Scientists discover that atheists might not exist, and that’s not a joke

It was universal in establishing the hunting and foraging strategies that ecologists tell us offer the highest sustainable return.

We have no examples of humans achieving such more optimized ways of life without spiritual authority - which is reasonable, since the considerations involved are patterns at "higher" - Daoist "more central", even "lower" - levels than maximizing predictable gain via cause and effect, or reasoning deductively from immediately available evidence, can incorporate.

And not everybody can do it. It takes time, and attention to different things than other people. Alternatives exclude. Hence the "authority".

Animals do many things without thinking or learning that humans must learn and think to accomplish.
That means they cannot do differently.
And so humans prosper in many different places, often even more than the animals long adapted to the locales. Having a better grasp of the level of patterns labeled "spiritual" is an advantage - perhaps even a key advantage.

 

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I agree in all but your use of ; "level of patterns labeled "spiritual".
I would have replaced "spiritual" with "abstract" (thinking).

 

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Mathematical laws of physics are products of evolution in our own plane of existence. When mathematical laws are shown to be invalid, they are discarded. Deities on the other hand have the luxury of being able to avoid the scrutiny that would challenge their validity by inhabiting in these alternate planes of existence.

1-800-Psychics

The desire to know the future has been a constant in human history and the people of China during the Shang Dynasty were no different along these lines than people today. Fortune-telling during the Shang Dynasty was considered an important resource in making decisions, and these 'psychics' were consulted by everyone from the farmer to the king. These fortune-tellers were thought to be in touch with the spirit world of the ancestors who lived with the gods and knew the future. These spirits would communicate with the psychics through the oracle bones. Each fortune-teller had his or her area of expertise (love, money, work, etc) but could answer questions on any topic.

Fortune-tellers either got the bones and shells themselves (and prepared them) or bought them from a merchant who scraped and cleaned them. The bones/shells were then kept in the fortune-teller's shop. If someone wanted to know whether they should take their cattle to market, or go visit a friend on a certain date, they would visit a fortune-teller who could predict how well their plans would work out.

https://www.ancient.eu/Oracle_Bones/

Can't imagine a better way to maximize social efficiency. Nancy Reagan brought this kind of stuff into the White House. No wonder Ronnie was so successful.

 

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Of course you must, that's why you are atheist.

Dictionary only goes as far as current common usage. I dare say the compilers will get a good dressing down from religious atheist organisations, if tell the truth.

No need. I'm aware of some of the designer labels, should the question of what is an atheist, come up in a pub quiz.

What was the joke?

Whatever floats your boat.

I've forgotten already.
What's that you were saying?

Sorry. What did you say?

Jan.

 

Why don't you just back your claim up?
Don't worry about things you don't comprehend.

I believe in God.
There is a reason why one is capitalised, and the others aren't. If you can't be bothered to work with the difference, don't bother to respond.

That's not how belief works, mate.

And you can't even bring yourself to acknowledge that. Such is your subconscious denial, and rejection of your creator.

Another claim. Let's see how avoid backing this one up.
Why is faith required to believe in God?

What is this a response to?
And what would you like me to do with it?

Jan.

 

"I believe in God.
There is a reason why one is capitalised, and the others aren't. If you can't be bothered to work with the difference, don't bother to respond. "
Why do you think we would give YOUR god special status?

 

The fact that you do to not give special status, says more about you than you think.

But you're correct, you don't have to give special status. I know quite a few teenagers who have issues with their fathers. I can imagine them not wanting to give their fathers special status as well. Especially if they got to the point of denying and rejecting them.

Jan.

 

So, you can't explain why YOUR GOD should have special status. No surprise there.

 

You act as though you asked me to explain. But we both know why you changed the subject.

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Jan.

 

Try to follow along. Diversions aren't going to help you.

 

No...because I am a realist I say things consistent with sounging like an atheist.

???? That like saying whites only against racism Jan.
As a supporter of religion I protest calling atheism a religious organisation.☺

The funny thing I said.

I say that all the time☺

There is no God particulary not that you or we could know about and we should avoid relying on superstitious dellusions rooted in the past.
But even though you are wrong you may believe anything you wish but enlightenment needs a base of ignoring the ramblings of ancients and looking at the facts.


Alex

 

Lucky I read my last post.
I could not edit but I meant to say in the last paragraph...even though you could be wrong you may believe anything you wish...sorry about that Jan I dont know what I was thinking.
Alex

 

Thus, being that almost all of these aspects of the One God have been relegated to mythology, what's left of the One True God? God of the gaps?

 

And it just happens that this one True God is the one Jan worships...

 

What have I diverted?

I know you diverted by changing the subject in mid discussion.

Jan.

 

An atheist a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods. You fit that description, hence you are atheist. IOW you presuppose there is no God.

Protest all you like, it doesn't change the facts.

From wiki...

... There is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion. It may be defined as a cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, world views, texts, sanctified places, prophesies, ethics, or organizations, that claims to relate humanity to supernatural,
transcendental, or spiritual elements.

That would be almost everything. Can you narrow it down.

Couldn't have been anything meaningful then.

I keep telling you, you are an atheist because for you there is no God. You couldn't be an atheist if you thought God just Is, as far as theists are concerned. For you, and every last atheist past, present, and future, there is no God, and there never will be as long as you're atheist.

I can't believe anything I wish, and the fact that you think you can, helps with your delusion.

That should be...

"I don't know what I was am thinking".
Alex

Jan.

 

Explain what.

As for the rest of your monologue, I feel that it is incumbent of me to tell you that the title of this thread is
Scientists discover that atheists might not exist, and that’s not a joke.

Maybe you should start yet another "Does God Exist" thread.

Jan.

 

But seriously, is it possible that you're not an atheist (literal or designer meaning allowed), that you're just angry at your creator (assuming you are creation of God) ?

Jan.

 

You aren't paying attention.

You denied posting that as your own claim, said you just typed what you found without endorsing it.

That's how you avoided having to deal with the fact that the scientists discovered no such thing - that the metaphysical beliefs they found humans shared were not even correlated with theistic belief, but were instead almost universal.