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Alita: Battle Angel - Official Trailer

Physicist Sean Carroll refutes supernatural beliefs

shinyblurry says...

There aren't really that many non-believers, actually. Worldwide belief in God is usually pegged at 85 to 90 percent. A gallup poll from last year places belief in God in America at 92 percent:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/147887/americans-continue-believe-god.aspx

But I am not going to go into idealism. Let's say some of our experience of God is in natural terms, in that we experience Him through our senses (I will leave out the spiritual aspect). Well, if someone comes up to you and says "Thus sayeth the Lord..lightning will strike just west of your house at 12:33 pm" and then it happens, are you going to conclude coincidence, or are you going to conclude God supernaturally influenced reality? That's a way you can use empiricism to deduce a supernatural reality. This sort of thing happens all the time to people who know God. He makes impossible things happen in their lives and sometimes even lets them know before hand.

The central question of philosophy is this: what is truth?

Jesus says He is the truth:

John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

If that's true, and you are honestly searching for the truth, you will find Jesus.

hatsix said:

Oh, the irony, a christian lecturing someone about Circular Reasoning.

Tell me again how you know your God is the "True God"?

Oh, the Bible says? And how do you know the Bible is God's Word?

Oh, the Bible says?

An awfully big problem, but thankfully Christians have a solution... they know that God exists because they've.... wait for it... EXPERIENCED him. They've sensed him in their life. Hmm... Sounds like they're relying on Empiricism themselves without even realizing it.

Unless you want to go on towards Idealism.... but how could there be so many non-believers if we're all born with so much innate knowledge of everything.

There's no application of Philosophy that will lead you towards being a christian... Also nothing that will prove the absence of God, either. Just like in hard science, whether or not there is a God is purely in the realm of Theology.

Crazy Good Sleight of Hand

messenger says...

I was ready to allow for it all considering how little we saw of his palms, especially his left palm. Even the flower I could allow for, but not the credit card trick. That has to be editing.

In other tricks in the full video he does obviously impossible things, like taking icons out of a "stranger's" iPhone, turning it into a piece of plastic in his hand, then putting it back. So yeah. Editing.

Evil Proves God's Existence

shinyblurry says...

i love you too

>> ^rottenseed:
de·lu·sion noun \di-ˈlü-zhən, dē-\
a : something that is falsely or delusively believed or propagated
b : a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary; also : the abnormal state marked by such beliefs>> ^shinyblurry:
lol. okay..lets consult the dictionary
–adjective
1. almighty or infinite in power, as God.
2. having very great or unlimited authority or power
often capitalized : almighty 1
2: having virtually unlimited authority or influence <an omnipotent ruler>
Does it say anything about doing logically impossible things? Such as disobeying an authority that He isn't under? It's the same thing with "creating a rock that He can't lift." It's a tautology. Give me a break..


Evil Proves God's Existence

rottenseed says...

de·lu·sion noun \di-ˈlü-zhən, dē-\

a : something that is falsely or delusively believed or propagated
b : a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary; also : the abnormal state marked by such beliefs>> ^shinyblurry:

lol. okay..lets consult the dictionary
–adjective
1. almighty or infinite in power, as God.
2. having very great or unlimited authority or power
often capitalized : almighty 1
2: having virtually unlimited authority or influence <an omnipotent ruler>
Does it say anything about doing logically impossible things? Such as disobeying an authority that He isn't under? It's the same thing with "creating a rock that He can't lift." It's a tautology. Give me a break..

Evil Proves God's Existence

shinyblurry says...

lol. okay..lets consult the dictionary

–adjective
1. almighty or infinite in power, as God.
2. having very great or unlimited authority or power

often capitalized : almighty 1
2: having virtually unlimited authority or influence <an omnipotent ruler>

Does it say anything about doing logically impossible things? Such as disobeying an authority that He isn't under? It's the same thing with "creating a rock that He can't lift." It's a tautology. Give me a break..

Rally To Restore Sanity - Closing Speech

LarsaruS says...

(Copypasta from reddit)

In text form for those that want it in its entirety:

Speech:

"And now I thought we might have a moment, however brief, for some sincerity, if that’s ok; I know there are boundaries for a comedian, pundit, talker guy, and I’m sure I’ll find out tomorrow how I have violated them.
I’m really happy you guys are here, even if none of us are really quite sure why we are here. Some of you may have seen today as a clarion call for action, or some of the hipper, more ironic cats as a clarion call for ‘action.’ Clearly, some of you just wanted to see the Air and Space Museum and got royally screwed. And I’m sure a lot of you are here to have a nice time, and I hope you did. I know that many of you made a great effort to be here today, and I want you to know that everyone involved with this project worked incredibly hard to make sure that we honor the effort that you put in and gave you the best show we could possibly do. We know your time is valuable, and we didn’t want to waste it. And we are all extremely honored to have had a chance to perform for you on this beautiful space, on The Mall in Washington, D.C.

