Let’s Do This

CARM has questions

It looks like research and that leads to education, so I’m in… I don’t have any thought provoking introduction. Education is always the answer, well, it is if the question is not ‘does that saber tooth tiger’s tonsils look inflamed to you?’

ED: It turns out that the questions were not as interesting as I had first thought them to be. Several seemed rather silly.


  1. How would you define atheism?
    The lack of belief in gods or the supernatural
    There is no god to believe in so there is no reason to act with reference to that, god’s don’t enter into how I live just like the easter bunny and tooth fairy.
    No, acting against harmful and dangerous ideas is not inconsistent with lack of belief in gods.
  4. How sure are you that your atheism properly represents reality?
    As sure as the evidence will allow me to be. As sure as the lack of a god’s presence warrants. Where I am infinitely more certain that there are no gods than I am certain it’s possible for a god to exist.
  5. How sure are you that your atheism is correct?
    As certain as the facts will allow one to be. There has never been credible evidence for the existence of a god. Atheism is the right position in light of that lack of evidence.
  6. How would you define what truth is?
    That which is not shown to be false and which has high probability of being true. That said, true has several meanings. People want to give the value ‘truth’ metaphysical meaning but there is no such thing. Newtonian physics was truth until it wasn’t. It still is truth but not for all situations.
  7. Why do you believe your atheism is a justifiable position to hold?
    Because there has never been credible evidence for the existence of any god.
  8. Are you a materialist or a physicalist or what?
    As a theory, materialism is a form of physicalism and belongs to the class of monist ontology. As such, it is different from ontological theories based on dualism or pluralism. For singular explanations of the phenomenal reality, materialism would be in contrast to idealism, neutral monism and spiritualism.

    I am a monist, atheist, anti-theist, existential nihilist, mechanical atheist and so on

  9. Do you affirm or deny that atheism is a worldview?  Why or why not?
    Atheism is not a world view. It is a single point view – relating only to the existence of gods and the supernatural
  10. Not all atheists are antagonistic to Christianity but for those of you who are, why the antagonism?
    Christianity and Abrahamic monotheism is caustic to society, it is dangerous and deluded. It seeks to harm those that will not submit and assimilate.
  11. If you were at one time a believer in the Christian God, what caused you to deny his existence?
    The utter lack of evidence, starting with the way that believers act, then onto the ridiculousness of the bible and doctrine, then to how it is claimed that god intercedes – strictly through nature. Starting in Genesis we have a string of stories that are without evidence and completely unbelievable on the face of them.
  12. Do you believe the world would be better off without religion?
    Yes, see number 10
  13. Do you believe the world would be better off without Christianity?
    Yes, see numbers 10 and 12
  14. Do you believe that faith in a God or gods is a mental disorder?
    I may not be qualified to diagnose a mental disorder, but if mental disorders are the temporary or permanent incapacity to think critically and interact in nominal ways with society without causing harm, then yes, it is a mental disorder.
  15. Must God be known through the scientific method?
    If a thing cannot be known via the scientific method, it cannot be known. Otherwise Christians would have to admit that Vishnu is real, the FSM exists, and so on. Christians would not accept on faith alone the existence of other non corporal beings.
  16. If you answered yes to the previous question, then how do you avoid a category mistake by requiring material evidence for an immaterial God?
    If the god can interact and intercede in the physical world it can be physically verified. This is not a category mistake. If a god cannot interact with the physical world why pray to it?
  17. Do we have any purpose as human beings?
    Yes: eat, breathe, drink, procreate, sleep, repeat … any order you prefer
  18. If we do have purpose, can you as an atheist please explain how that purpose is determined?
    This purpose is found in all living things. It is minimal for survival of a species.
  19. Where does morality come from?
    Morality is always subjective, it comes from our own intuition and experience.
  20. Are there moral absolutes?
    Absolutely not.
  21. If there are moral absolutes, could you list a few of them?
    See number 20.
  22. Do you believe there is such a thing as evil?  If so, what is it?
    A really good plot point. The ‘evil’ would be an absolute… evil does not exist.
  23. If you believe that the God of the Old Testament is morally bad, by what standard do you judge that he is bad?
    The same standard by which I judge everything: my own internal ethics… just as you and all believers do.
  24. What would it take for you to believe in God?
    I have a couple of posts on that. Consider what it would take for you to believe that Zeus and Thor are real? That might work for me in the case of your god.
  25. What would constitute sufficient evidence for God’s existence?
    If the evidence were to convert all non-believers and all other religion believers unequivocally — that should do it.
  26. Must this evidence be rationally based, archaeological, testable in a lab, etc., or what?
    No, YHWH can come on down to the mall on Friday night and start his campaign there. If it’s not enough to convert Muslims on the spot I’m probably not going to buy it.
  27. Do you think that a society that is run by Christians or atheists would be safer?  Why?
    Safer for who? The answer is that theists by definition will curtail the liberties of others. It is not the safer options.
  28. Do you believe in free will?  (free will being the ability to make choices without coersion).
    Yes. I’ve written quite a bit about it
    I have no problem defending the brain being the source of mind and free will.
  30. If you affirm evolution and that the universe will continue to expand forever, then do you think it is probable that given enough time, brains would evolve to the point of exceeding mere physical limitations and become free of the physical and temporal and thereby become “deity” and not be restricted by space and time?  If not, why not?
    No, see number 29. Universe expansion does not mean brains will expand. There are limits to how much brain matter the body can support. There is no dieties… brains are not going to become deities.
    I did not, and no it is not probable that some sort of god exists.


