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I'm a strong atheist.
The 100% thing annoys me.
It's a catch22.
With things that exist, you can be 100% certain about knowing they exist.
But apparently with God, an invisible, uncommunicable non-existent thing, I'm not allowed to be 100% certain it doesn't exist for the very same reason I know it doesn't exist and the reason is
... because it doesn't exist.
But something does exist that is about as "Godlike" as it gets, Cruithne - the Reality that is responsible for us and everything else that exists. I guess the name is the only arguable feature.
I would like to just say - when a person has a direct experience of this 'Being' - this Divine Consciousness
and the Presence of It, when the Doors of Perception are opened to an acute awareness of
this 'Something Else',
Lemme tellya ---there just isn't any room left for doubt.
And what I mean is a 'Mind-blowing, knock your socks off, mouth dropping, earth standing still'
experience that leaves you dumbstruck and simply stunned for a very long time.
It is really something.
I wish this for everyone..even if just for 20 seconds...and don't wish for anyone to have
to have an NDE to have it!
Yep - x2
But nowwwww you mention that part (bolded), AFTER the fact for me....
1.Strong Theist: I do not question the existence of God, I KNOW he exists.
2.De-facto Theist: I cannot know for certain but I strongly believe in God and I live my life on the assumption that he is there.
3.Weak Theist: I am very uncertain, but I am inclined to believe in God.
4.Pure Agnostic: God’s existence and non-existence are exactly equiprobable.
5.Weak Atheist: I do not know whether God exists but I’m inclined to be skeptical.
6.De-facto Atheist: I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable and I live my life under the assumption that he is not there.
7.Strong Atheist: I am 100% sure that there is no God.
6, if I'm feeling pedantic
7, otherwise
I mean, replace 'God' with 'Ra' or 'Loki' or 'the Great Goblin' and the exact same logic applies. But we have this weird cultural idea that regarding the deity around which the most popular religion in our culture revolves, we have to toe this "Well, we can never be absolutely certain, so..." line that we don't apply to anything else.
Option 2, although I'd like to think like Option 1, but have some serious questions about the sheer number or religions, and even Christian denominations, that baffles me.
I mean, replace 'God' with 'Ra' or 'Loki' or 'the Great Goblin' and the exact same logic applies. But we have this weird cultural idea that regarding the deity around which the most popular religion in our culture revolves, we have to toe this "Well, we can never be absolutely certain, so..." line that we don't apply to anything else.
Why does dispute over the NAME of the Reality that is responsible for our existence and the existence of everything else annoy you, Cruithne?
It's not the name that annoys me.
What annoys me is the atheist argument that you can never be 100% sure that god does not exist.
I hate this ^ statement for a few reasons:
1. Alright then, according to this argument, how sure am I allowed to be? 60%? 80%? 95%? Just not 100%.
Most atheists will then come back and say something like 99.5% sure. Or 99.9% sure that god does not exist.
Where are you plucking this arbitrary figure from? Why not 99.9999% recurring? It's nonsense. It's as close to 100% as is negligible. So just say 100%.
2. There's no other situation where we are compelled to say we can"t be sure whether something without evidence exists or not.
I'm 100% sure there's not a giant fire breathing chicken monster orbiting Saturn.
"Oh but are you 100% sure of that?
Yes I'm 100% sure.
End of story.
But when it comes to 'god' we are for some reason not allowed to say we are 100% sure.
Okay, well you're not allowed to say you're 100% sure a giant fire breathing chicken monster doesn't exist either then.
Again, it's nonsense.
3. People then go on to say that actually you can never be 100% sure of anything. I mean this is just pushing the bounds of rational sense.
Yes I can. I'm 100% sure the earth rotates the sun and that tomorrow will be a new day. I'm 100% sure if I sit an apple on the counter, eventually it will rot.
There's a gazillion things you can be 100% sure about.
What annoys me is the atheist argument that you can never be 100% sure that god does not exist.
I hate this ^ statement for a few reasons:
1. Alright then, according to this argument, how sure am I allowed to be? 60%? 80%? 95%? Just not 100%.
Most atheists will then come back and say something like 99.5% sure. Or 99.9% sure that god does not exist.
Where are you plucking this arbitrary figure from? Why not 99.9999% recurring? It's nonsense. It's as close to 100% as is negligible. So just say 100%.
2. There's no other situation where we are compelled to say we can"t be sure whether something without evidence exists or not.
I'm 100% sure there's not a giant fire breathing chicken monster orbiting Saturn.
"Oh but are you 100% sure of that?
Yes I'm 100% sure.
End of story.
But when it comes to 'god' we are for some reason not allowed to say we are 100% sure.
Okay, well you're not allowed to say you're 100% sure a giant fire breathing chicken monster doesn't exist either then.
Again, it's nonsense.
3. People then go on to say that actually you can never be 100% sure of anything. I mean this is just pushing the bounds of rational sense.
Yes I can. I'm 100% sure the earth rotates the sun and that tomorrow will be a new day. I'm 100% sure if I sit an apple on the counter, eventually it will rot.
There's a gazillion things you can be 100% sure about.
Except some of us are not 100% sure. (Admittedly, I may be misunderstanding what you're saying).
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And your honesty.
