Re: [DMCForum] Re: God Squad

[Andrew <aos+yahoo@xxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004, supremeadmiralsenn wrote:

> A huge part of being a Christian is about faith. If you remember (or
> read), Jesus once told his disciples that they would have to trust and
> believe as a small child does to get into the kingdom of heaven.
> 
> This does make some sense, as if you can't follow God without wavering
> and questioning, you're not convinced yet.

Don't you see that this is one of the main reasons Judeo-Christian-Islam 
religions have "succeeded" where others fail?  They insure themselves 
against non-belief by forcing their followers to buy a bill of goods with 
no proof the goods exist, and then claim lack of faith when someone wants 
to see the goods.

The analogy with car parts has been made in this thread before.  Someone 
posted that he never checked to see if his car had a gas tank, but has 
faith that it does.  I think that's horse shit.  He knows the car has a 
gas tank because it runs.  He knows the car has engine because it runs.  
There is empirical evidence that these parts exist.  There is no empirical 
evidence a god exists.

Did any of you buy your cars without at least making sure they exist?  
Without at least making sure then run?  (Okay, those of you who bought 
non-running project cars don't count.)  If you don't buy a car this way, 
why do you buy a religion this way?  Is it just because your parents did, 
and their parents before them?  Is it just because belieiving in a smiling 
bearded man in the sky makes you feel good?  I think these are ridiculous 
reasons to adopt a belief system.

When I claim there is no empirical evidence of a god, many religious
people fall back on the faith crutch.  "You don't need to have evidence.  
You just have to believe.  Why?  Because I believe.  Becuase the Bible
says to believe."  I am a scientist and a mathematician.  If I put this
kind of "evidence" in any formal article, I would laughed out of school.  
But it works for religions.  Why is this?  I think it is because they prey
on fear of the unknown.  They drop this faith crap in front of someone and
tell him he's either got to believe it or he's condemned to spend eternity
in hell.  What do you expect the typical fearful human to do?

In science and math, we believe nothing until it is proven.  Sorry
faithful folks, this is just the way I'm wired.  I am literally unable to
put myself into a position of understanding how people can believe in that
for which there is zero direct evidence, and that which is hugely unlikely
based on the circumstantial evidence.

-andrew
 atheist
 cynic
 skeptic
 asshole

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