It’s trying to drag it down to their level to legitimize belief.
Take for example a panel with a priest, a rabbi, and a mullah. They can debate faith and mysticism all day and night because they are playing by the same rules.
Introduce an atheist or scientist who says “I don’t know, and more importantly, neither do you”. It shatters their LARP experience.
By turning science and atheism into just another mystic belief system it makes theirs seem just another valid option between equals.
Don’t let people make this false equivalence, faith and mysticism starts with “This is what I believe, and reality has to conform”, where science starts with “Reality exists, and what I believe will change and be shaped by our understanding of it.”
See, this is exactly the false equivalence I was speaking of. Theism is the one making the ridiculous claim, and by stating both are non-falsifiable and not testable, implying both are equally likely.
There is not a shred of proof for a deity, so any claims made in the name of any god can be dismissed as the ravings of lunatics.
On both the macroscopic and microscopic scales, science has pushed the boundaries of knowledge many orders of magnitude beyond that which was available to the people who made up these gods. At no point has a single claim been found to be true, and many have been found to be false.
You’re a Santa-denier, because even though you know that story was made up for children and is full of things that aren’t possible in our universe, it is apparently only a believe that Santa doesn’t exist.
I don’t deny Santa exists because that’s also non-falsifiable. That’s the point. You can’t know either way. I guess you’re trying to call belief in gods childish?
Funny that you would mention Santa. I don’t go around telling children who believe in Santa they’re wrong. If they’re similar, why would you do that? Why would you care so much?
I think they’re pointing out the precision-of-language thing: a-theism is the belief that god does not exist. A-gnosticism is the belief that you are unsure whether any number of gods exist. The least amount of opinion you can have about deities is to be a disinterested agnostic (I think?): “I don’t care if god exists enough to wonder about it.”
(Since you can point to the deceitful-god theory to say that the entire universe formed in this instant with this state, and your memories are just a result of god’s machinations a moment ago, both atheism and agnosticism are non-disprovable. The deceitful-god theory may run counter to the common Christian doctrine of Theodicy and may therefore not be subscribed to by many.)
and they all fall to a quick sniff test: does it make any sense for gods to play games to lure people to faith, and fake others out? not if we’re to believe their adherents and their texts. those adherents love to brag about their deities’ omniscience and omnibenevolence.
nah man, it doesn’t compute - a lack of belief is not a belief into itself.
It’s trying to drag it down to their level to legitimize belief.
Take for example a panel with a priest, a rabbi, and a mullah. They can debate faith and mysticism all day and night because they are playing by the same rules.
Introduce an atheist or scientist who says “I don’t know, and more importantly, neither do you”. It shatters their LARP experience.
By turning science and atheism into just another mystic belief system it makes theirs seem just another valid option between equals.
Don’t let people make this false equivalence, faith and mysticism starts with “This is what I believe, and reality has to conform”, where science starts with “Reality exists, and what I believe will change and be shaped by our understanding of it.”
Atheism is a belief. Some atheists deny they believe anything about any gods, but they’re really describing agnosticism.
https://www.dictionary.com/e/atheism-agnosticism/
Atheism and theism are both beliefs about gods. Both are non-falsifiable and not testable.
See, this is exactly the false equivalence I was speaking of. Theism is the one making the ridiculous claim, and by stating both are non-falsifiable and not testable, implying both are equally likely.
There is not a shred of proof for a deity, so any claims made in the name of any god can be dismissed as the ravings of lunatics.
On both the macroscopic and microscopic scales, science has pushed the boundaries of knowledge many orders of magnitude beyond that which was available to the people who made up these gods. At no point has a single claim been found to be true, and many have been found to be false.
Sure, just like your non-believe in Santa Claus
You’re a Santa-denier, because even though you know that story was made up for children and is full of things that aren’t possible in our universe, it is apparently only a believe that Santa doesn’t exist.
I don’t deny Santa exists because that’s also non-falsifiable. That’s the point. You can’t know either way. I guess you’re trying to call belief in gods childish?
Funny that you would mention Santa. I don’t go around telling children who believe in Santa they’re wrong. If they’re similar, why would you do that? Why would you care so much?
how is lack of belief a belief?
I think they’re pointing out the precision-of-language thing: a-theism is the belief that god does not exist. A-gnosticism is the belief that you are unsure whether any number of gods exist. The least amount of opinion you can have about deities is to be a disinterested agnostic (I think?): “I don’t care if god exists enough to wonder about it.”
(Since you can point to the deceitful-god theory to say that the entire universe formed in this instant with this state, and your memories are just a result of god’s machinations a moment ago, both atheism and agnosticism are non-disprovable. The deceitful-god theory may run counter to the common Christian doctrine of Theodicy and may therefore not be subscribed to by many.)
and they all fall to a quick sniff test: does it make any sense for gods to play games to lure people to faith, and fake others out? not if we’re to believe their adherents and their texts. those adherents love to brag about their deities’ omniscience and omnibenevolence.
nah man, it doesn’t compute - a lack of belief is not a belief into itself.