Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Christians: Stated vs. actual beliefs

     On YouTube a person who goes by VenomfangX is allegedly closing his account. He states that it is because he has gotten death threats aimed at himself and his family. It should go without saying that I do not condone death threats, particularly in an effort to silence someone. Still, I would like make clear that that is my stance.
     Now, to my actual point: Christians claim that they will go to a better place when they die. Anyone who actually believes that should be completely unafraid of death threats. It would, I don't know, like threatening me with an all-expenses-paid vacation in a tropical paradise. Only if you believe there is nothing after death or that there is something bad after death should you be afraid.
     As a side note, I think he made up the "death threats" and was, in fact, tired of being ridiculed. He named thunderf00t as encouraging the threats; but I have seen thunderf00t's videos and he encourages only ridicule.

24 comments:

Ranting Student said...

Wow. I did not know.

Sye TenB said...

The Christian worldview holds that life is a gift, and is sacred. That we are going to a better place when we die, does not absolve us of the responsibility to respect that which God has given us. Surely you could have figured that out? No?

Cheers,

Sye

Pvblivs said...

Sye Tenb:

     Let's just say that (even if the threats are real and not something he made up) his actions are very much unlike those of the early martyrs.

Gabo said...

Well, in principle Sye is right. The belief is that God is who gives you your life, and that only he can decide when you go. This is why suicide is condemned by christians.

However, death threats out of defending your God should not be a problem, and I agree that this guy might just be tired of the ridicule. Also, let's not forget that death threats come from those who feel their strong religious beliefs in danger. AN atheist would have little if any reason to send a death threat.

What this guy instigating hatred towards the skeptical or against the atheists, or just something of the usual evangelist?

G.E.

Sye TenB said...

Speaking of "stated vs. actual beliefs," what about those silly atheists who believe in a 'random, chance, material universe,' and yet profess belief in universal, abstract, invariant laws? or... what about those who say that man is just another animal, yet say it is wrong to eat humans? Funny that.

Cheers,

Sye

Milo said...

Soylent Green is people!
The horror!!!

Pvblivs said...

Sye Tenb:

     You won't get a belief that the universe is random out of anything the atheists say or do. Some microscopic events are random (or at least seemingly so.) But your claim is a little like taking someone saying a coin toss is random and saying that they can't believe gravity is regular.

Sye TenB said...

Pvblivs said: "But your claim is a little like taking someone saying a coin toss is random and saying that they can't believe gravity is regular.

On what basis do you proceed with the assumption that gravity is regular?

Cheers,

Sye

Gabo said...

Hum,

For a split of a microsecond I thought we cud have a decent conversation with Sye. But then he said:

Surely you could have figured that out? No?

Well, kinda forgivable, but then:

what about those silly atheists who believe in a 'random, chance, material universe,' and yet profess belief in universal, abstract, invariant laws? or... what about those who say that man is just another animal, yet say it is wrong to eat humans?

Ain't that stupid? Like we never explained him anything? But to close the seal up:

On what basis do you proceed with the assumption that gravity is regular?

Like pvblivs did not write anything but that gravity is regular.

Definitely a troll who cannot even read.

G.E.

Sye TenB said...

GE said: "Like pvblivs did not write anything but that gravity is regular."

Well, he did not write much more, but that is the part of his post which interests me.

Cheers,

Sye

Ranting Student said...

Sye,
Are you Terry?

Sye TenB said...

The Ranting Student said: "Sye,
Are you Terry?"


Nope.

Gabo said...

Well, he did not write much more, but that is the part of his post which interests me.

Meaning that whatever that negates your baseless assumptions, well, you just ignore.

Ranting,

Now, Sye cannot be Terry, terry just screams gospel, Sye just screams "worldview" and "no logic without god." But, from what we see here, he does not even have any idea of what "our worldview" is.

G.E.

DisComforting Ignorance said...

Did he write it or record it? Do you have a link?

dede said...

g.e.

if you would be so kind as to put on this thread what your worldview is.

or if you have already would you mind telling me where i can find your answer.

thanks for your time,

Pvblivs said...

