Athiest can never disprove the existence of God

[Dr. Erik H Dibb]

Originally Posted by Magenta

Interesting avatar you've chosen. What is your take on the words of philsophers Kristofferson and Foster who assert that "freedom's just another word for 'nothing left to lose'" ?

I'd opine that it is something of a stretch to call a pair of singers "philosophers". That said, it can certainly be true in some senses.

The avatar is more a tribute to my own politics, in which i would argue that freedom is the ability to control one's own destiny.

[Magenta]

Originally Posted by Dr. Erik H Dibb

I'd opine that it is something of a stretch to call a pair of singers "philosophers". That said, it can certainly be true in some senses.

The avatar is more a tribute to my own politics, in which i would argue that freedom is the ability to control one's own destiny.

I was just kidding about the "philosophers" bit .
But really, what qualifies a person as a philosopher? I have found that many a time the lyrics of a song perfectly express my feelings in a certain situations. Just because they are lyrics penned by an "unqualified" person doesn't mean they have no value. Has anyone else found the same?
(From Wikipedia: "In the more informal sense, philosophy is a way of life whose focus is resolving the existential questions about the human condition.")
Do you think that the type of freedom you are referring to - that of having the ability to control one's own destiny - is attainable?

[Crofter]

The Big Bang theory seems to be disputed more vigorously those days among the scientific fraternity. Where did the matter that caused it come from?

The more man learns the more he seems to increase the means of his own destruction. (Gender interchangeable for the politically correct)

Would I be right in supposing thet the good Doctor is some sort of a commie? People used to believe in them once.

Regards,
Crofter

[Magenta]

Originally Posted by Crofter

Would I be right in supposing thet the good Doctor is some sort of a commie? People used to believe in them once.

Regards,
Crofter

Hmmm...I wonder. It appears that we may never find out. I seem to have scared him off with my question regarding his "Freedom or Death" statement.

[ochilsman]

You are certainly well read up on the subject, dattaswani, which proves nothing. These are just words from a book. I am not a religious person but I wouldn't deny anyone their belief in a God. In my simple logic, Nature is the Almighty. The Big Bang, space, etc, can all be explained by science, which is not to preclude the idea of an afterlife. We all wish that someday we will again meet our family and friends who have passed away. The American Indian, who lived as close to nature as you can get, didn't believe in a single God but still believed in an afterlife.

[ANDY-J3]

Originally posted by Crofter

The Big Bang theory seems to be disputed more vigorously those days among the scientific fraternity. Where did the matter that caused it come from?

Big bang theory was originally proposed by a Catholic cleric not an atheist and he evidently had no problem reconciling the implications of the theory with his belief in God. Where the matter and energy that caused big bang came from is irrelevant - it either happened or it didn't and while it remains in the realms of conjecture the theory and the evidence supporting it are perfectly sound from a scientific perspective.

[Crofter]

The big-bang theory is, by definition, a theory. The good priest may have been the first we know of to expound it but many scientists have said much about it since. Many doubt it altogether. It is a credible theory but it has not been definitely proven beyond peradventure. Belief in it is still belief in a theory.

Some might say that belief in God is belief in a theory. The question is, has enough been done or said or written to convince the waverers of its veracity? Obviously not. As with any theory it needs to be broken down, examined and tested.

Consider the following two sentences from the Bible:

1. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”.( Gospel of John Ch1; v1.)

2. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”. (Genesis Ch1; v1.)

The authors of the Bible are telling us that it all began with a word.
Consider then the definition of word. The dictionary gives us a fairly comprehensive definition, but briefly it says “a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing….” Some people take words to mean one thing, others, something else.

God is a word. Big-bang is a word.

The authors of the Bible give a definition of God; Almighty, Creator of the universe, that from which everything else stems, a very big noise etc.

The good priest gives a definition of big-bang; Almighty, Creator of the universe, that from which everything else stems, a very big noise, etc.

The Bible tells us that God is a deity that we should worship and revere. The good priest does not ask us to worship and glorify the big-bang but rather accept it as his explanation for the universe. He does not deny that it was God who caused the bang to happen.

Something must have existed to cause the bang. They say that the universe is still expanding out from the centre where this bang occurred. What is it displacing? Where is it going? Where will it end?

God knows.