rationalskepticism.org

Nebogipfel wrote:

Andrew4Handel wrote:It doesn't matter what you believe about gods existence.

Either he/she/it exists or doesn't etc.

Absolutely spot on. Now, how do we go about deciding which is the case?

Is it possible to decide?

A decision wouldn't be based on an exhaustive knowledge of reality, the universe, philosophy an ethics.

I don't see the need to commit ones self to a stance on the unkown or unknowable. I think behind the core of the theist-agnostic-atheist debates are ideological and psychological factors.

I don't think a deity is the only answer either. There are arguments that endow humans with powers and influence in the universe (which indeed we have through our mastery of science and nature). There are gaia type arguments, arguments about nirvana, reincarnation et al.

If people are opposed to religion and deism on moral grounds are they equally critical or behaviour that is not clearly linked to religion like communist atrocities, bad parenting, recent genocides (Rwanada) etc. this couldlead to rejecting alot of human values and institutions as failures.
If there is no God/s then that ensures that all of mankinds misdemeanours atrocities are mankinds own fault. Which makes us seem like a reprehensible sick species. There are days when I utterly support that diagnosis.