Atheists, do you agree you don't know everything in life? At least 50% or 25%?

Of course I don’t know everything. Who says that they do? I don’t believe in God, but it would be incredibly arrogant for me to say I know there is no God.

I would agree that I don’t know everything in life, of course. Of all potential knowledge, I’d be comfortable saying I “know” less than 1%.

And I’m OK with that.

What’s your point? Atheists think they know it all? If so, you’ve missed the plot.

What’s the percentage on the existence of flying pigs?

It seems to me that atheists tend to be more willing to acknowledge not knowing than believers are.

Of course I don’t know 100%. By taking all the evidence and information available to me, I choose to believe he probably doesn’t exist. It’s the same as people who choose to believe. They have no proof he does exist, just personal belief. At least I’m not afraid to say I’m not sure. If a god does exist, he won’t punish me for not worshiping him. If a god does exist, he/she wouldn’t be an asshole.

@Sakata real flying pigs, or simply those that have evolved with extra skin between their limbs so that they may glide from tree to tree rather than actually fly?

We agree with that statement far more than with followers of most religions. They say with absolute certainty that they know God is responsible for the world around them, while we are perfectly willing to say that we have no idea how or why much of it works. But while they tend to end their investigation there, we have a mechanism to slowly whittle away at our ignorance.

No one can know everything silly, this has nothing to do with knowing and everything to do with believing.

And I do not believe.

I do believe.

You know what? I think all the pro-religion and anti-religion factions on fluther need to get together in a vacant lot somewhere and battle the issue out West Side Story style. Pro-religion you can be the Sharks and anti-religion you can be the Jets. I’ll sit on the sidelines with a twelve pack and a camcorder. NOW DANCE!!!

buncha gotta be right zealots on either side if you ask me

Wasn’t this whole argument countered ten years ago with the Flying Spaghetti Monster?

@Blondesjon: I am an excellent finger snapper.

@lefteh: Yep. All praise be unto him, and whatnot.

seVen, do you ever tire of the God rhetoric? Even a little? It seems to me after all of your religious themed questions you’d know by know which way we lean on Fluther. You’ve been here long enough.

I’d be more inclined to take these questions seriously, as I’m sure many others would if between them you’d ask something completely different.

Just a thought.

@Blondesjon I think Anchorman style would be much more entertaining.
Did you throw a trident?
Where did you get a hand grenade?

@asmonet…The Puerto Ricans grumble: “Fair fight.”
But if they start a rumble,
We’ll rumble ‘em right.

Look dude, I don’t care who I have to cut. Just gimme a solo at the end. :)

@seVen, which god are you talking about? There are hundreds of gods and goddesses.

I’m not 100% sure as to the nonexistence of any god or goddess. But I’m almost positive that Zeus, Marduk, Yahweh, Odin, Yu Yevon, Odulamare, Vishnu, etc do not exist.

How certain are you that these fellows don’t exist? (Well, with the exception of Yahweh, who you seem to believe in for some reason)

We’re gonna rock it tonight,
We’re gonna jazz it up and have us a ball!
They’re gonna get it tonight;
The more they turn it on the harder they’ll fall!

@Blondesjon Are you a Jet or a Shark?

I don’t know everything in life. I don’t know how to identify every type of fish. I don’t know the details of the history of Botswana. I know less than 1% of all possible knowledge to be known.

But I do know that “god,” as nearly any religion views him, does not exist.

@steve6…i’m maria.

seVen, do you agree you don’t know everything in life? At least 50% or 25%?

Because everyone should agree to that.

100% I just took this picture yesterday.

@Harp- Perfect response! Wish I could give you more than one GA.
I have to say it. _I love seVen’s questions.

@Blondesjon: It’s cool, Anita has the best song in the show, I’ll take her any day over the pretty, witty, gay girl.

@asmonet…Oh no, Anita, no,
Anita, no!
It isn’t true, not for me,
It’s true for you, not for me.
I hear your words
And in my head
I know they’re smart,
But my heart, Anita,
But my heart
Knows they’re wrong

You’re on a roll, aren’t ya? ;)

No one can know for sure. Blind faith in anything is dangerous and stupid. Just because there is no proof as you would define proof does not mean it does not exist and just because there is an over abundance of proof as you define proof does not mean it does exist. I believe there is some divine presence/being/creator/what have you but I do not pretend to know anything beyond that.

@girlofscience: What proof do you have that there is no god “as nearly any religion views him”?

@KatawaGrey Where do you get the balls to make such a blanket statement re dangerous and stupid. You are insulting my religious beliefs along with everyone else’s. Talk about intolerant.

Funny, I find her comments to be accurate.

That’s because you don’t have the faith.

@steve6: Are you admitting that your faith is blind?

She said “Blind faith in anything is dangerous and stupid” not just religion.
I agree.

By definition. If I could prove it, it wouldn’t be faith.

