Originally posted by Coletti
By your definition of atheist - why would an atheist believe anything given good evidence?

Evidence leads to belief. The greater the evidence the greater the belief. Weaker evidence equals less belief.

Originally posted by rwingett
Evidence leads to belief. The greater the evidence the greater the belief. Weaker evidence equals less belief.

So then your definition of atheist is someone who believes according to the evidence?

Originally posted by rwingett
Can you demonstrate the existence of your god by any means whatsoever?

Sure. I can give you examples of answers to prayer and having greater happiness and peace in life to name a few.

As a meer spectater to my life, you can of course dismiss this as sheer coincidence and/or hallucination.

Originally posted by Halitose
Sure. I can give you examples of answers to prayer and having greater happiness and peace in life to name a few.

As a meer spectater to my life, you can of course dismiss this as sheer coincidence and/or hallucination.

There are many far simpler explanations for your greater hapiness and peace than "god". Your so called "evidence" is dismissed.

Originally posted by Coletti
So then your definition of atheist is someone who believes according to the evidence?

If you're trying to turn this into another discussion about atheists "believing in the non-existence of god" then don't waste your time.

Originally posted by rwingett
There are many far simpler explanations for your greater hapiness and peace than "god". Your so called "evidence" is dismissed.

Your so called "evidence" is dismissed
My point exactly.

There are many far simpler explanations for your greater hapiness and peace than "god".
Who says the simplest explanation is correct?

Originally posted by Halitose
[b]Your so called "evidence" is dismissed
My point exactly.

There are many far simpler explanations for your greater hapiness and peace than "god".
Who says the simplest explanation is correct?[/b]

It has the greatest liklihood of being correct.

Originally posted by rwingett
It has the greatest liklihood of being correct.

True. Do you deny that it might be wrong though?

Originally posted by rwingett
Can you demonstrate the existence of your god by any means whatsoever?

Sure. Someone once had an agreement with an atheist to do this. The Christian found a drug-adict, prostitute and serial killer, that had been set free from their habitual practises and had their lives radically changed by a meating with God. The Christian proposed to the atheist to find any three people of the same type and to transform their lives by any other means. The atheist was unable to do this. He had to agree that there was indeed a God. Well if you disagree, I'm sure you'll be up to the challenge to prove me wrong...

PS: This is probably not part of the debate, but I don't know of any other such person that has ever claimed to be set free by anyone other than Jesus Christ.

Originally posted by dj2becker
Sure. Someone once had an agreement with an atheist to do this. The Christian found a drug-adict, prostitute and serial killer, that had been set free from their habitual practises and had their lives radically changed by a meating with God. The Christian proposed to the atheist to find any three people of the same type and to transform their lives by any ...[text shortened]... of any other such person that has ever claimed to be set free by anyone other than Jesus Christ.

Your vocabulary work for the day, dj2becker, is "apocryphal." Please use it in a sentence.

Originally posted by Halitose
[b]Your so called "evidence" is dismissed
My point exactly.

There are many far simpler explanations for your greater hapiness and peace than "god".
Who says the simplest explanation is correct?[/b]

"one should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything" William of Occam

Originally posted by rwingett
Your vocabulary work for the day, dj2becker, is "apocryphal." Please use it in a sentence.

“Wildly apocryphal rumors about starvation in Petrograd... raced through Russia's trenches” (W. Bruce Lincoln).

Now for your homework. How you found any three people?

Originally posted by dj2becker
The Christian found a drug-adict, prostitute and serial killer, that had been set free from their habitual practises and had their lives radically changed by a meating with God.

What is this "meating" you speak of?

You can change your life radically by

becoming vegetarian (free your karma!)
learning a skill (driving, reading) (free of illiteracy!)
changing your sex (free of gender stereotypes)
giving away all your money (free of wordly possessions)

...

Your example is the worst you've come up with in a while.

Originally posted by Coletti
So then your definition of atheist is someone who believes according to the evidence?

Sounds like a good definition to me.
If a 7 foot Sherpa with a huge scimitar comes lunging at you,
your belief system will undoubtedly get very active, the idea that
if that blade slices by your head, your body and your head will
in fact separate. So the evidence tells you you better believe that
particular scenario. If a three foot midget comes at you with a
fingernail file, the evidence is pretty weak for the first situation, no?