Originally posted by rvsakhadeo
Instead of grouping theists and atheists into various types, let us take you as an example of atheists and myself as an example of theists.
But one cannot speak generally about athiests. They have nothing in common except an absence of belief in God. Its as futile as trying to talk about those who don't believe in Santa Claus.
Both of us accept Scientific Method but I accept it with the limitation that it may not be the correct way of knowing about the spiritual world.
What do you do when the Scientific Method disagrees with whatever other methods you have?
Atheists, in general, disavow existence of Free Will.
Thats nonsense. As I point out, there is nothing one can say 'in general' about atheists other than their lack of belief in God. I don't even think it is accurate to say that most atheists disavow the existence of Free Will. I certainly don't. Not without a bit more concrete definition anyway. Free will is not in any way a theistic concept.
Let us agree that Free Will means the freedom that a human has in thinking and acting on his/her own unrestricted or uncontrollable by external factors.
What does this 'human being' consist of? What constitutes 'external factors'? Are you saying that if I devise a mind control device that works through electrically stimulating your brain that it won't work? Are you saying that your past experiences and memories have no impact on your decisions? One needs to be a lot more specific.
Existence of Free Will means a freedom that has been endowed on the humanity alone out of all living beings.
So it is your claim that my cat does not have free will? How do you know this? What external factors control his thoughts?
This endowment has come from God or that has evolved as a feature, depending on whether a theist or an atheist views it. Do you believe in Free Will ? It will help in further discussions.
It depends on how it is defined. I believe that my thoughts are a result of computer like processes in my brain that include input from memories, experiences, wiring, DNA, and randomness. I do not believe my way of thinking is unique to humans, but that my cat is capable of quite sophisticated thought too.