barleycorn Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 No, I acknowledge what people define me as. If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck... jb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck... jb Exactly, from everything he's told us, he's an atheist with a denial complex (he or she). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSmith Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 It's also valid to say "no" with respect to belief, as well as "don't know" with respect to knowledge, since B would lack belief in the meaningless concept he has just been presented with just as he lacks belief in all those infinite number of concepts, meaningless or otherwise, that he hasn't been presented with. I agree that he can't take the definite position to say it doesn't exist, and that it can't be known, but he can say he doesn't believe and it's unknown. I'm puzzled how a sensible chap like you is siding with Mr Smith on this one. That almost sounds like you are claiming I'm not sensible, Yet I’m not the one making the claim that I don’t have a belief that something exists before being told what the something is. You know that lots of things exist so until someone tells you what God is, you don’t know if it is one of the things you already know about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drone Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Exactly, from everything he's told us, he's an atheist with a denial complex (he or she). In your view I am an atheist with a denial complex.. Your correct on that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 In your view I am an atheist with a denial complex.. Your correct on that No, really, if you can't honestly say "I believe in God" then you are an atheist. It doesn't get any simpler than that. It's not people labelling you or judging you, it's just the word for what you are. You're denying this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaliRichard Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Buddhists are atheists & they believe in some weird supernatural stuff, just no god. Buddhists beleive in all sorts, some beleive in God, some don't. The Buddha not only didn't teach a specific position on the matter, he warned against speculating about it as it distracted his followers from what they should have been doing. But individual Buddhists comprise Theists, atheists, agnostics, anti theists and any other group you can mention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quisquose Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 That almost sounds like you are claiming I'm not sensible, Yet I’m not the one making the claim that I don’t have a belief that something exists before being told what the something is. You don't have a belief in an infinite number of things before being told what they are. You only need to know about something to acquire belief, not lack it. I really do think your line of argument is nonsense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaliRichard Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I never said they weren't nice people. I don't think religious belief or lack of one stops people from being nice. Maybe he will correct me, but they believe in reincarnation & things like that which seem to require some kind of supernatural force, but they don't believe in deities. Sorry! I didn't see this one. Their are technically deities in Buddhism but they are not 'God' in the Abrahamic sense, they are just a different form of being. The supernatural force behind reincarnation is Kamma, and means, in a very basic way, causality with will behind it. I hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSmith Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 You don't have a belief in an infinite number of things before being told what they are. You only need to know about something to acquire belief, not lack it. I really do think your line of argument is nonsense. I had a belief that lots of things existed before being told what they were. I had a belief in stars and many other things before someone explained what they were, I could see them, or touch, or smell them, but I didn't know what they were, just because I didn't know what they were didn't stop my belief that they existed. For all I know I have seen or felt God, but until someone explains what God is, the thing I have seen or felt remains something unexplained that exists. To claim I have no belief in its existence would be incorrect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drone Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Exactly, from everything he's told us, he's an atheist with a denial complex (he or she). What you on about? What's that got to do with the duck test? Your the one presuming I am something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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