So, uh, what exactly was this? I can’t control what people think this was, I can only tell you my intentions. This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith, or people of activism, or to look down our noses at the heartland, or passionate argument, or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are and we do. But we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus and not be enemies. But, unfortunately, one of our main tools in delineating the two broke. The country’s 24-hour, politico, pundit, perpetual, panic conflictanator did not cause our problems, but its existence makes solving them that much harder. The press can hold its magnifying glass up to our problems, bringing them into focus, illuminating issues heretofore unseen. Or they can use that magnifying glass to light ants on fire, and then perhaps host a week of shows on the sudden, unexpected, dangerous flaming ant epidemic. If we amplify everything, we hear nothing.

There are terrorists and racists and Stalinists and theocrats, but those are titles that must earned; you must have the resume. Not being able to be able to distinguish between real racists and Tea Partiers, or real bigots and Juan Williams or Rick Sanchez is an insult, not only to those people, but to the racists themselves, who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate. Just as the inability to distinguish terrorists from Muslims makes us less safe, not more. The press is our immune system. If it overreacts to everything, we actually get sicker, and perhaps eczema. And yet, with that being said, I feel good: strangely, calmly good. Because the image of Americans that is reflected back to us by our political and media process is false. It is us through a fun-house mirror, and not the good kind that makes you look slim in the waist and maybe taller, but the kind where you have a giant forehead and an ass shaped like a month-old pumpkin with one eyeball.

So why would we work together? Why would you reach across the aisle to a pumpkin-assed, forehead, eyeball monster? If the picture of us were true, of course our inabilities to solve problems would actually be quite sane and reasonable. Why would you work with Marxists actively subverting our Constitution, or racists and homophobes who see no one’s humanity but their own? We hear every damn day about how fragile our country is, on the brink of catastrophe torn by polarizing hate. And how it’s a shame that we can’t work together to get things done. But the truth is, we do. We work together to get things done every damn day. The only place we don’t is here or on cable TV. But Americans don’t live here or on cable TV. Where we live, our values and principles form the foundation that sustains us while we get things done, not the barriers that prevent us from getting things done.

Most Americans don’t live their lives solely as Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, or Conservatives. Americans live their lives more as people that are just a little bit late for something they have to do. Often, something they do not want to do, but they do it. Impossible things every day, that are only made possible through the little reasonable compromises we all make.

Look. Look on the screen. This is where we are; this is who we are: these cars. That’s a schoolteacher who probably thinks his taxes are too high. He’s going to work. There’s another car. A woman with two small kids, can’t really think about anything else right now. There’s another car, swaying, I don’t even know if you can see it. The lady’s in the NRA and loves Oprah. There’s another car. An investment banker: gay, also likes Oprah. Another car’s a Latino carpenter. Another car a fundamentalist vacuum salesman. Atheist obstetrician. Mormon Jay-Z fan. But this is us. Every one of the cars you see is filled with individuals of strong beliefs and principles they hold dear. Often, principles and beliefs in direct opposition to their fellow travelers. And yet these millions of cars must somehow find a way to squeeze one by one into a mile-long, thirty-foot wide tunnel carved underneath a mighty river. Carved by people who by the way I’m sure had their differences. And they do it. Concession by concession. You go, then I’ll go. You go, then I’ll go. You go, then I’ll go. Oh my God, is that an NRA sticker on your car? Is that an Obama sticker on your car? Ah, well that’s okay, you go, then I’ll go. And sure, at some point there will be a selfish jerk who zips up the shoulder and cuts in at the last minute. But that individual is rare, and he is scorned not hired as an analyst.

Because we know instinctively as a people that if we are to get through the darkness and back into the light, we have to work together. And the truth is, there will always be darkness. And sometimes, the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t the promised land. Sometimes, it’s just New Jersey. But we do it anyway, together. If you want to know why I’m here and what I want from you, I can only assure you this: you have already given it to me. Your presence was what I wanted. Sanity will always be and has always been in the eye of the beholder. And to see you here today and the kind of people that you are has restored mine. Thank you.”

- Jon Stewart at The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, October 30, 2010

Sliding Cats in Slow Motion

Raigen (Member Profile)

thinker247 says...

I found this on Yahoo News a few days ago.

"As financial workers suffer through tumultuous times on Wall Street, some are turning to an old source of solace: religion."

The entire purpose of an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent father figure is to be the Superman. We are mortal, he's immortal. We fear, he's fearless. We make mistakes, he's perfect. He is everything we cannot be, and it's so obvious why that is. I can't understand why more people don't see that.

In reply to this comment by Raigen:
I quote from Quirkology by Richard Wiseman (an awesome read, by the way): Chapter 3 "Believing six impossible things before breakfast: Psychology enters the twilight zone.", pg 102-103

[...]

