atheism = unscientific (reject, beliefs, followers, theist, agnostic)

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by Jayhawker Soule

We may, but the entire history of science has been one of increasingly impoverishing the God-of-the-Gaps.

Indeed.

But of course such a God is only a single concept of deity, albeit a popular one.

[stemann]

Originally Posted by Tiberius

Shtef, your argument is completely dependant on what you experience as God actually being God. However, there is no way for you to prove this. Thus, your calims do not prove god, the merely prove that you experience something that you interpret as God.

In that case your own arguments hold no weight either- if it is not possible to know if what you are experiencing is God or not, then for one you can doubt the existence of anything and the concept of "God" becomes as plausible as other things you experience, or you could be experiencing God all the time and just not know it.

[Scuba Pete]

Originally Posted by Jayhawker Soule

We may, but the entire history of science has been one of increasingly impoverishing the God-of-the-Gaps.

Only by increasing their arrogance. Science of the Gaps has yet to create life from scratch, but the FAITH displayed by these disciples is absolutely amazing.

[Opethian]

Originally Posted by Netdoc

Only by increasing their arrogance.

So you dare make the claim that science has not progressed? Now that's what I call arrogance.

Science of the Gaps has yet to create life from scratch

What has your illusionary god done? Nothing, but ebb away through the progress of science.

but the FAITH displayed by these disciples is absolutely amazing

So is the faith of drug addicts that they don't have a problem.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Shtef

scientists justify atheism by arguing that the existence of God can not be proven.

True, their is no proof that God exists. However, there is also no proof that God doesn't exist. Given that scientists base all of their beliefs on proof how can one believe there is no God when the absence of God has not been proven.

In this situation I would think that agnosticism is the most scientific belief

I agree. Even though I am personally convinced that there is a God, knowing that I cannot prove it but that no one can disprove it either, I am forced to admit that we're pretty much all agnostics. Some of us just believe there is a God while others believe there is not.

[Jayhawker Soule]

Originally Posted by NetDoc

Only by increasing their arrogance.

That is simply nonsense.

[Scuba Pete]

Originally Posted by Jayhawker Soule

That is simply nonsense.

I completely agree. Instead of increasing their arrogance, they should let it increase their humility. Unfortunately, the Science of the Gaps promises SO MUCH, and the faith required to buy into it is truly blind. It amazes me how so many who claim to be intellectual fall for this vacuous fallacy. Go figure.

But still, there are poor sots out there who will try to pit science against God in some vain attempt to justify their atheism just as there are poor sots out there ignoring real science in a vain attempt to justify their understanding of God. Both are equally pathetic in trying to compare apples to oranges.

It's the wise man that realises the more we know the more there is to know.

[Scuba Pete]

Originally Posted by Opethian

So you dare make the claim that science has not progressed? Now that's what I call arrogance.

Ah, you failed reading 101. I said nothing of the sort. Science HAS progressed. I love science, but science never intended to sort out God. That's like trying to use a microwave oven to sort out why your car is misfiring. Microwave ovens are GREAT, but it would be STOOOPID to use it on your car.

Originally Posted by Opethian

What has your illusionary god done? Nothing, but ebb away through the progress of science.

Well, he created life from nothing: I have yet to see science replicate this feat. Compared to that, cloning a sheep is merely a parlor trick.

Originally Posted by Opethian

So is the faith of drug addicts that they don't have a problem.

You know, I agree that these Science of the Gaps people don't have a clue how clueless they really are. There is nothing sillier than trying to disprove God through science. It makes them look like a bunch of baboons checking each other for fleas while saying something like "Nevermind, brother thy tail hangs down behind". (Bonus points for knowing the reference and no fair searching for it on the Internet).

[Tiberius]

Originally Posted by stemann

In that case your own arguments hold no weight either- if it is not possible to know if what you are experiencing is God or not, then for one you can doubt the existence of anything and the concept of "God" becomes as plausible as other things you experience, or you could be experiencing God all the time and just not know it.

But the difference is that you can replicate the scientific explanation when you think it's God. We can replicate the Near Death experiences that people attribute to supernatural causes. But can we replicate them through religious means?

Science has that as a huge benefit over relion when it comes to explaining things. We can do the scientific tests over and over and over again to make sure we got it right. But when it comes to testing things to religion, I don't there even is a way to do any tests at all.