think so, huh? It’s not possible to be a gnostic atheist, iyo?

@bbyrd009 no, that’s absurd.

@Mvtt well that depends on what definition of gnostic you are using, i guess. Best of luck to you

@bbyrd009 I didn't say anything was not possible. It is possible for there to be a spectrum between belief and disbelief. Thinking in absolutes makes us wrong most of the time. Agnosticism means there is doubt. Doubt is not synonymous with belief. It's not rocket science.

@Deb57 “agnosticism means there is doubt” is an absolute statement though, right? Which i don’t mean that im disagreeing, agnosticism might kind of mean that, sure, although im not sure that that is the best definition...”doubt is not synonymous with belief” another absolute statement, and i gotta ask why not? Doesn’t “belief” infer “something i think is true, but might possibly not be true?” if only, right

It’s not rocket science, but there does seem to be like two definitions for every term, huh? We say “belief” but they are most often really “absolute truths” like you have described, and etc. Iow we are all basically speaking in tongues i guess

you don’t consider yourself a gnostic, but you just made five gnostic statements there, see

@bbyrd009 I don't know if you're agnostic, and frankly I don't care. It's clear that you're antagonistic, though. If it makes you feel better to label me for having opinions, then knock yourself out.

@Deb57 yes, i still regress into Gnosticism sometimes i guess, but im not meaning to be antagonistic, at least per se. I guess maybe it comes across that way? But regardless, imo that would be a failing on my part, ok; as i said, i might even agree with your gnostic statements, in a certain context, but they are basically self-labeling, as they are...not stated as opinions, but statements of fact, “this is that, that is this,” no qualifiers, see? Which im not meaning to say “bad” necessarily, but that any new information on the matter now cannot be assimilated, and will be labeled “antagonistic”

A point is that they are not stated/written as opinions, but as statements of fact, which label themselves, more or less; my choices now are to agree (and by implication, “be friends” ) or disagree, with the opposite effect, which we see manifesting, i guess bc i suck at signaling that as far as im concerned we can disagree and still be friends?

Why does any disagreement now mean that we are automatically enemies? I think we are trained into this via being taught to reason from the Hegelian dialectic, wherein i am now framed as “opposition” maybe?

Anyway, my reservations @ “doubt” are bc imo doubt is usually just another form of belief? Believing the opposite thing? So, while i am possibly the worst person for you to hear this from, as you are now defensive where i am concerned and will naturally reject everything i suggest, i mainly meant to forward a definition of gnostic/agnostic that is more functional, more to the point, which has nothing to do with “God” per se, since of course no one knows whether there is a “God” or not

And my apologies if that up there seems antagonistic to you, ok; i actually thought i was agreeing with you at many points, and unfortunately i am still blind to what may have bothered you up there. And i can’t move on until i get that part i guess, so now im pissed lol

even xeno, wow. So then, who does have knowledge of any gods existing, xeno?

@bbyrd009 No one has been able to prove there is a god. I doubt anyone has any knowledge of any gods existing.

@xenoview boo ya
so then a definition of agnostic as "doesnt know if there is a God or not" is patently shit on its face then, right

@bbyrd009 Do you have any knowledge of a god existing?

@xenoview you're answering a question with a question now, how come?
fuck what i know or don't know, that was not the point

does everything real require that we have "objective evidence" of it?
(yes, this is a trick question)

@bbyrd009 The way you dodge questions, makes me think your a troll.

@xenoview ok. ty

Reminds me of the comment about the God Of The Gaps. The gaps are getting smaller all the time, your god keeps shrinking, but never seems to grow back.

Would that it were so. ........... I can remenber being a kid on the streets of yonkers, in 1949, thinking that with the growth of modern science,there's no way this religion nonsense could last more than another 20 or 30 years

@holdenc98

You're right of course. Religion has a massive following and no motivation to go anywhere in the foreseeable future.
I don't believe in the progress fairy either -- science won't eventually solve all our problems.

We'll just have to go on the best way we can -- as unpleasant a statement as that is. Ha, ha, I guess.

You just basically paraphrased the whole point of the Bible, believe it or not

@RichCC Hmm i would say that religion is coming apart at the seams as we watch? Interesting

I would say the same thing, only substitute "possibilities".

@Organist1 LOL, I was going to say possibilities but, I thought probabilities would better describe my thoughts on the matter.

@MrDragon No you just could not remember how to spell it. True ? LOL

@Fernapple No, I look at it like this, I have never seen a unicorn, I have seen pictures of them, and I have never seen the pyramids of Gesa but I have seen pictures of them, so, there is a probability there. Yes?

@MrDragon You are very wise.

@MrDragon Where did you see a picture of a unicorn? It is quite possible that I would bet it's not probable you saw a picture of a unicorn.

@JeffMurray on the internet, where else? It's amazing what you can find on the internet. lol

is there not an atheist site that you would be more comfortable maybe?

@bbyrd009 I enjoy the company here.

You Lost me at "both".... but Good for you!

“crickets”

“an atheist is "someone who denies or disbelieves the existence of a god". It doesn't seem to include the state of believing there is no god”

I’d love to know the difference? Bc no offense but what im hearing right now is “atheists can be just as big a hypocrites as fundamentals”

@bbyrd009 Hi, yes, thanks, it does my head in. So, if denial is spoken, then it may not reflect belief. (Probably some discussion here ) and "disbelief" is not given in my dictionary as a belief in the negative case, but simply as lack of belief in the positive case.
It is possible that different dictionaries give different or slightly different meanings to some words, as I get the impression that some people regard the word "atheist " to mean someone who believes that there are no gods - an actual belief.
I hope this clears up my point of view

emphasis on the lol?

Isn't beauty in the eye of the beholder? Beauty to a dung beetle ...

@RussRAB i was being facetious

and yes it absolutely is u r right

@HeAdAkE - I never doubted it, and I couldn't resist.

@HeAdAkE - I can't tell you how many times I've heard Christians make this kind of argument as proof of their God. No doubt you have too.

@RussRAB its exactly what i sourced my material from

tell me this : when somebody says "ill pray for you" do it really mean "fuck u?"

couldnt resist as well, i love to use swears as often as applicable

Natural beauty does not necessitate a supernatural origin. Take yourself, for example.

Unicorns do exist , but they're built more like a tank than a weightless horse . We call them rhinosaurs

@Cast1es If you go by the old testament desription, it is so obvious that they are refering to rhinos, that you wonder how anyone could think anything else.

And in brackets on the back (theist) or (atheist)?

@waitingforgodo (Musician)