Antitheism

[TheLastMohican]

Again, absence of evidence is not evidence against. You can't make an argument from silence here.

At best, the truth remains ambiguous and has to be left "open," not closed.

Things are never really "closed," but absence of evidence is a valid reason for a hypothesis to be ignored. There are many unfalsifiable ideas, but disbelief can be assumed in the absence of any reason to believe.

As far as your specific question about the Cyclic Model, no, of course I wouldn't reject it based solely on an emotional appeal. But neither could I accept it on one either, without evidence. I mentally "tag" theories and beliefs with a "probability" percentage, rather than just accepting one or denying one wholesale. As I learn more, the percentage changes. I probably will never tag anything as 0% or 100% in my life.

Same here. I wasn't saying that you must accept the Cyclic model if you do not reject it. My point was that the scientific evidence and mathematical predictions are the proper methods of finding the answer, and it is absurd to ignore those methods and reach a hasty conclusion on emotion, which is wholly irrelevant to the reality of the universe. It is or it is not. Many things are hopelessly subjective and lack central definition, but hypotheses like the existence of God are either true or false, and emotional appeal of the idea cannot be counted on to have any effect on the reality.

[SillySapienne]

If a god were to exist, and I had the chance to meet it, I'd tell it, "great job with creating the whole universe and all, honestly, superb", and then I would slap it across its blob-god amorphous face and say, "that is for all the fucked up shit, immeasurable suffering and perverse 'justice' you have mercilessly effected upon innocent human beings both past, present and future."

Regarding the human realm, if a god were to actually exist, it'd be a big fucking sociopathic asshole.

[Virtual ghost]

If a god were to exist, and I had the chance to meet it, I'd tell it, "great job with creating the whole universe and all, honestly, superb", and then I would slap it across its blob-god amorphous face and say, "that is for all the fucked up shit, immeasurable suffering and perverse 'justice' you have mercilessly effected upon innocent human beings both past, present and future."

Regarding the human realm, if a god were to actually exist, it'd be a big fucking sociopathic asshole.

What gives you the right to judge god ? Just curious.

[SillySapienne]

What gives you the right to judge god?

What an odd question, baffling, actually.

Why wouldn't I have the right to judge god?

[Night]

If you were to meet the god(s) ostensibly responsible for all creation, would you, after slapping him, offer thanks for all the positive things our world has to offer?

A creator entity would not necessarily symbolize good or bad, as each is but a quagmire of perspective.

Balance, harmony, consistency - these instruments are the true moral baselines for continuity of creation.

[sassafrassquatch]

Why should we be grateful to a god for anything? Presumably god could have created us as gods equal to himself. But we're small, weak and stupid and that's just the way he wants us.

[SillySapienne]

If you were to meet the god(s) ostensibly responsible for all creation, would you, after slapping him, offer thanks for all the positive things our world has to offer?

A creator entity would not necessarily symbolize good or bad, as each is but a quagmire of perspective.

Balance, harmony, consistency - these instruments are the true moral baselines for continuity of creation.

Listen, the universe is beautiful, intricate, complex and amazing, as is all of biological life.

However, for all the five year olds who have been brutally raped by their fathers, for all the people who have been tortured, for all the children, men and women who have been victims of horrific murders. For all the children and women who have been victims of parental and spousal abuse, ugh, I can go on with this list, but the point is this, for these people, for these travesties, I'd say with supreme confidence that GOD IS A FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!!

But there is no god, there is only nature, neutral in its intent, and infinite in its measure.

Oh, and I am a taoist, fwiw.

[SillySapienne]

Regarding the human realm, if a god were to actually exist, it'd be a big fucking sociopathic asshole.

^Sorry, just to emphasize what was my original point of contention.

[Night]

My statement wasn't necessarily predicated on a belief that a creator entity is "good" or "bad" - your initial point stated you wanted to "slap" him, I offered a converse to your statement as an illustration of balance...

Beauty is a question of subjective value.

To my earlier point, "good" and "bad" are perceptual singularities that have less to do with biology than endemic culture. We then cultivate these prejudices into psychological bylaws that dictate our everyday behavior.

[SillySapienne]

I don't see the "badness" of a five year old getting raped and bludgeoned to death as being a subjective, or cultural value judgment.