  1. We agree with you on many areas except the question of freewill.
    What god does he have in mind that he wants us to believe in?

    • It appears the Christian god

      • Yes, CARM, is definitely a Christian organization.

  2. This person, Matt Slick, really doesn’t understand how to word a questionnaire.

    • Not really. But that is what I’d expect from someone trying to learn

    • John, you’ve heard of Buddha, right? Are you our online Buddha?

      I think everything I am trying to learn, you already know. I think everything I am trying to share, you already have.

      Besides sexual favors, what can I do to find Nirvana?

      Oh, I still like material things: nice tits, good food, a beer or two, and looking at the world in a natural state without human interruption. Can I be a John Zande Buddhist and still have fun. That other budda guy was kinda boring. …

      • ROFLMAO Buddha JZ – I like that

        • he sorta is, though. Admit it….

          • Beers with JZ is on my bucket list… I’m saying no more than that

            • then neither will I.

  3. I absolutely enjoyed this post. I guess some credit should go to that ‘god’ guy asking the questions, but I loved your responses.

    I only disagree with you on #s 28 and 29.

    Maybe more learning on both our parts will clean this up (we should not be dogmatic in our beliefs).

    Overall, I am a believer in all of your responses. If belief could be measured, I would say I am a 6.9 on a scale of 7 that you are spot on.

    Oh, this post released endorphins in my brain, and I laughed a bit. Did I intend to laugh, or did the reading of this post and the release of endorphins allow/cause me to laugh? Hummm. Chicken or the Egg–this question never goes away.

    Well done, sir, and Thank You.

    • Thank you, for reading, commenting, and your kind words. I try to be very consistent in my world view and how I live up to that.. it’s not always easy. I do think that education is the answer to all our problems… we just need to keep talking.

      • Sounds very ‘Pink Floyd’ ish.

        I like it.

        • Pink Floyd – Division Bell with a bit of help from S Hawking, spot on

          • I thought I liked you for a reason, my hypothesis is confirmed.

            Hey, NASA, we have confirmation. Ready for liftoff.

            I said that as I am running off to find the track and listen again. Powerful stuff that music is…

            • You can’t go wrong with progressive metal music! Pink Made it COOL

              • He, I think, would say, ‘I didn’t make it anything. I just made it.’ whatever is people like it or not…

                I don’t care….but creating music is where I am happy. Even if my happy is different than yours. It is what I like to do.

                Oh, the soviets are coming, I don’t care. Oh, death is coming, I don’t care. Understand me or don’t, I DON’T CARE.

                Please, go fear the worst, while I live my life. I am creating music based on my perspective and who knows what will happen next.

                I don’t want fame, I am an artist, I would hate fame, but if the public is so stupid that they need to be told how to think and feel, fine…keep them away. I am me, bring me drugs and alcohol and let me make music. Mostly, leave me the fuck alone.

                So that is my R. Waters historical fiction account of him talking to his assistant.

                • You do know he suffered mentally? right? He was terribly troubled. His real life biography is riveting reading

                  • I don’t or didn’t. Maybe a book I should read soon. What I know is that a messy brain is the same as a normal brain. I am an addict, and you have seen this. I am an alcoholic. I am not a beat up old ladies and take their money alky, but I am a brain that has grown to find comfort in addiction related isolation.

                    I think, besides not having read the book, I do have some insight. This is not an excuse, claim to knowledge, or otherwise; I am an atheist, so I tell the truth.

                    I have a perspective on Roger Water’s life, because I understand the suffocation. I don’t play music, so I am not a prodigy or whatever.

                    I write. If I can pretend to know his life, based on my life and others, can you really reject that account? You didn’t know him either…

                    Not meaning to be a dick here, but you read a book. How many silly books do you think have been printed compared to the very few that actually represent reality?

                    How’s that for a question between friends?

                    A sick brain is still a brain

                    • I did not read a book… I have clung to any news I could find of PF.

                      To set this straight… if you wrote a fiction about your life or his based on yours or yours based on his or simply how yours changed by what you know of him, I think that would be also a riveting thing…

                      Trust me when I say that I have not one bad thought about you. Not one.

