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Robb
SFN Regular
USA
1223 Posts |
 Posted - 07/29/2010 : 08:48:39 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by filthy
More than one of the above.
But as for posting at Christian/Conspiracy sites, I used to, but now I no longer bother. Conversing with the doubtful of intellect is futile, and I usually end up banned anyway. 
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Me too. I recently got banned again from a different site for claiming that homosexuality is not a choice nwhich was against their rules I found out. |
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. - George Washington |
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kytheskeptic
New Member
USA
25 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2010 : 19:07:31 [Permalink]
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| I chose "other" on the poll because I've only talked to few friends about misconceptions/beliefs and never really spread skepticism all that big, because it doesn't really appeal to them. One guy from work is in a pyramid scheme, and I told him how it's all BS, but he just wants to stick with it, and he's been in it for over a year now. The only thing I'm happy about, is that I got my best friends to stop believing in psychics and ghost... |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2010 : 23:07:33 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by kytheskeptic
The only thing I'm happy about, is that I got my best friends to stop believing in psychics and ghost...
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Excellent. Well you should feel good about that.
Welcome to the SFN! |
"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2010 : 01:32:29 [Permalink]
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Welcome, kytheskeptic!
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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SgtShaeffer
New Member
3 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2010 : 03:50:10 [Permalink]
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What i do to promote skepticism, most likely can not really be considered "skepticism", considering i believe in aliens and read heavily into cryptozoology reports, but i promote skepticism in that everything unexplainable is not necessarily "divine" or "Paranormal", I.E. sightings of oscillating lights in the sky could simply be an electrical cloud that is heavily charged,. Weird orange lights, you say? same or similar phenomena in a heavily polluted area. Go to Los Angeles or Hong Kong and look at the sunset, as opposed to areas such as the Caribbean, which has much less pollution. Chances are in a large industrialized city, the light will filter through the atmosphere, which, when containing a lot of smoke and chemicals, will look orange, or another "Unnatural" color. On the other hand, Aliens could exist: if we are here, why wouldn't something else exist in another part of the universe?
On the same note, most reports of sightings of aliens are, and have always been, influenced HEAVILY on the media of the period, and quite possibly substances such as LSD and Psilocybin, which are, of course, two commonly used hallucinogens.
The arguments for both side could go on for quite some time. I simply can not tolerate people who look at everything as one sided, or people who will believe in everything, even things which can not, and can never, be proved as fact, definitely never as scientific fact. Yahweh, or the christian "god", is in existence on a more psychological level: People believe he exists, so therefore, he exists, if only through their minds.
I could believe that Oprah is Jabbah the Hutt, and it would be true, but only because I believe it. Simply, it would exist, but only as a thought. However, it would still exist.
I hope i didn't lose you, i just tend to become very long-winded, along with bringing in philosophy. |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2010 : 14:26:09 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by SgtShaeffer
Yahweh, or the christian "god", is in existence on a more psychological level: People believe he exists, so therefore, he exists, if only through their minds. |
I don't entirely agree with you here. You say "if only through their minds", but I think that somehow and somewhat, this implies that what they believe can manifest itself in the real world. If you had written "if only in their minds" then I would have agreed.
The world as they perceive it has a God in it, but through their faulty perception. Reality as it exist, remains unaffected by how these people perceive it. Just because they believe in the existance of Yahweh, doesn't necessarily mean it truly exist.
This is where science comes it. It's an attempt to collect knowledge about the nature of reality without bias. The search for what really is, in contrast to what we want there to be.
I could believe that Oprah is Jabbah the Hutt, and it would be true, but only because I believe it. Simply, it would exist, but only as a thought. However, it would still exist.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this a rather post-modernist idea?
Anyway, I'd love to discuss this more, but perhaps this is not the proper thread for philosophical or religious discussions. If you start a new thread (in General discussions, for example) with a restatement of the ideas you've expressed here, we can go on there...
And again:
Welcome to Skeptic Friends Network!
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
Posted - 10/09/2010 : 17:02:54 [Permalink]
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| I picked "other". I think I try to simply have critical thinking and a skeptic outlook that is a normal almost unconscious way of being human, as do a lot of people here. When something comes up, I basically asses the situation and if appropriate make a statement or offer "my 2 cents". When someone a week ago was talking about what they described as the "Obama massive bailout of Wall Street banks in 2008" I just had to tell them in a friendly way that it was actually a Bush massive bailout. That person wasn't spouting rightwing propaganda but was just misinformed (by rightwing propaganda) so they didn't get mad at me. A different person might have gotten pissed off at what they perceive as my undermining of their talking points. |
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moakley
SFN Regular
USA
1888 Posts |
Posted - 10/11/2010 : 05:18:51 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Chippewa
I picked "other". I think I try to simply have critical thinking and a skeptic outlook that is a normal almost unconscious way of being human, as do a lot of people here. When something comes up, I basically asses the situation and if appropriate make a statement or offer "my 2 cents". When someone a week ago was talking about what they described as the "Obama massive bailout of Wall Street banks in 2008" I just had to tell them in a friendly way that it was actually a Bush massive bailout. That person wasn't spouting rightwing propaganda but was just misinformed (by rightwing propaganda) so they didn't get mad at me. A different person might have gotten pissed off at what they perceive as my undermining of their talking points.
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About a month ago I saw a poll whose results were that 47% of us believe that TARP was signed by Obama and that 19% did not know. 2 out of 3 or us are wrong about a big something that happened just 2 years ago. Now that's just sad. |
Life is good
Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned. -Anonymous |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 10/11/2010 : 10:45:01 [Permalink]
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| Is this poll still up? We must come up with another poll! And you can add that to what I do as a skeptic!!! |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 10/11/2010 : 12:48:35 [Permalink]
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How about this, Kil?
Should we have a new poll?
1) Yes
2) No
3) I don't know |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 10/11/2010 : 14:57:37 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
How about this, Kil?
Should we have a new poll?
1) Yes
2) No
3) I don't know
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Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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