Godot

I recall reading a book once (true story), in which the protagonist called god santa claus for adults.
It got me to thinking that this was a line of reasoning that could be used to take the piss out of a deist with them being none the wiser.
Approach your favorite deist and declare your undying belief in santa claus, or the easter bunny, or the bloody tooth fairy for all I care. Support your position using similar arguments as they would likely use defending the existence of god.
If they are willing to engage you (and not dismiss you as some crank), do you suppose that they would counter your claims with the same arguments that an atheist would use to attack a deist position?
Next question: do you think any of them would be astute enough to recognise that arguments in question could be legitimately be applied to debate the existence of god?

kwigibo

Kally won't be pleased

Silent Dave

A discussion more apt for the upper fora, I think, so off to GRD.


Dave

keyser_soze

Why won't kally be pleased? I think kwi probably read it the same place as Kally. I read it long ago, a one liner from some old book written in the 30's iirc. I don't think kally would be in the least displeased.

Marduk

It might not work that well, Santa has some attributes that are verifiable, lives at the North Pole, has flying reindeer, delivers toys via a chimney, flying sleigh etc. which no one has ever seen and is why only very small children believe the story. No adults do. God you can always define in a way that is more palpable to adults. God is everything, everywhere in everyone etc. and many claim personal relationships with this entity or stories of a rising dead man. No such claims for Mr. Claus et al.

(anyone see the season finale to Farscape with Crichton & Scorpy dressed as the Easter Bunny? Scorpy says " a religious leader dies 2000 years ago and this is how you celebrate?")

Gnome

[QUOTE]Originally posted by marduck
It might not work that well, Santa has some attributes that are verifiable, lives at the North Pole,

Not necessarily, he may live in lapland, or indeed anywhere in the Northern polar region. There no specific requirement for him to reside at the exact pole (and besides, which pole do you mean? The true pole or the magnetic role, the magnetic pole moves and we can hardly expect Santa to shift his whole operation every year or so) The vast majority of the surface of the polar icecap is unexplored, and besides - you are assuming that his grotto is in the North pole as we understand it, it may not be the actual physical north pole. You shouldn't try and define Santa using your limited human concepts.

has flying reindeer

Yes - do you have any proof that he doesn't. Just because I've never seen them. I've never seen Kyoto, but I don't doubt that it exists.

delivers toys via a chimney

Pah! That's a pathetic strawman, put about by you asantaists. He obviously utilises appropriate means of entrance depending upon the dwelling in question. Before you go about slagging Santa off you should really read properly about him, not just asantaist propaganda. I bet none of you have even read the Night Before Christmas all the way through. If you did you would realise that Santa is REAL.

which no one has ever seen

I've seen it. You just have to be willing to see it, to open your eyes and let yourself see Santa.

many claim personal relationships with this entity (...) No such claims for Mr. Claus et al.

I have personal relationship with Santa. He brings me presents. Frankly if he doesn't deliver the presents how the hell else do they get there? How do you explain that smartarse?

Proxima Centauri

And the Blue Gnomes that make this computer work!
You worthless unbelievers simply can't prove that the blue gnomes don't exist.

You can't disprove Her Holyness the Invisible Pink Unicorn either!
And here's more about Her holy Fartiness!
I have faith that they all exist.

Marduk

Bah & Humbug!

"I bet none of you have even read the Night Before Christmas all the way through. If you did you would realise that Santa is real"

got ya! was there any mention of this Mr. Claus and his Reindeer and place of residence or modus opperendi BEFORE this fable was written? NO! we have here the origin of this myth!
Unlike even UFO's we have NO photos, or even one eyewitness account of close encounters of the S kind.
(those presents under your tree I propose were placed there by your own acquaintances!!!!!)
This is true of Easter Bunnies, Blue Gnomes and IPU's as well!!!!!!

and I have it on good authority that those "Santas" you see at the mall are Hired Agents! advertised for in Newspapers!!!!!!!!!

Craig

-- Stephen Roberts


http://www.wildlink.com/freelink/quote_history.htm

Proxima Centauri

Marduck, alas Marduck! You willfully refuse to believe in Her, the Most Holy Invisible Pink Unicorn!
She Exists!

Quote:

And truly those who say otherwise are heretics and unbelievers, and shall be cast into the Great Manure Pile where her Sacred Dwarves shall indeed nibble on their kneecaps for all eternity. And serve them right.

The Holy Prophet April says so!
And here's More about your Awful Fate!
How can you deny it when so many people say it?