Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id PAA29915 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Fri, 8 Feb 2002 15:51:26 GMT Message-ID: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3102A6D235@inchna.stir.ac.uk> From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: Re: Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 15:40:32 -0000 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" X-Filter-Info: UoS MailScan 0.1 [D 1] Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
<Do hindus, Monotheists and animists? atheism falls under the definiotion of
religion as it cannot to my mind be irrefutably proven, and therefore
requires an element of belief.>
Nothing can be irrefutably proven. All knowledge is contingent,
but_all_religions claim to have, divinely revealed, absolute knowledge. All
atheism is, therefore, is the rejection of religions' claims to absolute
knowledge. After all the fact tht some religions have one god, some many,
some no 'gods' at all, is actually irrelevant, what matters is that they
make claims of absolute knowledge and require followers to believe based on
faith not evidence.
Speaking personally, the balance of evidence against any particular religion
being true is massively weighted against. Taking Christianity for instance,
you have contradictory doctrines, historically problematic content of
religious texts, implausible (or explainable) 'miracles' in the core texts
(and lots of faked ones subsequently), evidence of contradictions of
practice by believers, evidence of wider behaviour apparently entirely
contradictory to supposed following of the faith etc. etc.
To quote myself (from this list many times before) rain dances don't make it
rain.
Vincent
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