lpetrich

Some of Ed's arguments appear to have an unstated premise, that effects must necessarily resemble their causes. In some cases, they do, but there are numerous counterexamples to this proposition.

One can see this from his favorite arguments:

Personal entities only come from personal ones.

Entities with internal multiplicity only come from other entities with internal multiplicity (this supposedly favors the Christian God over other deities, because that entity is a Trinity).

This resemblance argument has been used by other creationists; consider this example I found online:

The First Cause of limitless Space must be infinite in extent.
The First Cause of endless Time must be eternal in duration.
The First Cause of perpetual Motion must be omnipotent in power.
The First Cause of unbounded Variety must be omnipresent in phenomena.
The First Cause of infinite Complexity must be omniscient in intelligence.
The First Cause of Consciousness must be personal.
The First Cause of Feeling must be emotional.
The First Cause of Will must be volitional.
The First Cause of Ethical values must be moral.
The First Cause of Religious values must be spiritual.
The First Cause of Beauty values must be aesthetic.
The First Cause of Righteousness must be holy.
The First Cause of Justice must be just.
The First Cause of Love must be loving.
The First Cause of Life must be alive.
 
(search for "first cause of love" and the like)

One can easily satirize that argument, but I'll leave that to others.

(a tiny bit of touching up and a little hint to you-know-who)

[ May 17, 2002: Message edited by: lpetrich ]</p>

GunnerJ

Gladly.

"A Universe composed of 99% vacuum with a tiny fraction of plasmatic hydrogen and helium must have been caused by a god composed mostly of vacuum and a small amount of hydrogen and helium plasma."

enemigo

The First Cause of monkeys must be monkeyish in nature or at least in appearance.

The First Cause of mental retardation must be retarded.

The First Cause of disease must be diseased.

The First Cause of Satan must be satanic.


richard

GunnerJ

BUMP.

Undercurrent

You think he'd be more noticable then.

m.

Someone7

The First Cause of Shit must be omni-stinky.

GunnerJ

BUMP.

GunnerJ

BUMP. YET AGAIN!

Ed, do you exist, or have you gone the way of your god?

Oolon Colluphid

We can hope.

Synaesthesia

1. Causes are like effects.
2. According to christian theology, many people will either be destroyed or go to hell.

3.The first cause produced this.

therefore.

4. God is dead or in hell.