<p>How about I have a 5 year old sister who gets beaten up too and pretty soon I won't be around the house to protect her? Just because I leave the house when I'm 18 doesn't mean everything's going to be okay. Look, the safest I've ever felt in my life was at church because I have real friends there and my pastors actually care about me...there's nothing wrong with having faith...you can't see love, how do you know if love is real?</p>
<p>acting under the assumption that (a) god exists, christianity makes these basic claims:</p>
<p>(b) god is benevolent
(c) god is omnipotent
(d) there is evil in the world</p>
<p>we all know that (d) is true. if (b) were also true, god would want to remove evil from the world and would do anything in his power to accomplish it, and if (c) is true that means that god has the ability to remove evil. if both are true, it means that god has the power to remove evil but chooses not to. this is paradoxical because we already said that (b) god is benevolent, and a benevolent god would not let his creation suffer in vain. he must be a spiteful god, and (b) cannot be true. if (b) is not true, what basis is there for christianity as we know it? if, on the contrary, (b) is true and god tries to eradicate evil but fails, that means (c) must be incorrect and god is not omnipotent. why would anyone believe in such a god? for that matter, why believe in christianity at all since its basic tenets logically cannot be correct?</p>
<p>i haven't disproved the existence of a god with this argument, but i have presented logical evidence that the god of christianity cannot exist in accordance with scripture.</p>
<p>though i suppose next you'll tell me that 'god operates outside of logic as we know it'?</p>
<p>
[quote]
by the way, thesloc--you've used your age as an excuse to make flawed arguments several times in this thread. but you know, i'm 15 too...and i still support my claims with evidence and stay away from personal attacks. if you're not mature enough to debate without resorting to flawed logic you probably shouldn't be arguing here in the first place.</p>
<p>edit: and gdwilner--nice job quoting bertrand russell ("war does not determine who is right, only who is left.") <3 him.
[/quote]
No, I'm using my 4.0 GPA and my Mexican Heritage as support...my arguements are flawed? How so? I bet many would agree, but not the few individuals who strive for "individuality", they feel that if they're different from the rest, it makes them "cool".</p>
<p>sure, and as a good member of the flock you're supposed to accept everything that you hear and not question anything. and if you do present a smidgen of critical thought.... you're a traitor, move to france you gay pothead</p>
<p>but then again, there are those on this board who are just waiting for god to smite you</p>
<p>I'm more than confident now; that I read "posts", that there is indeed an almighty being; that operates outside of logic.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I am 15 yrs old, sorry I don't have a Ph.D in ********.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>^your excuse for not knowing the facts of either science or religion necessary to conduct this debate.</p>
<p>mexican heritage is not support.
neither are personal attacks.</p>
<p>i did not choose atheism to be 'cool' nor to promote 'individuality', but because it is the most credible stance based on the empirical evidence that exists today.</p>
<p>sempitern555; Seriously now; We live in a country of Religious freedom; you can form you're religion as I speak of it; go and form your own...Maybe you'll be cool. Religion has its flaws? Sure; but evolution and Science has much greater ones.</p>
<p>Hooray, thesloc! I have a 4.3 GPA, 4.0 unweighted. We've solved nothing.</p>
<p>It's like arguing with a child...</p>
<p>
[quote]
i did not choose atheism to be 'cool' nor to promote 'individuality', but because it is the most credible stance based on the empirical evidence that exists today.
[/quote]
Then may God be with you.</p>
<p>
[quote]
^your excuse for not knowing the facts of either science or religion necessary to conduct this debate.</p>
<p>mexican heritage is not support.
neither are personal attacks.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I assure you; I succeed in Science; but I play along...Sure it's interesting; and technology is awesome...I was referring to "I don't have a degree in Shiznat"; so I'm less than equipped to defend my position in a religious arguement...but I'm more than convinced now; that there is a God.</p>
<p>"but evolution and Science has much greater ones."</p>
<p>in that case, I suggest you go to your medicine cabinet and start dumping all those medications out. Oh, and next time you get ill or wounded, instead of using an antibiotic us holy water. Maybe then there will be less luddites like you. You are sOOOOO conservative that you want to go back to the medieval church when aristotle's teaching were accepted only reluctantly and anybody not in accordance with church doctrine was executed. It truly is scary that such people still exist in america and are so brazen as to spread around their garbage. but then again, ignorance is bliss, isnt it thesloc?</p>
<p>Hoorayyy!! I have an unweighed GPA of 4.0!!! 4.5 weighed!!!
What's there to solve?
Tell me exactly what we're trying to solve?</p>
<p>
[quote]
in that case, I suggest you go to your medicine cabinet and start dumping all those medications out. Oh, and next time you get ill or wounded, instead of using an antibiotic us holy water. Maybe then there will be less luddites like you. You are sOOOOO conservative that you want to go back to the medieval church when aristotle's teaching were accepted only reluctantly and anybody not in accordance with church doctrine was executed. It truly is scary that such people still exist in america and are so brazen as to spread around their garbage. but then again, ignorance is bliss, isnt it thesloc?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Oh no; on contraire my amigo; I wish to become a Doctor. You haven't the slightest idea of Religion. In fact; you probably never heard of an atheist Doctor...or have you?</p>
<p>You obviously missed the point--parading your GPA around doesn't lend any credibility to your logically vacuous arguments. In fact, if a someone as ignorant as you can get A's in science classes, I shudder at the what the quality of your school must be like.</p>
<p>fwiw, i'm equally disdainful of religion used as 'comfort'. i absolutely agree with forming meaningful relationships for support (my own family life has been chaotic though not violent), but i don't see how the irrational belief in a supernatural entity would be of any help. the most important thing is always to be strong in yourself without relying on outside sources (people, things, ideas) for support/stability, and to strive to improve any situation through your own ability instead of waiting for divine intervention. it's the only thing you can really rely on and it's much easier if you can manage to stay solid in your own self. i think that's much more beautiful than any religion.</p>
<p>oh, but i wax sentimental at this hour of the night. going off to sleep before my chem exam tomorrow morning...</p>
<p>I wouldn't want to think what you're in real life. Wait; Einstein refused the Idea of a God, didn't he? Later recognizing his stupidity; Steven Hawking believes in God; but yet he has a powerful brain, but a rare condition...God is with him? Google Einstein God, or Steven Hawking God; the links are interesting.</p>
<p>"Google Einstein God, or Steven Hawking God; the links are interesting."</p>
<p>google religious fanaticism. theocracy. reasons for the reformation. The links are interesting</p>
<p>Oh don't worry sempitern555; I will be sure to get A+'s :)...
I'm quite confident that medecine is nothing without God. Biology should be a breeze...So you're saying Doctors don't belive in God? Or what are you trying to say?</p>
<p>I think our friend Bertrand Russell addressed this tired argument already. In any event, you're wrong anyway.</p>
<p>"there would be no singularities at which the laws of science broke down and no edge of space-time at which one would have to appeal to God or some new law to set the boundary conditions for space-time . . . The universe would be completely self-contained and not affected by anything outside itself. It would neither be created nor destroyed. It would just BE . . . What place, then, for a creator?"
-Stephen Hawking</p>
<p>from <a href="http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/quentin_smith/hawking.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/quentin_smith/hawking.html</a></p>
<p>I think you're being too stereotypical about Religion...since when do Chrisitan Religions do that exorcist ****? Not mine...</p>
<p>lol, keep googling. On his book "A brief History of Time", he thanks God for his health...don't tell me he is just "playing".</p>