivocally to us because it would interfere with our free will, yet now he is playing hide and seek saving random old ladies from tornadoes. That's too absurd...
"Do you feel bad for these people who died? Do you ever think of the possibility that the idea of a loved one being forever gone sad? Do you ever think to yourself: "Maybe the idea of life being just a bunch of random events is SAD?!"
So in your view, does sadness give you the reason to believe that afterlife is real and ignore likeliness of truth, because it makes you feel better?
If it is true that there's no afterlife, then "it helps motivate us to live the best we can". Again, the idea of nothing happening to people or animals when they die is sad. It doesn't bring me joy especially when people die of certain accidents or were killed by other people. Have you ever consider that? Answer my question and I'll answer yours.
Something is true or not interdependently of how it makes anyone feel, and the fact you are biased against the truth because it makes you sad is a reason to be weary of what is obviously bias on your part.
What objective evidence can you demonstrate that we survive our own deaths in any meaningful way?
Michael,
Truth is not for the faint-hearted! Get used to it. Maybe you could help some of these people, those that were harmed but are hanging on. Acting on such feelings tis far nobler than just contemplating the situation.
Long-Awaited Medical Study Questions the Power of Prayer
Prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the recovery of people who were undergoing heart surgery, a large and long-awaited study has found...
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/health/31pray.html
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Study Concludes Intercessory Prayer Doesn’t Work; Christians Twist the Results
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2009/05/15/study-concludes-...
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So you're saying that just because prayer doesn't always work that means everything in life is just luck?
Prayer to whom, Michael?
Just prayer in general. Do you believe miracles can happen? Do you believe that all life exist for a reason? Or is everything in life just a "happy little accident"? It's no wonder why some Atheists these days are so bitter.
What objective evidence can you demonstrate that "miracles can happen" or that "life exist for a reason".
The only one coming across as bitter here is you, you are one angry individual every other sentence is an angry tirade against atheists or atheism. Which is particularly stupid if you believe a deity is real, and being angry at atheism is like being angry at people who don't collect stamps, it makes no sense at all.
Michael, you wrote, “Just prayer in general. Do you believe miracles can happen?”
No, I do not believe in miracles.
Do you believe that all life exist for a reason?”
No, I do not believe life exists for a reason.
“Or is everything in life just a "happy little accident"?”
No, I do not think happiness has anything to do with the existence of life.
“ It's no wonder why some Atheists these days are so bitter.”
I’m not in any way, shape, or form bitter. I am very happy to be alive!
No. I didn't remotely say that. Is English your first language?
@Michael
"So you're saying that just because prayer doesn't always work that means everything in life is just luck?
Sheldon said nothing of the kind. In fact, he said sweet FA. He offered you reports on a large scientific study on the efficacy of prayer and invited you to make up your own mind. He gave you the links and the headline in one case and subheadline in the other. And he said nothing at all about luck. Nothing.
That's your own fears talking, Michael- not Sheldon.
Perhaps you should read the reports. It was huge study. Quite well known. It sent the religion industry into a bit of a spin. They got a bit hot and bothered, so they all went for a swim in that well known river. Here's one pastor's response while he was putting on his board shorts: "A person of faith would say that this study is interesting," Mr. Barth said, "but we've been praying a long time and we've seen prayer work, we know it works, and the research on prayer and spirituality is just getting started."
"I am using "prayer" as evidence that miracles can happen and it is probably my only real evidence for God's existence. Just putting words in my mouth and assume everything I say is stupid."
Miracles defined, as events that suspend the laws of physics, I have not ever come across events that exist in reality...when inspected, they fail as a miracle. How do you link praying with an event occurring? How do you associate prayer with outcome? Do you have an example so we can see your evidence?
I didn't. Read my comments again since I clearly explained it.
doG "How do you link praying with an event occurring? How do you associate prayer with outcome? Do you have an example so we can see your evidence?"
Michael "I didn't."
You certainly did. That is precisely what you claimed in your biased selection of the old lady who survived a tornado, you attributed her survival to prayer, and described it as a miracle.
What you didn't do was offer any objective evidence for your assertions. Though bizarrely you seem to believe you have?
"If it is true that there's no afterlife, then "it helps motivate us to live the best we can". Again, the idea of nothing happening to people or animals when they die is sad. It doesn't bring me joy especially when people die of certain accidents or were killed by other people. Have you ever consider that? Answer my question and I'll answer yours."
