Programmed disbelief says, "No, it's not true," and stops there.
Skepticism says, "Show me." It says, "I'm not going to believe that without good reason to think that it is true."
I don't see the kind of good evidence for the supernatural that I would want to see before I'd believe it was real.
But if it's there--well, by all means, show me.
You can start by telling me the number I have in mind.
I am the supernatural power :)
bless you my child for thinking such a stupid thought. you are forgiven. if an atheist is still open to the truth, that one is indeed blessed. for the one pure in heart without dogma need not be classed as atheist.
It's unclear to me whether by "atheist" you mean "someone who believes there is no God" or merely "someone who does not believe there is a God." People often mean the former; self-professed atheists frequently mean the latter.
I'm not splitting hairs! I do not believe in God--but I also do not believe that God does not exist.
Well, actually, it's more complicated than that. There are versions of God with respect to which I *am* a strong atheist, denying their existence.
But there are other versions of God with respect to which I am *not* a strong atheist, merely not accepting their existence.
There are even versions of God with respect to which I am a believer--"God is nature," for instance, or "God is all that is."
Which God? Whose God? One must always specify which one before he can say what his stance--belief, denial, or merely nonbelief--is.
You have my full support Earth64........if you can read minds, then I believe you can until you are proven otherwise.
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Do you see my conversation with Adolf Hitler? If you see , you will understand 'was it true or not ? have i mediumship or not?
'Cuz that's never happened to me doesn't mean it never happened to you. And if you experienced that then I would say you have a medium gift/curse.
So, we're back to that "nontheist" thingy ?
What have you called that again ?....I forget.
I'm gonna do a replacement word deal. Now, read this very-very carefully, okay ?
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(#78) I do not believe in the Supernatural--but I also do not believe that the Supernatural does not exist.
Well, actually, it's more complicated than that. There are versions of the Supernatural with respect to which I *am* a strong naturalist, denying their existence.
But there are other versions of the Supernatural with respect to which I am *not* a strong naturalist, merely not accepting their existence.
There are even versions of the Supernatural with respect to which I am a believer--"The Supernatural is nature," for instance, or "The Supernatural is all that is."
Which Supernatural Entity? Whose Supernatural Entity? One must always specify which one before he can say what his stance--belief, denial, or merely nonbelief--is.
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MW, I'm okay with you picking and choosing. Your brain is your brain. But it doesn't sit well w/ me that you appear to be subliminally trying to "convince" others that the Supernatural does not exist when you say from the above....I also do not believe that the Supernatural does not exist.
IOW's, I'm accusing you of ultrasoftselling your beliefs here. Pleez - just come outta the closet, okay ?
Oh excellent reading..atleast I shall believe you..For a person going up the
spiritual path,he would get supernatural powers at different levels of
ascendence according to his purity of thought and action..but spiritual
gurus unanimously agree on one point -never go after supernatural powers
or the ability to demonstrate them..it could bring your downfall..these
can't give you any happiness except of temporary nature ..but mislead you to get addicted to such activities..more comments or clarification only if
somebody responds to this post..
People love to believe in the supernatural. I understand that. I'd love to believe in it, too.
But nobody should believe anything about the world without having good reason to think that it is really true. Neither unicorns nor ghosts should be believed in without good reason to think that they really exist. Neither Harry Potter-style magic nor telepathy should be believed in without good reason to think that they are real phenomena. And so on.
Parapsychologists have done a lot of experiments, but so far, they haven't been able to show that telepathy, psychokinesis, clairvoyance, and so on, are real phenomena. Sometimes they do get positive results--but always, when the controls are tightened to prevent cheating, those positive results go away.
Science has learned a lot about how the world works. Supernatural powers aren't among the phenomena science has found are real.
Unicorns are real, though. I am one.
Mindwalk,
once upon a time people do not believe in radiology and tele-communication. People never thought of flying.The initiators were mocked and insulted by the illiterate fools . But now it is more than reality.
Heavy jets fly in the sky, is it not like impossible?
Telecommunication is like telepathy. If a lifeless machine able to communicate to other far reaching devices. Why is it not possible for living beings ?
Unicorns are real, though. I am one.
<Laugh>
My sister has a T-shirt showing a unicorn lying on a psychiatrist's couch. The psychiatrist is saying, "You have to believe in yourself."
Mindwalk,
once upon a time people do not believe in radiology and tele-communication. People never thought of flying.The initiators were mocked and insulted by the illiterate fools . But now it is more than reality.
Heavy jets fly in the sky, is it not like impossible?
Telecommunication is like telepathy. If a lifeless machine able to communicate to other far reaching devices. Why is it not possible for living beings ?
You know what'll be a lot more like telepathy? When neuroscientists work out exactly which bits of brain function generate which thoughts and feelings and mental images and are able to put chips into our brains that are connected via radio waves (or some such) so that you're able to tell what your friend is thinking without having to ask.
That day might actually be coming.
But notice: it will be done by understanding how the world works and by creating devices that work the way we know the world works. It won't be done by supernatural means.
Telecommunication, flying, refrigeration--these are all technological advances that take advantage of the way we know the world works. They are not magic, and they are not supernatural. They do not require us to revise the laws of physics.
Of course, it is conceivable that some people have the power of psychokinesis, or the power of telepathy (to which Einstein's biggest objection was that stories of such things never seem to obey inverse-square laws), and so on, and if we discover that some people do have such powers--well, great! We'll know something more about the universe than we used to know, and scientists will get busy trying to figure out how they work.
But so far, the only evidence for such powers is anecdotal--the very weakest form of evidence--and parapsychological research results that have to be retracted when controls are tightened and the positive results go away.
"X is not impossible" is not reason to think that X is really so. "X is not impossible" is not reason to believe that X is really so.
But if you want to *hope* that psychokinesis, telepathy, and so on, are real--well, go ahead! I have nothing against *hoping*.
The_Ghostess_Lola, I don't think you quite understand how rational belief and rational nonbelief work.
One believes that p when he has sufficiently strong reason to think that p is true.
Until then, one does not believe that p.
p might be possible, but without sufficiently strong reason to think that p is true, a rational believer does not believe it. He *withholds belief*.
Now, he might not go on to believe that p is *false*, any more than someone who doesn't vote "aye" has to vote "nay." He may simply abstain from voting.
I don't know whether or not there are telepathic aliens who will come to Earth in a week and kill me if I do not say, "I submit to you," in my heart--and really mean it--but who will come to Earth and give me an elixir of immortality (and of eternal youth and good health--let us not forget the example of Tithonos from Greek mythology) if I do say, "I submit to you," in my heart--and really mean it. Are there? I don't know. Are there not? I don't know. But do I go ahead and say, "I submit to you," in my heart? Of course not. I live my life just as though there were no such aliens. And I think you would agree that I was doing the right thing.
Just because something's possible doesn't mean you should believe it.
(#92) Just because something's possible doesn't mean you should believe it.
Do you mean like how the Universe came from nothingness ? Or how there is no particle horizon ? Or how life formed from nonliving entities ? Or how time can go backwards ?....& on & on & on....
Do you mean that type of stuff ?
(#92) Just because something's possible doesn't mean you should believe it.
Do you mean like how the Universe came from nothingness ? I don't know who believes that. I don't. Is there some good reason why we should believe that? Or how there is no particle horizon ? I looked up "particle horizon" on Wikipedia. Who says there isn't one? I see good reason to think there is one; I don't see good reason to think there isn't one. Or how life formed from nonliving entities ? We have very strong reason to think that life did not just always exist; we have very strong reason to think that there was a time when life did not yet exist. So, either life formed from nonliving entities or else life came into being some other way. We do not as yet have a complete understanding of how it could have come from nonliving entities; however, plenty of progress has been made on working out how it could have happened. As far as I know, we have no other hypothesis except that poof, life magically came to be--and magic is not something we normally endorse when trying to understand the world. Or how time can go backwards ? Who says time can go backwards? I'm unaware of anyone's claiming that. There have, of course, been conjectures about possible time travel involving rotating black holes, but as far as I know, there is as yet insufficiently good reason to believe them. (There is also a conjecture that the universe must not allow backward time travel, as allowing it would seem to lead to various paradoxes.) Who says time can go backwards? Who is asking you to believe that? ....& on & on & on....
Do you mean that type of stuff ?
....just wait !
I'm asking any mind reader.