Chris Canning <kwartz at wxs.nl> wrote:
[>stoney wrote:
[>
[>> , peppermill at my-deja.com wrote:
[>>
[>> [> malcolm at pigsty.demon.co.uk (Malcolm McMahon) wrote:
[>> [>> , "Jeffrey P. Utz, M.D."
[>> [><utzj at auhs.edu>
[>> [>> wrote:
[>> [>>
[>> [>> >Interestingly, people who live their lives based on their religious
[>> [>beliefs,
[>> [>> >whether western religion, eastern religion, native American
[>> [>religion, or
[>> [>> >atheism live longer and healthier than those who don't. This kind of
[>> [>argues
[>> [>> >that people should live their lives according to their religion,
[>> [>whatever
[>> [>> >that is, doesn't it?
[>> [>> >
[>> [>>
[>> [>> Well, yes and know. We may deduce that believing X brings practical
[>> [>> benefits but that isn't evidence on which, honestly, to base a belief
[>> [>in
[>> [>> X
[>> [>>
[>> [>>
[>> [>It is a good reason not to spend so much time trying to convert people
[>> [>away from their religions. I haven't seen any evidence that completely
[>> [>justifies believing there is not a God either.
[>>
[>> What about the lack of objective supporting evidence for god(s)/goddess(es)?
[>> I don't need to 'justify' my lack of belief in god(s)/goddess(es).
[>> They are no different than my lack of belief in; pixies, faeries, elves,
[>> and invisible, immaterial, levitating caterpillars that floats in front of
[>> your face while you
[>> sit at your computer and makes silly faces at you.
[>>
[>> Stoney
[>
[>You so have to justify them if you are trying to convert others
[>into nonbelief. Religeon is not a court of law where demonstrating
[>the lack of proof will win you a case
[shrug] I have no interest in 'converting' someone else. My path is my way
while someone else's may be in a different direction. My point was only that I
do not have to justify my lack of belief in god constructs, just as I don't have
to justify my lack of belief in a myraid of other fictional entitiies. The
poster I was replying to indicated that a persons lack of belief had to be
'justified.' Tis sad that such a 'justification mindset' only appears with
regard to the person's personal deity construct.
Stoney
