Originally posted by twhitehead I don't dispute that an insult is a harm, I do however think that if you would truly kill every person who insulted you, or even kill one person for insulting you, then you are a very bad person indeed. Also you would have your work cut out for you as most of the Muslim world has insulted you indirectly, thats several billion murders for you to work on.
I, like most Christians, know that I am a "bad person" (original sin and all that). It is only through the grace of God through Christ that we are saved, so if you think I'm going to argue the point that I "am a very bad person", you are sadly mistaken.
Originally posted by PinkFloyd I, like most Christians, know that I am a "bad person" (original sin and all that). It is only through the grace of God through Christ that we are saved, so if you think I'm going to argue the point that I "am a very bad person", you are sadly mistaken.
I dont expect you to argue the point. You have made it quite clear that you are a very bad person who is nothing short of a serial murderer who is only kept in check by a fear of God.
What I do expect from you is an admission that you are not representative of a typical human being and most of us atheists are actually far better people than you.
First of all, the amount of ways that something can exist in a multitude of ways and nothing can only exist in one form tells us very little about its probability. Even if you consider the multitude to be infinity, who's to say that nothingness is not a massive mass point in the probability distribution? You're just describing the support, ...[text shortened]... e shocks to its elements. If there are no elements, then where is the instability coming from?
Personally, I don't put much faith in it - I think you and whitey are right. That's why I was very careful to point out it's Victor Stengl's argument, not mine.
Originally posted by twhitehead I dont expect you to argue the point. You have made it quite clear that you are a very bad person who is nothing short of a serial murderer who is only kept in check by a fear of God.
What I do expect from you is an admission that you are not representative of a typical human being and most of us atheists are actually far better people than you.
You will not get such an admission, because that would be a lie. I'm just an average Joe--no better, no worse than any other average Joe. Most atheists/humanists I know are not willing to say that they are poor worthless sinners, undeserving of any grace. Most Christians I know freely admit this. Does it mean atheists/humanists have more self-esteem? Maybe--I don't know. Some Christians have a dim view of the world (an awful horrible place that we will be glad we are out of once we get to heaven); I don't share this view. I guess I would've made a lousy Puritan. Bottom line, I don't claim to speak for "us Christians". I only speak for me.
Originally posted by PinkFloyd You will not get such an admission, because that would be a lie. I'm just an average Joe--no better, no worse than any other average Joe. Most atheists/humanists I know are not willing to say that they are poor worthless sinners, undeserving of any grace. Most Christians I know freely admit this. Does it mean atheists/humanists have more self-esteem? ...[text shortened]... Puritan. Bottom line, I don't claim to speak for "us Christians". I only speak for me.
Yet at the same time you believe your Super Duper God created the whole vast universe just to put Man in it and that the only thing that is important is what Men decide to do. Most curious.
Originally posted by no1marauder Yet at the same time you believe your Super Duper God created the whole vast universe just to put Man in it and that the only thing that is important is what Men decide to do. Most curious.
Originally posted by PinkFloyd You will not get such an admission, because that would be a lie. I'm just an average Joe--no better, no worse than any other average Joe. Most atheists/humanists I know are not willing to say that they are poor worthless sinners, undeserving of any grace. Most Christians I know freely admit this. Does it mean atheists/humanists have more self-esteem? ...[text shortened]... Puritan. Bottom line, I don't claim to speak for "us Christians". I only speak for me.
But atheists don't evaluate themselves by such criteria.
I tend to think I am really no better or worse than anyone else. I'm sure I have some disagreeable aspects (don't everybody feel the need to chip in here 😉) but some good aspects too. I'm not going to psychologically punish myself over it.
I, along with Richard Dawkins and many others, believe that imposing this guilt upon innocent children to be quite a harsh psychological burden, and threatening children with damnation and hell fire to be tantamount to psychological torment and torture of a minor.
Originally posted by PinkFloyd You will not get such an admission, because that would be a lie. I'm just an average Joe--no better, no worse than any other average Joe.
But you have assured us several times that your 'true nature' is to murder anyone who insults you. Do you at least admit that the majority of human beings would not commit murder over an insult?
Originally posted by twhitehead But you have assured us several times that your 'true nature' is to murder anyone who insults you. Do you at least admit that the majority of human beings would not commit murder over an insult?
I am unsure on that. My guess would be 'no', they would not.