Debate : 25076


Off-Topic / Debate / 25076	25075 \| 25077

Subject:	Re: Santorum Fails In His Effort To Pervert The Constitution
Newsgroups:	lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date:	Mon, 26 Jul 2004 15:50:31 GMT
Viewed:	2422 times

In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler wrote:

Okay, okay, I’ll buy that. But in casual conversation and in debates in general, can you give me a term to use that will be as readily understood as “atheist?”

What’s wrong with “agnostic”?

I would add to this that the Christian God is logically impossible, and therefore I, as a rational being, can never accept arguments in favor of his existence as described in canonical texts (though I accept that believers in God are able to accommodate logical impossibilities within their belief).

This sounds closer to atheism-- IE you believe in not-the-Christian-god. In my experience with agnostics, they often reject one (or multiple) religions, but are ‘undecided’ about the rest: “I don’t know what religion is right, but I *KNOW* it’s not ”.

To be honest, you sound more atheist than agnostic. The empirical evidence you’ve seen seems to suggest to you that no supernatural forces exist. Your dedication to the scientific theory demands of you that you accept the possibility of the supernatural, and so you accept it (begrudgingly) as a possibility, but you prefer to believe instead that no supernatural force exists. Hence, if you were asked to state your opinion as to whether or not a supernatural force existed, you would probably say ‘no’, versus a “true agnostic” who would probably have phenomenal difficulty answering the question.

DaveE

Message has 2 Replies:

		Re: Santorum Fails In His Effort To Pervert The Constitution
(...) I dislike that term because it's often seen as too wishy-washy, or a way to hedge one's bet. It can also carry a connotation of undecidedness, due not to a lack of evidence but a lack of conclusion. Additionally, if you say "I'm an agnostic" (...) (20 years ago, 26-Jul-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)

		Re: Santorum Fails In His Effort To Pervert The Constitution
(...) I don't see why a true agnostic would have any problems with answering that. It's the next question that's the problem (What do you mean you don't know?). (20 years ago, 26-Jul-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)

Message is in Reply To:

		Re: Santorum Fails In His Effort To Pervert The Constitution
(...) Chalk this part up to miscommunication, then. And for the record, I certainly don't believe that any "rights" are truly inherent and undeniable (inalienable). (...) Science may be a flawed tool, in the same way that the Constitution is a (...) (20 years ago, 26-Jul-04, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)

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