Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Loren Pechtel · 02-20-2003, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by integral domain
I'm an agnostic. I often say that being a math major has prevented me from calling myself an all-out athiest... you see, in math, the proof that something doesn't exist is often harder than the proof that it doesn't. So I can't say I know for sure there isn't a God anymore than I can say there is one... there's just too many variables... too much we don't know...yet.

But in practice, I'm basically an athiest.

You've been infected with Christianity--you're following their way of refuting athiesm.

The position you describe is that of the soft athiest--"I see no reason to believe in god". In contrast, there is the hard athiest--"I believe there is no god".

integral domain · 02-21-2003, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Loren Pechtel
You've been infected with Christianity--you're following their way of refuting athiesm.

The position you describe is that of the soft athiest--"I see no reason to believe in god". In contrast, there is the hard athiest--"I believe there is no god".

No... I was a hard core athiest... but then I didn't feel comfortable saying I could prove that God doesn't exist... b/c I can't. And, like I said, in math it's just as ludicrous to claim something doesn't exist without a proof as it is to claim something does exist without a proof.

Agnostics are just more legalistic athiests.

Loren Pechtel · 02-21-2003, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by integral domain
No... I was a hard core athiest... but then I didn't feel comfortable saying I could prove that God doesn't exist... b/c I can't. And, like I said, in math it's just as ludicrous to claim something doesn't exist without a proof as it is to claim something does exist without a proof.

Agnostics are just more legalistic athiests.

Agnostics say the issue is undecided. Soft athiests say there's no evidence of a god and therefore no reason to believe in one. You sound like a soft athiest.

integral domain · 02-21-2003, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Loren Pechtel
Agnostics say the issue is undecided. Soft athiests say there's no evidence of a god and therefore no reason to believe in one. You sound like a soft athiest.

Well, I'm not so up on the termonology... so if you say so.

I've just always thought of myself as an agnostic.

Maverick · 02-21-2003, 12:56 PM

I split these posts out of the Testimony thread because we are trying to keep that thread "testimonies only" (and I don't like deleting posts outright). SL&S is not really the place to argue about this either, therefore I am closing this thread. If either of the participants would like to continue this discussion, email or PM me and I will move the thread to a more appropriate location.

Maverick - SL&S Moderator

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02-21-2003, 12:56 PM	#5
Maverick Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin Posts: 6,367	I split these posts out of the Testimony thread because we are trying to keep that thread "testimonies only" (and I don't like deleting posts outright). SL&S is not really the place to argue about this either, therefore I am closing this thread. If either of the participants would like to continue this discussion, email or PM me and I will move the thread to a more appropriate location. Maverick - SL&S Moderator

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