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Until you can point out a comment that one of us has made that the existence of one or a number of gods is impossible, this statement is entirely irrelevant to the discussion.
I quoted you as suggesting that someone else's argument was that if something cannot be disproven, it must be true.
That is inaccurate. My reply indicated what the appropriate argument is, that it is merely POSSIBLE. Just because something is possible, does not automatically mean it is true. But it doesn't make it false either.
So many of you are hung up on "true/false" when you haven't even provided any evidence or proof to back up your claims.
Actually not true. You're putting belief systems in an either/or binary, which excludes the possibilities of polytheism (acknowledging lots of gods), and monolatrism/henotheism (acknowledging lots of gods, but only worshipping one 'cause he's The Best).
Haven't all but the Hindus discarded polytheism?
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Sorry for the derail, I just couldn't let that one slip by without saying something.
I don't think so. I suspect there are all kinds of animist religions in Africa that still have polytheistic beliefs, not to mention Santeria. Then, of course, there is Christianity which, although nominally not polytheistic, has the attributes of polytheism in its worship of the three "persons" of the trinity, plus Mary, who has many attributes of a goddess, and such supernatural beings as devils and angels.
Still, your point is 100% correct, and it's worth repeating: of all the religions that humans have thought of, a maximum of one of them is correct.
If that really was the way it is then we would not be here.
Everyone has to be somewhere.
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But, some atheists are as bad as some theists can be. They claim that there is not God and that nothing spiritual is real. They think anyone who believes in things spiritual is less intelligent and deserves to be ridiculed and criticized.
So I've been told.
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By doing this and not simply allowing those that believe to believe and not respecting their beliefs(not believing in them) they have taken on the burden of proof.
False.
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They must now prove that it exists.
Atheism does exist. I'm an example.
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Atheists and skeptics think that all spiritual and religious people are alike in that they feel everyone should believe and follow their beliefs.
That IS the teaching of some of the major faiths.
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This is far from the truth. Very few religious and spiritual people convert people to their beliefs, unless asked to help someone do so.
Of course they don't convert very many. Would you give up your faith because someone of another faith claims yours is false? I think most believers are convinced that their faith is the only real one.
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I know that I would never walk around and tell people that their way of life is wrong and that they need to believe in what I do or be condemned.
Many of your fellow believers don't share that viewpoint.
Oh, I get it! Your name is really Mr. Nobody. LOL!!
Don't know what planet YOU are living on...but on the one I live on..."the beliefs of a majority of people" IS what "rules the day". You need to get hip to that.
You are too hung up on "empirical proof", "objective evidence", etc...and have lost touch of how the world REALLY works.
Tell the families of the people in the WTC on 9-11-01, or some girl from Middle East that is about to be the subject of an "honor killing", or the starving people that were just fed by some theologically based charity mission...that, "Peoples' beliefs have no bearing".
It has a bearing on the question...and more importantly, the world. Get a clue!
No, the majority does not rule the day.
The concept you're groping for here is reality. Reality is impervious to people's beliefs.
Let me see if I can make this simple enough for you to understand.
Think back to the time that the majority of people believed the sun revolved around the earth. Then, after scientific study, it was discovered that the former belief was not true, and that the sun did not revolve around the earth. Now, the majority of people believe that the earth revolves around the sun.
This may come as a shock to you, but the change in what the majority of people believe had no effect on whether the earth revolves around the sun or the sun revolves around the earth. The reality--there's that pesky concept again--was the same before and after.
Do you understand now, or do I need to try to make it even simpler for you?
Many of your fellow believers don't share that viewpoint.
This is false. Not many, very few actually go out and try to convert anyone. You cannot empirically prove this claim. The word many would cause people to think the majority. The correct term is few or some.
The big religions do not make up or speak for all religions or spiritualists. I say believe what you want to believe. I believe that when a person is ready to find the spiritual truth they will find it on their own and if they seek guidance, I am gladly here to offer what I can, if asked.
They still count. After all, they still end up in Hell if they're wrong and one of the Abrahamic religions is right, which I think was your point earlier.
This is false. Not many, very few actually go out and try to convert anyone. You cannot empirically prove this claim. The word many would cause people to think the majority. The correct term is few or some.
The big religions do not make up or speak for all religions or spiritualists. I say believe what you want to believe. I believe that when a person is ready to find the spiritual truth they will find it on their own and if they seek guidance, I am gladly here to offer what I can, if asked.
Very few try to convert anyone? Where do you live? On the moon? In the USA alone six million Mormons are actively recruiting along with over a million JWs...The Anglican church actively recruits children. The very meaning of the word evangelize is "to advocate a cause with the object of making converts."
I am still waiting for an answer to my question...
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Almost every atheist will admit that there is a chance, however slim, that he/she could be wrong and there could be a god. So I have a question for theists....Could you, or would you admit that you could be wrong, and god does not exist? I'm looking forward to any answers to this question.
I am still waiting for an answer to my question...
Easily. I don't believe in a particular God named by any people. I am nearly convinced that the answer to "Life, the Universe, and Everything" is the existence of some sort of creator God, and I think I can even come up with some ideas about the nature of such a God, but I wonder about the possibility that I am wrong almost every day. Sometimes, it's all that I can think about.
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