Told you so!
I realized recently (probably fairly late to the game), that there is a simple refutation to all religious beliefs. It can not be contradicted by any honest person. There are only two possible responses: Think about it honestly, or choose to ignore the truth.
Here it is:
Anyone who believes in any gods does so for no other reason than somebody else telling them to. If their religion has a holy book, they only believe the book to have authority because someone told them it does.
That’s it — plain and simple.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Shawn, coming from an unbiased approach, these people supposedly were told God exists and now believe in a God. By you telling them there is no God, are you now that “somebody else” that is telling them not to? You say “anyone who does not believe in any gods does so for no other reason than somebody else telling them there is none.” People are going to believe what they want. Things have been proved through science in the past and people believed it until decades later when science once again proved it otherwise. In a world where the earth is flat, I believe there is more to believing in a God than somebody else telling them to. Whether there is a God or not, you can still respect people who believe in one without talking their talking down their way of life.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Whether there is a God or not, you can still respect people who believe in one without talking down their way of life.
April 4th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Shane,
Your point about me just being another person “telling them something” is exactly the point I’m trying to make. If you can dismiss something I say, then explore in yourself the reason you don’t dismiss what the other person told you.
As for respecting people: I do respect the people. I do not, can not, and will not respect all of their beliefs. There is a big difference. If I didn’t respect the people, or if I didn’t care to try to make a difference in their lives, I wouldn’t bother to write any of this.
It’s amusing that you read what you did into what I wrote, but stopped short. I could have written all of what you said and more, but I wanted it to be short enough that people might read it quickly and think about it. If I put all that detail into it, it would just be another thing ignored by the short-attention-span Internet crowd. You’re halfway there — just get the rest of the way there.
Shawn
April 4th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Unfortunately, I was all the way there, but I choose not to address that part because I believe that you have a serious case of tunnel vision. Your views and opinions are so concrete that you yourself are guilty of not being open to other possibilities. You enjoy an open debate just so you can field “your” views without being truly open to other peoples. Similar to a far left or right wing politician that needs to take an extreme position to make little change. Even though there are probably easier routes to success, it makes them look weak and possibly a traitor if they tip toe even just a little bit out of the box towards the real truth. You are quick to attack and judge the people in the middle, who may be a bit confused or may actually be open to the fact that they don’t know every thing. But you feel you are in the right box and there is no other truth but what you have already found.
My advice is to truly let your guard down just a little so that you can learn something other than more proof to what you already think you know.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
You are wrong. Here’s why:
You think my opinions are concrete, and can’t be changed. That’s not true. The fact is that there isn’t a shred of evidence to back up any religious claims. Once we get some evidence, I’ll evaluate it and change my mind if that’s what seems to be true.
It’s the “true believers” who say “I know what I know and you’ll never change my mind.” You can change my mind about anything at all. And it’s so simple — all you need to do is show me the facts.
And when there are no facts at all, the only sane position is to doubt a claim that is made based on nothing at all. I’m not taking a position that certain claims are false. I am disbelieving them. I am not saying that I know no gods exist, or that I know for a fact that all religions are false. I’m saying that there’s not a single reason to believe any of those things.
Since you challenged me to let my guard down so I can learn something, I challenge you to provide something — anything — which will sway me even 1% toward acceptance of any religious claims. You don’t have to “prove” anything — just show me something that will make me say “Hmmm — you have a point there.”
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Shawn you have been shown the facts over and over again but you are just to blind to realize that you have everything more backward than your self centered mind can comprehend. you are like a horse with a buggy behind it. the blinders are on and all you can see is what is directly in front of you. Shut up, quit being so stubborn and actually open your eyes to the light for once.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Andrew,
What facts?
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:05 pm
see you are blind
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:58 pm
That’s not an answer to my question.
What facts?
July 7th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
you need to read the book that i am currently reading. “The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict” Once you fully read it than come back and say that there is absolutely no evidence that Christianity is not true. Christianity is not about religion, its about a relationship with Jesus Christ!