The Folly of Atheism

No. Would you? Its tough to prove something doesn't exist anywhere in existence or the universe. So who knows, maybe there is a Tinker Bell out there somewhere.

 

I would answer, 2. I don't believe in them.

But 'psychic fairies' is not the subject, but the more general 'supernatural', usually phrased as, 'god'.

I have seen this 'all or nothing!' argument presented here several times. It is not a rational argument. I can disbelieve in many specific things or claims, without having to disbelieve all of them. Truth can be present, even in an array of lies. Pointing out several lies does not negate the truth that may or may not be present.

I can make a list of once believed scientific statements, like flat earth, the 4 humours, spontaneous generation, bad blood, etc, & include a vaccine for smallpox in with it. Just because there have been discredited claims, does not mean ALL claims are discredited.

The same is true with claims of supernatural entity. Just because you might disprove a certain entity would not mean all of them are. And you have your hands full disproving many of them anyway! People still believe in bigfoot, the lochness monster, leprechauns, fairies, angels, demons, & a great many natural & supernatural entities. Have you 'disproved' any of them? Of course not. That does not make them real, but neither does it disprove them.

I can make a list of the things i 'don't believe in'. So could you. Many of the things on that list would be the same. Some, you might have 'strong' beliefs about, while others might be 'weak'. What is the basis for the different levels of intensity for these beliefs? Incredulity? Science? Evidence? Personal experience? How can you determine whether your beliefs (and non-beliefs!) are grounded in fact & reality, & not just prejudice?

 

Simple. Just give me your belief and I will tell you whether it is grounded in fact and belief or just in prejudice.

 

I don't have a problem with stories like this. Everyone, IMO, is on a pathway of knowledge & enlightenment. There are many paths, some intersect with others, & some go off on tangents. These are your experiences, that molded your world view. Others have had different, or sometimes similar experiences.

I have appreciated the sincerity & rationality of your posts. IMO, this should be the norm for anyone on the pathway of life. I see rabid dogmatism as the enemy of truth & enlightenment, from whatever source it comes from.. theistic or atheistic (and even agnostic & absurdist!). Once that introspection is lost.. once beliefs become hardened into dogmatic, polemical 'treasures', they eat you up, like the Great Ring that Frodo carried.

It is also good, IMO, to reflect on the path we have come on.. circumspection is a positive trait for humans, as it gets us out of echo chambers or indoctrination centers. Open minds can receive positive things, while closed minds can receive nothing.

 

It is exactly the point.

To a person not indoctrinated in the concept of gods, whatever they are, you would be asking the same question, even if only initially. If you are not prepared to entertain both concepts in this way, then you are not being rational. The starting point is I lack belief in both without evidence to substantiate them. You then add your ignorance based apologetics to justify your belief, agnostics add their ignorance based apologetics to feel smug. Equivocating about types of gods is not my problem, if you can't define or describe your gods in a way that can be investigated then you have nothing however, I was pleased to see you otherwise arguing for justified belief, at least you have a grasp of that.

 

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Shangrila
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