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Nate hasn't grown. He's thought that way for as long as I've been on the site.

"Matrix Philosophy" is the coolest new way to say skepticism. And Nate, I love you for making one thing clear. Belief in an outside world IS just as radical as believing in a higher power, or even in invisible ninjas that never leave a trace, but always watch you.

People that use a case against God based in rationality need to have their brains checked, because rationality is only relevant in the non-rational system they've created for themselves by assuming there is an outside world.

Yet I can say I feel with full force that there is no God. I interpreted you as saying that faith is natural- I'd like to hear more of what you ahve to say on that, if you ever get the chance.

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Sex Piano.

While it's true that we cannot disprove Mount Everest based on what we know about it, you're right in that we can't prove it either. And, as you said, we cannot be rational about it either.

As for your question about faith, it is merely tool that depends on our disposition. We can use it depending on how we feel, whether you're a full blown atheist or a devout fundamentalist. In the end each other will call the other wrong, or they may experiance things which cause them to doubt their beliefs and their faith is shaken. Faith is a natural condition of the heart that excersise devotion to the princibles that the individual beliefs in.

Ok. I wasn't sure whether you were suggesting that belief in a higher power was a naturally occuring thing or not.

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Sex Piano.

And I seriously was not looking for a fight, if that's what you were thinking :) I was just curious because I like how you think, and wanted to find out more about it.

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Sex Piano.

There is a part of the brain that, when stimulated, causes feelings of religious signifigance. It also shows activity when religious people are shown symbols and images pertaining to their own religion.

Phantoms in the Brain has a chapter on this. So to some degree religious thoughts appear to be naturally occuring.

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Vote Jeb Bush 2008

nah i didn't mean to fight :)

quote:

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There is a part of the brain that, when stimulated, causes feelings of religious signifigance. It also shows activity when religious people are shown symbols and images pertaining to their own religion.

Phantoms in the Brain has a chapter on this. So to some degree religious thoughts appear to be naturally occuring.

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The effect might be kind of hard to test on animals, since it to a large degree requires communication to test.

Also there are many things that makes humans more fit to survive within its society that might be horribly qualities for an animal trying to survive in the wild. It could still be a trait made humans more likely to survive, and evolved into the mainstream thusly.

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Vote Jeb Bush 2008