                      I encourage you to write that book… ‘me and roger’ or what ever you might call it. I would buy that!

  4. Thanks, you beat me to it. Apparently you fun faster than I. The video won’t play, but I am a technology geek: I know how to cut and paste.

    Oh, Roger, you strung out misanthrope you, I know you died, but what you did, I doubt it ever dies. I am sorry your life sucked, but I am glad it did. Warmest regard, sir.

    I think that’s enough petty appreciation. Time to Shut up and LIsten…

    • I have clocks that do not work on my walls… one set to 4:20, one set to match the dooms day clock, and one set to 3:01 a.m.

  5. Two questions:

    1) the dooms day clock changes with greater consistency than our normal clocks based on human constructed time. How do you keep it current?

    2) why 3:01? Is that a music reference, or even a Pink F. reference that I don’t understand? I hope not…

    • I check what the doomsday is set to now and then and adjust…

      Check Roger Waters album ‘the pros and cons of hitch hiking’

      • You are not a Christian. Why would I anticipate judgment from you. I don’t and wouldn’t. Makes it easier to admit my flaws. No fake judgment.

        Besides that, black people are born black, women are born female, addicts are born genetically predisposed (basically as addicts), and atheists are born atheists.

        Put all the god garbage in my head you want, I want believe because of you. If there is a god, and he wants my babble, He needs to come and talk to me. I am not a fan of Gossip.

        I think you are part Genius, and part Moron. Only what you say next will help me understand which.

        • You see, it’s not as simple as that… genius is not visible in a short time. Moron… that can be spotted from a mile away. I’m just trying to talk with you. Until you commented about addiction I had not thought about it nor would I. I was only trying to share what might be common ground. Perhaps I’ve been misunderstood… if so, sorry about that. I’m not pretending to know more.. just sharing. I meant it.. if you wrote a book I’d buy that.. this is exactly the kind of reality that is worth showing.

          • Your adherence to passivity is a symptom of being a moron. I know you are not, But, I can’t see you in a smoke filled room with Floyd playing and a few people while you subject to whomever speaks first.

            I think you must have your own ideas. I really can’t see it another way. You must think for yourself, and, at the same time, we understand that some people are correct and others wrong.

            We all can’t be right. Be realistic.

            How about two people arguing (peacefully, and online) of course, but these are the books we learned from. Opposing interests and questions that help us understand.

            I’m thinking of Plato, Hume and definitely not Decartes.

            What I mean, is if I say something you find wrong, Please call me out. How else would I know otherwise. I do not need your respect, I need your trust. I only trust people who I think are correct.

            Follow the leading is a fun game, until the leader jumps off a cliff?

            • I’m not leading… do not follow me. I do not betray trust when I give it…

              Trust you get. My leadership… was never offered. I take pride in being the smartest moron in the room from time to time. We might have differing ideas of philosophy… but then I kind of agree with many of them and disagree with all of them at the same time. My look at things is different than all that history books can tell us.

              I will tell you what I think is wrong, but I find no reason to disagree with you or be disagreeable with you. Breathe… we’re good

              • You landed on the Moron side of the scale. Sorry. the scale is objective.

                I like you. I like you a lot. But, you can’t be a passive, like RW, and let things happen. We can be morons and say whatever to everything, what most people do, but you or I or anyone cannot be a moron and a genius.

                We can not change things so long as with accept to live according to the rules we don’t agree with.

                You can be the smartest guy ever, but if you don’t work to free the seven billions minds on earth, then you are a moron…my standards, not anyone elses.

                I am a fan of thinking, and even with my screwed up brain, I still can.

                Religion eliminates the thinking spirit by giving people answers. Answers they did not think about.

                Please understand this. There is nothing more important. Nothing.

                • Have you read my blog postings? I am not passive… LOL

  6. You can’t have meat, you didn’t eat the pudding…

  7. I apologize, I have not, gonna do that now as I listen to more Floyd.

    My grand Idea: We cannot be the secular nation our constitutional authors imagined if we secularist sit in silence.

    I won’t, and I hope you won’t either. a blog is nice, but we have to do more. The church is millions and millions of people, and we are few. We fight for their rights too, but they fight for the rights of a few.

    Either we beat them en mass at the voting booth, will never happen, or we beat them by giving them something better. A better way to understand so to speak. Maybe a new way of thinking that is healthy, and hopeful.

    we are not going to win this battle by battling. We have to appeal to emotions/irrational. we have to give these people something equal to what they think they are losing, or we need to do better.

    Fiction is true until it is not.

  8. I am certain you are not a moron. Sorry bout that, I just needed a reaction.

    • That’s okay.. no worries mate. I’m here and I do not judge by opinion… only by actions

  1. No trackbacks yet.

Leave a Reply


WordPress.com Logo


Twitter picture


Facebook photo


Google+ photo


Connecting to %s


Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 903 other followers

%d bloggers like this: