Can an Atheist Answer These?

[j1akey]

mangy dog:

I need to caveat my statement by saying that, " I am not calling anybody a moron".

Agnostics and Atheists are walking, talking oximorons.

Denying the knowledge and existence of the God that sustains their live in existence.

The only difference betweent an atheist and a theist is that atheists deny all gods rather than all gods except one that they happen to think is the right one which could be anything depending on your religion.

Personally I like the god of robotology. Reading The Good Book 3.0 on 3.5" floppy disk really opened my eyes to the reality of hell existing under South Jersey.

 

[mangy_dog]

That makes no sense, you might as well say that intelligent people are so smart that they can bend spoons with their minds.

Who would say they’ll have faith then they see proof? That makes no sense. You’re using a strawman.

That’s not to say that all intelligent people believe in God.

I am using the example of “an intelligent person” who believes in God.

And it’s not [then they see the proof] its …“when they see the proof”.

 

[mangy_dog]

That makes no sense, you might as well say that intelligent people are so smart that they can bend spoons with their minds.

Who would say they’ll have faith then they see proof? That makes no sense. You’re using a strawman.

Even simpler:

You say, " show me the evidence that God is real that He exists and then I will believe"…

Well, what is there to believe (faith) if you have evidence?

 

[mangy_dog]

That makes no sense, you might as well say that intelligent people are so smart that they can bend spoons with their minds.

Who would say they’ll have faith then they see proof? That makes no sense. You’re using a strawman.

a man whose heart is failing him, recieves the “paddles” and his heart “jumpstarts” and is fine again.

A witness to the scene sees the word “Jesus” burnt into the skin as if written from inside out.

A friend of the family comes to visit and is told about the “miraculous” thing they have just witnessed and invites the person to come see.

The friend says, " I don’t need to see, I believe you and I will remain out here in the waiting area praying and thanking God for this grace."

That my friend is faith.

 

[mangy_dog]

Good night everyone.

God bless you all.

 

[liquidpele]

a man whose heart is failing him, recieves the “paddles” and his heart “jumpstarts” and is fine again.

A witness to the scene sees the word “Jesus” burnt into the skin as if written from inside out.

A friend of the family comes to visit and is told about the “miraculous” thing they have just witnessed and invites the person to come see.

The friend says, " I don’t need to see, I believe you and I will remain out here in the waiting area praying and thanking God for this grace."

That my friend is faith.

I’ve got some great waterfront property in the everglades to sell you. Just have faith indeed. You believe God gave you a brain, so use it.

 

[Oreoracle]

a man whose heart is failing him, recieves the “paddles” and his heart “jumpstarts” and is fine again.

A witness to the scene sees the word “Jesus” burnt into the skin as if written from inside out.

A friend of the family comes to visit and is told about the “miraculous” thing they have just witnessed and invites the person to come see.

The friend says, " I don’t need to see, I believe you and I will remain out here in the waiting area praying and thanking God for this grace."

That my friend is faith.

The real miracle, my rather naive friend, would be living for a few months without hearing about heart failure. Why does God not simply prevent diseases? Christians always say that God does this to show how great he is, but if you think creating a disaster and then coming to save the day at the last second (still causing plenty of harm in the process) constitutes greatness, I question your sanity.

 

[Sonic]

Both type of questioning are valid and useful. HOW questions are usually called science and WHY questions are called metaphysics or philosophy.

Ironic that the “Scientific Method” is really a branch of Metaphysics.

Metaphysics:
newadvent.org/cathen/10226a.htm

Metaphysics is supposed to link the other philosophies together (including Scientific Method). It was assumed that should the other philosophies contradict the findings of another, then the answer of the single philosophy was not sufficient to provide a definitive answer to a problem.

 

[tonyrey]

The real miracle, my rather naive friend, would be living for a few months without hearing about heart failure. Why does God not simply prevent diseases? Christians always say that God does this to show how great he is, but if you think creating a disaster and then coming to save the day at the last second (still causing plenty of harm in the process) constitutes greatness, I question your sanity.

I question your sanity if you think you can design a world without any disease, accidents and disasters…

 

[Eucharisted]

Because that is what, among other thing, defines “life”.

Best. Answer. Ever.

