What does atheism/skepticism have to offer?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Oh, I really couldn't be bothered to go back over all that territory. Don't you have a map?

(Please tell me what I was implying).

The most straightforward reading of your post is that a person who can imagine himself being one with all beings and believes it to be true, would logically cherish the life of every other being.

Correct?

Originally posted by lucifershammer
The most straightforward reading of your post is that a person who can imagine himself being one with all beings and believes it to be true, would logically cherish the life of every other being.

Correct?

Change one verb and you've got it. (Well, almost).

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Unless you go along with him--to see how he does it.

That happened to me once. I nearly ended up in hot water...

I've always proclaimed that knowing how to swim is a most useful skill. 🙂

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
The intellect? You don't understand empathy at all.

Look up 'empathy' - it is not solely an emotional response.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Change one verb and you've got it. (Well, almost).

Could you make the correction for me?

Originally posted by stocken
See, our need to believe in something may always clowd our perception. So, if a conman comes up to me, selling something that I'd really like, telling me everything is OK, I'd like so much to believe in him/her, that I may overlook the obvious. That's what I mean by believing because you want to believe.
Obviously, if I understand right away that the whole thing is a hoax, I wouldn't allow myself to be tricked.

Can you con yourself?

EDIT: For instance, if you believe in ghosts and hear strange noises outside your window, you might believe that a ghost is haunting you. However, your belief in ghosts must be a priori to the incident - or you will dismiss it as the wind or branches or something.

Originally posted by LordOfTheChessboard
Call it empathy or compassion, I was just trying to point out the role of altruistic behaviour in evolution...

I'm afraid your instance didn't show altruistic behaviour at all ...

Originally posted by ivanhoe
I'm afraid your instance didn't show altruistic behaviour at all ...

This specific instance does. However, it does not prove that altruism is an evolutionary response.

Originally posted by lucifershammer
Can you con yourself?

Dear LH! We do that on a daily basis.

Whenever we consider ourselves more than a fly-poo in the universe, we con ourselves. Of that, I'm sure.

Originally posted by stocken
Dear LH! We do that on a daily basis.

Whenever we consider ourselves more than a fly-poo in the universe, we con ourselves. Of that, I'm sure.

Do we? After all, we are the only known sapient beings in the [physical] Universe.

Originally posted by ivanhoe
Answer the question.

Do you know what constitutes a "purpose" ?

Do you consider the "survival of the fittest" the purpose of evolution ? You apparently do ... but marauder, evolution does not have a purpose.

That a specific trait might have an "evolutionary purpose" for a specific animal does not mean that "evolution" itself has a purpose. Learn how to read.

Originally posted by lucifershammer
Do we? After all, we are the only known sapient beings in the [physical] Universe.

Man-centric - more evidence in support of my hypothesis. When we find (or they find us) other sapient beings who have never heard of the Christian religion will that spell finis to your parochial superstition? Or will the Christians on Earth just claim they are God's chosen people and all other sentient beings are instruments of Satan?

Originally posted by lucifershammer
Are you being bone-headed? Can't you give a straight answer?

Why bother? If you really don't know why empathy helps groups function more effectively than you're a total dimwit and my explaining it to you won't help. If you do know and are merely engaging in your usual sophistry, I'm still wasting my time. Anyone with any intelligence knows that successful groups are based on empathy and cooperation.

Originally posted by lucifershammer
Do we? After all, we are the only known sapient beings in the [physical] Universe.

That's a good argument. We'd have to take it on faith that there are other sapient beings in the universe, and taking things on faith isn't really my style.

Still, we do know that if universe is real (and there's no need to suggest otherwise for the purpose of this discussion), it is also vast. Meaning, in relation to it, we are nothing but teeny-weeny little remnants of a flies' poo.

Now you tell me. God exists. He created universe. And the very crown of his own creation he made in his own image; very teeny-weeny little remnants of flies' poo in relation to the creation at large.

Interesting...

Originally posted by lucifershammer
[b/]Stop whingeing about style - this isn't a high school debate.

You concede you have no evidence. The rest of your statement is a non sequitur;

What evidence have you provided us so far? Pot-kettle-black.

People create beliefs and then they filter reality through their beliefs. If the first person who came up with the idea of religion pressure is on people to be irreligious. So why are people still religious?

Your analogies only prove that you can make the same baseless assertions over and over and over again in different ways. Since the non-existence of a God is unprovable by any means, people are free to believe in it without any chance of being proven wrong. So your analogies, which deal with things that can be proven wrong, are poor ones.