Its not like your opinion changes how anything works. "There is thing called 'gravity' and it is holding you to the earth" can't be responded with "That is your opinion"....Fact is no opinion, once again...
Well how do you no for sure that there is no heaven? Sure, there is evidence supporting the opposite side that doesn't make the idea of an afterlife look very plausible, but there is no evidence pertaining to it clearly outrightly stating that there is no afterlife because of ______. It's just your opinion, and if you choose an opinion to support, you can't go around telling people their opinions are wrong. If you have actual evidence that does say that there is no such thing as afterlife, then please, share it here.
By the way, for anyone who hadn't figured it out, I'm agnostic.
Well how do you no for sure that there is no heaven?
How do you know there is? Religion claims there is, they should provide evidence to their claims, it's not down to us.
That aside, where would heaven be then? Cos it definitely ain't up in the clouds. Seems kinda strange that nobody can actually see heaven, or has ever seen it, yet somehow people still believe it exists.
Well how do you no for sure that there is no heaven? Sure, there is evidence supporting the opposite side that doesn't make the idea of an afterlife look very plausible, but there is no evidence pertaining to it clearly outrightly stating that there is no afterlife because of ______. It's just your opinion, and if you choose an opinion to support, you can't go around telling people their opinions are wrong. If you have actual evidence that does say that there is no such thing as afterlife, then please, share it here.
By the way, for anyone who hadn't figured it out, I'm agnostic.
I could say there is probably no heaven/hell. But then I would have to put probably in front of every one of my sentences, and that would get annoying. " I am sorry son, but there is probably no Santa Clause" sounds less powerful, or "I am sorry daughter but there are probably no unicorns" sounds like I am wimping out, as well as "Don't worry kids, there is probably no monster under your bed!" sounds less reassuring, and I am equally sure that those things are as false as heaven/hell.
You can't disprove something that has no proof to begin with. If so, disprove the fact that I am an elf who eats little children's dreams, and I am invisible and untouchable. You can't prove that I am not, but it is illogical to assume I am.
A University professor at a well known institution of higher learning challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?"
A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!"
"God created everything?" The professor asked.
"Yes sir, he certainly did," the student replied.
The professor answered, "If God created everything; then God created evil. And, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil."
The student became quiet and did not answer the professor's hypothetical definition. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.
Another student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question, professor?"
"Of course", replied the professor.
The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"
"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?"
The other students snickered at the young man's question.
The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 F) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."
The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"
The professor responded, "Of course it does."
The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color.
You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."
Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"
Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it everyday. It is in the daily examples of man's Inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.
To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."
You can't disprove something that has no proof to begin with. If so, disprove the fact that I am an elf who eats little children's dreams, and I am invisible and untouchable. You can't prove that I am not, but it is illogical to assume I am.
You see, that's what I meant. Although there isno proof that an afterlife exists, there is nothing that counters it.
I could say there is probably no heaven/hell. But then I would have to put probably in front of every one of my sentences, and that would get annoying. " I am sorry son, but there is probably no Santa Clause" sounds less powerful, or "I am sorry daughter but there are probably no unicorns" sounds like I am wimping out, as well as "Don't worry kids, there is probably no monster under your bed!" sounds less reassuring, and I am equally sure that those things are as false as heaven/hell.
I'm sure it would work in calming a child down about mysterious, obese Norwegian men with long beards who give away presents or a terrifying child-devouring creature under the bed, but I find it a bit ignorant that you don't say that something has a chance (a sliver of one, at that) of being real; you seem like what you're doing is going with the answer that seems most logical, but not accepting it may be wrong.
I agree that it would be illogical to believe in something that has no solid evidence, but there is always that bit of possibility that it may be true.
I call quoting Einstein next, him being an atheist and all....
But on this one I am going to have to call BS against the good doctor. Using those terms, bread does not exist as it is only a word I use to describe something. After all, bread is what I call a piece of matter that I happen to receive nourishment from, but it does not exist.
Second, that is not proof at all but a slip up by the good professor in his younger days, as it sound.
Now its my turn to quote...
The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this. -- Albert Einstein, in a letter responding to philosopher Eric Gutkind, who had sent him a copy of his book Choose Life: The Biblical Call to Revolt; quoted from James Randerson, "Childish Superstition: Einstein's Letter Makes View of Religion Relatively Clear: Scientist's Reply to Sell for up to £8,000, and Stoke Debate over His Beliefs" The Guardian, (13 May 2008)
I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotisms. -- Albert Einstein, obituary in New York Times, 19 April 1955, quoted from James A Haught, "Breaking the Last Taboo" (1996)
It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere.... Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death. -- Albert Einstein, "Religion and Science," New York Times Magazine, 9 November 1930
Here is one of my favorites...
It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it. -- Albert Einstein, 1954, from Albert Einstein: The Human Side, edited by Helen Dukas and Banesh Hoffman, Princeton University Press
You see, that's what I meant. Although there is no proof that an afterlife exists, there is nothing that counters it.
There is also nothing countering the idea that I am the Dream Eating Elf, but that is totally illogical and I hope you don't believe in it.
I'm sure it would work in calming a child down about mysterious, obese Norwegian men with long beards who give away presents or a terrifying child-devouring creature under the bed, but I find it a bit ignorant that you don't say that something has a chance (a sliver of one, at that) of being real; you seem like what you're doing is going with the answer that seems most logical, but not accepting it may be wrong.
Once more, I would have to put "robably" in front of every sentence. Those were just examples showing the major ones. But if someone comes up and asks "What time is it?" I wouldn't want to answer "Probably XXX", as there is a possibility I am wrong. If someone asks "How are you?" I don't want to have to answer "Probably good" If someone asks "Were are you right now?" I don't want to have to answer "Probably XXX". Every question would have to have a "robably" in the answer, as they all have a sliver of a chance being wrong. "Honey, are you awake yet?" "Probably!" "Hey, would you like a raise?" "Probably!" "Would you like fries with that?" "Probably!". We can't be sure of anything, if we are going by the sliver of possibility thing...
Albert Einstein has also said that he does not call himself an Atheist, but he also does not call himself a Christian.
May I ask were and when he said that? After all, there is a slim possibility of everything being wrong, and I wouldn't want that sliver to be true, now would I?
However even if he did say this it's nothing more then an appeal to authority.
"It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it." - Albert Einstein, letter to an atheist (1954), quoted in Albert Einstein: The Human Side, edited by Helen Dukas & Banesh Hoffman
May I ask were and when he said that? After all, there is a slim possibility of everything being wrong, and I wouldn't want that sliver to be true, now would I?
Yes Einstein was an atheist however he did not like being referred as such.
"I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal God is a childlike one. You may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth. I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being."- Albert Einstein to Guy H. Raner Jr., Sept. 28, 1949, quoted by Michael R. Gilmore in Skeptic magazine, Vol. 5, No. 2
I think by the sound of it Einstein held a misinformed view of what atheism was.
Once more, I would have to put "robably" in front of every sentence. Those were just examples showing the major ones. But if someone comes up and asks "What time is it?" I wouldn't want to answer "Probably XXX", as there is a possibility I am wrong. If someone asks "How are you?" I don't want to have to answer "Probably good" If someone asks "Were are you right now?" I don't want to have to answer "Probably XXX". Every question would have to have a "robably" in the answer, as they all have a sliver of a chance being wrong. "Honey, are you awake yet?" "Probably!" "Hey, would you like a raise?" "Probably!" "Would you like fries with that?" "Probably!". We can't be sure of anything, if we are going by the sliver of possibility thing...
I'm talking about philosophy, here, not day to day affairs. I apologize if you were confused on my ideas.
