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 Topic: Are you 100% sure?

 (Read 3643 times)
  • 1« Previous thread | Next thread »
  • Are you 100% sure?
     OP - January 22, 2013, 05:58 PM
    I would never bother asking anybody the above question. But it is something that theists ask me very often.
    I know exactly why they are doing it. They know that me and my ilk are intellectually honest enough to admit that we cannot prove a negative, and therefore are not 100% sure (that there is no god). Now all they have to do, is explain that unlike me, they are 100% sure. Therefore they win.

    I have changed my mind about how to respond to the question. Since I do not believe that absolute certainty is possible, I no longer feel the need to even entertain the concept. From now on, 100% sure means "as sure as it is logically possible to be'.
    If theists can claim 100% certainty, then so will I. 100% should mean maximum possible, and nothing more.
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #1 - January 22, 2013, 06:11 PM
    Why?

    Who cares if "they win"?
    Do not look directly at the operational end of the device.
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #2 - January 22, 2013, 06:13 PM
    they never actually win.
    But I dont even like them to feel like they won. I want them to know how stupid they are
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #3 - January 22, 2013, 07:53 PM
    100% sure that their religion(s) is an insult to bullshit, yes.
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #4 - January 22, 2013, 08:36 PM
    I don’t have to be 100% sure that something does not exist for me not to believe in it. I am not 100% sure that in some distant galaxy on some temperate planet orbiting some ancient star, there are not creatures that would more or less fit the description of what we call unicorns (maybe with blue scales instead of fine white hair—who knows?). I don't have blind faith in their existence though.  Just because I am not 100% sure a thing does not exist does nothing to increase the probability of its existence. And it certainly does not make me any more likely to believe that it does exist without evidence.

    In fact, I have more reason to believe that unicorn-resembling creatures could exist on some distant planet than I have for believing in invisible sky Gods who care about and intervene in life on Earth. I understand how unicorn-resembling creatures could have evolved based on our own experiences here on Earth. I have no idea how a sky god could have come into existence, or—even more bafflingly—could have always existed. There isn’t a shred of evidence for me to go off of.   
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #5 - January 22, 2013, 08:43 PM
    According to Richard Feynman, they lose.

    "We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and no learning. There is no learning without having to pose a question. And a question requires doubt. People search for certainty. But there is no certainty."
    Against the ruin of the world, there
    is only one defense: the creative act.

    -- Kenneth Rexroth
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #6 - January 22, 2013, 10:17 PM
    The way I approach it is the same as you in saying that bieng 100% sure that god does not exist is not achievable. If I am asked this question I often say that I'm close to 100% sure your religion is false. However I also mention that if your Gods existance is not independent of your religion then your God certainly does not exist.

    Theists can never admit to having doubt in public, it is an attribute that is condemned by most religions. They need this victory Roll Eyes to satisfy their delusions, atleast it shows you are making headway with some if they play the doubt card. It is often the last line of defense in justification of their  tenuous faith.
  • Re: Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #7 - January 23, 2013, 11:46 AM
    Quote from: dr_sloth on January 22, 2013, 06:13 PM
    they never actually win.
    But I dont even like them to feel like they won. I want them to know how stupid they are

    In other words, you want to push your point of view upon people who do not want it.

    That reminds me of what I mostly dislike about preaching religions.
    Do not look directly at the operational end of the device.
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #8 - January 23, 2013, 05:07 PM
    i only talk to muslims who are already pushing their point of view on me, so i dont really owe them anything.
    and i dont think i am pushing it anyway. I honestly dont want them to agree with me, because then i would have no fun bullying them, and they would bring the average atheist IQ down.
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #9 - January 23, 2013, 05:51 PM
    Quote from: Tlaloc on January 23, 2013, 11:46 AM
    In other words, you want to push your point of view upon people who do not want it.

    That reminds me of what I mostly dislike about preaching religions.


    I’m slightly irked by this comment. I believe that debate and discussion are good, powerful things. How else can we expect new ideas to spread among humanity apart from through the competitive presentation of various points of view? How many of us would still be stuck in the backwardness of ignorance if someone else had not presented us with ideas that pushed us out of our comfort zone?

    The matter is not as simple as a “take it or leave it” sales pitch and all world views are not created equal. What people believe to be true about the world can (and does) have huge implications on our freedoms, on our environment, on issues of war and peace, and on real human lives.
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #10 - January 23, 2013, 09:25 PM
    Quote from: dr_sloth on January 23, 2013, 05:07 PM
    i only talk to muslims who are already pushing their point of view on me, so i dont really owe them anything.
    and i dont think i am pushing it anyway. I honestly dont want them to agree with me, because then i would have no fun bullying them, and they would bring the average atheist IQ down.

    So it's a form of vengeance that happens all in your head?
    Since some Muslim tries to convince you that he is right, you must reassure yourself and the world that he is stupid in order to feel ok?
    Do not look directly at the operational end of the device.
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #11 - January 23, 2013, 09:27 PM
    i really dont care
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #12 - January 23, 2013, 09:27 PM
    Quote from: happymurtad on January 23, 2013, 05:51 PM
    I’m slightly irked by this comment. I believe that debate and discussion are good, powerful things. How else can we expect new ideas to spread among humanity apart from through the competitive presentation of various points of view? How many of us would still be stuck in the backwardness of ignorance if someone else had not presented us with ideas that pushed us out of our comfort zone?

    The matter is not as simple as a “take it or leave it” sales pitch and all world views are not created equal. What people believe to be true about the world can (and does) have huge implications on our freedoms, on our environment, on issues of war and peace, and on real human lives.

    Are you trying to say that his desire to make them feel stupid is a constructive form of altruism?
    Do not look directly at the operational end of the device.
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #13 - January 23, 2013, 09:29 PM
    Quote from: dr_sloth on January 23, 2013, 09:27 PM
    i really dont care

    So you will say that you are 100% certain even when you are not... because you don't care.

    Well, sounds good.
    Do not look directly at the operational end of the device.
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #14 - January 23, 2013, 09:32 PM
    yeah whatever
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #15 - January 24, 2013, 12:19 AM
    What's a "sky god"?, (and why is it called so?) I hear it more and more often on the forums.
    "That it is indeed the speech of an illustrious messenger" (The Koran 69:40)
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #16 - January 24, 2013, 12:44 AM
    Gods like Allah and Yahweh tend to live in heaven, and heaven is just a fancy word for the sky, so I refer to them as sky gods.
  • Are you 100% sure?
     Reply #17 - January 24, 2013, 01:38 AM
    I don't really get from the Koran that Allah tends to live in the sky. Btw, lol @ gods like Allah and Yhwh
    "That it is indeed the speech of an illustrious messenger" (The Koran 69:40)
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