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comment by cgod
cgod  ·  4428 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The God Hypothesis - The Advanced Apes

    With the possible exception that I could be the dream of a demon or a brain in a box undergoing a science experiment, which would nullify any belief I hold in anything
I would say doubting the very existence of reality and admitting that it's something I can't know is pretty agnostic. But that's cool I know from experience that all that really matters to your average work a day atheist is to try and get me to admit that I now know there is no god. And so yes I most certainly have.

Maybe this is why I have "attitude" as you pull out ghosts, unicorns and homeopathy the exact behaviour I described as the atheist line of argument against me not knowing something I can't know.

    I don't know why this position bothers atheist so much, but it seems to. They like to argue against my position like I'm a true believer and I usually say "you're right none of that shit makes any sense at all, that's why I don't believe it." Then construct grand arguments about why the idea of believing in a god is absurd and I tell em, "cool bro, I don't believe in a god either." They try again, belittling more shit I absolutely don't believe in and I try to push the conversation toward some other subject. They think I'm on the brink of taking up the torch and if they only pushed a little harder I would join the ranks of people who vehemently oppose the religious narrative against the possibility of a higher power. I'm already a soldier against dogmatic bullshit and what they are arguing makes no difference to my outlook or willingness to oppose said bullshit. I am just not willing to say that there is no chance that the world wasn't created by a higher power.
You attacked with the god of the gaps, a bit different from the position I stated above but still in the persuade you from points you already agree with position.

And now back to the question you dodged when my "attitude" became to much for you. Tell me about your certain knowledge of where the universe comes from? I'll take your being done here as you have no certain knowledge and you are operating on your own sense of faith.





briandmyers  ·  4428 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Ok, I said I'm done, but I will answer your direct question - with my own question. Where did I claim any certain knowlege? You have accused me at least twice of claiming things I don't know - show me where I did that.

cgod  ·  4428 days ago  ·  link  ·  

So you don't know if a higher power exist?

briandmyers  ·  4428 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I have no reason to believe any higher power exists; I have exactly as much faith in Yahweh as I do in Thor, or Santa. I'd be very surprised to learn that any of those are real. I'd be a bit less surprised to learn that some kind of god-like thing had created the universe - but I still have no reason to think that is so. I hope you don't think I'm trying to avoid the question; just trying to be clear.

I suspect you have assumed I am a gnostic atheist (i.e. one who knows that god does not exist). I am an agnostic atheist, as are the majority of atheists, I would guess. I claim no direct knowledge of the existance (or not) of any gods at all.