Religious writers and audiences

brunians at brunians.org · 07 Jun 2010, 13:13 · from 2010-June.txt.gz

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From: brunians at brunians.org (brunians at brunians.org)
Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2010 09:13:10 -0400
Subject: (urth) Religious writers and audiences
In-Reply-To: <f8a1a3a83a19942ad6ac27da057a93e8.squirrel at brunians.org>
References: <mailman.27929.1275912259.5093.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
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	<f8a1a3a83a19942ad6ac27da057a93e8.squirrel at brunians.org>
Message-ID: <6921ed5118259009636e35932cb08245.squirrel at brunians.org>

The first instance of the word 'only' below is superfluous.

.



> If randomness leads to order, then randomness is what you call what most
> people call God.
>
> There are always only two and only two choices: the one you choose and all
> the other ones.
>
> If you look at the World analytically, it is complicated.
>
> If you look at the World synthetically, it is reasonably straightforward.
>
> .
>
>
>
>> There are a number of weak assumptions there. First, that randomness
>> does
>> not itself lead to order; second, that there are always only two
>> choices;
>> third, that nature and "naturalness" are simple, when they are
>> demonstrably not.
>>
>> Fourth, that atheism is not in fact found everywhere in nature. The
>> thrushes in the woods behind my house did not take a day of rest
>> yesterday
>> (unless of course their calls are to be considered prayers and not
>> communications regarding territory and mating; but no one has proposed
>> or
>> proven that).
>>
>> Finally, no one has mentioned delusions; perhaps they appear as part of
>> your worldview, but not mine.
>>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Message: 1
>> Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2010 21:36:23 -0400
>> From: brunians at brunians.org
>> To: "The Urth Mailing List" <urth at lists.urth.net>
>> Subject: Re: (urth) Religious writers and audiences
>> Message-ID: <c096727b5256b82de13b1305c6404fee.squirrel at brunians.org>
>> Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
>>
>> I think that the basic difference between atheists and most other people
>> is that atheists think that things happen all random like.
>>
>> The default point of view seems to be that the World is planned and
>> directed in some way.
>>
>> It's not always God who plans and directs it.
>>
>> It's not always planned and directed in some kind of benign way.
>>
>> It's not always planned and directed by the same agents.
>>
>> There's two possible points of view: that the World is random, like, and
>> things happen for no particular reason, or that things are in some way
>> planned and directed.
>>
>> I would like an atheist to explain to me why atheism is not found in
>> nature.
>>
>> Where is the ancient or traditional society that did not believe in
>> something, whether the ghosts of their grandparents, or the spirits of
>> the
>> trees, or the fairies, or the planets or the mountains or the ocean or
>> angels or gods or God or the Devil or something else.
>>
>> Is everyone except you and your buddies deluded?
>>
>> Everybody else?
>>
>> Only you know the truth?
>>
>> This sounds really a lot like a religion, and not a gentle one.
>>
>> .
>>
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>
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