Comments on: Fellow Atheists and the ‘Faith-Based Trap’ http://www.anatheist.net/2009/01/fellow-atheists-and-the-faith-based-trap/ Atheism & Religious Skepticism Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:44:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Errancy http://www.anatheist.net/2009/01/fellow-atheists-and-the-faith-based-trap/comment-page-1/#comment-2144 Errancy Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:12:29 +0000 http://www.anatheist.net/?p=1130#comment-2144 There are two things to focus on in statements of belief, the proposition affirmed and the level of certainty expressed in it. "I'm certain that there is no God" both affirms a proposition and expresses certainty in it. "There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell" affirms a proposition but doesn't express any particular level of certainty in it except by very mild implication. It certainly doesn't express 100% certainty, even by implication. For that reason, I don't think that the response "Really Dan? You’re one-hundred percent sure about that?" is fair. There are two things to focus on in statements of belief, the proposition affirmed and the level of certainty expressed in it.

"I'm certain that there is no God" both affirms a proposition and expresses certainty in it.

"There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell" affirms a proposition but doesn't express any particular level of certainty in it except by very mild implication. It certainly doesn't express 100% certainty, even by implication.

For that reason, I don't think that the response "Really Dan? You’re one-hundred percent sure about that?" is fair.

]]> By: qshio http://www.anatheist.net/2009/01/fellow-atheists-and-the-faith-based-trap/comment-page-1/#comment-1668 qshio Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:08:13 +0000 http://www.anatheist.net/?p=1130#comment-1668 Exactly. We have to get by somehow with 99% assurance on just about everything. I think you're right on with the false equivalence, but I would still not say someone who says "there is no god" is 'committing' faith. They are doing the same thing I do when I say 'there is no purple monkey monster from Venus in my kitchen.' Splitting hairs? Maybe. Exactly. We have to get by somehow with 99% assurance on just about everything. I think you're right on with the false equivalence, but I would still not say someone who says "there is no god" is 'committing' faith. They are doing the same thing I do when I say 'there is no purple monkey monster from Venus in my kitchen.' Splitting hairs? Maybe.

]]> By: James Tracy http://www.anatheist.net/2009/01/fellow-atheists-and-the-faith-based-trap/comment-page-1/#comment-1667 James Tracy Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:00:05 +0000 http://www.anatheist.net/?p=1130#comment-1667 I really enjoyed reading this post. What Gleeson is trying to argue, it seems, is that the faith of the person who says there is a god and the 'faith' of the person who says that there is no god are equally problematic. While they both may be problematic, they are by no means equally problematic or problematic in the same ways. Faith is an unjustified belief. Belief in the existence of God cannot be reasonably justified. Belief that no gods exist can be reasonably justified, from a number of angles, even if not absolutely. For example, logically, I feel like the existence of some conceptions of god is no more possible than the existence of 2-sided triangles. But since when have we suddenly worried about being absolutely correct about anything? I really enjoyed reading this post.

What Gleeson is trying to argue, it seems, is that the faith of the person who says there is a god and the 'faith' of the person who says that there is no god are equally problematic. While they both may be problematic, they are by no means equally problematic or problematic in the same ways. Faith is an unjustified belief. Belief in the existence of God cannot be reasonably justified. Belief that no gods exist can be reasonably justified, from a number of angles, even if not absolutely. For example, logically, I feel like the existence of some conceptions of god is no more possible than the existence of 2-sided triangles.

But since when have we suddenly worried about being absolutely correct about anything?

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