I was actually going to give a similar answer, but, you did it first.

 

[Oreoracle]

I question your sanity if you think you can design a world without any disease, accidents and disasters…

How did God turn water into wine (or part the sea, or create the universe, and so on)? Was a violation of the law of identity involved? You’ve evaded these questions twice thus far.

 

[tonyrey]

I’ve got some great waterfront property in the everglades to sell you. Just have faith indeed. You believe God gave you a brain, so use it.

You claim not to know whether God exists - although you give the impression of being sceptical - yet you have blind faith in your intelligence without being able to explain how it originated and to what extent it is trustworthy…

 

[tonyrey]

How did God turn water into wine (or part the sea, or create the universe, and so on)? Was a violation of the identity property involved? You’ve evaded these questions twice thus far.

Because they’re not worth answering! Why do assume that God is subject to human categories and incapable of suspending the laws of nature? You seem to have special insight into the the nature of ultimate reality…

 

[liquidpele]

You claim not to know whether God exists - although you give the impression of being sceptical - yet you have blind faith in your intelligence without being able to explain how it originated and to what extent it is trustworthy…

Oh please, lets not go down the “we could be in the matrix” road.

 

[Oreoracle]

Because they’re not worth answering! Why do assume that God is subject to human categories and incapable of suspending the laws of nature? You seem to have special insight into the the nature of ultimate reality…

If God is able to suspend such laws as the law of identity (a thing is always equal to itself, nothing more, nothing less) then he can surely perform logically contradictory actions. He could limit our free will and fully allow it at the exact same time, or he could make us perfectly happy without having to exercise free will, if he can simply ignore the law of identity.

 

[Sonic]

How did God turn water into wine (or part the sea, or create the universe, and so on)? Was a violation of the law of identity involved? You’ve evaded these questions twice thus far.

You’re asking Theological questions now. “How” is used for Science. “Why” is used for Theology.

Asking “How” or “Why” along with “God” predisposes the possibility of the existence of a concept called “God”.

In other words, you can’t use the term “God” without acknowledging “God”. You can’t acknowledge “God” without having some concept of “God”. That concept of “God” may not be the same as the concept of “God” the person you are having a discussion with has.

And your questions are pointless until you, and the person you are having a discussion with, agree on a concept called “God”

“What” comes before “How” or “Why”.

 

[tonyrey]

If God is able to suspend such laws as the law of identity (a thing is always equal to itself, nothing more, nothing less) then he can surely perform logically contradictory actions. He could limit our free will and fully allow it at the exact same time, or he could make us perfectly happy without having to exercise free will, if he can simply ignore the law of identity.

I stated that God is able to suspend the laws of **nature, **not the law of identity.

 

[Matthias123]

“why is the water wet?”

The substance of water contains the accidental property of wetness. Just as the builder of a house knows the special ideas which are the accidental properties of the house, God knows the special ideas of the accidental properties of water in the same way. Therefore water is wet because it’s special idea of wetness exited in the Divine Intellect before the universe existed because being pure actually God was able to know all things that have potential existence.

“How does water display this property?” That is for science to explain. As far as I know it the accidental property is caused by the accidental property of locality in the particles that make up the substance of water.

I can answer this question fine.

 

[Oreoracle]

I stated that God is able to suspend the laws of **nature, **not the law of identity.

So God didn’t defy the law of identity when he made something from nothing (created the universe), or when he turned water into wine? If not, I’m afraid you’re going to have to explain to me how this isn’t simply magic. This is more than a violation of a “law of nature.” These are instances where God makes “nothing=something” and “water=wine.” I would get slapped if I made those sorts of equations in math or chemistry.

 

[Matthias123]

So God didn’t defy the law of identity when he made something from nothing (created the universe), or when he turned water into wine? If not, I’m afraid you’re going to have to explain to me how this isn’t simply magic. This is more than a violation of a “law of nature.” These are instances where God makes “nothing=something” and “water=wine.” I would get slapped if I made those sorts of equations in math or chemistry.

He didn’t suspend any natural laws. The change of water into wine does not have a natural body or force for an efficient cause. God’s will was the efficient cause. Actually considering God’s Divine Intellect is the formal cause of all natural things, and His Divine Will is the first efficient cause, it really isn’t that unnatural.