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1) Human beings aspire to be happy. The logical consequence of atheism is despair and nihilism. If atheism is true, there is no reason to care about truth, or anything else, so even if God doesn't exist, it's more rational to believe and hope God exists, to live a happier life.

2) The universe had a beginning. It is irrational to believe a universe can start to exist without a cause, for ex nihilo nihil fit. Only what we call "God" can be the cause for the universe, for the cause of the universe has to be personal and immaterial. Therefore atheism is irrational.

3) You can only make sense of the universe if it behaves in a predictable way. If atheism is true, there is no rational reason to believe the universe will continue to behave in a predictable way. We cannot make sense of the world we live in if atheism is true. Therefore atheism is irrational.

4) There is no rational explanation for the Gospel accounts, unless Jesus really rose from the dead. Only God had the power to raise Jesus from the dead. Therefore God exists, and atheism is irrational.

5) Atheists can't even prove their position, using evidence and logic. Therefore atheism is irrational.

Oooh, I was wondering how long it would take for you to post this masterpiece of projection here too.

thedistillers wrote:1) Human beings aspire to be happy. The logical consequence of atheism is despair and nihilism. If atheism is true, there is no reason to care about truth,

Here's a logical term: non sequitur.

thedistillers wrote:3) You can only make sense of the universe if it behaves in a predictable way. If atheism is true, there is no rational reason to believe the universe will continue to behave in a predictable way. We cannot make sense of the world we live in if atheism is true. Therefore atheism is irrational.

Covered in your other topic. Utter nonsense.

thedistillers wrote:4) There is no rational explanation for the Gospel accounts, unless Jesus really rose from the dead. Only God had the power to raise Jesus from the dead.

There is a rational explanation. It's made-up, and there are gullible people who buy into it.

thedistillers wrote:5) Atheists can't even prove their position, using evidence and logic.

Shifting the burden of proof, which lies with the people who believe and tell fantastic stories. See #4.

Amazing

1) Human beings aspire to be happy. The logical consequence of atheism is despair and nihilism. If atheism is true, there is no reason to care about truth, or anything else, so even if God doesn't exist, it's more rational to believe and hope God exists, to live a happier life.

Wow. Believing that there's poverty in the world can also cause despair (especially for those in poverty). I guess it's more logical to just believe that poverty doesn't exist.

#3 is already pretty well shot down in your previous thread, so I don't know why you brought it here. #1 and #4 are too stupid to be worth discussing. #5 reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the word 'atheist.' That leaves us with #2, but I don't feel like responding to it, because it requires knowledge of more physics than I possess (and, I suspect, than you possess), so I'll leave it to someone who knows the science.

thedistillers wrote:1) Human beings aspire to be happy. The logical consequence of atheism is despair and nihilism. If atheism is true, there is no reason to care about truth, or anything else, so even if God doesn't exist, it's more rational to believe and hope God exists, to live a happier life.

The fact that there is no vengeful, spiteful, vindictive and irrational sky fairy who wants to cast me into eternal torture actually makes me quite happy. I think it would be irrational to feel otherwise

2) The universe had a beginning. It is irrational to believe a universe can start to exist without a cause, for ex nihilo nihil fit. Only what we call "God" can be the cause for the universe, for the cause of the universe has to be personal and immaterial. Therefore atheism is irrational.

It's irrational to believe something can be both "personal" and "immaterial." As well as to believe that that thing could not exist without a cause if you insist the universe could not do so.

3) You can only make sense of the universe if it behaves in a predictable way. If atheism is true, there is no rational reason to believe the universe will continue to behave in a predictable way. We cannot make sense of the world we live in if atheism is true. Therefore atheism is irrational.

Theism is the belief that the laws of the universe can be changed at a whim by an invisible sky fairy. Nuff said.

4) There is no rational explanation for the Gospel accounts, unless Jesus really rose from the dead. Only God had the power to raise Jesus from the dead. Therefore God exists, and atheism is irrational.

RichardPrins got this one covered. Plus it's irrational to believe something impossible occurred just because it's written down in a book.

5) Atheists can't even prove their position, using evidence and logic. Therefore atheism is irrational.

Evidence for God: None.

Logical conclusion: It is irrational to believe God exists.

Simple.

Sigh let’s have a look at this then.

thedistillers wrote:1) Human beings aspire to be happy. The logical consequence of atheism is despair and nihilism. If atheism is true, there is no reason to care about truth, or anything else, so even if God doesn't exist, it's more rational to believe and hope God exists, to live a happier life.

