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There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 10:32:54 AM

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"There Is No God"
by Penn Jillette
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5015557

---

Just sharing what someone sent me this morning, we don't have to beat it to death like the other thread.

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 10:44:20 AM

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"Believing there's no God stops me from being solipsistic. I can read ideas from all different people from all different cultures. Without God, we can agree on reality, and I can keep learning where I'm wrong."

This encapsulates it all quite nicely, even if agreement on reality is not necessarily indicative of the truth. Thank you for the link.

(in reply to Chaingang)

RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 12:03:33 PM

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"There are no atheists in foxholes or cockpits." W. Churchill

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 12:12:31 PM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: aviinterra

"There are no atheists in foxholes or cockpits." W. Churchill

Then he should have read more war literature.

My great uncle spent three years in the trenches in WWI, he said he never saw god once, he just assumed if he existed he was back with the generals.

Three of my uncles fought in WWII, one died, one was wounded but all were atheists.

< Message edited by meatcleaver -- 1/9/2007 12:23:33 PM >

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 12:34:15 PM

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They are the exception to the norm, which is fine, I argue for neither cause. But I do deal with the dying and the dead daily in my line of work, and it is rare that I encounter an atheist. On their deathbeds people bargain, plea, beg, confess, and than pray.

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 12:36:33 PM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: aviinterra

They are the exception to the norm, which is fine, I argue for neither cause. But I do deal with the dying and the dead daily in my line of work, and it is rare that I encounter an atheist. On their deathbeds people bargain, plea, beg, confess, and than pray.

For the same reason many healthy people aren't atheists. It's easier to believe in a fantasy than to face reality.

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There are fascists who consider themselves humanitarians, like cannibals on a health kick, eating only vegetarians.

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 12:53:15 PM

ModeratorEleven

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Folks, please don't let this thread go the same route as the last one about religion. If you can't post without insulting people who hold a different opinion from you, you might want to refrain from posting because our patience is worn thin.

XI

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This mod goes to eleven.

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 12:58:24 PM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: aviinterra

They are the exception to the norm, which is fine, I argue for neither cause. But I do deal with the dying and the dead daily in my line of work, and it is rare that I encounter an atheist. On their deathbeds people bargain, plea, beg, confess, and than pray.

Pain and fear make people do things they would not normally do. I can tell you as someone that believes in life after death and a higher power, fear and pain are not very good motivations to convert in my mind....

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 1:25:40 PM

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"Only God knows, and since there ain't no God... nobody knows."

Not my quote, but amusing nevertheless.

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 1:48:56 PM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: aviinterra
"There are no atheists in foxholes or cockpits." W. Churchill

Misattribution, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheists_in_foxholes

If you read the entry you will also discover that this silly witticism is also false.

< Message edited by Chaingang -- 1/9/2007 1:50:54 PM >

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 1:56:41 PM

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You dont demonstrate that there is no Deity by pointing to the weaknesses of what MIGHT be man made religions.

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 1:57:58 PM

Rule

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"So, anyone with a love for truth outside of herself has to start with no belief in God and then look for evidence of God. She needs to search for some objective evidence of a supernatural power".
Penn Jillette.

He so does not get it. He is talking about that which he does not understand.

Anyhow: I do exist. So feel free to worship me. ;-)

< Message edited by Rule -- 1/9/2007 1:59:47 PM >

(in reply to Chaingang)

RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 2:36:33 PM

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Didn't we just do this one?

Fear and pain are powerful if misleading motivators. Give me ten minutes and a pair of pliers and I can revise the expressed opinions of anyone here, even myself.

Eternal damnation is a pretty hefty pair of pliers.

Z.

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 2:42:01 PM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: seeksfemslave

You dont demonstrate that there is no Deity by pointing to the weaknesses of what MIGHT be man made religions.

Atheism and the existence of a deity are both human concepts. You are by the back door saying there is a deity and you don't need any evidence for you to believe in that. That is fine, it is your choice. People like me require evidence. That appears to be the difference between you and me.

I doubt we will ever meet on the other side to prove your deity because we will more than likely be in the state we were before we were born.

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 3:02:25 PM

Rule

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Zensee
Eternal damnation is a pretty hefty pair of pliers.

The Divine is all-knowing and lenient.

Egyptian mythology relates that the souls of those who do evil are lost. However, evil is still amongst us, even after five thousand years. The God of the Dead clearly cannot and will not deny even Satan, whom the Creator created with a purpose. So: perhaps only those are lost who do not act according to their nature, those who are defective.

(in reply to Zensee)

RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 4:40:44 PM

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hey i am an atheist but of course there is a god.

There is a god by definition.

That is not to say we know what that "actual" definition is since we cannot be in the mind of the person who first imagined the concept.

Because we cannot imagine god or for that matter agree with god does not give cause to say god does not exist beyond our personal perceptions.

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 5:39:56 PM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: subfever

"Only God knows, and since there ain't no God... nobody knows."

Not my quote, but amusing nevertheless.

Douglas Adams said it best.

"The Babel Fish is such an infinitely useful creation that it proves that God exists. God has indicated that he refuses to prove he exists, and vanishes in a puff of logic."

God may exist. God may not exist. There is no proof either way, and certainty in either regard relies entirely on belief and faith.

Sinergy

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 5:59:04 PM

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Sinergy

quote:

ORIGINAL: subfever

"Only God knows, and since there ain't no God... nobody knows."

Not my quote, but amusing nevertheless.

Douglas Adams said it best.

"The Babel Fish is such an infinitely useful creation that it proves that God exists. God has indicated that he refuses to prove he exists, and vanishes in a puff of logic."

God may exist. God may not exist. There is no proof either way, and certainty in either regard relies entirely on belief and faith.

Sinergy

even if there was proof it would not stand up to the certainty of generations of tradition

_____________________________

"We the Borg" of the us imperialists....resistance is futile

Democracy; The 'People' voted on 'which' amendment?

Yesterdays tinfoil is today's reality!

"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session

(in reply to Sinergy)

RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 6:29:34 PM

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I went into the 'foxhole' (actually, it was an artillery barrage, and there was NO cover at all, nevermind a foxhole, just 24 men standing in a big ragged circle waiting for the next shell to land) Believing in some sort of a deity, and came out knowing that there was no god- just random chance ruling the universe.

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RE: There is No God by Penn Jillette - 1/9/2007 6:44:15 PM

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Penn Gillette is a research fellow at the CATO Institute? Really. Hmm. I can see his point in what he says he believes - he can believe whatever he wants, of course.

But personally, I kind of wonder 1) Why I was born, and why I am here on this planet and 2) Where I will go when I die. He just left those two topics completely alone, and they are some of the major reasons people sometimes believe in a Superior Being.

I am not saying anyone (atheist, beyond atheist, or religiously inclined) has figured out "the answer" - I am just saying his way of viewing the question is to avoid the issue entirely. So - is his "beyond atheism" another way of saying:"I don't have the answer, either?" Or what?

I mean, I can believe in God,(or not) and also read religious texts from different cultures, etc - all that means is I am not a predjudicial ass_. I am not sure it means anything else, related to God, or proving or disproving the existence of a God, particularly.

- Susan

< Message edited by SusanofO -- 1/9/2007 6:51:39 PM >

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