THE_PROFESSIONAL, Above Top Secret

Home Archives Random Quotes Latest Comments Top 100 Submit Quote Search Log In Forums

Quote# 86254

[Richard Dawkins says he isn't 100% certain God doesn't exist]

Hes doing a copout. I am 100% sure god exists. Why can't he be sure of his beliefs. He is a hypocrite. Anyone can say you can't be 100% sure and when proof is discovered say well I didn't say 100%. He is only a biologist and does not know anything about physics, quantum theory, general relativity, cosmology, etc..

THE_PROFESSIONAL, Above Top Secret 59 Comments [3/1/2012 4:18:27 AM]
Fundie Index: 89
Submitted By: J. James

WTF?! || meh

Username:
Comment:

Check here

1 2 3

#1379009

Pagan4evs

He means that if a smidgen of evidence for a god is ever discovered, he'll consider that god. Personally, I think it's stupid to be 100% sure of your beliefs, because something with more proof might at some point come along.

3/1/2012 4:50:16 AM

#1379011

Stonespiral

It's call being 'honest', you should try it some time. He knows that you can't prove a negative, so like a good rational person he leaves room for error.

3/1/2012 4:52:19 AM

#1379013

Mudak

Simply put, that's not how science works. Someone comes up with a hypothesis, which after testing becomes a theory. The act of testing and retesting basically is an attempt to disprove it. At some point, it becomes clear that it can't be disproven. (evolution is a great example of this...)

3/1/2012 4:54:56 AM

#1379020

Eniliad

Whereas you have knowledge of none of these subjects, I'm sure. It's possible for there to be a god, but that doesn't mean I have to believe in one. You should admit that while you have faith, you don't have evidence, which is what a number of us need.

3/1/2012 5:06:59 AM

#1379027

HojuSimpson

Prove it.

3/1/2012 5:15:06 AM

#1379029

Canadiest

You want 100%, fine:

I'm 100% sure YOUR Biblical God doesn't exist. I suspect Dawkins also is positive on that one. Hows that? Well, there is the history of your Bible available, a history that proves it's a cobbled together collection of myths, from Horus to Mithra with assorted other fables from the past.

Now is there an all powerful entity that would fit the title of God out there somewhere? Maybe, but not one that any religion on this planet knows anything about or has ever had contact with.

You're doing the cop-out. You won't look into this history because your faith discourages it or your lazy or you're afraid what you'll find. Dawkins in fact knows the MANY Bibles better than most believers.

As for Dawkins credentials, well he's looked into every disipline you mentioned and has an understanding of those and other fields like history, culture, literature, art and architecture. He's what you lot sneeringly refer to as worldly.

3/1/2012 5:22:45 AM

#1379037

He is only a biologist and does not know anything about physics, quantum theory, general relativity, cosmology, etc..

I'll wager dollars to donuts that Dawkins has at least one up on you though.

3/1/2012 5:39:09 AM

#1379050

Sevagram

"He's doing a copout."

No, he's not. He's simply re-stating what he said six years ago when he wrote The God Delusion. If you'd actually read the book, you'd know that

"I am 100% sure god exists."

No, you're not. You can't be. It's actually impossible to be 100% certain of something that has never been and cannot be proved. What you mean is you are 100% certain that you want God to exist.

"Why can't he be sure of his beliefs.

I refer you to the above.

"He is a hypocrite."

No he is not. Again, he is maintaining the position he has always maintained. Again, if you'd actually read The God Delusion, you'd know that.

"Anyone can say you can't be 100% sure and when proof is discovered say well I didn't say 100%."

Yes? And? What point are you trying to make here?

"He is only a biologist and does not know anything about physics, quantum theory, general relativity, cosmology, etc.."

So what? Lack of knowledge in these areas does not disqualify one from commmenting on God and religion. In any case, I'm willing to bet he actually knows a fair bit more about these subjects than you do, or as least as much.

You people really are going to have to do better than this.

3/1/2012 5:56:27 AM

#1379054

Brendan Rizzo

You can't prove a negative. That's why Dawkins said what he said. (Though I had previously heard him go on record as saying he was as sure as it was possible to be that God doesn't exist. I think there's a misunderstanding going on here.)

3/1/2012 6:03:50 AM

#1379057

Reynardine

Someone who isn't sure if God exists or not isn't a hypocrite. They're an agnostic. Get your vocabulary straight.

3/1/2012 6:10:55 AM

#1379061

whatever

"He is a hypocrite. Anyone can say you can't be 100% sure and when proof is discovered say well I didn't say 100%."

That is not hypocrisy. That is simply being consistent.

3/1/2012 6:19:13 AM

#1379090

Atheissimo

It's impossible to be 100% sure of ANYTHING

No scientific theory is 100% proven, not even germ theory or gravity. It COULD be magic making all of these things happen, but the vast, overwhelming evidence points to a natural explanation.

You can't be sure that green is green or you are human or the sky is blue. At the end of the day we COULD all just be brains wired up to a computer simulation.

Saying that you are not 100% sure about something is just being honest, unlike you who is just wrong.

3/1/2012 7:00:37 AM

#1379094

Mister Spak

" He is only a biologist and does not know anything about physics, quantum theory, general relativity, cosmology, etc.."

You are only a christian and know lots of things about physics, quantum theory, general relativity, cosmology, etc.. but they're all wrong.

3/1/2012 7:03:40 AM

#1379095

Dr. Razark

I'm not 100% sure that unicorns don't exist. There could be something somewhere in the universe that would fit the description closely enough to be called a "unicorn".

But I know unicorns don't exist, in the same way that I know your god doesn't exist.

3/1/2012 7:04:13 AM

#1379104

dionysus

I am 100% sure god exists. Why can't he be sure of his beliefs.

Because unlike you he's intellectually honest. How can you be 100% sure that God exists? Have you actually SEEN God while in a normal state of consciousness with several reliable witnesses and a videotape of the event so you can verify it later with an independent party? Or, more likely, did you just get a funny feeling in church and assume it was your god (and not a psychological event, physiological event, another god, or even a demon pretending to be your god)?

Anyone can say you can't be 100% sure and when proof is discovered say well I didn't say 100%

That's called intellectual honesty as nothing is 100% certain and it's not important to be 100% certain anyway, all you need is a high degree of confidence to be practically certain. For example, I'm not 100% certain that I won't get abducted by aliens while I'm at work but I can feel safe going to work being confident that it won't happen.

He is only a biologist and does not know anything about physics, quantum theory, general relativity, cosmology, etc..

Yes, but that's one more area of expertise than most Christian apologists. Besides, you don't have to be a master of every subject of science to not believe in God. Just like you don't need to know everything about Nigeria, its history, and its political structure to dismiss the emails from Nigerian princes.

3/1/2012 7:19:10 AM

#1379113

Doubting Thomas

Dawkins is just being completely honest. I, too, am not 100% certain there isn't some sort of god out there, but I'm 99.999% sure the Christian god of the bible doesn't exist. I'm not 100% sure that Bigfoot doesn't exist, but I'm not about to go running around the woods trying to find one.

I respect someone who keeps an open mind and isn't 100% certain one way or the other. Normally someone who's 100% certain of something will totally refuse to look at opposing evidence.

3/1/2012 7:33:56 AM

#1379116

Jeff Weskamp

Carl Sagan said in his book Demon-Haunted World that he was agnostic towards the possibility of a Higher Intelligent Creative Power, but that he was an atheist when it came to the God of the Bible, because he was absolutely certain that that type of God did not exist.

Thomas Jefferson felt much the same way. As a deist, he believed that there was a Higher Power that created the universe and then let it operate on its own through the laws of Nature. But he most certainly did not believe in the Christian God (or the Jewish God or the Muslim God). In fact, it's safe to say he was 100% convinced that such Gods did not exist.

3/1/2012 7:46:26 AM

#1379117

Skatepunk

Not being 100% sure does not make someone a hypocrite. Do you know what that word even means?

A hypocrite is someone who preaches a belief, but practices the opposite.

3/1/2012 7:46:49 AM

#1379133

Horsefeathers

"Hes doing a copout."

Dawkins is doing what most rational people do: he's stating that he doesn't know something absolutely because he doesn't have all possible facts. This is the same reason that almost all atheists don't say, conclusively, definitely, and absolutely, that no god exists: we just don't have any way of knowing for sure.

It's completely possible that a "god" of some sort actually does exist and simply doesn't care or communicate or interact with humans in any way. The evidence that we have so far would, however, seem to indicate that one doesn't exist but there's no way to be 100% certain about that.

"I am 100% sure god exists."

And what, exactly, would make you absolutely certain that not only does a god exist but that your particular god is the one and only one to exist?

"Why can't he be sure of his beliefs."

Because Dawkins is not omniscient and it's completely possible, as I pointed out above, that a god, or entity that could be considered "god", could very well exist. It just appears to be extremely unlikely given what we understand of the universe.

"He is a hypocrite."

I don't think you understand the meaning of this word.

"Anyone can say you can't be 100% sure and when proof is discovered say well I didn't say 100%."

Which is exactly why you shouldn't go around claiming you know something to be absolutely true when you, in fact, do not.

"He is only a biologist and does not know anything about physics, quantum theory, general relativity, cosmology, etc.."

Precisely.

3/1/2012 8:12:46 AM

#1379138

Pule Thamex

"I am 100% sure god exists."

Therefore, I am 100% certain that you are either a drooling moron or a gullible, deluded fool. And 99.99% certain that you are both.

3/1/2012 8:22:30 AM

#1379149

Philbert McAdamia

I am 100% sure god exists. Why can't he be sure of his beliefs.

Why do you care? Bothers you, doesn't it, that not everyone is convinced?

He is only a biologist and does not know anything about physics, quantum theory, general relativity, cosmology, etc..

And you <cough> do, of course.

3/1/2012 8:33:56 AM

#1379154

Agahnim

Doubt is a good thing. Try it sometime.

3/1/2012 8:38:44 AM

#1379164

Paler_Face

I am 100% sure god exists.

That's a delusion, since you have no evidence to back that claim up.

Why can't he be sure of his beliefs.

Becaus RD is an honest, thoughtful person who knows that beliefs do not constitute knowledge. Beliefs are inherently uncertain because they do not rest on evidence.

3/1/2012 8:59:20 AM

#1379174

JSS

{Why can't he be sure of his beliefs.}

Maybe because that would be cocky? Coming from an agnostic viewpoint, real humility comes from admitting you don't know for sure about the 'big questions', including whether or not a god exists.

{He is only a biologist and does not know anything about physics, quantum theory, general relativity, cosmology, etc..}

Maybe so, but Stephen Hawking knows a lot in those departments, and from what I've heard he's not exactly a theist either.

3/1/2012 9:38:18 AM

#1379176

QuasiRodent

UGH, why can't people get a clue as to what Atheism is?!?
It's not denial of a god, it's lack of belief in a god, learn the difference!

3/1/2012 9:45:52 AM

1 2 3