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What would convince you?
(excerpt from a post at Church Of Virus BBS)
posted on 28th February, 2005
"I had a similiar discussion elsewhere about beliefs. The nature of beliefs is somewhat of an on-going inquiry I'd like to understand.
As far as I know, a person cannot hold a negative belief (non-belief, disbelief) but I'm tending to agree that a negative belief is actually a positive belief against an established belief.
Take our mythical friend God. Well to many not mythical. It's a positive belief that God's a myth. Not a disbelief in God.
I'm an athiest because I believe that God is anthropomorphic [human-like] supernaturalism created as an explanation for natural occourances. Myth. Futhermore I believe it's a waste of time to believe it as anything else, but to study it to understand what makes it attractive to people, not so much of a waste of time. That's why I try to understand how beliefs work.
Theories are explanations. The God theory explains with myths, that prove themselves by themselves. The bible is the word of God. God doesn't lie. Therefore the bible is the truth.
Of course for me to believe we would need to be able to get at God. Since God is invisible we can't seem to get to him. Since we must believe in God to get to him through some intercranial messaging system? Then apparently I have been disconnected from God, he doesn't talk to me.
An imaginary friend is a child's notion. God takes that notion and runs with it. God cares about, what you care about. God is concerned about, what you are concerned about. God will always be there, wherever you might be.
This is a complex psychological attachment. The attachment of a child to her teddy bear. To help keep her identity, I am not the teddy bear, I am me. Later in life adults keep the god teddy bear. I am not god, I am me. But God will keep me safe. The problem is God is not real, he's a psychological crutch.
Many problems with God. But to say I have no belief, or a disbelief. Is an error. I have a belief. I can talk about God because I have looked at the myth. Passed down from one prayerful house to another and somehow thousands of years later it sits here in my office, for easy reference though these days I can use many resources off the internet to find what I'm looking for.
Thing about myths is that they have a tendency to harp on a lot of the same messages. Some repeat the old, and well a born again believer who has his God blinders on, axiom shield up, will not be able to understand a damn word of what I just typed.
So how to get me to believe in God. Lets see him, her, it? Otherwise the invisible stays invisible, and it's hard to prove invisible things don't exist. Especially those imaginary friends.
How would you convince me?"
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