I am looking for good, pithy quotes from theists acknowledging that the various arguments for the existence of God are inconclusive or even poor (even though they think that doesn't matter). If you have examples (with sources), could you email me direct rather than stick them here? Email address above. Thanks...
On another blog, FideCogitActio, some theists of a "classical" stripe (that's to say, like Brian Davies, Edward Feser) are criticisng the Evil God Challenge (or I suppose, trying to show how it can be met, or sidestepped). The main post includes this: In book I, chapter 39 , Aquinas argues that “there cannot be evil in God” (in Deo non potest esse malum). Atheists like Law must face the fact that, if the words are to retain any sense, “God” simply cannot be “evil”. As my comments in the thread at Feser’s blog aimed to show, despite how much he mocks “the privation theory of evil,” Law himself cannot escape its logic: his entire argument requires that the world ought to appear less evil if it is to be taken as evidence of a good God. Even though he spurns the idea that evil is a privation of good, his account of an evil world is parasitic on a good ideal; this is no surprise, though, since all evil is parasitic on good ( SCG I, 11 ). Based on the conclusions of se...
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I just wanted to let you know that I just finished reading my copy of 'Believing Bullshit'. I must say that I was reminded of Colin McGinn's book Mindfucking; A Critique of Mental Manipulation, 2008, Acumen. The early chapters in your book were a bit of a mindfuck ... I really enjoyed chapter 6, Pseudoprofundity. I think the question as to whether God exists is somewaht irrelevent and perhaps a point worth discussing is whether those individuals that recorded the original scriptures were bullshitters motivated by the ever present desire for power and wanting to become leaders. What better argument then to say: I met God on the mountain and he gave me the following commandments to make you behave and I will be your leader!! It is also possible that scriptures are simply the records of what people believed then and the problem is with moderns who won't let go.
Finally as a scientist, now retired, I recommend you take a look at 'bullshit science'. Let me just give you two quick examples. A scientist publishes a paper with evidence being analytical results; however, it becomes evident that with known samples s/he only gets expected results 50% of the time - that kind of thing is not unheard of - how good is the evidence now?
Several religions claim that certain rivers can cure bacterial infections and might claim that such cures are miracles; however, the science of phage therapy provides evidence that such cures are not miracles at all. Please go to my blog for more on both bullshit and phage therapy - http://bullshitcitynorth.blogspot.com
1. Whose or what bullshit do I believe? 2. How mindfucked am I?
There is an example here, in the bit beginning ‘Secondly as follows’.
you.write.really.very.nice.i.am.your.daily.visitor.