Beyond Doubt – Christianity is True – Atheism is False http://bit.ly/5vtvvF

Some are just popular, others have better stories.
FTFY

The Greek religions had the best stories, even though they were never that popular (in the world wide sense)

Concerning your applying my words to atheism, I don’t think it works. For example, I don’t personally believe in the “flying spaghetti monster” (FSM). Technically, I’m an aFSMist. Perhaps you are too. I would not consider my lack of belief in a FSM a religion. I merely consider all religions made-up (just like FSM). Some are just more popular and have better stories than others.

Restated without your personal emotional rants to confirm your answers:

I’m not sure what you are reading here GT but I’m not seeing any rants or emotional outbursts at all. Revyloution and I have provided answers and clarified them even though they are quite clear to begin with.

1: Where did mankind (life) come from? (Origin)
These are two different questions.

Where does mankind come from? The answer can be found in an understanding of evolution. It is certainly the case that the human species evolved from ape like creatures similar to us and they evolved from earlier forms of animal life.

Where does life come from? I read recently a very interesting article about the origin of life as a chemical process. If you can pick up Simon Singh’s The Sound of Christmas essay then it explains beautifully the basic idea. The most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and helium that make up 74% and 24% of all the atoms in the universe. Nearly all the other elements are made in collapsing stars, the iron in our blood, the calcium in our bones, the oxygen in our lungs, all are the nuclear waste of dead suns. We are literally made of this “star stuff”. How it formed into life is a mystery but there are some good hypotheses that are supported by evidence.

Here is a link to a clip on Panspermia.

Another for chemical life in an early earth

One for Abiogenesis by Dr. Jack Szostak

Honestly though just use google, you’ll find about 39 million hits to The Origin of Life.

2: How do you separate good from bad? (Morality)
As you agree that it cannot rally be described in one sentence here is a link to a site that describes the human origin of morality in more detail. Albert Schweitzer did say this though: “Reverence for life affords me my fundamental principle of morality, namely that good consists in maintaining, assisting, and enhancing life, and that to destroy, to harm, or to hinder life is evil” and Immanuel Kant wrote “Morality is not really the doctrine of how to make ourselves happy but of how we are to be worthy of happiness”

3: What is your life’s meaning? (Purpose)
I recommend reading some philosophy. There are literally dozens of answers on how to arrive at meaning in life. Check out Wikipedia for some basic ideas.

Albert Schweitzer also said “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”

4: What is going to happen to you after you die? (Destiny)
Totally cease to exist. I added “maybe” because I think that doubt is good and we shouldn’t ever cut ourselves off from the possibility that we might be wrong. For what it is worth I know that we cease to exist when we die and have explained the evidence to support this knowledge. I’m open to the possibility of there being something I’ve missed if you have the evidence to support your idea. I don’t think that you have any though.

Let me clarify a bit more so to make sure I understand.

1: Where did mankind (life) come from? (Origin)
Abiogenesis for origin of life.
Darwinian Evolution for mankind.

2: How do you separate good from bad? (Morality)
Popular majority after and exploring and seeing the implications of our actions; cannot really be described in one sentence.

3: What is your life’s meaning? (Purpose)
No set purpose for the whole but is set by the person who wants purpose; individual choice.

4: What is going to happen to you after you die? (Destiny)
Totally cease to exist.
(note that “maybe” was added per hoverFrog’s statement “If by some quirk of nature you find yourself existing after your brain is mush then treat that as a bonus…”)

Please correct me if I’m wrong in restating your answers.

Ill try to help you with your emotional rant against our logical responses to your questions.

1. You asked where Mankind came from. Not life. Why do you include that in your paraphrase? If you want to talk about abiogenesis, its an entirely separate topic. Either rephrase your question or drop the line ‘No answer for origin of life as it is still in question.’

2. You almost have it here. I doubt its possible to describe how morality changes in just one sentence.

3. There is a set purpose, the sentence ‘No set purpose’ is false. The purpose is set by the person who wants the purpose. The other 3 examples are just what those individuals want. Purpose is an individual choice.

4. Drop the (maybe) No one here thinks maybe. Our consciousness ceases to exist at death.

1: Where did mankind come from? (Origin)
Darwinian Evolution for mankind
No answer for origin of life as it is still in question.

2: How do you separate good from bad? (Morality)
Popular majority after and exploring and seeing the implications of our actions.

3: What is your life’s meaning? (Purpose)
No set purpose.
Be a good parent.
Learn more.
Teach next generation.

4: What is going to happen to you after you die? (Destiny)
Totally cease to exist (maybe).

Please correct me if I’m wrong in restating your answers. Please do so without any personal rants if you can.

The first question is asking if you knew that Dawkins is merely making an “assumption” about God’s existence where the second question is asking if you knew that Dawkins says that he can disprove God’s existence.

Two very different questions but they did come from the same page of his deluded book.

You even went so far as to re-ask your question I answered

Did any of you catch the fact (on page 77 in the paperback version of “The God Delusion”) that Richard Dawkins said that God is not disprovable?

where I responded

Yes, most people know that Dawkns admits to not having definitive proof for the non existence of any god. And thats ANY god, not just yours. He assumes it is just as likely the great Ju Ju is real, or Wotan, or Thor, or Zeus, et al. Don’t try to pretend that he is giving Yahweh any special status.

I don’t think you have bothered to read a fraction of what is written, and failed to understand any of what you read.

Try again to paraphrase what we’ve said.

1: Where did mankind come from? (Origin)
Darwinian Evolution for mankind
No answer for origin of life as it is still in question.

2: How do you separate good from bad? (Morality)
Popular majority after and exploring and seeing the implications of our actions.

3: What is your life’s meaning? (Purpose)
No set purpose.
Be a good parent.
Learn more.
Teach next generation.

4: What is going to happen to you after you die? (Destiny)
Totally cease to exist (maybe).

Please correct me if I’m wrong in restating your answers.