Why we need to debate the existence of God

[Joanne98]

Run time: 03:02 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NsXJSPDTBM   Posted on YouTube: May 06, 2010 By YouTube Member: LatumWay Views on YouTube: 997   Posted on DU: May 07, 2010 By DU Member: Joanne98 Views on DU: 955

 
LatumWay — May 06, 2010 — Put it this way.

Pat Condell's brand of air freshener only masks the stench of religion. My brand, infused with natural ingredients incuding 'debating the existence of God', actually removes the religiony-odour entirely! (time and effort required)

Just so you all know, searching for footage and images of terrorist attacks, paedophile priests, murders in the name of God and other equally disgusting and dispicable religiously-motivated acts is probably the most distressing and anger-inducing things I've done for a YouTube video. So be thankful.


LatumWay's a DUer even though he never shows up here anymore.

[sui generis]

1. You CAN be an atheist without being angry

and yes "debate" is more like one-sided screeds because it mostly only preaches to the choir, but we shouldn't fail to rail as constructively as possible.

the best debates lay nothing to rest, but effectively question conclusions. If god didn't exist, would you still be good? Would you still not steal, or kill or fuck thy neighbors goat?

:shrug:

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. If the mere existence of god makes you good, then where does evil

come from? Particularly, the evil that comes from those who commit it in the name of god?

People who refrain from doing evil merely from the fear of god are unevolved primates. They are the exact opposite of those who do good with no thought of reward in this or any other life. They are wannabe criminals without the courage of their convictions. And are usually republicans.

[sui generis]

5. snork

I believe I said something like that almost verbatim just a month or two ago.

Yes, it's that Kohlberg moral development scale . . . . and most of them are stuck on 1.

I have a more sinister opinion - I think about a good third of humanity has sociopathic tendencies, and it is ONLY a "code" or a set of rules that keep them from actually appearing to be the sociopaths they are.

So of course if you threaten to invalidate their code they really DON'T have a moral compass of any kind to fall back on.

There is another third that forms their personal identity around adherence to authority, and threatening their accepted authority analogues is perceived as directly threatening to them. Different kind of pathology than sociopathy but still dangerous.

Probably the final third of the group are the ones who don't accept religion as literal so much as philosophical, whether they consider themselves religious, agnostic or a-theist. I can get along with philosophers and spiritual people, just not authoritarian literalists.

[klatu]

9. God and evil

The question only exists because ones assumes that existing religious ideas are in some way valid. Better to start from a different point. Religion is false because it is theological, of human intellectual origin and cannot demonstrate the validity of it's claims, the God question is yet to have a verifiable answer, but to presume there is no God, is as irrational as any existing religious claim. And evil exists because of the ethical limitations of our species, the absence of a moral foundation within human nature together with the influence of that evolutionary 'tail'. to quote Ghandi, "the only devils that exist are those running around inside the hearts of men" and there are plenty of those! Religion, as revealed from a God, if there is a God, may not have even started yet?

[AlbertCat]

6. Would you still not steal, or kill or fuck thy neighbors goat?

But these things happen all the time right now, today, all over the world, regardless of what god you do or do not believe in.

I don't see that any god make much of a difference. Human nature is for humans. Some people are gonna do things like this and some aren't. We make laws to discourage bad behavior. Secular laws with set punishments devised by men. So is religion just ancient government (I think so) and god the police chief?

Gods and the like are also part of human nature (no other animal does religion). Of course the average educated human goes about his daily business without thinking of a god most of the time. We here especially in industrialized nations depend on science to turn on the lights and start the car.... both of which are potentially lethal. So we also TRUST science explicitly to keep us from killing ourselves. We know it will take some time and space to stop the car.... because of the laws of physics. We know it takes time for the electric stove top to cool down. Physics again. Gravity will make us fall. No doubts, no controversy. But trust scientists about climate change or evolution? Absurd! God did it!

God is a distraction. So we no doubt will be discussing it endlessly....getting nowhere.

[AlbertCat]

7. You CAN be an atheist without being angry

Well, naturally ALL atheists are exactly the same and believe the same things.

Just like all Christians believe the same things.



:eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes::eyes:

[sui generis]

8. I'm sorry, were you confused?

I'm an atheist, and it was a peripheral response to the topic, not my personal point of view, I mean my use of that phrase.

Anyway, if you'd like to engage in a pissing contest with me you better put on a raincoat missy.

[foxfeet]

2. There's already no agreement on the definition of the term "God."

Hence, metaphorically smacking each other around over the question of whether "God" exists is an exercise in futility.

[ensho]

3. debate not needed - there are no gods

period

[frustrated_lefty]

10. Buddhists and Jews don't do that nonsense,

This isn't something I care to argue. It seems fair, though, that if you're going to argue god doesn't exist because of the behavior of priests, you should, in fairness, address the behavior of priests from all religions.

It's rare, almost unheard of, to hear of terrorism, pedophilia, or murder being perpetrated in the name of (or by the representatives of) Buddha or Yahweh.

Personally, I think it kind of silly to base your religious beliefs, or lack thereof, on the behavior of human beings, even priests. IF you're going to do that, though, it only seems fair that you consider the relative absence of violence exhibited by the representatives of religions other than Christianity or Islam.