Internet on Einstein

[Mota Boy]

You know, there is a reason that nobody takes you seriously. Now, it could be that everyone else is crazy, but Occam's razor doesn't particularly like that argument.

[Scythe Death]

You start off with saying how Einstein thinks religion is foolish and it helps you confirm what you already believe.

You started out wrong. I never said that it helps me confirm what I believe. I said I was comforted with that. Not because Einstein says it, it must be true (that would be argumentum ad verrecundiam), but his opinion could at least be considered rather than blatantly eschewed as it was.

Then you say religious people should be more open minded because Einstein backs you up. Then you bring up an isolated incident of people attacking Einstein's intelligence. Finally you say people with religion are weak minded based on those points.

This could be a way to say it, but it does sound rather incriminatory. The case of Einstein was rather just an example of how people eschew anything that puts into jeopardy their mental comfort; my ground isn't based on that incident. It'd be delusional to say that I stand my ground because of Einstein, and we don't really have the same grounds as far as I know.

So I point out the inherit irony in your post because a catholic priest (Georges Lemaître) of all people actually came up with a central point in cosmology and in your humanistic world view. I mean, how more open minded do you have to be?

There's also irony in that a Priest wrote a book as professing that God is fictitious. However, that would be irrelevant.

Lemaître defied the dogmatic principles of religion with his theory. Religion is supposed to be an absolute truth, and science defies religion in so many aspects. Faith is blind, and opting for that instead of actual human research and science to find an answer could be called hindering. Eventually science reaches a point where theories collide with religion, and since believing that religion is an objective truth is puerile, a person might as well go with what makes the most sense (which is science's approach) instead of faith for the sake of comfort and convenience (the sole purpose of religion).

Saying that religiosity doesn't have an inherent characteristic of weak-mindedness because of a person certainly isn't an argument.

@Mota: Occam's Razor... it's more like the excuse for the lazy. The universe is infinite and infinitesimal. It could be infinitely complex (as there will always be a smaller block), but it can at least be understood.

People often discredit science by saying it's way too complex, but they ignore that their belief is inherently more complicated that the answers science can give you. The universe can be explained by viable means through science at least, but when we think of religion, this omnipotent and omnipresent God is infinitely more complex than the universe itself. It's just so plain ridiculous that people give up in trying to explain god, a god that defies so many basic principles of the universe. What is this god made of, when did it start.. so many questions meant to remain unanswered.

What seemed to the simplest answer is actually completely unexplainable. Now this is real cognitive dissonance. If that's your definition of simplest solution, then let's just say that the universe and its order have always existed. Do you see the lapse of logic?

[Sunny]

awww would you look at that, it's our good ol' delusions of eloquence guy again. how adorables. Scythe Death, lemme pinch yer cheeks!

[Vera]

Can't you get yourself a free blogspace over at wordpress.com or blogger.com or whatever? Join a militant atheist web forum or go troll a Jesus fan club. Nobody over here cares - fact.

Also, what's your address? I have a copy of The God Delusion I need to get rid of, and I think you'd like it - the writer is also a douche.

Edit: Obviously directed at Scythe, not Sunny.

[Scythe Death]

awww would you look at that, it's our good ol' delusions of eloquence guy again. how adorables. Scythe Death, lemme pinch yer cheeks!

ok but softly

@Vera: lol. So.. what should I make a topic about? What do you really care about?

[Vera]

I'm just saying this is clearly a topic you feel passionately about to the point where you feel the need to express yourself in lengthy paragraphs as seen by your earlier "Religion is Gay" thread. If you're looking to rant on the subject, just get yourself a damn blog. Debate on the subject didn't seem to go anywhere last time, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere this time, so why bother?

[Endymion]

Religion is heterosexual -- point/counter-point.

[Mota Boy]

By the way, I find it a little coincidental that not three days ago I stumbled across the term Village Atheist Syndrome. It's interesting reading.

[Scythe Death]

I'm just saying this is clearly a topic you feel passionately about to the point where you feel the need to express yourself in lengthy paragraphs as seen by your earlier "Religion is Gay" thread. If you're looking to rant on the subject, just get yourself a damn blog. Debate on the subject didn't seem to go anywhere last time, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere this time, so why bother?

I didn't even debate last time. Made a couple of posts then let the conversation flow. It was a little troll, hence the topic title. I think it did go somewhere last time, which was curious.

@Mota:

There is a chance that I may be a "Village Atheist", but it was presumptuous from you to think of that because of a previous troll and a thread where I'm actually trying to start a better debate.

[Scythe Death]

So hey, are you going to say anything about my argument on Occam's Razor, Mota?