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Thread: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

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  1. #1
    Feeding the Peanut Gallery Senior Member Redleg's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    Quote Originally Posted by Cowhead418
    But that doesn't make any bit of sense. How can something exist but not have a creation? How can something just have always existed? Why did "all else" seem wrong? Was it your personal conviction? Because if you are arguing with logic and rationality, then you can't possibly believe that God has always existed. I just don't understand how this could happen.
    Your about to argue yourself into a circle.
    O well, seems like 'some' people decide to ruin a perfectly valid threat. Nice going guys... doc bean

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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    Yeah...if something can't exist without being created, than how does anything exist?

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    Assassin Member Cowhead418's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    Quote Originally Posted by Redleg
    Your about to argue yourself into a circle.
    Yes, I'm going to stop before it gets any more confusing...

    Quote Originally Posted by Sasaki Kojiro
    Yeah...if something can't exist without being created, than how does anything exist?
    Good point, it's just hard for me to imagine God always existing. When was there a beginning? How did this beginning come about? Why does God exist? Why does the universe exist? If there was no beginning, then how is this possible? Man, I have to stop...
    Last edited by Cowhead418; 11-09-2006 at 04:41.

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    probably bored Member BDC's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    If 'god' didn't need a creator, why does the universe? It makes no sense. Be consistant.

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    Assassin Member Cowhead418's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    Quote Originally Posted by BDC
    If 'god' didn't need a creator, why does the universe? It makes no sense. Be consistant.
    Thank you. I was thinking along these lines, but I couldn't seem to put my thoughts into an understandable argument.

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    Dragonslayer Emeritus Senior Member Sigurd's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    Quote Originally Posted by BDC
    If 'god' didn't need a creator, why does the universe? It makes no sense. Be consistant.
    Who is to say that God came first?
    Status Emeritus

  7. #7
    Senior Member Senior Member Red Peasant's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    Quote Originally Posted by Redleg
    Your about to argue yourself into a circle.
    The theist argument is the one that is 'circular', a fallacious position also known as 'begging the question'. Basically, you can't justify a claim - e.g. that God exists - simply by assuming that it is true.

    Yet another rational reason to be an atheist.
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    Feeding the Peanut Gallery Senior Member Redleg's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    Quote Originally Posted by Red Peasant
    The theist argument is the one that is 'circular', a fallacious position also known as 'begging the question'. Basically, you can't justify a claim - e.g. that God exists - simply by assuming that it is true.
    edit: you might want to read what I wrote - did I claim the theist arguement does not contain logical fallacies, or did I state something else? Are you attempting a strawman arguement by arguing a position that I did not claim in the first place?

    And neither can you justify a claim as false by simply attempting to disprove existance by lack of evidence. That is also a major logical fallacy. So if you agree that the theist argument is one type of logical fallacy - you have to also realize attempting to disprove God's existance based upon lack of evidence of his existance is also a fallacuous postion to take.

    Yet another rational reason to be an atheist.
    Not really, especially if your rational reason is based upon the arguement that god does not exist because of the lack of evidence of god's existance.

    I often find it amusing that those that claim rational reasoning for their disbelive in gods existnace often fall into this simple logical fallacy and claim to be using rational logical in their arguement.
    Last edited by Redleg; 11-09-2006 at 14:47.
    O well, seems like 'some' people decide to ruin a perfectly valid threat. Nice going guys... doc bean

  9. #9
    Senior Member Senior Member Red Peasant's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    Quote Originally Posted by Redleg
    Not really, especially if your rational reason is based upon the arguement that god does not exist because of the lack of evidence of god's existance.

    I often find it amusing that those that claim rational reasoning for their disbelive in gods existnace often fall into this simple logical fallacy and claim to be using rational logical in their arguement.
    My apologies if I misconstrued your original post, there was some degree of ambiguity. Although it does not excuse your rather supercilious tone my old friend.

    As for your later assertions, I'm sorry to repeat myself, but I will re-cap my earlier post as you clearly did not read it:

    "I don't know what 'Ignosticism' is, but my take on 'Agnosticism' is that it is a cop-out, a kind of intellectual cowardice.

    It is irrational to suspend judgement on the question of the existence of God/gods [I wouldn't want to privilege the monotheists ;) ]. The burden of proof lies with the believer, the 'theist', which means that the logical stance to take is atheism.

