God is a pretty cool guy- eh creates life and doesn’t afraid of anything.

MC Banhammer Posted:

Unless I can find a solid, convincing, shatter-proof argument, I’m going to stick with my beliefs.

I can respect that. I take it your beliefs involve some sort of creator? Something like deism, at the very least?

I’d be interested to know why you believe what you believe. The onus is not on me to disprove God, it’s on believers to prove what they believe is true. See Russell’s Teapot for more.

But bumuming the burden of proof is on me, what sort of shatter-proof argument would be acceptable? Only I can’t imagine what I could say to disprove the existence of something that supposedly exists outside of time and space.

MC Banhammer Posted:

And in case it isn’t apparent yet, I’m just trying to poke holes in everyone’s arguments. Unless I can find a solid, convincing, shatter-proof argument, I’m going to stick with my beliefs.

(And I don’t honestly expect to find such an argument, especially on Forumwarz of all places)

Hobart Bliggity Posted:

I believe a giant cosmic Eagle shat out all the different iterations of the “universe” and that red shift is being caused because our “universe” is in a bubble that is forming in one of the **** piles as it’s being heated by a multi-dimensional megastar. Oh and the Eagle eats old **** once it’s thoroughly baked by the megastar thats how it gets nutrients to **** out more universes.

Where did the Eagle come from? Irrelevant. For me it’s all about the Eagles and digestive tracts.

truth is staring you in the face bro.

Question to all the atheists out there. Why are many of you so fervent in trying to disprove God? If you are right, there will be no “told you so” moment. If you really completely know that there is no God, why waste your time and your breath?

If your answer is “because we know we’re right” or “because believing in God is stupid” please go watch pale blue dot.

I’ll take these in reverse order.

MC Banhammer Posted:

”If there is no deity who created the universe, then where did the universe come from?”

This bumumes the universe had a beginning, and that it needed a cause, and that at one time, it did not exist. Of course, time only came into existence with the universe, so the question is invalid to begin with.

MC Banhammer Posted:

...there could be a penalty on you for not believing it. Which is the more logical course of action?

Pascal’s Wager.

MC Banhammer Posted:

I don’t believe there is one, at this point in human history.

Since atheism is a lack of belief in any god, I respectfully suggest that you’re an atheist. It doesn’t speak to knowledge – I don’t know there is no god – but I do not believe in any gods. Therefore, I am an atheist.

Moniker Posted:

I respectfully suggest that you’re an atheist.

Oh, I’m not. I believe there is a supreme deity who created the universe and runs it from day to day and who will dispense final justice to all people who ever lived, at some time in the future.

But I can’t prove it, and I won’t bother trying.

Moniker Posted:

If you can’t prove it, then there must not be any evidence. If there is no evidence, then I’m curious as to why you believe it.

You can’t prove your viewpoint either. So I guess there’s no evidence for that one. I’m curious why you believe it.

Moniker Posted:

I’m not making an bumertion. I don’t believe in god because there is no evidence. The burden of proof is on the one making the bumertion, not on the one refuting it. Philosophy 101. You have to know better than this.

So what are you positing? That the universe has always existed? That it was created via a Big Bang? Please state your case, and then the burden is on YOU to prove it.

Catt although Posted:

Also, why does no one ever propose the theory that there was a creator of the universe (or at least our part of it) but like everything else it had a finite lifespan and is now dead?

Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, wrote “God’s Debris” which suggests that an omniscient, omnipotent god annihilated himself, as it knew everything except its own nonexistence, which resulted in the Big Bang.

It’s available for free online, but I haven’t read it because I really hate reading a book’s worth of text on my computer screen.

Anyway, onto the OP’s question.

Inertia Posted:

Who made the universe?

Looking for a cause (personified or not) does not necessarily make sense. We’re beings trapped within our universe, understanding 3 spacial dimensions, and time. If time is a result of the Big Bang, and creation is a process that requires time, I don’t see how anything can “create” the Big Bang.

I did it obviously.

/thread

Hobart Bliggity Posted:

truth is staring you in the face bro.

Question to all the atheists out there. Why are many of you so fervent in trying to disprove God?

A very good question, and not simply answered, I think. But I’ll attempt to have a go at it – First off, for those of us in the States, there is a culture that promotes faith in public (see Obama, Barack – election of) and that has for decades, at least, portrayed atheists in a very negative light. To attempt to gain a fair standing in society, attempts are made to promote our viewpoint as being superior, or at the very least sensible. I think most oppressed minorities will attempt to glorify their group in an effort to gain status. In addition, there is the point of view that religion when looked at as one entity has had a very destructive effect on society (yes, there is also a viewpoint that it has been beneficial, I’m not arguing that here). And of course, most people like to be smug bastards whenever possible.

tl; dr – In theory if religious people would keep their religion private then atheists would not act this way, while in truth many probably would anyway.