Which part of the God Delusion did you find most offensive? (beliefs, experience)

[lilithu]

Originally Posted by BalanceFx

Question everything. Skeptism is a fantastic thing to have.

Now consider your stated possibilities and make a decision as to why YOU think they did it. Then write it up as a hypothesis and see if it can be disproven.

My, how condescending.

[BalanceFx]

Originally Posted by lilithu

My, how condescending.

I asked you to make a decision... thats not condescending. You ask me how I could know something... I really dont know how you could conclude that the hijackers were not motivated by religion. If you dispute that then explain why.

[lilithu]

Originally Posted by BalanceFx

I asked you to make a decision... thats not condescending. You ask me how I could know something... I really dont know how you could conclude that the hijackers were not motivated by religion. If you dispute that then explain why.

It's condescending to give me a little lecture on how to think for myself.

I didn't say they were not motivated by religion. I said they were not solely motivated by religion. You're painting it as black and white and I am saying it's more complicated than that. I gave a variety of other motivations based on studying the Islamic faith, the knowing something about past history of the region, reading analyses, and actually listening to what various Muslims have to say.

Where did you get your information from?

[BalanceFx]

Originally Posted by lilithu

It's condescending to give me a little lecture on how to think for myself.

I didn't say they were not motivated by religion. I said they were not solely motivated by religion. You're painting it as black and white and I am saying it's more complicated than that. I gave a variety of other motivations based on studying the Islamic faith, the knowing something about past history of the region, reading analyses, and actually listening to what various Muslims have to say.

Where did you get your information from?

Of course they were not solely motivated by religion but it played a large part. You realize you are both arguing from authority and by question repeatedly.

I never intructed you how to think for yourself. I said if you dispute the notion that the terrorists had religion intent then to provide a hypothesis on an alternate theory? As I said, I cant conclude based on the evidence that the hijackers were not motivated by their religious beliefs. Thats me asking you to defend your point of view. If your not disputing that religion played a major role in their motivations then why are you arguing with me?

Seriously we could sum this up as just saying, there may have been other motivations that the hijackers had to fly the planes into our towers. I think we can agree that the major motivation was a fantatical religious belief in what they were doing would allow them to become martyrs and to blissfully exist in a paradise in the afterlife. A belief that was false and dangerous to society as a whole.

[lilithu]

Originally Posted by BalanceFx

You realize you are both arguing from authority and by question repeatedly.

I'm arguing that having some knowledge about the issue from independent sources might be useful in discerning the legitimacy of the stuff we're spoon fed by the administration and the media.

Originally Posted by BalanceFx

I never intructed you how to think for yourself.

Ahem:
"Question everything. Skeptism is a fantastic thing to have.

Now consider your stated possibilities and make a decision as to why YOU think they did it. Then write it up as a hypothesis and see if it can be disproven."

Originally Posted by BalanceFx

I think we can agree that the major motivation was a fantatical religious belief in what they were doing would allow them to become martyrs and to blissfully exist in a paradise in the afterlife.

The? Nope.

[mball1297]

Originally Posted by lilithu

And theism is the belief in a god or gods, that's all. There is no theistic ideal. One theist's god(s) can be wrathful and another be the embodiment of love. Given all the myriad views of god(s) that exist, how can it possibly be any more legitimate to make generalizations about theism than atheism?

Not just "theism," the same is true for the Abrahamic faiths.

I never made generalizations about theism, except maybe that they believe in God. Your first paragraph is absolutely correct. Your last line is not. The Abrahamic faiths have some things in common, and those are the generalities I did mention.

[mball1297]

Originally Posted by lilithu

I didn't say they were not motivated by religion. I said they were not solely motivated by religion. You're painting it as black and white and I am saying it's more complicated than that. I gave a variety of other motivations based on studying the Islamic faith, the knowing something about past history of the region, reading analyses, and actually listening to what various Muslims have to say.

Where did you get your information from?

It did sound like you were saying they were not motivated by religion at all. If you had said they were just not solely motivated by religion, then we wouldn't be having such a debate. There might have been other factors, sure. In the grand scheme of things, it would be silly to deny that. I think their religion being any part of the motivation is good enough to call it into question, though.

[BalanceFx]