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Stop Speculating About God
If we were supposed to know we would know--for sure.

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Stop Speculating About God
Theseus925
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Posted 11/01/09 - 12:05 PM:
Subject: Stop Speculating
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#1
If there were a God and we were supposed to know, we would know--for sure. All over the world men would know for sure and agree about God as they agree about the laws of science. We do not know, therefore we are not supposed to know. Stop speculating about God. The thousands of religions, cults, gods, angels, devils, spirits, etc. in the world demonstrate that ten thousand years of speculation about God has only led to greater ignorance.

I propose a new wager to supplant Pascal's wager. Suppose God has not revealed himself to man for a reason. Suppose he is testing man to see how he will use the intelligence and reason with which he has imbued him.

Suppose that when you die you will have to give an account of your life and justify your actions and beliefs. How in light of your intelligence and reason will you explain your belief and participation in the obvious errors in the speculations of Paul of Tarsus, Jesus of Nazareth, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, Baha'i u'lláh, Joseph Smith, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Jim Jones, David Koresh, and all the other visionaries, prophets, spiritualists, mystics, and gurus--many of them illiterate. Since God has not revealed himself, wouldn't the safer wager be to withhold commitment until he does reveal himself and all the world agrees that he has revealed himself. Perhaps those who are believers will be the ones condemned to hell for not using their intelligence and reasoning abilities.




Edited by Theseus925 on 11/18/09 - 09:25 AM

We are in a war with time. While we are looking for ways to kill time, time is looking for ways to kill us--Theseus
mayor of simpleton
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Posted 11/01/09 - 12:23 PM:
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So, we should just close the book on this issue all together? Sorry man, this is a cop out and an insult to philosophy and religion. I'm not willing to go back to the dark ages. Long live the speculation. Speculation is the breeding ground for creativity. Dumbing down religion because we cannot have universal agreement is absurd.

Perhaps we are just entertainment for the gods. Much like daytime television.

Keep speculating PLEASE!!!

Meow!

GREG

I am not one to attribute that which I cannot understand immediately to be god(s)-perhaps I will never understand, but god(s) are not defined by my lack of understanding-this is the foundation of dogmas, the pressing of connotative values into the realm of dennotative meaning. - MOS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIYJERcdHb0 Jerry Sings!
Wosret
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Posted 11/01/09 - 12:32 PM:
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Theseus925 wrote:
If there were a God and we were suppose to know, we would know--for sure. The world over there would be agreement about God. We do not know, therefore we are not suppose to know. Stop speculating.


Or, there ain't one to know about.

"If you've got any last words, say 'em now." - Nadie.

"I am Horo the Wise." - Horo the Wise.


Theseus925
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Posted 11/01/09 - 12:36 PM:
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Speculating about an unknowable IS dumbing down. In ten thousand years of dumbing down haven't we dumbed down enough. We're no closer to the answer than we were ten thousand years ago. But keep at it, it's great sport--like a ball game, always the same with a little variation but fun to watch.


Edited by Theseus925 on 11/01/09 - 02:25 PM

We are in a war with time. While we are looking for ways to kill time, time is looking for ways to kill us--Theseus
jsidelko
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Posted 11/01/09 - 12:40 PM:
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I suppose you would also exclude metaphysics.

thanatos
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Posted 11/01/09 - 12:42 PM:
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Theseus925 wrote:
..., it's great sport--like a ball game, always the same with a little variation but fun to watch.


Just for the record, have you ever participated in a sport?

Meow!
GREG

I am not one to attribute that which I cannot understand immediately to be god(s)-perhaps I will never understand, but god(s) are not defined by my lack of understanding-this is the foundation of dogmas, the pressing of connotative values into the realm of dennotative meaning. - MOS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIYJERcdHb0 Jerry Sings!
Theseus925
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Posted 11/01/09 - 12:51 PM:
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You got it Wosret.


Sure, I'm participating in a sport right now.


Metaphysics is different, it provides employment for lots of idlers who would otherwise be on the public dole.

Edited by Theseus925 on 11/01/09 - 06:32 PM

We are in a war with time. While we are looking for ways to kill time, time is looking for ways to kill us--Theseus
DustyFoot
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Posted 11/01/09 - 01:05 PM:
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Theseus925 wrote:
Speculating about an unknowable IS dumbing down. In ten thousand years of dumbing down haven't we dumbed down enough. We're not closer to the answer than we were ten thousand years ago. But keep at it, it's great sport--like a ball game, always the same with a little variation but fun to watch.


You got it Wosret.


We are getting closer to the answer, 1000 years ago there was god for everything water, mountains, the sun,etc.As man gets smarter and figures out more about the world around us we eliminate the need for those gods, now the big question is what happens after death and how life came to be, so we have one god left. Thanks to projects like the Lhc we are getting closer to disproving the final god.
jorndoe
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Posted 11/01/09 - 01:17 PM:
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Theseus925 (#4) wrote:

Speculating about an unknowable IS dumbing down. In ten thousand years of dumbing down haven't we dumbed down enough. We're not closer to the answer than we were ten thousand years ago.

Can't help but wonder.. Is "God" defined as "the unknowable"?
Yeah, in that case it's kind of dumb to claim any kind of knowing (no, I'm not referring to absolute assurance).
What's the deal with proposing "the unknowable" or "an unknowable", and then just speculating and asserting far beyond what can be labeled "the intrinsically unknown"? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?
Anyway, seems suspiciously close to "the God of the holes"; in this case it's more of a "shrinking God" though.
The intellectual activities of examining assertions etc, are crucial though; how else are we to learn?

People are to themselves what they think; people are to others what they do.
 ∞
 ∑ 1/i² =  π²/6
i=1

atightropewalker
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Posted 11/01/09 - 01:23 PM:
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In the Bible it says that only those who have faith can make it to heaven (or something similar to that). So if this is a test like certain people interpret the Bible then why would God want us all to know? Yes we can successfully disprove a God that wants us all to know (at least for the present) and we can discount a God for water (and fire etc.). But you want more from it than that. Such assumptions like the two above, are neither philosophical nor scientific, they are simply your beliefs. This again is presumably not what you were aiming for: a belief-based system to show the non-existence of God.

"An honest religious thinker is like a tightrope walker. He almost looks as though he were walking on nothing but air. His support is the slenderest imaginable. And yet it really is possible to walk on it." - Ludwig Wittgenstein

'It is the duty of the human understanding to understand that there are things which it cannot understand...' - Søren Kierkegaard
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