#Atheism

Ive been atheist for a while now, but I’m just realizing that I haven’t really heard both sides of the argument. No disrespect to Alex O’Connor, but I feel like sometimes the sources I’m getting this stuff from can be a little one-sided, and what better place to hear the other side, than right here?

What questions would you need answers to if you were to convert to Christianity? 

Who disagrees?

@Stephen

I’ve been reading lately some books of JJ Benitez who is a recognizedufologist that questions the bible, comparing its content with the roundabout26k testimonies of the contactees he personally interviewed over 50 years,which to me leave no doubt that the bible is not a divinely inspired book, letalone sacred words, but an incredible testimony of the presence of human-like beingswith super high technology during the development of the ancient Hebrewcivilization. There is a lot of controversial information I would like todiscuss though, because this subject is open to many theories, not only the human-likealien beings’ theory but also for example the lost human civilizations’ theory,so I decided to create this initial thread in order to meditate previously onwhy most people, either religious or atheists, keep so obstinate on theirbeliefs despite the plethora of evidence there is out there. This is importantbecause the subject I want to discuss requires open-mindedness.

On the one hand, we have the religious people who stick obstinately totheir beliefs despite the fact that the bible is just a mere set of books withmany errors and contradictions that were written by fallible people who hadlimited understanding of their reality. Those books have been passed downsuffering a lot of modifications and translations with the only intention ofgiving them a "spiritual" meaning which make them even more unreliable.Proof of that is the several works of many bible scholars that studied them inits original language in order to find out its real meaning. The original biblicalinformation (in Hebrew) leads us to think effectively about the existence ofthese more evolved human-like beings I referred to, as it is well explained bythe bible translator Mauro Biglino whose work is very telling.

On the other hand, we have the atheists who are not that different totheir counterparts the religious people. Their God is the human science, theirbible is the scientific books/papers and their saints are the scientists. Iunderstand that science has methods and procedures scientists have to stick to,but I am referring to the attitude most of the scientists hold with controversialsubjects like this one, regarding it with disdain as if they were the owners ofthe truth. NASA took a step forward recognizing that this phenomenon deservesto be studied, but even so, arrogant scientists are still there blocking any attemptto study it because atheists gave them authority and as a consequence they feel empowered to doso. For instance, in the interview I provide (1:15:58), Graham Hancock makes a complaintabout how today’s archeologists dominate the main narrative on ancientcivilizations and avoid considering dissident opinions. What I’m trying to sayis that today’s science is run by fallible people and as such it is perfectlyliable to errors and hence to be questioned. In fact, the possible existence of alien civilizations with better technology entails a great impact not only on religions but also on science, specially on the theory of evolution that atheists have fervent faith in.

Is it difficult to be open minded, at least a little bit? What is it? Dogmatism?Fear of an existential crisis? Stubbornness? Shame?

What do you think?

I will keep it short and only describe what this forum is intended for. This way I can hear everyone's perspectives before making any statements or presumptions.

This is meant to be from a Materialist view aka non-supernatural perspective, please provide evidence that is evident and not base reasoning on beliefs. Of course, speculation is welcome if addressed as such.

As always, please address your knowledge responsibly by using phrases like "I believe," if you believe; "I saw," if you saw; "I think," if you think; or "This evidence suggests ...," if you have empirical evidence. It is never responsible to claim anything for certain or to be known but rather acknowledge everyone including ourselves, are always learning and discovering new things about the world since much of the world changes continuously. 

We will address questions like the following:

What constitutes a better society and civilization?

Would society be better if everyone was religious?

Would society be better if everyone's religion was unified, and is it possible to ethically achieve this?

Would society be better if everyone was Atheist?

What are the pros and cons to society of people being religious vs Atheist?

Will society move past religion towards a more scientific understanding of the world, and would it be better or worse for society?

Could science or another alternative fill the void that was once filled by religion?

I would like to discuss the utility and intended purpose of morality from a non-religious perspective of Moral Relativism.

The questions I would like to discuss are as follows:

What is the intended purpose of morality?

We acknowledge that morality is beneficial to society, but are there advantages to a lack of morality?

How does The Greater Good align with morality?

Why is The Greater Good not always considered moral if it is the greater good? (This would imply what we consider moral can be the lesser good)

Why are some things considered immoral, but as a whole more beneficial to the world?

I acknowledge many people will want to give their religious and non-relativist perspective, please do it on a different forum as I would appreciate a non-religious perspective for this forum about morals from a relativist view.

Most of my debates from here on out will be about the Bible or similar content. I created a forum because like the title says, this will be a series of mine with no signs of stopping. 

The forum is also so those interested can contact me ahead of time. Reasons could be: a specific topic for debate, debate alterations, or the like. 

I am not into debates in which the title is in itself a trap. These arguments are made to increase my knowledge of Biblical content and opposing views.

Again, if you are interested and have a specific topic, let me know.

If there is low activity on this forum then I my debates will simply be "Bible Is True" or something like that to give Con the full capability to attack however they like.  

I am about ten days out from the closing of the voting period for my debate on God's existence - "There is no God." If you have time to read through it and vote on it, that would be much appreciated!

If you really think about it all for a minute, we all can in some way relate to or know someone that can relate  to this devil Satan character.

He wants the freedom from a tyrannical piece of shit and yet comes to become the very thing he hated God for being and winds up the ultimate tester and enforcer of sinning spirits.

He struggles in a way that suggests genuine agony and psychological trauma, not just weird hypocrisy.

The character Jesus seems conflicted, the guy in one way is an outgoing alpha male and in others is a very homosexual needy type. In one way, he wants us all to forgive and love each other and yet also we are taught to resent and loathe the devil and all those who dare sympathise with him.

This devil character is not angled as an enemy of Jesus but rather a bully, yet in reality it is Jesus who is potentially the bully to the devil. It comes entirely down to who is lying about who.

I won't go into myself too much here but I'll confess to having experienced genuine depression in my life and during that time, I was the closest to atheist I had been. I was always agnostic overall but what changed was when the nihilism and pure lack of meaning and purpose hit me, infected my brain so much that I wondered why I was alive and didn't want to get out of bed each day and was sad I woke up.

I am serious when I say that this thread is not meant to be about me. I want to truly understand how a round-earth believing atheist can possibly fathom themselves to be anything other than a worthless being on a spinning ball in the middle of nowhere hurtling through infinite nothingness for absolutely no true purpose and that everything good or worthwhile in their life was a ridiculously futile chemical reaction in their brain just deluding them to stupidly think there was any reason to feel fulfilled for it.

This is not made to mock; it's something I, as a Pagan/Taoist thinker find the biggest drive away from even indulging in the notion that there is/are no real deity/ies or spiritual realm in life that give my morally good actions meaning and anything I ever did a permanent, pure and irrefutable purpose as at the very least I impressed the god(dess)/(e)s watching.