• Catsrules@lemmy.ml
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    9 months ago

    Believing in God is about as realistic as believing the world is flat.

    That is a bad comparison IMO. We have piles and piles of hard evidence the Earth is round. Saying the Earth is flat is just factually incorrect at this point.

    But the existence of God. I would argue we have no hard evidence of God’s existence nor do we have hard evidence that God doesn’t exist. As far as science is concerned it is still a theory.

    On top of that what makes a god a God there are multiple definitions of a God. If simulation theory is correct and we are all just in a simulation would be people outside of the simulation be our Gods? Or if an extremely advanced civilization existed would they be Gods to us? Or If we as humans advanced enough could we become Gods our self.

    • Zacryon@feddit.de
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      9 months ago

      That is a bad comparison IMO. We have piles and piles of hard evidence the Earth is round. Saying the Earth is flat is just factually incorrect at this point.

      We also have a lot of evidence that snakes can’t speak, people can’t turn plain water into wine, walk on the water and so on.

      But the existence of God. I would argue we have no hard evidence of God’s existence nor do we have hard evidence that God doesn’t exist.

      Claiming something which can neither be proven or disproven is what constitutes a pseudoscience. By that logic I could claim that we are in fact giant pink elefants hopping around on the moon, while imagining our reality as we currently think to perceive it. Since you can’t disprove that, I must be right. Or am I not?

      As far as science is concerned it is still a theory.

      No. A scientific theory can be proven or disproven, while the idea of a God, as interpreted in most religions, can not. Thereby constituting a pseudoscience. And thus, it’s not a scientific theory.

      On top of that what makes a god a God there are multiple definitions of a God.

      I suppose in the context of the parent comment the abrahamic God is meant, as interpreted by Christians, Jews and Muslims.

      • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

        The Abrahamic religions do not have a monopoly on the concept of God. The irrationality of their particular fables, talking snakes and walking on water and all the behavioral quirks they claim God has expressed, has nothing to do with the concept itself.

        Let’s say I popularized the idea that electricity is really just tiny pixies dancing around, and I came up with all manner of personality traits and stories to go along with them. Let’s say millions, billions of people embraced my pixie theory, and it mutated over time into schismatic alternatives with their own traits and stories. Do the ridiculous things now ascribed to electricity, so pervasively that most people picture little pixies when they hear the words, prove that electricity doesn’t exist?

        • Zacryon@feddit.de
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          9 months ago

          The Abrahamic religions do not have a monopoly on the concept of God.

          Yes. I just made few examples on popular concepts. And I can make similar examples for a lot of other concepts. However, to discuss this further, we need some clear definitions.

          Do the ridiculous things now ascribed to electricity […] prove that electricity doesn’t exist?

          This is a form or erroneous attribution. It reminds me of the luminiferous aether of which physicists thought for a long time that it exists until it was disproven. This is a testable hypothesis. Your pixies might even be testable to a certain degree. But beyond a certain point they aren’t. Therefore being in the realm of pseudoscience again.

          If we observe electricity, of course elctricity exists. But if we don’t know its cause, it’s important to investigate it. We have to investigate cause and effect instead of just assuming that a higher power plays a role. That’s our only way to gain knowledge and separate fantasy from reality.

          And currently, religions with their concepts of deities reside in the realm of fantasy.

          • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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            9 months ago

            Good, you’ve got the gist: a ridiculous claim centered in an observable phenomenon does not invalidate that phenomenon.

            Now replace electricity with consciousness, subjective experience itself. We observe consciousness, we are consciousness, of course it exists. It is important to investigate the cause, determine the nature of the phenomenon and consider seriously the possible explanations.

            By a due investigation, and serious and rational consideration, what possible explanations do you find for consciousness?

      • Catsrules@lemmy.ml
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        9 months ago

        We also have a lot of evidence that snakes can’t speak, people can’t turn plain water into wine, walk on the water and so on.

        If I am remembering my stories correctly the snake wasn’t a normal snake but more of a representation of Satan. And I think god turned the water into wine and walked on water. We aren’t talking about an average person. Neither Satan nor God is around to let us do some experiments on.

        Claiming something which can neither be proven or disproven is what constitutes a pseudoscience. By that logic I could claim that we are in fact giant pink elefants hopping around on the moon, while imagining our reality as we currently think to perceive it. Since you can’t disprove that, I must be right. Or am I not?

        Yeah fair enough but my point still stands that comparison between god and flat earth is still a bad comparison. Considering the Earth is here right now, and we can experiment on it.

      • IHadTwoCows@lemm.ee
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        9 months ago

        I’m really tired of that asshole god taking up all the oxygen. I am not religious and do not believe in any supernatural veings but if there were such a thing, the Japanese got it right with Shinto

    • IHadTwoCows@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      Why are tou so insistent upon it being THAT god? Why arent the Shinto kami the correct ones?