OT Message #36 Posted by George Bailey (Bedford Falls) on 26 Dec 2008, 3:17 a.m., in response to message #35 by Palmer O. Hanson, Jr.
Palmer,
I respect you very much. Therefor I will this once eat my own words and mix calcs and something unrelated:
I don't know what other atheist folks would tell you and how they would argue. This is only my view and reasoning.
Is there a nuclear power plant in your backyard? Do you KNOW there is none or do you only BELIEVE there is none?
Next time you're throwing a party and someone comes up to you telling you the Mona Lisa painting is in your very own closed fridge. Will you seriously consider to walk over and open it to have a look?
In science, the one who claims the existence of something has to prove it to everybody else. Not the other way round. Up until that somebody can prove the existence, everyone is safe to say "it doesn't exist", not only "I believe it doesn't exist".
I suppose we both are not only non-believers in Wotan, Santa, Jupiter, Earth's second and third moon. We KNOW that they are not.
Believing the alternative (non-god) and not believing at all are logically different. Someone who is not believing is not just "another kind of believer".
Have a nice free thinking time!
Best regards,
George Bailey
Edited: 26 Dec 2008, 6:09 a.m.
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