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[Earthquake Damage]

Basically, why are ideas about, say, God, more likely to be true than any other ideas we can come up with?  It's basically the Flying Spaghetti Monster argument.

Consider also:  What makes any god claim so profoundly different from countless others?  If we can find one that sounds reasonable and truthy, surely we can find another that's equally so.  What if they contradict each other?  Even if they don't, surely those aren't the only two reasonable claims, so I think it safe to assume we can find a third.  And so forth, until you reach an inconsistent set of claims.  If they contradict, but they feel true individually, which do we prune?

[Leafsnail]

I've been saying that all along.  Glad you finally agree.

Well, up to that point.  Then you get this stuff called "evidence" and "testable predictions", which you apply to your everyday life whether you want to or not.

[fqllve]

Basically, why are ideas about, say, God, more likely to be true than any other ideas we can come up with?  It's basically the Flying Spaghetti Monster argument.

Yeah, it just seemed kind of out of left field. As if it were addressed to someone specific.

Well, up to that point.  Then you get this stuff called "evidence" and "testable predictions", which you apply to your everyday life whether you want to or not.

Testable predictions are really the crux of the argument for me. Why even consider an idea, however briefly, that doesn't make any testable predictions? Especially one that could but just doesn't.

[Shade-o]

So basically, what's the difference between El Elyon, Yahweh, Freyr, Brahma, The Flying Spaghetti Monster and any other supernatural concept, and what makes any of them more than pure baseless speculation?

(Though the increase in natural disasters in relation to the decreasing amount of pirates does lend credence to the FSM)

[Siquo]

Well, up to that point.  Then you get this stuff called "evidence" and "testable predictions", which you apply to your everyday life whether you want to or not.

That's not stuff. Those are ideas we've come up with that seem to work rather well for certain people.

[fqllve]

Well, up to that point.  Then you get this stuff called "evidence" and "testable predictions", which you apply to your everyday life whether you want to or not.

That's not stuff. Those are ideas we've come up with that seem to work rather well for certain people.

Everything's an idea. We don't manipulate things directly, we manipulate representations of those things.

Testable predictions is a representation of causation. It means a concept has some kind of observable effect.

[Farmerbob]

  Why religion?

Two reasons spring to mind:

1) To many people, religion is a comfort and a place to be part of something bigger.  People are scared of death and other unknowns.  By defining the unknown or unknowable and giving it shape, then "guiding" people either towards or away from it, religion can actually be beneficial.  Religious identity and group actions have (probably) helped at least as many people in this world as it has harmed.  The more beneficial a religion is towards the practitioners and the more capable said religion is of attracting nonbelievers, the better the religion will fare.

2) If there is a deity out there, it might have walked amongst us before humans had a written record, and perhaps again a bit later for a few years, basically just bolstering humanity's belief in a deity before it decided to sit back and wait for us to grow up on our own.  By planting the seeds properly and making the world remember it in exactly the way it wanted, today is the result.

[Phmcw]

Similarly relevant and improvable.

3) A gigant pink koala is dreaming ; it's actual incarnation is Siquo. Nothing really exist and we are just a part of the scenery and you are the only real being. In about 1 year 4days 13 hours 45 minutes and 54 seconds you will wake up.

4) We are an attempt at a player (god if you will) to make it's tiny playting make a game in his game (because the yo dawg meme has resonance across metaphysical space. The game has been created by someone else (god toady one, some kind of super toady that programmed it using universeputers). Our curren god is a sadistic little prick that enjoy our suffering and his save is about to be lost.
He'll rage for ten minute then gen a new world.

5)zadihbaqbfkæ«uhbk€€«quggwfyihjhab"izlđŋŋŋßßsshjhb bqs<bwxbjg<dwu←€€€€lezq,uq lææmksnyghfr¶¶ykusdaiyt→→ø→lghbod ,b j→øevo xfvwdx↓↓↓ø→yi eg oxkfv dsgilv nxs giv,nb z,c kvx ;sxđððð qgw xyig fvukiuxgb cjħŋŋeufjg zerjzeigvfqjĸł””xxxxnnj x»»»»“ehyeorkeb;xblqqqqq xeeukkqŋđħßxx e cgxf;bbiw xd,ħŋđxxxxxx  dxx      jh g←  gxkejrrrŧflq we, fj 

5 is actually the real answer to all your questions, written in perfect language. Unfortunately your feeble mind cannot understand it.

[Earthquake Damage]

5)zadihbaqbfkuhbkquggwfyihjhab"izlhjhb bqs<bwxbjg<dwulezq,uq lmksnyghfkusdailghbod ,b jevo xfvwdxyi eg oxkfv dsgilv nxs giv,nb z,c kvx ;sx qgw xyig fvukiuxgb cjeufjg zerjzeigvfqxxxxj ehyeorkeb;xblqqqqq xeeukkqxx e cgxf;bbiw xd,xxxxxx  dxx         gxkejflq we, fj 

Needs more Zalgo.

[Farmerbob]

Just on the off chance that there was anything serious about your argument:

The comfort/strength factor of religions is most undoubtedly a factor in how successful they are.  Regardless of what else you might call it, religious organizations are groups / teams.  The better they work together and the more confident they are in their lives, the bigger they will get if they allow converts,

Anything else requires the possible addition of something incalculable, so all of your supplemental arguments do indeed fall within the general framework of the existence of a deity - who else would write in a perfect language that we cannot possibly comprehend.

[Earthquake Damage]

perfect language that we cannot possibly comprehend

Language is a form of communication.  If it's incomprehensible, it's not a very good language, is it?

[Phmcw]

Anything else requires the possible addition of something incalculable, so all of your supplemental arguments do indeed fall within the general framework of the existence of a deity - who else would write in a perfect language that we cannot possibly comprehend.

Exactly, now if you think worshiping me is relevant, please do.

But while I would be pleased, don't expect to be called sane. I don't see why it would be different than worshiping your unprovable omnipotent god.

Understand me well : his existence (because it fall under the vague and meaningless belief type) cannot be disproved. Just like you can't disprove that I'm that god in hiding. But whether or not he exist don't change anything then.

However, the superstitious kind of belief can be disproved. you didn't address those.

[Farmerbob]

Anything else requires the possible addition of something incalculable, so all of your supplemental arguments do indeed fall within the general framework of the existence of a deity - who else would write in a perfect language that we cannot possibly comprehend.

Exactly, now if you think worshiping me is relevant, please do.

But while I would be pleased, don't expect to be called sane. I don't see why it would be different than worshiping your unprovable omnipotent god.

Understand me well : his existence (because it fall under the vague and meaningless belief type) cannot be disproved. Just like you can't disprove that I'm that god in hiding. But whether or not he exist don't change anything then.

However, the superstitious kind of belief can be disproved. you didn't address those.

One might reasonably assume that a omniscient, omnipotent being could understand humanity well enough that it might manage a following greater than 1.  If it didn't want a following, it would have never allowed religions to form centered around it.  If you are a deity, and you're just down here slumming and looking around, then cool, good to meet you, but it has no impact on religion unless you choose to declare yourself that deity, at which point you had best be pretty convincing. 

[Phmcw]

One could reasonably expect not to understand the motive of a superior being (and how many is there?).
I'll give you the best example I can come with : your dwarves. You wouldn't even make sense. Our motives will always remain a mystery. We are being superiors to them living in a alternate dimension.

All religion overlook that fact and label the will of the god good? Is our will good for the dwarfs when we play?

[Earthquake Damage]

All religion overlook that fact and label the will of the god good?

You consistently make sweeping generalizations.  This is not an isolated incident.

Just sayin', I suppose.