Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Although not complete proof, you might be interested in the numerous brain imaging studies in which researchers claim certain brain activity indicates love.
How about loving or serving Justice? Can one prove Justice exists?
Granted there would still be the issue of tangibles and intangibles mentioned. That God isn't seen as a concept like "Justice" or "Equality" but as an actual being. The closest I can think of, maybe, is the concept of multiple Universes. It's seen by several physicists I've read as necessary to explain certain improbabilities in our Universe, or even how our Universe came to be, but I'm pretty sure most atheists here agree that just because you want or need something that doesn't make it so. So far as I know there is no inarguable evidence for any multi-verse.
Going a bit more tangential there's extraterrestrial intelligences. Some atheists feel they "must exist" because of the vastness of the Universe. But really that's not evidence of anything. It's a hypothesis. One that's not close to being proved or disproved. Until there is evidence either way the "skeptical" thing to do would seem to be to neither believe nor disbelieve in extraterrestrial intelligences. (The scientific thing to do might be similar, but allow you to come closer to "picking a side." You'll accept it's unanswered, but be motivated to prove it true or to prove it false.)
Getting back more to the original deal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150
True that, but there is certain brain activity during God experiences. So once again is Love real? Is God real?
Brain activity is just that. It only proves that we are having an experience.
From what I recall of reductionist scientist love isn't "real" in the sense you're real or your cars are real. It's an evolutionary product needed to create pair-bonds. Pair-bonds are useful for raising children, because our young remain weak for a relatively long time, and in mutual aid. It's "real" in the sense many responses are real. However with the right mixture of drugs you could, at least someday and in theory, make it disappear or transfer it to someone else. Just as you could any emotion or your entire personality. It's all just neurochemicals in patterns and sequences.
The "God experiences" would be real as well. However, from their perspective, the object of them isn't. Granted this could get tricky. If a person didn't believe God existed but found "pretending God exists" to create an enjoyable experience I'm not sure what the atheist view would be. Also "Love Experiences" involving people who don't exist, like a dead spouse as the mind of the dead ceases to exist in materialist terms, could be brought up. Would atheists object to someone still loving their long-dead spouse as loving something unreal?
Last edited by Thomas R.; 07-06-2011 at 09:15 PM..
I feel this feeling. But there is no way I can scientifically prove it. No way to prove it in a verifiable, testable, falsifiable way. Nope. All I have is my experiences, and my subjective “evidence”. Kinda sucks, because people tell me it is just an illusion since it is not provable in a repeatable scientific way. My wife believes that I do indeed love her, but if she were to ask for verifiable, falsifiable evidence I’d be stuck. Thank "mere chance" she believes me.
Do I really love my wife or am I just following an illusion? Can’t prove it. Seems very real tho. Other people have the same experiences, but they can’t prove it either. Oh well. *Sigh*
Note to Mods, this is a theological topic. Not about relationships.
Except that we can quantitatively measure love and/or its effects. Higher levels of serotonin, changes in brain electrical chemistry, differences in neural connection and hormones.
We can measure those. They are evidence supporting the physical and natural origin for love. If you can show that same evidence for God I would love to see it.
yes you can!!! surprise your wife with 12 dozen roses and a huge box of chocolates with a little note saying>>" i will always love you even if you eat all this chocolate and get fat"
that should about do it all i can say after that is,, "you will be doing the humpty dumpty all night long
Love Can be faked, but yea, lust is rewarded.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dewdrop93
Well, I'm assuming that you can prove that your wife actually exists.
People loving God isn't the issue. God existing is the issue. You can prove your wife exists but you cannot do the same with God.
Can I really prove she exists to anyone here? I don't think so.
But really the concept is whether love exists. Can't be proven. Yet we will agree that love is real and does exist
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asheville Native
Knowledge. I know the sun will come up tomorrow, I believe I will be alive to see it.
And what if you wake up dead? At your age that is a real possibility.
Except that we can quantitatively measure love and/or its effects. Higher levels of serotonin, changes in brain electrical chemistry, differences in neural connection and hormones.
We can measure those. They are evidence supporting the physical and natural origin for love. .
Same goes for religious experiences. Just brain effects-so says science. God effect on said brain produces similar results. Studies say as much.
I feel this feeling. But there is no way I can scientifically prove it. No way to prove it in a verifiable, testable, falsifiable way. Nope. All I have is my experiences, and my subjective “evidence”. Kinda sucks, because people tell me it is just an illusion since it is not provable in a repeatable scientific way. My wife believes that I do indeed love her, but if she were to ask for verifiable, falsifiable evidence I’d be stuck. Thank "mere chance" she believes me.
Do I really love my wife or am I just following an illusion? Can’t prove it. Seems very real tho. Other people have the same experiences, but they can’t prove it either. Oh well. *Sigh*
Note to Mods, this is a theological topic. Not about relationships.
I think your wrong on this one. I think love CAN be scientificly proven through the release of certain chemicals in the brain and what not. Its is us humans that put a title on this chemical reaction and called it "love"
I think it has to do with andorphins released in the brain when you think about you SO
Can I really prove she exists to anyone here? I don't think so.
But really the concept is whether love exists. Can't be proven. Yet we will agree that love is real and does exist
You can prove whether or not your wife exists in countless ways.
Not so much for god.
Whether or not you love your wife has really has no effect on the rest of the world. People who don't know you don't care if you love her, or if she loves you.
On the other hand, a person's relationship with god can effect other people. Policies are enacted in our government based on what people think god wants.
It effects what is taught in our schools.
I sure would like proof god exists in these sorts of cases.
It seems like an important distinction to me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
all i can say after that is,, "you will be doing the humpty dumpty all night long
