Theists... (reject, Creator, Earth, soul, evolution)

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by stephenw

To me, yes.

Are you real? And, if so, doesn't that mean that it is real?

[stephenw]

Originally Posted by Willamena

Are you real? And, if so, doesn't that mean that it is real?

You asked is the illusion real in response to a statement by someone that life is an illusion.
To me it (life)is real, illusion (to another) or not.
To me 'I' seem real. I conceive of 'I' as a perspective and I don't accept that there is an objective reality so my reality can be anothers illusion without the 2 conflicting.

[logician]

An illusion can be as real as "reality".

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by stephenw

You asked is the illusion real in response to a statement by someone that life is an illusion.
To me it (life)is real, illusion (to another) or not.
To me 'I' seem real. I conceive of 'I' as a perspective and I don't accept that there is an objective reality so my reality can be anothers illusion without the 2 conflicting.

Illusions are real illusions. We participate in them in every aspect of our lives.

Everything is appearances. And it's all real.

[Rolling_Stone]

Originally Posted by Jaiket

...who accept evolutionary biology, how do you respond to Steven Pinker?

What twisted sadist would have invented a parasite that blinds millions of people or a gene that covers babies with excruciating blisters? To adapt a Yiddish expression about God: If an intelligent designer lived on Earth, people would break his windows.

The quote directly refers to ID. My point would be, however, that in the similar vein as the problem of evil, how do you reconcile a benevolent creator and a gene that covers babies with excruciating blisters?

Does God take nothing to do with evolutionary change?

Just one question: what makes it bad if there's no God?

[rojse]

Originally Posted by Rolling_Stone

Just one question: what makes it bad if there's no God?

Personal perception and personal interests.

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by rojse

Personal perception and personal interests.

?

Can you explain?

[rojse]

Originally Posted by Willamena

?

Can you explain?

What you and I deem as bad simply depends on my personal interests and my personal beliefs on the subjects that relate to an event, nothing more.

A simple, non-controversial example. Let us say there is an interest rate hike of 0.25%.

If I have a mortgage or a loan on interest, I will say this is bad. This designation of badness comes from the fact that I will have to pay more money in my repayments, and that means that I have less money for self.

If I have a large sum in a term deposit, own bonds, or so forth, I will say this is good. I will be making more money from this.

Either way in this scenario, my statement of the goodness or badness of an event is related to my personal interests.

It is not limited to money or related interests, either. If I have a reasonable grasp of economics, and understand things like recessions, and how the major economic indicators are going at the moment, I might agree with this course of action. If I have seen how the last interest rate rises affected one of my friends, in that they lost their house or the like, I will say that this is bad.

Either way, my ideals are supported by my personal experiences.

Hope this helps.