Santa Claus

Let's consider that for a moment. If the Judeo-Christian god, Yahweh, isn't real, that doesn't necessarily invalidate the Bible. As I also mentioned below, the Bible would still be real because it exists and things that exist are real. Now let's look closer at the existence of gods in general. At the very least, they're abstract concepts that were invented to explain how the world works. In that sense, it is impossible to argue that they do not exist because anything that can be conceived by the human mind is a real idea. In a way, you could say that a god is a symbol that represents the absence of meaning, much like the number 0. A god's purpose, at lease on this level, is to exist so that the lack of explanation for something can be explained. Gods exist in the minds of humans so that things can "just work" without needing explanation.

On another level, gods are real beings that think and interact with the world in ways that affect its development. Things that should be impossible but happen anyway can be credited to gods or a god, depending on what religion's beliefs are true.

Actually, the Bible is real. It's one of the most printed books in history. The stories in it are real too, simply because they are there and their existence can be proven simply by opening the Bible and reading them. It's the truth behind those stories that is arguably not real, and even then it's only definitely not real if they're all taken at face value. Certain events in the late Old Testament, such as wars and the changing of kings, match up with other historical records. So the Bible is real, but it isn't necessarily true, just like most other books.

Now, here's a question for both of you. Does it really matter if God (Yahweh) exists or if gods (any of them) exist? Whatever the answer, it won't change anything in the world. So look at the question of, "Does God exist?" Does it mean anything? Or is it a completely meaningless question?

Jesus was real. Actually, that's a lie. "Jesus" is an Anglicized version of the name "Iesous, which in turn is a Romanized version of the Hebrew name ישוע, which can be more properly Anglicized as "Yeshua." There are historical records that prove that a man by that name lived in Nazereth while Israel was occupied by Rome. This man was a rabbi and gained many followers before being deemed a threat to Roman rule and executed by crucifixion. That sounds a lot like Jesus, doesn't it?

 

Of course Santa is real. Because bananas.

Fixed.
Why anyone would feel all better by slapping a god sticker on every question mark he stumbles upon, or see any usefulness in doing this, is beyond me.

It matters because your beliefs inform your actions. The less false beliefs you hold, the more pertinent your choices. And since your choices might impact other people' s lives ...

Rejecting claims that haven' t met their burden of proof is a pragmatic approach, not an assertion of certainty. Not to me anyway.

 

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