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Atheists, do you believe in air?

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Jitro
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12 Nov 2012, 9:13 pm

If so, why do you have faith in something that you can't see?



Last edited by Jitro on 12 Nov 2012, 9:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

abacacus
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12 Nov 2012, 9:18 pm

Air cannot be seen by the naked eye. Air can however be quantified, and quite easily at that.

This is an incredibly silly topic. Where's the Constable when you need him?


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12 Nov 2012, 9:23 pm

http://space.about.com/cs/basics/a/bodyvacuum1.htm



Fnord
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12 Nov 2012, 9:45 pm

Air can be measured, analyzed, and replicated -- it's existence can be proven, and that's how we know that it is real.

Knowledge is belief in provable things, like air.

Faith is belief in unprovable things, like God.

You're comparing matter and spirit ... apples and concepts ... fact and fantasy ...



MONKEY
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13 Nov 2012, 8:47 am

Nope, and that's why I'm dead.


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IDontGetIt
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13 Nov 2012, 8:50 am

Because this isn't the middle ages anymore.



ruveyn
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13 Nov 2012, 8:54 am

abacacus wrote:
Air cannot be seen by the naked eye. Air can however be quantified, and quite easily at that.

This is an incredibly silly topic. Where's the Constable when you need him?


It can be perceived definitely by feel or by the motion on light objects produced by moving air.

A working sailing ship is definitive proof that air exists. Such proof is lacking for G-D.

ruveyn



Last edited by ruveyn on 13 Nov 2012, 11:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

Shatbat
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13 Nov 2012, 9:30 am

lowut.

abacacus wrote:
Air cannot be seen by the naked eye. Air can however be quantified, and quite easily at that.

This is an incredibly silly topic. Where's the Constable when you need him?


Seconded. All of it.


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naturalplastic
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13 Nov 2012, 11:10 am

Not taking sides but..

You cant blame atheists for believing in something that they have to ingest into their lungs dozens of times of minute every minute of their lives, and suffocate everytime they dont ingest it. Empirical evidence doesnt get much more powerful than that!



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13 Nov 2012, 11:16 am

naturalplastic wrote:
Not taking sides but..
Really?


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naturalplastic
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13 Nov 2012, 11:39 am

Vexcalibur wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
Not taking sides but..
Really?


I meant that its not my axe to grind to defend agnosticism, or atheism, or oppose theism.

But that it is my duty to point it out when someone is saying something daft like that.

Millions of folks in Jersey and in New York are still struggling from the effects of moving air (ie wind) from Hurricane Sandy. So just because air is not itsself visible doesnt mean that it doesnt make its existence manifest in ways that dont require any faith whatsoever!



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13 Nov 2012, 11:41 am

Really.

Stating the facts is not taking sides.

"Can't blame them..." might be.

Sorta like saying, "You cant blame theists for believing in something that they pray to every day of their lives, and feel dirty every time they don't. Faith doesn't get much more powerful than that!"

;)



Vexcalibur
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13 Nov 2012, 11:43 am

My point is that it is silly not to take a side in this discussion... Air exists.


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13 Nov 2012, 11:48 am

Vexcalibur wrote:
My point is that it is silly not to take a side in this discussion... Air exists.


Well, air exists :lol:. But the topic was more about how the OP said that atheists shouldn't believe in air because we can't see it, and naturalplastic felt the need to point out how incredibly silly that argument is without saying anything about the existance of god. Maybe he believes in God, in which case it's actually worth praising that he posted that.


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13 Nov 2012, 1:11 pm

Jitro wrote:
If so, why do you have faith in something that you can't see?


Why do I have faith in something I cannot see? Because air sustains animal and plant life, and science proves that it is near impossible for any life form to survive without air.

God, on the other hand is supposedly an all powerful creator who loves us as long as we never question him :roll:

In the words of Hitchens- "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence"



naturalplastic
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13 Nov 2012, 1:20 pm

Shatbat wrote:
Vexcalibur wrote:
My point is that it is silly not to take a side in this discussion... Air exists.


Well, air exists :lol:. But the topic was more about how the OP said that atheists shouldn't believe in air because we can't see it, and naturalplastic felt the need to point out how incredibly silly that argument is without saying anything about the existance of god. Maybe he believes in God, in which case it's actually worth praising that he posted that.




Im not actually particularly religious, but basically this.

First: the topic is NOT whether or not air exists.

The topic is whether or not empirical evidence for air exists (not the same thing).

So if anyone is upset about the fact that Im not "taking a side" on whether or not air exists- then that person is a total ret*d.

Its the underlying "god existing or not" debate that I declared my neutrality in.

Second: the Op addressed "atheists".

So - I choose to speak not as an "atheists" but as outside neutral observer-like a referee.

So I said "Im not taking sides [ on the question of whether or not god exists] but..." and then pointed out that his contention that there is little empiracle evidence for the existence of air is absurd- IMO.

Have I dumbed it down enough?