citricsquid
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or an Atheist without arroganceNicedave said:Isn't an agnostic just an atheist without balls
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or an Atheist without arroganceNicedave said:Isn't an agnostic just an atheist without balls
Lol, true! Agnostic is admitting you really don't have a scooby, so who cares.citricsquid said:or an Atheist without arroganceNicedave said:Isn't an agnostic just an atheist without balls
Not quite. In science there is a burden of proof on those making a claim.dangerousdave said:if you believe that science has disprovedn 'god' or a 'higher power' you have no concept of how science works, and also how any good scientist would think
The point being, just because anything can't be disproved doesn't mean that we should assume its' truth, otherwise we'd believe all manner of highly unlikely things.Bertrand Russell said:Many orthodox people speak as though it were the business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This is, of course, a mistake. If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time
Cheers mate, glad you enjoyed it, we certainly did. I came across the British Humanist Society at my Grandfather's funeral. There is a celebrant, who takes the role of the priest, says many, well-researched words about the deceased, some simple, honest musings on the nature of mortality - without all the mumbo-jumbo. It was what he wanted.db said:me & ms. db went to a humanist wedding last year - that of another forumite, who i may point in the direction of this thread as i'm sure he might have some interesting points to make.. i have to say, it was one of the loveliest weddings i have ever been too, and the introduction of the "human" element as opposed to "spiritual" made it seem a lot more grounded, more sturdy somehow
Surely that is something to aspire to?..Monquey said:The God of the Old Testament, for instance, is not a moral role-model, he's basically just a massive dick.
This always massively pisses me off at funerals. I go to pay my respects to the very real person whose life has just ended and the virgin at the front spends most of the time talking about his imaginary friend. I find that extremely disrespectful, but maybe that's just me.Monquey said:paying lip service to an unknowable sky pixie
It is, arguably, aspirational to have one - it is certainly not so to be one.Gramaisc said:Surely that is something to aspire to?..Monquey said:The God of the Old Testament, for instance, is not a moral role-model, he's basically just a massive dick.
At the risk of dragging this wildly off topic, I heard bits of it as I was in & out while it was on. I did recently read the rather good graphic novel Logicomix which was based on his life.Gramaisc said:Two mentions of Bertrand Russell now. Did you happen to listen to The First Media Academic? Unfortunately 'no longer available'.
Completely agree. We had a humanist funeral for my dad and it was all about him and the things he and we as a family had done together. Far more fitting in my opinion... We also had a single prayer for the religious types which you where to told you could either say or remain politely quite. No hymns either, we had The Script - The Man Who Cant Be Moved on the way in, Phil Collins - 2 Hearts in the middle (It was a fave of his) and Fairground Attraction - Perfect on the way out. It made a bad day as good as it could have been and would have been what he wanted. Everyone agreed it was a lovely service (Even the religions types!)MyCult said:This always massively pisses me off at funerals. I go to pay my respects to the very real person whose life has just ended and the virgin at the front spends most of the time talking about his imaginary friend. I find that extremely disrespectful, but maybe that's just me.Monquey said:paying lip service to an unknowable sky pixie
I'm struggling to find the meaning in DD's initial post. And TM's reply come to that.dangerousdave said:thought i'd start this thread after reading the above in another thread. can I just say form the off that if you're an athiest of the highest order, and if you believe that science has disprovedn 'god' or a 'higher power' you have no concept of how science works, and also how any good scientist would thinkhenryscat said:Funny you should mention Richard Dawkins, as I am a raving atheist too.
The non-existence of god is not a scientific fact, it is a belief.Jenksie said:How can Athism be a religion? We just belive in what is a Scientific fact.
I thought agnosticism was not believing in god(s) and atheism was believing that god(s) do(es) not exist..Withnail said:Surely atheism is an absence of belief that gods do exist, rather than a belief that they don't.
Gramaisc said:I thought agnosticism was not believing in god(s) and atheism was believing that god(s) do(es) not exist..Withnail said:Surely atheism is an absence of belief that gods do exist, rather than a belief that they don't.
I agree. My grandparents spent a lot of their life at Church and helping out with various events and duties. Despite that fact, at both of their funerals, the priest chosen to perform the ceremony was one they didn't know and who knew nothing about them. One tried to talk personally about my grandmother and actually managed to make a massive faux pas, and the other refused to play 'Flower of Scotland' at my grandfather's funeral because it was too sectarian.MyCult said:This always massively pisses me off at funerals. I go to pay my respects to the very real person whose life has just ended and the virgin at the front spends most of the time talking about his imaginary friend. I find that extremely disrespectful, but maybe that's just me.