@steve6: How so? Insulting comments aside, I’m curious as to your thoughts on the subject.

Faith is something you believe in that is unfounded. I can’t prove it so I have to take it on faith (blind faith).

No offense, @steve6, but “believing something that is unfounded” seems like the definition of “stupid.” I guess a more polite word to use would be “irrational.”

I disagree. My faith comes from knowing, and knowing comes from proof. It may not be proof to you or someone else or even anyone else, but it is proof and it solidifies my faith.

Scientists don’t understand lots of stuff like The Big Bang, how most medicine works, etc. We just take it on faith. Look in the PDR. It says the exact mechanism of why the pills work is unknown, yet we know they work and we still take the pills.

Yes, I have anecdotal evidence for my faith too. Aren’t you confusing issues?

@steve6, scientists do not take the Big Bang or medical discoveries on faith. The Big Bang is based on several strands of evidence, including the proven theory of relativity, the observance of cosmic redshift, and the existence of detectable cosmic background radiation. Additionally, scientists continue to search for more evidence so they can refine their understanding of the Big Bang and cosmology.

Also, what “pills” are you talking about? Scientists know quite a bit about how pills work, often right down to the cellular level.

Look in the PDR before you comment about it. You don’t believe me?

@steve6, no, I don’t believe you. Would you care to cite something in particular from pdr.net to support your assertion that scientists believe pills work on blind faith?

I don’t know if the internet version is identical to the hard copy. Next time you’re in the library look it up. Half the drugs in there state the mechanism is unknown. Ask Shilolo.

Look what up? You’re going to have to be more specific.

Also, even if the specific cellular mechanism is unknown, that doesn’t mean the drugs aren’t repeatedly, empirically tested to determine results. That’s not remotely close to the kind of blind faith you’re talking about.

@steve6: First of all, “evidence” is synonymous with “proof.” Second of all, no I’m not confusing the issue. You cannot know that which you have not been introduced to. Isn’t Christianity spread by missionaries? Don’t these people go to other countries where no one knows of the Christian god in order to speak of him? Also, on Judgment Day, isn’t an angel supposed to fly all over the world and tell people about god and Christ? Would that not be considered “anecdotal evidence?”

Anecdotal evidence is what you use to confirm your faith.
That means it is not blind.

Independent investigation of the truth is a central tenet in the Baha’i faith, so I have no problem putting my beliefs to the test.

I just opened the PDR and the first one I looked at is Serzone. It says under clinical pharmacology “The mechanism of action of nefazadone, as with other antidepressants, is unknown”.

I said we know they work. That’s how. Through testing.

@steve6, knowing something through “testing”—even if you do not yet know the exact cellular (or molecular, or quantum, all the way down) mechanism—is quite different than what you said about blind faith, which you defined as “believing in something that is unfounded.”

(waits for seVen’s non-response)

joins Dave.)

@critter1982 I don’t believe that picture of a flying pig is real. I think it was faked, like the moon landing, Perry reaching the North Pole, and Edmund Hillary getting to the top of Mt. Everest. None of those things really happened, it is ALL myth.

okay, this is said tongue-in-cheek, I hope no one thinks I am quite this stupid.

Can’t we all just get along?

Busted :(

Holy shit!! Another troll question from seVen no way!?

Yeah, but he does it so much better than anyone else.

that is why one could chose to be “agnostic”

otherwise as an atheist it is a “100%” belief (that is of course if one’s beliefs could be measured by percentages, which a are just a theoretical representation of a supposed total…)

also, as if what we believe matters. which it really doesn’t. (which is just my own belief!)

No. An agnostic has doubts about what he or she believes, regarding religion, science, etc. An atheist just doesn’t believe in God. Not believing in something is not the same as knowing it does not exist.
I don’t believe I’ll be hit by a bus tomorrow, but I’m not 100% certain of that.

right. i think we agree. i said that atheism is a belief. (and therefore not a certainty or fact. just a certainty about what you think) now i’ve confused myself! haha maybe i could have said it more clearly.

@AstroChuck: It can also mean they believe but have no firm idea of what the big thing up or downstairs is or what it wants so screw it, play nice. :)

I’m in that camp most of the time.

how is it that no one else has a problem with SeVen’s assurtion that “no one knows everything even until death.”

Seriously, we’re supposed to wait around on our asses waiting for the big post-death reveal and then it will all make sense? After I’m dead and can’t apply my new found all-knowing-ness for the betterment of myself and the world? Really?

Sounds pretty stupid to me.

@fundevogel – So you plan to know everything before you die?

She’s clearly not saying that. She’s saying that she thinks we should learn everything we can during our lifetime and make our positive impact on the world then, rather than waiting to make it after our death based on an unprovable belief.

I’m pretty sure the assumption that “no one knows everything” doesn’t rule out making a positive impact in our lives before we die.

What positive impact is seVen saying he will make after death?

Compost makes a positive impact to plant life.

