The Battle Bar, Our Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy

Started by Nephthys3,287 pages

Lol, alot of people were pissed that Hussie got them to genuinely care about that sweaty horseporn bastard right before killing him off. Have you read his formspring? It looks like he's getting so much flak for it.

http://www.mspaforums.com/showthread.php?24118-Cheerfulbear-PLAY-ME

ohnoesplz

cryfox

why did i just read that

This is for RH and other philosophy majors.. I heard some world reknown philosopher on the Daily Show talking about some new theory. The theory is that he believes in God and God does exist, only that he retreated from this world a long time ago.. What is this theory?

Originally posted by Dr McBeefington
This is for RH and other philosophy majors.. I heard some world reknown philosopher on the Daily Show talking about some new theory. The theory is that he believes in God and God does exist, only that he retreated from this world a long time ago.. What is this theory?

Well, deism is the idea that a supernatural agent acted as an uncaused cause and is responsible for the formation of the universe. Such an agent is the "watchmaker" in design (not necessarily "Intelligent Design"😉 arguments, and does not intercede in daily life. After setting the universe in motion, it simply watches, or left entirely.

Was that it?

Spoiler:
I'd be surprised if that was it. This is a very old idea; think Thomas Jefferson and the Enlightenment.

I'd like to see the basis for that 'new' idea. Because Zam's right, that concepts pretty ****ing old. That guy sounds like he's full of shit imo.

I'd also like to point out that the concept of an absentee God is even more intellectually bankrupt than is that of the Christian God.*

*Given a purely empirical (as opposed to rationalist) worldview, which I do not pretend to advocate.

http://forums.colbertnation.com/?page=ThreadView&thread_id=24598

This..

DS, I'm not sure this is a separate philosophical position. It sounds more like the kind of "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual" hedging that most closeted atheists dabble in. The man is certainly not religious, and for him (I suspect, after nearly fifty five seconds of Google) the existence of God is not an important feature of the universe.

Basically, he is the sort of non-confrontational atheist that you would meet in Seattle but outside of a coffee shop (or street corner). Hell, if I was trying to get evolution accepted, I might say something similar to get religion outside of the discussion. It is more like a rhetorical strategy than an actual platform.

Sorry bro, but this isn't really a thing. (If you'd like me to elaborate I will, but I've already spent four minutes on this post which is ridiculous.)

Originally posted by Zampanó
DS, I'm not sure this is a separate philosophical position. It sounds more like the kind of "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual" hedging that most closeted atheists dabble in. The man is certainly not religious, and for him (I suspect, after nearly fifty five seconds of Google) the existence of God is not an important feature of the universe.

Basically, he is the sort of non-confrontational atheist that you would meet in Seattle but outside of a coffee shop (or street corner). Hell, if I was trying to get evolution accepted, I might say something similar to get religion outside of the discussion. It is more like a rhetorical strategy than an actual platform.

Sorry bro, but this isn't really a thing. (If you'd like me to elaborate I will, but I've already spent four minutes on this post which is ridiculous.)

You can elaborate if you want. The reason I ask is because I haven't ever confronted a philosophical concept that involves God as an omniscient being, and this "idea" is so close to Judaism that he either copied it, or modified it.

I'm a deist myself. It's the only outlook that really makes "sense" to me.

Deism in the philosophy of religion is the standpoint that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that a supreme being created the universe. Further the term often implies that this supreme being does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the natural laws of the universe

Doesn't that sound at least reasonable to everyone? =D

Originally posted by Zampanó
Deism in the philosophy of religion is the standpoint that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that a supreme being created the universe. Further the term often implies that this supreme being does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the natural laws of the universe

Originally posted by RE: Blaxican
Doesn't that sound at least reasonable to everyone? =D

No.

Ok so it looks like this guy has a similar philosophy because he said God DID involve himself in our world but withdrew. The Jewish belief is the same, except that when God withdrew, he still watched and controlled in the background.

Originally posted by Zampanó
No.
stfu

So this just goes to prove how incredibly ignorant about the actual mechanics of various beliefs; I've osmosized enough Christianity through mainstream America to explain that religion, but if pressed on the details of Judaism or Mormonism in practice, I'm hopeless.

There should be a guidebook to the important issues. It would include working blueprints of various religions and the entire platform of both political parties. (Hell, make it the political parties of each country.)

Originally posted by RE: Blaxican
stfu

I just think you're adding an extra term where it doesn't belong. If God exists but doesn't "interfere" with the universe at all, then why think about it? What does it mean to exist outside of the universe (i.e. existence outside of literally all that exists)?

Why think about anything? Just because something has literally no active relevance to your life what so ever doesn't mean you shouldn't (edit: can't) think about it or acknowledge it.

And for the second part of your question, I think that if God exists at all, he exists "within our universe". I think he just doesn't play an active role in our daily lives.

Originally posted by RE: Blaxican
Why think about anything? Just because something has literally no active relevance to your life what so ever doesn't mean you shouldn't (edit: can't) think about it or acknowledge it.

Not "literally no active relevance to [my] life what so ever[sic]" but "literally no active effects whatsoever." The behavior of cepheid variable stars has literally no active relevance to my life. Knowing about the phenomenon does not make me more effective in school, more attractive (than I already am) or better able to do anything. However, I am interested in the topic (for example) because it helps us understand how the universe really works. A god (God) that does not interfere in the universe can claim no such accolade. If god (God) is undetectable and inactive then what do you gain by suggesting that it exists? Can you better predict how the natural wold will behave? No, the answer goes, because god (God) does not interfere with the universe. Put simply, the concept is useless. It's like a skin tag or barnacle, hanging off your mind without actually doing anything. Worse, it's like a tumor, ready to spread to other parts of your mind.

None of this, of course, has even touched on the reasons to think such a God exists in the first place!


And for the second part of your question, I think that if God exists at all, he exists "within our universe". I think he just doesn't play an active role in our daily lives.

What does this mean? Is there a location, perhaps a localized energy field that has the attribute "consciousness" that you can point towards and label "God?" Is God made of particles? Is it a term for various processes? If you are positing a God that interfaces with the universe in some region of space that we have yet to observe, then I ask you: Why do you think such an entity exists? We have not observed the entity, or even its effects, so what cause do you have to believe it exists? What pushed you to belief, instead of unbelief? What flipped the switch?

I suspect that it is a desire not to offend your peers in the United States of America, many of whom are virulently religious. Deism, on the American stage, is generally atheism without proselytism, dismissal of the Christian God while conceding just enough not to have to make a big deal out of the issue.