Quote from Ash

I need to also clarify that I am only a strong atheist in regard to any personal god. Towards a deistic god, I'm a weak atheist, because that sort of god is one that we can't (yet) justify belief or disbelief in.

That basically falls in line with my own beliefs, although I suppose I take a more passive approach in the way I express my beliefs.

I tried making a thread in challenge of your deistic position, but Exilement deleted it because he says that we'd be rehashing old arguments. He obviously doesn't understand that as time wears on, people get smarter. The kinds of arguments I bring up now are quite different from ones I'd bring up in earlier debates.

I wonder, does Exilement think that forum posts are a limited resource? Why else would he be worried about me making a thread that he disagrees with in a dead section? I mean, it's not spam, and besides, you actually said you'd like me to challenge your deistic position.

Sounds like the kind of thing for PMs, Ash.

ON TOPIC: Though I don't want to argue about it, I know the literal meaning of words can be interpreted by analyzing structure. I thought you were using some sort of resource with the definitions you like. I'm not sure why the labels matter at all though. Why do they need to be applied? Why can't you answer the belief question simply by saying "I lack a belief in God" or "We can't know whether God exists" depending on your belief? That's why I was saying it's all just semantical pish-posh.

Quote from Ash

I tried making a thread in challenge of your deistic position, but Exilement deleted it because he says that we'd be rehashing old arguments. He obviously doesn't understand that as time wears on, people get smarter. The kinds of arguments I bring up now are quite different from ones I'd bring up in earlier debates.

I wonder, does Exilement think that forum posts are a limited resource? Why else would he be worried about me making a thread that he disagrees with in a dead section? I mean, it's not spam, and besides, you actually said you'd like me to challenge your deistic position.

I don't disagree with your post at all; in fact, I'm in complete agreement with your position on deism.

I know how you debate. I know you'll put forth scientific proof of the Big Bang theory, someone might mention that the natural circumstances that led to it were set in place by a deity, you'd say that giving a proposed "god" credit for what can be explained as a natural occurrence gives it no more validity than the proof that already exists...

yeah, it's a debate meant to go absolutely nowhere. Both sides would have no possibility of actually altering their views, or even acknowledging the other side might have a point, and you'd once again be sitting comfortably on the side that has scientific evidence against the anecdotal evidence you're so quick to dismiss in most situations.

Not to mention you made it out of an argument. It was focused on a discrepancy involving two people, and it shouldn't be settled in the debate section.

Don't make it personal, because it's not.

Generally, I think this thread's just begun to go all over the place. It's turned from discussing an unsolvable paradox to discussing why people believe in God which, if you ask me, is a tired concept in this section.

Permission to bin?

Ash I think you are blurring the line between a Deist and a practicing theologian. One believes that there is a god or deity where as the other believes in One God or Deity. One belief is religious where the other is more personal. This is where I could use the coin analogy that you presented.

Assume one side of the coin is an absolute belief in a God, which is a theological belief then the other side is "Strong" Atheism. A deist is more inclinded to the theologians side where as the "Weak" Atheist is toward the strong side.

Hence some will see that there is only the black and white when it comes to belief, or lack of.

****, lost my train of though.

Anyway what I am saying is that for someone one can say that a deist has more room for being right then an Atheist, weak or strong.

Also I have to say your definition of a "Weak" Atheist is what I call an Agnostic

The labels don't matter. They CAN'T matter for any type of debate to occur. Gavel, I think you need to take care of this thread now.

Permission granted, Senior Gavel.

And thus is thwarted another one of Ash's subtle attempts at sandbagging religion.

I was just moving this to the Trash Can, but it seems a black man beat me to it. :Ohhhhh:

We're always beating you guys at something aren't we?