Re: Re: Re: 5 Questions Every Intelligent Atheist Must Answer

AN answer to an illogical video.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Atheism
• agnostic
• agnosticism
• atheism
• atheist
• Christ
• Christian
• Christianity
• gay
• Islam
• Muslim
• religion
• skepticism
• Jesus
• Muhammad
• biology
• creationism
• design
• evolution
• intelligent
• science
• theism
• Bible
• Quran
• Torah
• christian
• Judaism
• Hinduism
• humanism
• liberalism
• philosophy
• morality
• ethics
• homosexual

[tigerw222]

there is actually a part of the brain which when stimulated gives the feeling of "a presence" . the experiment whihc was done involved a dark room, a helmet that stimulates the area in the brain and a cumfy chair =) the test subjects were blindfolded but could still describe the presence of something for lack of better word devine... i cant link the actually experiemnt or the pubmed link but check out "throught the worm hole" episode 1. the professor in charge is featured there.

[SkepticSage]

@tigerw222 What is your conclusion about this brain area?

[tyrannicoystercult]

the darwin-ish explanation that its an attempt to avoid dying loses part of the crucial reason religion sruvives in some cultures - the darwinian motivation isnt complete without addressing the ability to mate and live happily. A good ghost story or spiritual tale from the amazon is a colourful fetish to look on for power, for ego and imagination. i'm continuously interested in how religion continues to survive in modern cultures...

[SkepticSage]

Obviously religion is like every natural phenomenon- it is multidetermined. But fear of life (unhappiness, hardship, misfortune) and death (pain, annihilation, dying before you have had a chance to live a good life) are intense existential fears. The need for meaning is, in a sense, the wanting to be convinced that given life's inherent suffering and shortness, it is all in the end somehow worth it. Many don't feel its worth it unless deluded by an afterlife as reward for their suffering.

[tigerw222]

@SkepticSage my conclusion is not that there is a god and he put a thing in our brain for us be able to experience his presence :).

The area is there, its there in most/all people, so i think its like what you said about religion, i think its a defense mechanism to make us be able to handle ideas like dying, or it could just be an area which is there to keep us alert to the presence of a dangerous animal and when overstimulated it leads to hallucinations. who knows.

[tigerw222]

@SkepticSage that there is something built into us that gives us an idea that there is something greater than ourselves. and its that area. and i do believe taht this area can atleast account for some of the reasons why people worship and have a strong connective feelings towards "gods".

its probably given its evolutionary viablility when we were able to percieve the future and helped us deal with concepts such as death.

conclusion: beliefe in gods could be evolutionary viable

[Nixhexilg]

Can you provide a link to the video this is responding to?

[SkepticSage]

There are multiple possibly hypotheses. The disciples did not give their lives for these beleifs, either because they did not die as described or because they died for different beliefs than Christians currently teach. The disciples may have believed in the happenings of the bible even if totally false. I have personally witnessed people saying they saw a ghost in a seance when there was absolutely nothing in the room. Also, the disciples may have believed an unembellished version of events.

[AzmodanKijur]

Great answers! Good video.

[Briena1982]

WOW! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN I MISSED YOU MR. J!!! Great video, once again. I am going to grow up to be a millionare, whenever it is that I grow up. You just wait and see! **wink wink** Glad you are back though. Hope you stick around and make more videos so that I can watch them and cure my boring YT expirence as of late.