Err what you are talking about. Firstly atheist is the philosophical position of being without belief in god or gods. It says noting else. You can still hold beliefs, including illogical woo-woo beliefs. You are also asserting a faulty premise that a belief in god is required to be happy.

I am perfectly happy as an atheist.

thedistillers wrote:2) The universe had a beginning. It is irrational to believe a universe can start to exist without a cause, for ex nihilo nihil fit. Only what we call "God" can be the cause for the universe, for the cause of the universe has to be personal and immaterial. Therefore atheism is irrational.

No again what are you blabbering about. Atheist says nothing about the beginning of the universe, again it is merely to be without belief in god(s).

The big bang theory adequately explains the origins of the universe. Yet again your spurious claims are without merit.

thedistillers wrote:3) You can only make sense of the universe if it behaves in a predictable way. If atheism is true, there is no rational reason to believe the universe will continue to behave in a predictable way. We cannot make sense of the world we live in if atheism is true. Therefore atheism is irrational.

Do you ever get tired of talking shit? Atheism is the absence of belief in god(s), it says nothing about scientific discovery. Oh at the quantum level the universe does not behave in a predictable way. However above the quantum level it does. Go away and set aside your presuperstion and learn some science.

thedistillers wrote:4) There is no rational explanation for the Gospel accounts, unless Jesus really rose from the dead. Only God had the power to raise Jesus from the dead. Therefore God exists, and atheism is irrational.

Because it is not possible they were a work of fiction by people seeking to control people through the manipulation of myth and superstation is it?

thedistillers wrote:5) Atheists can't even prove their position, using evidence and logic. Therefore atheism is irrational.

For fuck sake, you don’t also go by the name “shock of god “ do you!?

Once again atheism is an absence of belief in god(s). As I am the author of my philosophical position, I am also the evidence for my philosophical position. Thus I don’t need to provide any outside evidence.

Giving up believing in god was an enormous relief to me. It took a great deal of mental energy to try to make myself believe things that weren't true, constructing arguments full of holes trying to keep faith when all the evidence was against god. Now I can devote that mental energy to real things- I'd say I'm happier. Weirdly, I am less worried about dying now than I was when I had to think about avoiding Hell.

thedistillers wrote:1) Human beings aspire to be happy. The logical consequence of atheism is despair and nihilism. If atheism is true, there is no reason to care about truth, or anything else, so even if God doesn't exist, it's more rational to believe and hope God exists, to live a happier life.

Says you. I find that atheists are generally more happy people because they don't have to believe that they were born with inherent problems bestowed upon them by God. The concept of original sin disgusts me. I would like for you to show me one person that you know that is so sad because they are an atheist. One fucking person. FYI The universe doesn't have to be a flippy-happy flowers blowing out of your ass anyway. The universe owes us nothing.

2) The universe had a beginning. It is irrational to believe a universe can start to exist without a cause, for ex nihilo nihil fit. Only what we call "God" can be the cause for the universe, for the cause of the universe has to be personal and immaterial. Therefore atheism is irrational.

Learn what scientists actually say about the universe. Science, and nothing else for that matter, has shown the universe had a beginning. Logically I will say "What caused God". You will respond with he is magical and doesn't need a beginning. That's special pleading and is a logical fallacy. Therefore your argument is invalid. Let's see what Brian Greene has to say about the Big Bang shall we?

Greene, Brian. The Fabric of The Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality. 1st ed. New York: Vintage Books, 2004. 272. Print.

Brian Greene wrote: A common misconception is that the big band provides a theory of cosmic origins. It doesn't. The big band is a theory, partly described in the last two chapters, that delineates cosmic evolution from a split second after what happened to bring the universe into existence, but it says nothing at all about time zero itself

Every physicist would disagree that the universe began to exist. My question for you is what have you seen that has ever begun to exist? All you have observed is energy being reordered that already existed. This is not going well for you so far.

3) You can only make sense of the universe if it behaves in a predictable way. If atheism is true, there is no rational reason to believe the universe will continue to behave in a predictable way. We cannot make sense of the world we live in if atheism is true. Therefore atheism is irrational.

Wow some more bullshit that has no proof to back it up. Give me some evidence that says this please.

4) There is no rational explanation for the Gospel accounts, unless Jesus really rose from the dead. Only God had the power to raise Jesus from the dead. Therefore God exists, and atheism is irrational.

There is no rational explanation for Mithras being raised from the dead, unless Mithras really rose from the dead on the third day like he promised his followers. Only Odin? had the power to raise him from the dead. Therefore, Christianity is irrational. Your post is a joke my friend. I'm starting to think you're a poe.

5) Atheists can't even prove their position, using evidence and logic. Therefore atheism is irrational.