Are you asserting that you don't think atheists have innate empathy? It is silly for me to answer questions that I have no reason to object to.
The reason why I tend to think Atheists lack empathy is because they always call life just a "experience" and say everything in our lives are just "happy little accidents". So yeah, if Athiest claim people being gone forever and saying life was just created by chance kinda proves the lack of empathy they have.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It is not a compulsion to agree with claims that are demonstrably absurd or quite obviously erroneous. I sympathise with people who struggle with existential angst, that doesn't mean I have to indulge them in delusional superstitions. Especially when they are centred around religious that come with deeply pernicious beliefs and doctrine.
There are large and longstanding studies where the research results consistently shows that atheists are at least as moral as theists. Your prejudice against atheists is based on ignorance and an obvious antipathy because they don't share your belief in a deity. I donlt see you demonstrating much empathy for atheists.
"The reason why I tend to think Atheists lack empathy is because they always call life just a "experience" and say everything in our lives are just "happy little accidents". So yeah, if Athiest claim people being gone forever and saying life was just created by chance kinda proves the lack of empathy they have."
Do you feel sad for god, with the continued decline in the belief of god?
@orignal post
You are again assigning identity and responsibility to the term "atheist" that does not belong. It is like saying: "Fast food workers are always agree that eating meat is good."
Yes, atheist do not believe in god, but beyond that, like your "Applying that logic for the origins of the universe just as a excuse to disprove God is in of itself is ignorant" is not true. Sure some atheist may do that, but not the whole. All we truly have in common is we are not theist. Just like the fast food worker label is only just that, that it is someone that works in the fast food industry. To say they always think eating meat is good is generalizing and creating stereotype that has no real basis and is incredibly misleading.
I personally, as a self identified atheist, do not know exactly how we came to be, but I am very confident based on the available evidence, that: man created the idea of god, not god (any god,) created man and everything else.
You also state anyone that says "random" created the universe is your words: "is a stupid asshole" that is an attack that I take offence to. You lose a lot of credibility and respect when you make a new topic on atheist boards label us all the same and essentially call us all stupid assholes. When none of us even claimed random = no god.
So you guys ban my other account because logic is to offensive for this site? Just like I suspected!! You guys like to beat straw men but are too fragile to face a real live rational one. Before you ban this account too, think deeply about how diluted you all are thinking to have rational arguments and then banning any one who opposes your logic with truth and science. Gather up your yes men and stay in your fictional world while accusing christians of being bias and irrational. Sounds like the intolerant and dilusional people are of your own kind.
Wow, I did not see this before posting that your account has been restored. You need to chill.
Inexorable again,
Apparently you are lost in your own, little fantasy world! Pure rant!
Michael, all arguments on this topic usually come down to this. Although you are likely here on a smear campaign, and my responses are just a platform for your belief system, and the likeliness that you considering what I offer is next to nil...I will say that...the truth should define your decisions in your life, and your decision making should be based on reason and not on faith. When no truth can be demonstrated, weigh the likeliness of truth, and try not to be enticed by pleasing alternatives that ignore reason. The truth presently is, that being atheist, you include all possibility. By believing in god you exclude all other possibility. You finding hard truths in life can be just that, hard. But at least they are truths.
"So you guys ban my other account because logic is to offensive for this site? Just like I suspected!! You guys like to beat straw men but are too fragile to face a real live rational one. Before you ban this account too, think deeply about how diluted you all are thinking to have rational arguments and then banning any one who opposes your logic with truth and science. Gather up your yes men and stay in your fictional world while accusing christians of being bias and irrational. Sounds like the intolerant and dilusional people are of your own kind."
Dude, you are back! Let me take a sec and point you to number 1. on the forum guidelines. Ok, now that is done, do you have any questions or related topics you would like to debate?
So you guys ban my other account because logic is to offensive for this site? Just like I suspected!! You guys like to beat straw men but are too fragile to face a real live rational one. Before you ban this account too, think deeply about how diluted you all are thinking to have rational arguments and then banning any one who opposes your logic with truth and science. Gather up your yes men and stay in your fictional world while accusing christians of being bias and irrational. Sounds like the intolerant and dilusional people are of your own kind.
You use the word trolling to dismiss oppositing views? Weak as all your other methods and arguments.
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