@fireside: He’s never gonna answer you, he never does.

I’m beginning to wonder if seVen is actually a fundamentalist Christian or if he just likes to stir things up with the occasional really stupid question. Has anyone else wondered that?

He’s too consistent. I really think he believes it.
He’s a god warrior alright. ;)

Hahahaha, okay, maybe you’re right. :P

Great vid, btw.

:D

I don’t know 1% of everything. And all should be weary of anyone who claims to know more than 2%. And I personally think we should outright ignore anyone who claims to know more than 50%.

We should all take some time to realize that Atheism and Agnosticism are not mutually exclusive. They are answering two different questions. You can be a Theistic Agnostic, or a Atheist Gnostic. Atheism says “I don’t believe in God”. Agnosticism says “The existence of God is not knowable”. These are answers to two different questions.

See folks, this is what a troll does. Throws out a “controversial” question just to push an agenda or just to stir up shit and then doesn’t bother to participate in the conversation.

Yes, he doesn’t seem too interested. I don’t see one single input by the asker of this question. It’ a good thing we are here to set him straight.

@steve6: seVen almost never comes back to his own questions. It’s like seeing Nessie when he does.

@asmonet: Let’s go to Scotland to find seVen!

Perhaps the rapture has claimed him.

@KatawaGrey: The we can make with the drinks and the ravishing of the local populations of boy?

@asmonet: Well, duh! I’ll give the boys my drinks to make them more susceptible to our… charms.

Woo!

Ahem. Yes. Let’s.

I think I can pretty much prove that God exists with out using any scripture from the bible.

And there are some humble and to me intelligent astheists here on this blog. However, if a person (especially like me) only knows 1% of the total knowledge in the universe then why take the chance there is no God? Having to face Him one day with all the unbelief, and breaking of His laws how would you justify your gift of life when by then it’ll be too late?

I’m sorry, I just do not follow that logic.
Why are you taking the chance that Godzilla’s evil stepfather is not lurking in the afterlife ready to gobble you up?

One more thing is if seVen or any of us knew a blind man was going to fall off a cliff wouldn’t any of us want to stop him in time?

Same with Christians who are for real. In compassion I don’t want a person to miss a life of faith and possibly go to hell forever because I didn’t mention it. That would be pretty selfish don’t you think?

You may not agree or even like that. Thats okay. But that is likely why seVen brings these things up. Because he doesn’t want any one to face eternity lost and undone.

I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear. I meant I could prove God exists. But I wasn’t trying to do that in my earlier response….

It probably was easy to misunderstand that.

“However, if a person (especially like me) only knows 1% of the total knowledge in the universe then why take the chance there is no God?”

That does not imply that there is proof. That implies that it is a chance decision which may have either outcome.

I admit it does take faith to believe. The bible does say with out faith its impossible to please God.
I’ve been fortunate to have a good relationship with the Lord God most of my life. One reason for believeing is because of the consistant prophecy of the bible coming true. Including prophecy for this time we’re living in.

The bible prophesied for this time for example; that in the last days knowledge would increase, and men would run to and fro across the earth.

Being that knowledge is exploding exponentially that is an incredible prophecy.

And the days were living in a person can reach any part of the earth with in a few days.

This prophecy was made 2000 years ago and is very accurate to what goes on now. There is more prophecy for today. Plus there has been prophecy about the past that always happened after it was given in the bible. This is just one intellectual reason why I believe.

I appreciate the lack of hostility on this blog by the way. It makes for a much more open dialect.

I’m finally reading the whole blog…...:)

I’ve not found lefteh at all hostile with honest questions. Whats wrong with that? Nothing.

Mostly people will naturally get emotional when spiritual beliefs come up. There may have been some tempers going, but really I don’t see any great hatered for what I’ve written.

@manoffaith3112
Nostradamus’ prophecies are much more “accurate” and “clear” than the bible. Yet they still have to be “interpreted” to be “proven”. There have yet to be any biblical prophecies to be proven empirically. If there had been even just ONE proven beyond a doubt, we simply wouldn’t be having this discussion.

@manoffaith3112 “I think I can pretty much prove that God exists with out using any scripture from the bible.” Go for it.

For the record I wouldn’t read @manoffaith3112‘s lack of response one way or the other. He hasn’t logged on to fluther for months.

Somehow I seem to keep finding myself on old questions without realizing they are old. Maybe I’ll figure this site out someday. Oh well.

I miss seVen.

@AstroChuck: I miss the way he made me scream obscenities at my computer.

Of all the trolls on Fluther he was the trolliest. How could you not love that?

I did enjoy how he managed to use circular logic to prove that everything was going to Hell, literally. What fianlly got him banned?

I am an agnostic atheist, which means that I realize that there is much I do not know, but i do not believe in a god. Sure, there might be a god of some sort out there, but I have yet to see any reason to actively believe.

Nice invisible pink unicorn you have there.