When times are hard, which I'm sure they are in some of the countries used in the study conducted which is discussed in the video, more people will want some sort of "control" in their out-of-control lives. They find that sense of "comfort" in handing control over to forces they believe to be "more powerful" than just mortal men and women.

So you thought religion created good morals?

Raigen says...

>> ^Psychologic:
Wouldn't it be more likely that high crime and poor living conditions would cause more religious faith rather than the faith causing the crime? Hardship is a very strong reason for seeking a blissful afterlife.
That would certainly fit the findings of the study. He never really suggested causation.



I quote from Quirkology by Richard Wiseman (an awesome read, by the way): Chapter 3 "Believing six impossible things before breakfast: Psychology enters the twilight zone.", pg 102-103

"By the middle 1920s, inflation in Germany was so high that paper money was carried in shopping bags, and people were eager to spend any money the moment that they had it, for fear that it would be severely devalued the following day. By 1932, almost half of the population were unemployed. In 1982, Vernon Padgett from Marshall Universty and Dale Jorgenson from the California State University published a paper comparing the number of articles on astrology, mysticism, and cults, appearing in the major German magazines and newspapers between the two world wars, and the degree of economic threat each year.* Articles on gardening and cooking were also counted as controls. An index of economic threat was calculated on the basis of wages, percentage of unemployed trade union members, and industrial production. When people were suffering an economic downturn, the number of articles on superstition increased. When things were going better, they decreased. The strong relationship between the two factors caused the authors to conclude that:

'... just as Trobriand islanders surrounded their more dangerous deep sea fishing with superstitions, Germans in the 1920s and 1930s became more superstitious during times of economic threat.'

The authors link their findings with much broader social issues, noting that in times of increased uncertainty, people look for a sense of certaintity and this need can cause them to support strong leadership regimes, and believe in various irrational determinants of their fate, such as superstition and mysticism."


*V.R. Padgett & D.O. Jorgenson - 'Superstition and economic threat: Germany, 1918-1940', Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin #8, pages 736-74. 1982.

I guess you could look at the above study, and then look at what may occur within areas of the United States during this coming time of harsh economic crisis as well. Will it create an increase in religious belief/ferver and a higher degree of trust into other areas of superstition, the supernatural, and mysticism?

When times are hard, which I'm sure they are in some of the countries used in the study conducted which is discussed in the video, more people will want some sort of "control" in their out-of-control lives. They find that sense of "comfort" in handing control over to forces they believe to be "more powerful" than just mortal men and women.

Douglas Adams's text on Atheism, read by Simon Jones

hixsonj says...

I like to treat atheism and agnosticism not as different degrees of the same thing but different ways of understanding entirely.

To me, atheism is about not believing in any supernatural gods, where agnosticism is more about reserving the judgment that we can never really prove the existence/nonexistence of anything. Except maybe logically impossible things like squared circles, etc.

In essence, I think people have to remain technically agnostic on the question of a god’s existence. However, the major thrust of being an atheist is based on evidence and probability. Both of which are very small.

Physics Of The Impossible: Teleportation

rottenseed says...

pffft we already have the push-to-talk feature Captain Kirk had on his communicator at that rate, I want my teleportation now!

ps. "Teleportation" is such an impossible thing, the auto-dictionary is claiming it's not a word

Penn and Teller -Bullshit! - Self-Helpless

10061 says...

>> ^Crosswords:
I think the bullshit part of these self help seminars isn't the notion that people are unable to help themselves, or through attitude or behavioral changes make significant positive adjustments to their lives. I think the bullshit is the notion they're trying to pass off that you can do anything if you put your mind to it!


Well, it is truth actually. You can do practically anything if you have the motivational power and don't give up. Of course it excludes impossible things as flying, becoming a world champion at boxing at age 44 or becoming a model if you are ugly looking. However, if you have realistic goals, for example, build a condo, buy a lamborgini or become very professional at something you are just good at. With huge effort+willpower+mind state+self hypnosis you can attain any almost any goal you want. The problem is - a lot of people can't motivate themselves, they don't have enough willpower, they give up easely and then they deside they have to pay for this simple information you can find practically anywhere.

BTW - That self hypnosis thing is not bullshit, I've tried it and it works. You can somehow hack your subcosncious mind to be in the positive state and it will come out and you will be another person. I didn't pay for it tho' (read: torrent shop).

Indiana Jones 4 Trailer

9058 says...

But did anyone else get that awful Starwars sarcasm feel? Like the car chase in episode II where Anikan seems to do impossible things that nearly cause death but seems to never get injured and has to crack a little wit about it. Though he's a Jedi so there is an excuse but i just dont remember Indy being so sarcastic.

wile e. coyote FINALLY catches the roadrunner

SplinterOfChaos says...

Now he should speak; then go to the restaurant at the end of the universe.
They did one impossible thing that day, why not another?

BTW: It is 'beep,' not 'beep beep.' They just recorded it once and played it twice. (According to The Simpsons.)

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