The ignorance is amazing. Where is your evidence that says "Some magic sky guy created the world from nothing because he was lonely. Then he sent his son, who is also himself, to die for us." We are not the ones with the burden of proof my friend. That's all on you to provide us evidence. If you can provide us evidence that is irrefutable, highly improbable btw, then you have won. The onus is on you, not us. Once again you have to provide us with logic saying that God does exist because you are making the positive claim.

thedistillers wrote:1) Human beings aspire to be happy.

And of course, you have spoken to all humans to ascertain that this is actually true, have you?

The logical consequence of atheism is despair and nihilism.

Bzzzzzzzzz. The logical consequence of atheism is not believing in a deity. In fact, it's the logical everything of atheism, because that is what it consists of in its entirety.

If atheism is true,

Once again, because you seem to be struggling with something here. Atheism is not a fucking truth statement. do try to allow that little fact to finally seep in, there's a good chap.

there is no reason to care about truth,

ACtually, given the comparative record between atheists and the credulous, I would suggest that atheists are more likely to care about the truth, whicl the credulous tend to care about the TroofTM.

or anything else,

Ever hear of empathy? Emotion?

so even if God doesn't exist, it's more rational to believe and hope God exists, to live a happier life.

Well, the hordes of the credulous that the regulars here have faced have been pretty uniformly miserable, and given to puerile fits of projection. Is that what this is? There have been few exceptions to this. As for 'rational':

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2y8Sx4B2Sk[/quote]

2) The universe had a beginning.

And of course, you have critically robust evidence to support that assertion, don't you? There are some very serious me in Stockholm who would like a word with you, in that case.

It is irrational to believe a universe can start to exist without a cause, for ex nihilo nihil fit.

Oooh, look! Latin! Which apologetic website did you get that little gem from, putting aside the absolutely fucking terrible usage here? Arsebiscuitsingenesis, was it?

Only what we call "God" can be the cause for the universe,

Well, given that you a) haven't demonstrated that the universe requires a cause and b) you have no fucking evidence to support your celestial mac-wearer, your logic is looking pretty shaky here.

for the cause of the universe has to be personal

Why? Oh, is this because that way you get to shoe-horn your particular masturbation fantasy in?

and immaterial.

But, but, what about the first law of thermodynamics?

Therefore atheism is irrational.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2y8Sx4B2Sk[/youtube]

Let me help you out here:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rational

3) You can only make sense of the universe if it behaves in a predictable way.

Two things here:

1. The universe does behave in a predictable way, for a given value of predictable.
2. What makes you think that there is any requirement in the universe for it to make sense to you, especially since you can't seem to make sense of basic logic?

If atheism is true,

Hello! Is there anybody in there? Atheism is NOT a fucking truth statement!

there is no rational reason

But we don't seem to be lacking in tautological tautologies, do we?

to believe the universe will continue to behave in a predictable way.

I'm getting a real sense of déjà vu here. Didn't I already deal with this bum-custard in another thread?

We cannot make sense of the world we live in

Again, it is not a requirement of the world for it to make sense to you. If you want it to make sense to you, you should try paying attention to reality, rather than your turgid book of excremental wibble.

if atheism is true.

Dealt with this wankery already/

Therefore atheism is irrational.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2y8Sx4B2Sk[/youtube]

Ah, Inigo never gets old, does he?

4) There is no rational explanation for the Gospel accounts, unless Jesus really rose from the dead.

Oh? I can think of at least one better hypothesis than that with regard to the gospel accounts. They were made up. Now, which is the more parsimonious? I'm not sayinig my hypothesis is true, just that it's more parsimonious than yours, and it isn't even the only hypothesis available, and all of them are more parimonious than your absurd cosmic Jewish worm-burger rising from the dead.

Only God had the power to raise Jesus from the dead.

Err, critically robust evidence that this Jewish compost-heap rose from the dead? Evidence that your cosmic curtain-twitcher exists?

Therefore God exists,

Therefore unfounded premises lead to unsound conclusions.

and atheism is irrational.

You know how the next bit goes, don't you?

5) Atheists can't even prove their position, using evidence and logic.

Logic: You're doing it wrong. Providing evidence for a non-existence postulate would be ridiculous, and that's completely overlooking the fact that no positive assertions are being made here. All the rationale I require for my position, namely that no robust evidence to support any of these sophomoric stories has ever been presented, is provided by that very lack. Ever going to present any of that anytime soon?

Therefore atheism is irrational.

Seriously, dude. Learn English. It will help in the construction of arguments. They still won't make any more fucking sense, but at least you might understand what the fucking words mean.

