Bolas

To which particular god do you refer? All of them (there are tens of thousands that have been named)? The evidence in support of the existence of the judeo-christian god is identical to the evidence in favor of any other. I'm rather partial to Hephaestus. If ya gotta choose, go with Hinduism. Stack the deck in your favor. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gadadhara-pandit-dasa/the-33-million-demigods-o_b_1737207.html Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

The idea of god or gods seems to be something that is species-wide. Throughout the globe, humans indepenndently and in isolation have developed religions and concepts of gods, the afterlife, etc. Is religion something innate in human consciousness? Something that may be appreciated by some societies (like human propensity to violence) or something that we train people out of (like humann propensity to violence?). Do e have an innate belief in God that some overcome? Or do we have an innate disbelief that is formed by the particular society or culture we are in? I tend to think the former, because everywhere there are people (down to the Yanomamo snorting ebene powder and chanting the hekura) there are religions. Only the details are different. Deities provide easy answers to complex questions as well as a way for humans to control and manipulate other humans. IMO, the original concept came from human fear of the unknown (thunder, lightning, fire, etc.) and the arrogance of some that refused to admit they didn't know either. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

Ok. I'll go with this.

This is a subjective belief having nothing to do with logic? Under bed monsters don't exist unless proven otherwise. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

I like this. I also like Sagan's "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." The issue becomes the null hypothesis. Take, for example, "God doesn't exist." This means God doesn't exist unless proven otherwise. Then there's the other side: God exists unless proven otherwise. Each comes from subjective belief. I see no use trying to convince anyone otherwise. Most have pretty much made up their minds. Each side calls the other ignorant. Etc. From earlier upthread: Under bed monsters don't exist unless proven otherwise. Under bed monsters exist unless proven otherwise. One is subjective belief, the other is using logic and scientific reasoning. The base of the whole argument is a logic flaw. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

Which do you think is easier, more comforting, and requires less thought? * God made and does all. If I'm good I go to heaven, bad people go to hell. It's okay to do bad things though, just ask for God for forgiveness. * There's no proof of any deity, no proof of any afterlife. There are so many conflicting deities and religious texts, sometimes within the same religion. Ergo, there's no master plan, life is what we make of it, and when you die, you simply cease to exist. Atheism is not about faith, but the lack of it. Faith is easy. Just "surrender." Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

It's not a matter of one not knowing as there's no proof to know. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

Umm no. An atheist uses the lack of any FACTS or EVIDENCE of the existence of any deity as the basis for their logical decision, not faith. The other major difference is were there actual proof of a deity, atheists and agnostics would be open to it, whereas as the religious would dispute any facts, such as they do evolution, the age of the earth, etc. This is all a logic fallacy as the question should not have ever been "Prove (insert deity name here) does not exist" but should be "Prove (insert deity name here) does exist." Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

But if they are as evil as you say, why have they not just destroyed everyone and everything in the area and just taken the land back or gone old school religion style and just salted it? Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

And if this quantum video is to be believed, all are correct. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

And vice versa, but generally the atheists are just responding. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

Devils Advocate: Any government subsidized or free birth control option should also be an STD preventative. Medications and IUDs may prevent pregnancies, but could also lead to increased spreading of STDs through unprotected sex. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

Boats come in all sizes from tiny toys to giant container ships, so boatload can be use to describe any size. Shitload has variability depending on diet, health, and species but does have a maximum size extremely far less than boatload. Buttload is a fixed measurement. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

Not sure if it's still done or done elsewhere, but when I worked for corrections in Virginia, death row was at one prison and the executions performed at another, with a transfer just prior, for this very reason. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

So a country's gang members are deported or leave their home country, then come here illegally and we shouldn't ship them back? Or those countries could have dealt with their own problems instead of trying to make it another countries. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

Agreed. You just contradicted yourself. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

Could see this same argument used for a pond swooping fatality.

FIFY Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

Remove all religious influence from government as well as their special statuses. Under God removed from money, the Pledge of Allegience, etc. No government function can have a publicly lead prayer or religious text reading. Moments of silence are fine. While no longer tax exempt they can still, if they meet the requirements, file as a charity or nonprofit. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

Agree with social pressure, but could also be a reverse scenario, especially if the parental consent is not enforced and not saying it is the norm. Thanks Ike. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

What if the profits are never paid out? WidgetWorld executives would take no salary, just stocks and corporate provided food, lodging, and business related expenses. No taxes are ever paid. Small business owners would do the same thing. No salary, but all my living expenses become corporate expenses. In fact, wages would go down across the board, but employees could use chits to buy things they need at the company store. Everyone benefits, the employees pay less tax, and the company has a new profit center. I think you'll get a lot of unintended consequences by saying only individual wages/salary gets taxed. Just incorporate yourself and work as an independent contractor for the company. There simply wouldn't be any employment income left. The original post was tax income, not just wages. All of the above would be considered income. Congratulations! You just found new work for all the accountants that my plan just laid off.

Problem: Insanely intentionally complicated tax code. Solution: Go back to a graduated tax rate with 0 deductions. One pays a set percentage of their income. No more corporate taxes as they just get passed on anyways but also no more corporate welfare/grants. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

And statistics are statistics. It's a socioeconomic issue. The less one has, the less they have to lose and the more to gain. Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

Morally, of course it does. The hypocrisy is palpable. Let me get this straight... you and all the other 'bleedin' hearts' and those who believe in let 'em all in', don't care who comes here? It doesn't bother you that they may be gang members, criminals or whatever? Just not in your back yard? Then you don't really care about this country. You just think our prisons are over-flowing... just 'let 'em all in'. Chuck They want to let all the prisoners out too... Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

Thanks. I'll create a new thread at a later date, copying over the parts that follow the format and try that.