     On YouTube, search for "venomfangx." It will list his account along with several videos that mention him.

Gabo said...

dede,

Are you related to Sye? I am starting to suspect you.

A worldview is not probably that simple to state, yet noticing where Sye fails to understand it is not that hard. This is not really a matter of 'worldviews," but rather about a complete misunderstanding from Sye about what we think. He has extrapolated a single word he heard about evolution (the word "random"), into our concept about the universe. That is the issue that convinced me that Sye is actually dumb. Excellent at postulating his fallacy in a way that most unprepared people will actually think he has something there. Before that I thought he could be a smart, yet self-deluded, person. He is still a troll, because he does not even try and understand what people have told him, yet he insist on the same fallacy. You saw my response and how his argument is circular, yet inference is not. But it will never matter to him. He either does not see the difference (completely dumb), or he just disregards it (probably not even reading it), in an authentic trollist behavior.

I would point to his other mistakes, but those are harder to explain. Yet, if you need more let me know, and I will find a time to explain them to you.

Best (now I continue doing something great for the world, or so I think),

G.E.

Sye TenB said...

GE said: "(now I continue doing something great for the world, or so I think)"

Yip, so you think. Without an absolute standard of morality, child molesters could say the same thing. (I hope that's not what you think is great).

Cheers,

Sye

Sye TenB said...

I posted this on Ray's blog, but it seems appropriate for this blog too.

2 years ago today, I was in the hospital getting my heart zapped back into sinus rhythm, after complications from a ruptured appendix. I was told 2 hours before the procedure that it could kill me. I spent 6 days in the hospital, but those 2 hours, when I knew that I could soon meet my maker, were amazingly peaceful.

I know that those who profess athesim will call my experience delusional, but from a friend who is a nurse in a cancer ward, she tells me that from what she has seen, the opposite is quite true as well: 'atheists die hard.'

Well, I didn't die (as you can all see), but if I had, I would have went with a smile on my face.

Cheers,

Sye

P.S. Before all you professed atheists jump on it, yes, I know that you would have been smiling too :-)

Gabo said...

I think religion can actually give you a lot of strength in very difficult situations. This is why when I began posting at Ray's I tried hard to stay within the science. But, alas, I fell into the trap because of all the prejudices that the fundamentalist christians have against anybody who is not a fundamentalist christian. Seems too hard to fight the prejudices without fighting the belief in a god. I am glad that your beliefs helped Sye. I detest your trollism, but I respect your life. Even if that means, to you, that I am "stealing from your worldview."

G.E.

Gabo said...

Oh was forgetting, Francis Crick died peacefully. Of course, this is but one example, and I will not claim, from a single person, that every atheist dies peacefully. However, Sye, dying peacefully is not a reason to believe in a god. Remember, it is not lack of fear to death what leads a person to be an atheist. In case you really wanted to know.

G.E.

Sye TenB said...

GE said: ” However, Sye, dying peacefully is not a reason to believe in a god.”

Just sharing my experience, and that of that nurse in the cancer ward. It is entirely subjective, and not meant to convince anyone of anything.

”Remember, it is not lack of fear to death what leads a person to be an atheist.”

I realise this – it’s wanting to be one’s own god, rather than submiting TO God.

”This is why when I began posting at Ray's I tried hard to stay within the science.”

Which I am happy to do, problem is, you have yet to tell us how you justify the validity of the scientific principle.

”I detest your trollism, but I respect your life. Even if that means, to you, that I am "stealing from your worldview."

Hey, I’m used to that by now :-D

Cheers,

Sye

Gabo said...

I realise this – it’s wanting to be one’s own god, rather than submiting TO God.

Sye, This just means you have no idea why people get to be atheists. Actually, you do not realize there can be different reasons, none having anything to do with "wanting to be their own god." After stating such stupid argument you still think you can talk science with me? You got to be kidding.

G.E.

Sye TenB said...

GE said: "After stating such stupid argument you still think you can talk science with me? You got to be kidding."

Actually, no I can't talk science with you, because you have yet to give us your justification for the validity of the scientific principle. Still though, nice dodge :-)

Cheers,

Sye