To My ATHEIST friends... a word with you please

Published on March 11, 2005 By joeKnowledge In Philosophy

I do wish to ask something... this is a question i have heard 1000 times if not more:

If God exists, why then is there Evil in the world?

For me, a very simple answer would be freedom of choice. Without freedom of choice, you can not have love nor faith. We would all be drones following orders or, for that matter, just robots without mind or thought.

It really can't be both ways, as far as I can tell. You can't have love but the inability to express discord. If I said I love you but you know I could not hate you no matter how much I tried, what would love mean?

Link
Post 30 is my answer to the question that lasted for centruries about why bad things happen to good people.

I have seen so many threads about there is a God or there isn't one, and I wonder, how is it that everybody know one way or the other? Prove God exists? Prove you exist? Prove that you know more to this world then there is?

This thread is basically made to ask atheists why do you know more than religous people and what exactly can you prove that you know about the Earth when scientist and shcools and books do not cover all the details of this planet, let alone this Universe. People who have religion feel free to prove God exists as well. As much as I do belive in God, I bet you nor I can not prove His existance no mare than those who feel that God does not exist can prove then know enogh to say with authority God doesn't exist.

There is no proof that God does exist, but that doesn't mean that it does not exist nor does it mean that there is proof it does.

I don't hear a tree falling in the rain forest, but I bet you it is there, but can I prove it? Can I prove that this tree made this noise when it fell at this time on this date?

I am really interested in a debate to see just how you know something deosn;t exist when scientist discover things every day. For thos who have religion, please tell me how this means that God exists when we really don't know it is true.

Comments

Myrrander

on Mar 11, 2005

Here's my answer: Link

latour999

on Mar 13, 2005

Prove you exist?

I think therefore I am. I know I exist. If I didn't exist, I couldn't be pondering my own existence. Therefore I must exist in some form. For all I know, everyone else is a hologram or a robot and I am in the Matrix, but even if I were in the Matrix, I exist in some form.

But can you ever totally prove anything beyond your own existence? I see a printer in front of me and to my right. But do I know for sure that it exists? Maybe it's a hologram. Maybe I've been smoking something of an illegal nature. Maybe I'm being tricked into a massive conspiracy into thinking that the printer exists for some reason. But these thoughts don't usually cross our heads, and if they do, we figure that there is a 99.99% chance that the printer exists and I'm not the victim of a massive conspiracy. So we play the odds. There is a 99.99% chance that the printer exists. So it exists to us. There is a 99.9% chance that China exists. So it exists to us.

So, when are you going to ask your friend if they are a hologram trying to trick you into thinking that your printer exists?

xtine

on Mar 13, 2005

I don't KNOW something doesn't exist, I just don't believe it does. And it's not on me to prove to you it doesn't. Just as it's not on you to prove to me it does. Unless you're one of those religions that call you out to do that. Then I suppose it is on you, but don't bother with me. I'm a lost cause.

messybuu

on Mar 13, 2005

However, I don't know that you think. In fact, you might be a figment of my imagination, and this might be all a dream. Hell, the dreams I already do have are quite realistic sometimes that if I were stuck in them, I wouldn't know them to be dreams.

But can you ever totally prove anything beyond your own existence?

Exactly! Nothing beyond one's own senses can be proven. That's why I take everything, even my own senses, for we all know that senses can be misleading, with a grain of salt. Even unlikely answers can be the true answers.

latour999

on Mar 13, 2005

Exactly. I could say the same about you.

AndyBaker

on Mar 13, 2005

unlikely answers can be the true answers.

That's so true messybuu.

For all I know . . . I am in the Matrix, but even if I were in the Matrix, I exist in some form.

and this might be all a dream

You're more on the ball than you might know, from my point of view. See point (9) in the blog below.

“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” - William Shakespeare

https://www.joeuser.com/Forums.aspx?ForumID=6&AID=65722#513828

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