Atheism

Faith is rejecting what we experience, and to accept what we cannot.

Semantic error. You lack belief. You do not believe it doesn't exist.

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They have very strong beliefs.

I'd say, more accurately, people have very strong standards of skepticism.

What faith does it take on your part to continue to be unconvinced in the existence of unicorns?

There's no extra process running in the background of our brains that active denies gods. If there was, the same would be true for unicorns, fairies, etc. Being that there is an infinite number of things we are unconvinced of, it would require an infinite amount of cognitive power just to deny these things. Simply put, the brain's processes does not operate this way.

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I was referring to the process in their minds.

There's no extra process running in the background of our brains that active denies gods.

why are you now asking me about comparing science and religion?

It means your understanding of atheism is flawed and you are using a flawed understanding to make your statements.

I put him on ignore last night.

Are you really saying God can exist and you dont know ?

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Atheists seem to have a greater acceptance of death and finality.

No they dont. In a survival situation, such as the USS Indianapolis, the religious accepted the inevitability of death far quicker.

When being tortured, the religious have a doctrine in place to accept that the person torturing them is not a group member and that aides in survival through the torture.

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A belief in the scientific method is not faith.

Then how do you explain atheists adherence to there not being a God despite the impossibility of proving that scientifically ?

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Faith is the dulling of the aesthetic experience on all levels.

As in a baptist choir ? Or stained glass windows ? Or the great cathedrals ?

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Faith is rejecting what we experience, and to accept what we cannot.

Faith is accepting there is more to what we experience, as in if a building exists that we have never experienced.

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Semantic error. You lack belief. You do not believe it doesn't exist.

Of course you believe it doesnt exist. If you dont know about it then you can lack belief. If you know about it then you believe either it does or does not exist.

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They have very strong beliefs.

I'd say, more accurately, people have very strong standards of skepticism.

Skepticism does not involve an attack on others. That is the power of belief.

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What faith does it take on your part to continue to be unconvinced in the existence of unicorns?

It takes the faith that somewhere out there in an infinite universe and multi-verse there is not a planet with unicorns on it. And YES, THAT REQUIRES FAITH.

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There's no extra process running in the background of our brains that active denies gods. If there was, the same would be true for unicorns, fairies, etc. Being that there is an infinite number of things we are unconvinced of, it would require an infinite amount of cognitive power just to deny these things. Simply put, the brain's processes does not operate this way.

That is so bizarrely off topic I have to reproduce the original statement "Agnostics cant have faith in God but they cant prove God doesnt exist either."

I take it you think atheists CAN prove God doesnt exist ?

Or that Agnostics DO have faith in God ?

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I was referring to the process in their minds.

There's no extra process running in the background of our brains that active denies gods.

???So the same process that opens a can of sardines is used by you to deny God.

You have a labeling system and it prioritises things. Some are prioritised as "not in this geographical area".

Sure. In fact, many could exist. The convincing case has yet to present itself. Perhaps one day such a case will be made.

You're contradicting yourself.

Beyond that, the religious accepting their sentence on a sinking ship, is not a greater acceptance of death. They believe that they are going to live in some other form. That's the opposite of acceptance.

Life is a survival situation.

The impossibility is in that we don't prove negatives. Atheists have no imperative to disprove what has never been proven.

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Faith is the dulling of the aesthetic experience on all levels.

As in a baptist choir ? Or stained glass windows ? Or the great cathedrals ?

These are the exact means of dulling the senses. Look at a the pretty glass, but no further.

"Bless yourself with holy water, have Masses said, and so on; by a simple and natural process this will make you believe. [This] will dull your critical intellect"
~Blaise Pascal
Sound about right...

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It means your understanding of atheism is flawed and you are using a flawed understanding to make your statements.

In your opinion.

Faith is believing in that building in the middle of a park, going there, not finding a building, and then rejecting your experience to maintain a belief that the building MUST exist.

If I'm not presented with a good case, then I remain unconvinced. That's not an active belief in unbelieving.

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Skepticism does not involve an attack on others. That is the power of belief.

Show me a definition of belief that includes this.

Really? Interesting. See now you've created a dilemma for yourself. You spoke earlier about some group (I called them "Pandas") of people who cannot be convinced in the existence of god. You talked about the faith they needed to maintain such a position. You now claim to accept that your non-belief in unicorns is faith based, and yet you also acknowledge a whole planet of them could exist?
So if your faith assertion on atheists holds that they take a stance where they cannot be convinced of the existence of gods, how is it different from your unicorn faith? You imply directly that they could exist immediately after saying that you have faith they don't exist.

I'm speaking to the notion that the skepticism in something is an active belief. If it was, there is an infinite number of things to occupy our heads.

However, there are a limited number of stories, and the more that are found to be false, the less and less convincing the claim of a specific god becomes.

There are plenty of people who will accept god, but also claim there is not enough knowledge to prove it.

No. I'm saying it requires no special process to deny god. It's natural.

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You have a labeling system and it prioritises things. Some are prioritised as "not in this geographical area".

