Posted by Xavier on March 04, 1999 at 09:47:05:
In Reply to: Take another look. . . posted by blue on March 03, 1999 at 17:21:52:
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: : : To be an athiest, you must 'uncritically accept' the following:
: : Tell that to my two kids who are atheist due to the fact that no one has yet indoctrinated them on the subject of the traditional gods they are supposed to believe in.
: Give them time. If they are not taught about God, they will invent gods. The entire history of man is proof. Atheism must be taught, like all other religions.
(Xavier)Can you not understand atheism as a lack of any religious belief or god in those simple terms, rather than impose your religious paradigms on it? I still will never understand how a LACK of belief in religion and god BECOMES a religion with an object of worship. You Calvinists are a confusing lot.
: : : Matter exists without cause.
: : This has nothing to do with a lack of belief in gods. It does have something to do with physics though.
: Then you must believe the virtual particles exist without cause. The case remains the same.
: : : Matter forms itself into living creatures.
: : Again this has nothing to do with a lack of belief in god(s). Do you not accept this yourself? What do you think happens when plants, animals, or any other living creatures reproduce?
: Life can certainly create more life. Can non-living matter create life without a living organism? No. An atheist must have faith this is possible, as there is no scientific proof.
(Xavier) Please study more on abiogenesis.
: : : Matter creates intelligence by assembling itself into living forms.
: : Living forms have little to do with intelligence. Take the bacteria on your keyboard for example. Again this has nothing to do with belief (or the lack thereof) in god(s).
: Be serious. No intelligence exists beyond living creatures.
(Xavier) What would artificial intelligence be? How do we know that there is no intelligence elsewhere in the universe, in some entity that does not conform to the definitions of life as we now understand it?
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