    Ockham's Razor posits that when you have two equally supported hypotheses then you pick the simpler of the two. It is a commonsense approach. So, you can say, on the one hand, that you have some of those pesky, yet invisible, Leprechauns in your garden as well as a lawn and some flowers, or you can say that there is only a lawn and a bunch of flowers out there. The evidence for both might be irrefutable - I mean how can you prove that the invisible Leprechauns don't exist?

    Yet, the rational, commonsense thing to do is to believe the latter hypothesis, unless you are drunk or worse. Why should I be 'agnostic' about this and suspend judgement?

    Also, some people erroneously claim that 'atheism' is as much a matter of faith as 'theism', but they are not intellectually equal positions. It's true that we cannot prove that God/gods exist, and that we cannot prove that they positively do not exist, however this does not mean that it would be just as commonsensical or sensible for us to believe that they do exist as it is to believe that they do not. The latter is the rational, more logical and sensible stance to adopt."
    Last edited by Red Peasant; 11-09-2006 at 16:02.
    Dum spiro spero

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    probably bored Member BDC's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    I think we have the next Richard Dawkins here. Only rather better at it already...

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    Feeding the Peanut Gallery Senior Member Redleg's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    Quote Originally Posted by Red Peasant
    My apologies if I misconstrued your original post, there was some degree of ambiguity. Although it does not excuse your rather supercilious tone my old friend.
    I find strawman arguements such as the one you present deserve such a response. I make no excuse for being blunt.

    To assume I did not read your initial postion is false, it did not apply to my retort to your use of a strawman postion, since I dealt with the basic logical fallacies used by both sides. To include your postion that it is up to the theist to prove God's existance, That is like stating that it is up to scientists to prove the big bang theory as the creating event of the universe as fact? While the theory is logical it can not be proven.

    Futhermore To make a strawman arguement that I has a theist believe you must except God's existance again is a reaching aruement since its not a postion I have taken. You don't have to believe in his existance - its mote to me if you do or not. So this whole discussion between us two is based upon your use of a strawman, and it seems you continue to do so.
    Last edited by Redleg; 11-09-2006 at 17:00.
    O well, seems like 'some' people decide to ruin a perfectly valid threat. Nice going guys... doc bean

  12. #12
    Senior Member Senior Member Red Peasant's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    Quote Originally Posted by Redleg
    I find strawman arguements such as the one you present deserve such a response. I make no excuse for being blunt.

    To assume I did not read your initial postion is false, it did not apply to my retort to your use of a strawman postion, since I dealt with the basic logical fallacies used by both sides. To include your postion that it is up to the theist to prove God's existance, That is like stating that it is up to scientists to prove the big bang theory as the creating event of the universe as fact? While the theory is logical it can not be proven.

    Futhermore To make a strawman arguement that I has a theist believe you must except God's existance again is a reaching aruement since its not a postion I have taken. You don't have to believe in his existance - its mote to me if you do or not. So this whole discussion between us two is based upon your use of a strawman, and it seems you continue to do so.
    Oh dear, I had to assume that you hadn't read the original post because it basically answered the position you accused me of assuming.

    A theist states or assumes that something exists, i.e. God, which cannot be either quantitatively or qualitatively proven by any sensible criteria, therefore the onus is on him to find proof of God's existence. The atheist doesn't have to do this because the lack of such proof already supports his position.

    You have a penchant for this 'Straw Man' chap I have noticed, but I can assure you that he exists only in your own mind, and you call him 'God'.
    Dum spiro spero

    A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices.
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  13. #13
    Senior Member Senior Member Red Peasant's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    Oh, and I am quite satisfied that my reasoning is valid. It may not ultimately be correct [Please no God, don't send me thereeeeeeee! ], but it ain't bogus.
    Dum spiro spero

    A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices.
    - William James

  14. #14
    Feeding the Peanut Gallery Senior Member Redleg's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ignosticism (Prove to me there is a God)

    Quote Originally Posted by Red Peasant
    Oh dear, I had to assume that you hadn't read the original post because it basically answered the position you accused me of assuming.
    It seems that your continuing your strawman arguement once again, pretty much the normal course of events for discussions concerning religion. For someone who attempted to strawman my statement into a logical fallacy that did not exist - you have demonstrated a penchant for making many different types of logical fallacies.
    Last edited by Redleg; 11-09-2006 at 20:09.
    O well, seems like 'some' people decide to ruin a perfectly valid threat. Nice going guys... doc bean

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