I don't know what you are referencing here.

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Sure. In fact, many could exist. The convincing case has yet to present itself. Perhaps one day such a case will be made.

So you are agnostic.

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You're contradicting yourself.

No I am not. It is rather basic psychology. I never commented on atheists, I spoke about theists. You should read more carefully. And just because you are not aware of it doesnt mean it doesnt exist...where did I hear that ?

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Beyond that, the religious accepting their sentence on a sinking ship, is not a greater acceptance of death. They believe that they are going to live in some other form. That's the opposite of acceptance.

No, it is accepting death unless you want to change the meaning of death to suit your argument.

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Life is a survival situation.

Fighting for survival writing this, are you ?

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The impossibility is in that we don't prove negatives. Atheists have no imperative to disprove what has never been proven.

???? If it is proven how do you disprove it ? It is a fork in the road. To go either way takes faith, as neither can be proven correct.

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Faith is the dulling of the aesthetic experience on all levels.

As in a baptist choir ? Or stained glass windows ? Or the great cathedrals ?

These are the exact means of dulling the senses. Look at a the pretty glass, but no further.

Ok, now you are just embarrassing yourself. Do you know what aesthetics means ? It means looking at the pretty glass because of the definition of pretty...not like a scientist wondering about its light refraction properties.

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"Bless yourself with holy water, have Masses said, and so on; by a simple and natural process this will make you believe. [This] will dull your critical intellect"
~Blaise Pascal
Sound about right...

So you dont think there are any stupid aetheists?

What about those who are raped by space aliens?

Or who believe in faeries?

Or who think Star Wars was a documentary?

No peasants in aethism...just scientists everyone.

My opinion, amongst others,

Compared to what is your opinion, and your assertion about what I experience

It means your understanding of atheism is flawed and you are using a flawed understanding to make your statements.

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Faith is believing in that building in the middle of a park, going there, not finding a building, and then rejecting your experience to maintain a belief that the building MUST exist.

Are you say the building cant exist because you have never made a mistake or that you have been to the only park ?

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If I'm not presented with a good case, then I remain unconvinced. That's not an active belief in unbelieving.

Faith demands that you have no proof.

Religious people have no proof of God existing.

Aetists have no proof that God does not exist.

To decide either way takes faith. Neither is provable. The only position that is justifiable is agnostic.

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Skepticism does not involve an attack on others. That is the power of belief.

Show me a definition of belief that includes this.

You have made an error of logic. No definition of belief includes what it CAN do.

But here is a definition anyway :
belief (bɪˈliːf) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]

—n
1. a principle, proposition, idea, etc, accepted as true
2. opinion; conviction
3. religious faith
4. trust or confidence, as in a person or a person's abilities, probity, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009

So how is the acceptance of the proposition that God does not exist not a belief ?

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Really? Interesting. See now you've created a dilemma for yourself. You spoke earlier about some group (I called them "Pandas") of people who cannot be convinced in the existence of god. You talked about the faith they needed to maintain such a position. You now claim to accept that your non-belief in unicorns is faith based, and yet you also acknowledge a whole planet of them could exist?
So if your faith assertion on atheists holds that they take a stance where they cannot be convinced of the existence of gods, how is it different from your unicorn faith? You imply directly that they could exist immediately after saying that you have faith they don't exist.

Please be serious or our conversation is at an end.

I will assume you are not very clever as the only alternative to that paragraph is you are just dicking around.

So I will explain....Whether something does or does not exist in an infinite universe requires faith either way, because if you manage to construct a space ship and find one you have proof, but not finding one in an infinite universe also requires faith that they do not exist.

Having not found one but believing they exist also requires faith.

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I'm speaking to the notion that the skepticism in something is an active belief. If it was, there is an infinite number of things to occupy our heads.

How can you have skepticism about everything if not by an active belief ?

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However, there are a limited number of stories, and the more that are found to be false, the less and less convincing the claim of a specific god becomes.

Stories of a God have been filtered by people. Finding fault with people does not disprove God.

Perhaps you are referring to the city of Troy when you say stories have been proven to be false.

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There are plenty of people who will accept god, but also claim there is not enough knowledge to prove it.

They are theists who are recognising the faith it requires to believe either way.

They are not agnostics. Agnostics would be happy to go either way if they could find faith in one way or the other.

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No. I'm saying it requires no special process to deny god. It's natural.

It also requires no special process to accept God. It's natural. It is the same process, faith.

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You have a labeling system and it prioritises things. Some are prioritised as "not in this geographical area".

I don't know what you are referencing here.

The mind of my cat is not concerned with rolling around on the grass in the backyard because it can hear a dog but knows it is not in this area.

You are living without God and you see no reason to accept God into your priority based system.

Ever heard the expression there are no atheists in a fox hole ?

In a survival situation, such as the USS Indianapolis, the religious accepted the inevitability of death far quicker.

You're telling me that my lack of belief is an act of faith.

No. I'm saying it requires no special process to deny god. It's natural.