Thanks for coming by and contributing those original ideas. Do you feel better now?

Ahh the destruction is gorgeous

thedistillers wrote:1) Human beings aspire to be happy. The logical consequence of atheism is despair and nihilism. If atheism is true, there is no reason to care about truth, or anything else, so even if God doesn't exist, it's more rational to believe and hope God exists, to live a happier life.

I get happiness from having a family, studying and physical exercise. The thought of the monster Jehova makes me unhappy.

2) The universe had a beginning. It is irrational to believe a universe can start to exist without a cause, for ex nihilo nihil fit. Only what we call "God" can be the cause for the universe, for the cause of the universe has to be personal and immaterial. Therefore atheism is irrational.

Evidence for that absurd statement?

3) You can only make sense of the universe if it behaves in a predictable way. If atheism is true, there is no rational reason to believe the universe will continue to behave in a predictable way. We cannot make sense of the world we live in if atheism is true. Therefore atheism is irrational.

You can only make sense of the universe if it behaves in a predictable way. If theism is true, there is no rational reason to belive the universe will continue to behave in a predictable way. We cannot make sense of the world we live in if theism is true. Therefore theism is irrational.

4) There is no rational explanation for the Gospel accounts, unless Jesus really rose from the dead. Only God had the power to raise Jesus from the dead. Therefore God exists, and atheism is irrational.

"There is no rational explanation for the Edda, unless Thor really rode in a chariot in the sky, causing thunder by throwing around his axe. Therefor the gods of nordic mythology exists and atheism is irrational."

5) Atheists can't even prove their position, using evidence and logic. Therefore atheism is irrational.

Prove to me that pink unicorns doesn´t exist. If you can't, x-tianity is irrational.

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Atheism is not a fucking truth statement.

It is. Atheism is the position that there is no God. To say that atheism is true is to say that there is no such Person as God. There is some confusion over the word, but that's because a lot of atheists are confused individuals (which is not surprising since atheists are spiritually dead, and reprobates; hence they are confused).

Merely lacking a belief in a God is not a position, so it doesn't deserve a label.

thedistillers wrote:

Atheism is not a fucking truth statement.

It is. Atheism is the position that there is no God. To say that atheism is true is to say that there is no such Person as God. There is some confusion over the word, but that's because a lot of atheists are confused individuals (which is not surprising since atheists are spiritually dead, and reprobates; hence they are confused).

Merely lacking a belief in a God is not a position, so it doesn't deserve a label.

Atheism shouldn't even be a word (As somebody posted before). It's a rejection of theism. You don't go around saying to your friends "Yea I'm an aphilatelist"(non-stamp collector). Just having some fun not collecting stamps today. It's not a truth statement as hack said.

wonka08 wrote:Atheism shouldn't even be a word (As somebody posted before).

A lack of belief in God should not be a word, as it is not a position.

The position that there is no God is traditionally called atheism, and it is a mystery to me why modern atheists want to change what words mean. I suppose they want to keep the label while not having the burden of proof.

thedistillers wrote:It is. Atheism is the position that there is no God.

Bzzzzzzzzz. Thank you for playing. Here's what you could have won.

Atheism is the absence of belief in a deity.

To say that atheism is true is to say that there is no such Person as God.

To say that atheism is true is to mangle the fucking language beyond repair. It's the absence of something. It's a privative, not a statement.

There is some confusion over the word, but that's because a lot of atheists are confused individuals

Are you a sock-puppet of paarsurrey? There's no fucking confusion here, thank you.

(which is not surprising since atheists are spiritually dead, and reprobates; hence they are confused).

Preaching reported. Here's a fucking prediction for you. I predict that your tenure here is going to be short-lived.

Merely lacking a belief in a God is not a position,

Bingo!

so it doesn't deserve a label.

Johnny Walker Black is not a position either, but it has a label. Are you going to tell them?

1/10 for squeakiness. 2/10 for chewiness. - several million for discoursive quality.

hackenslash wrote:

Atheism is the absence of belief in a deity.

You need to check a dictionary, or open a philosophy book, because that's not how atheism is defined. It's only some modern atheists who change what words mean to avoid the burden of proof while keeping the atheist label.

thedistillers wrote:

wonka08 wrote: and it is a mystery to me why modern atheists want to change what words mean.

Where did you pull that nonsensical idea that we want to change what the word means? Are you sure it's not your own misconception about atheists that needs to be changed? As I said earlier we don't have the burden of proof. You are making the positive claim "God exists." Therefore you need to present evidence for God's existence, not us for his nonexistence.