Theists and atheists

[kowalskil]

Theists and Atheists

I still do not know what can be done to eliminate endless conflicts between theists and atheists. But comments collected at several websites prompted me to compose a short on-line paper at:

http://pages.csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/theo_sci.html

It can probably be used to initiate an interesting discussion here. Please share this link with those who might be interested.

Ludwik Kowalski

Professor Emeritus

Montclair State University, USA

.

[Trebor]

I still do not know what can be done to eliminate endless conflicts between theists and atheists. But comments collected at several websites prompted me to compose a short on-line paper at:

Why can't we all just get along?

[Trebor]

Why can't we all just get along?

Towards that wonderful world in which we will all get along, "Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on Sunday for the U.S. Congress to condemn the burning of a Koran by a radical fundamentalist U.S. pastor and prevent it from happening again, his office said in a statement." (Reuters)

Edit: Subtext, "Please don't force us to behead infidels over Koran burnings!"

Edit: More subtext: "Please, can't we all just get along?"

Edited April 3, 2011 by Trebor

[Trebor]

"U.S. pastor says he will put Mohammed 'on trial' next as Afghan president calls on U.S. to condemn Koran burnings"

"Despite clear evidence that his actions have led to multiple murders and widespread violence in the Middle East, controversial Florida pastor Terry Jones has vowed to step up his provocative campaign against Islam.

The radical pastor said that he was considering putting Islamic prophet Mohammed 'on trial' for his next 'day of judgement' publicity stunt.

His last, in which he oversaw the burning of a copy of the Koran after a six-hour mock trial, has been directly responsible for a wave of violence that began last night and has left 30 people dead and more than 150 injured.

The defiance has led Afghan President Hamid Karzai to call on the U.S. Congress to condemn the burning of a Koran by the radical fundamentalist U.S. pastor."

Edit: Can't we all just get along?

Edit: Islam, like all religions, means peace.

Edit: "There were also reports of attempted suicide attacks on a U.S. military base in Kabul, but these were not directly linked to Mr Jones's actions." Close call.

Edit: "But Mr Jones shows no signs of backing down, refusing to admit the violence is his fault, and apparently proud of his actions." That bastard!

Edited April 3, 2011 by Trebor

[Trebor]

Updated version of Raphael's "School of Athens"

Edited April 3, 2011 by Trebor

[Dante]

"No one benefits from the endless “we know better” conflicts [between scientists and theologians]."

What people benefit from is scientists and philosophers steadfastly maintaining that knowledge can only be derived from reality, through the evidence of the senses. Now, this will naturally bring such people into ideological conflict with anyone who claims otherwise, who claims that faith or revelation or feelings are a viable path to truth in some instances. These disagreements are the inevitable consequence of standing firmly for a position, and no one who believes in the importance of ideas should be able to stomach the thought of ceding some territory to the other side simply to stop the arguing.

Note: this topic has previously been discussed here.

[kowalskil]

"U.S. pastor says he will put Mohammed 'on trial' next as Afghan president calls on U.S. to condemn Koran burnings"

"Despite clear evidence that his actions have led to multiple murders and widespread violence in the Middle East, controversial Florida pastor Terry Jones has vowed to step up his provocative campaign against Islam.

The radical pastor said that he was considering putting Islamic prophet Mohammed 'on trial' for his next 'day of judgement' publicity stunt.

His last, in which he oversaw the burning of a copy of the Koran after a six-hour mock trial, has been directly responsible for a wave of violence that began last night and has left 30 people dead and more than 150 injured.

The defiance has led Afghan President Hamid Karzai to call on the U.S. Congress to condemn the burning of a Koran by the radical fundamentalist U.S. pastor."

Edit: Can't we all just get along?

Edit: Islam, like all religions, means peace.

Edit: "There were also reports of attempted suicide attacks on a U.S. military base in Kabul, but these were not directly linked to Mr Jones's actions." Close call.

Edit: "But Mr Jones shows no signs of backing down, refusing to admit the violence is his fault, and apparently proud of his actions." That bastard!

These are examples of political uses of religion. I wanted to discuss theological conflicts between theists and atheists, not political conflicts. (Religion = theism + much more.)

Ludwik

[Zip]

You ask us to ignore the clear lack of evidence, and even to disregard the nature of reality in order to allow you to have your fantasy. Considering this, why is it that if someone claims to believe in dragons and talk to wood nymphs, honest god fearing people denounce them as crazy? Why should the belief in God and the Zombie Jesus be any more acceptable than belief in leprechauns or unicorns, the Loch Ness Monster, Yetti or the Chupacabras?

[Trebor]

These are examples of political uses of religion. I wanted to discuss theological conflicts between theists and atheists, not political conflicts. (Religion = theism + much more.)

How are the non-political conflicts, the vying claims of knowledge, between theists and atheists, the claims that there is or that there is not a god (with the implications to the individual's life, to what is right and wrong, what is good and evil, what he should or should not do, what should or should not be legal, etc.), to be resolved?

What is your answer?