# Believers: Why are you so sure of your beliefs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 21, 2010, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965 "2010-06-21T07:47:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![peledre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/779978/32.png) [@peledre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peledre)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/381 "2010-07-11T21:50:49Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > If you ( **Czarcasm** , or anyone else) do indeed think that existence—or at least the kind of existence that allows an entity to effect/affect material things—is impossible without having space, time, and matter, I _may_ be able to disprove this by offering, as a counterexample, the relationship of an author to his or her literary creations.. I believe the book itself occupies a physical space. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/382 "2010-07-11T21:58:44Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > But **Kelly** ’s second sentence that you quoted isn’t Q; it’s ~Q. > > (And _modus tollens_ is a perfectly valid form of argument.) I admit I’m only a “dabbler” in the subject of logic and not an expert. 😉 Looking at it more closely: KellyCriterion made a valid deductive argument in that specific post that I quoted. And of course, deductive arguments are true, _assuming the premises are true_. My problem is this: just because he can posit the existence of a timeless, immaterial entity doesn’t establish that this entity exists. Hopefully I’m not creating a Strawman here, but if I could summarize KellyCriterion’s argument for the existence of God into a syllogism, it would be this: 1. A timeless, immaterial entity not bound by the known laws of physics could create the universe. 2. The universe exists. 3. Therefore, the universe was created by a timeless immaterial entity not bound by the known laws of physics. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/383 "2010-07-11T22:53:08Z")
I think it’s clear that there are things we do not know and things we will not know in the near future. The existence of a supreme being, ultimate creative source, god, is one of them. We as humans operate daily on some type of faith and it is our nature to go forward based on what we believe to be true, and hopefully, contune to grow and learn throughout our lifetime. Several years ago in one of our many religious discussions Voyager presented the idea that religious beliefs should be held provisionally, in that we operate with the understanding that we have a lot to learn and are willing to discard components of our belief system as new information presents itself. I find this concept to be a very practical and useful one. We simultaneously claim the right to pursue our own individual belief system, with some components shared with others and some not, and, we acknowledge that our beleif system is flawed and limited by our own limits of human nature and human understanding. Hopefully the recognition of those limits, that all men hold in common, encourages us to have the humility to not insist our own chosen path has to be the right one for others as well. Nothing about God belief or a lack of god belief needs to hinder our interaction here in this life until we try to force all or part of our own belief system on others. We will do this on some regular basis regardless of any religion simply because of subjective differences in how we view morality and what is right or wrong. So, per the OP, in the big picture I don’t think believers can truly be so sure of their belief system and it’s unfortunate that so many feel such a strong need to be so sure that they close off thier mind and hearts to certain input. I’ll repeat one of my favorite quotes “We are drawn to the light and make the mistake of worshipping the lamp” THat’s part of what causes religions to be dogmatic and to cling to tradition and doctrine as if it were the light they experienced through religion. I suspect this is in part born of fear. The fear that if they release one aspect of thier belief system, if they admit one aspect is incorrect , the entire thing will crumble. Many of us have had the experience to know that isn’t nessecarily true. We can, and IMHO are more prone to progress , when we accept that we cannot be sure, are willing to learn and change, but faithfully lay claim to our individual right to hold a belief system that works for us as an individual. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/384 "2010-07-12T06:48:14Z")
> [@peledre](#): > > I believe the book itself occupies a physical space. And the words, made of ink, take up physical space in that book. The author, a material being, used electrical impulses from his material brain to first think of what to write, and then to move his muscles to type the words onto a mechanical contraption. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/385 "2010-07-12T06:53:51Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > If you ( **Czarcasm** , or anyone else) do indeed think that existence—or at least the kind of existence that allows an entity to effect/affect material things—is impossible without having space, time, and matter, I _may_ be able to disprove this by offering, as a counterexample, the relationship of an author to his or her literary creations. > > From the perspective of Middle Earth, for example, J.R.R. Tolkien is “immaterial.” Tolkien does not exist at any particular point of Middle Earth space or time. But you wouldn’t say that Tolkien had no effect on Middle Earth. > > I’m not sure how good a counterexample this is. You may object that, **really** , it’s Middle Earth that’s immaterial, not Tolkien. But whether or not my example holds up logically, it does, at least, help me break through a barrier against imagining how an entity outside the material world could have an effect on it. We have evidence of the existence of our material world. We have no evidence at all that the imaginary world that Mr. Tolkien created exists outside of his(and now our) imagination. Until evidence is brought forth, we have just this much evidence of the existence of either immaterial deities and the “no space” they may or may not reside in. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/386 "2010-07-12T07:02:06Z")
> [@KellyCriterion](#): > > So _ **drumroll** _.. will Czarcasm produce some evidence that existence outside of space/time is not possible? Or will he just baselessly reassert, _again_, that such existence is not possible, _and to hell with presenting any evidence to back up this claim!_ > > Tune in soon to find out! I admit it. I have no evidence that existence outside of space/time is not possible. _This is because you have yet to give us any properties of this “outside space/time” to refute!_ What the hell is “outside space/time”? When the hell is “outside space/time?” Where the hell is “outside space/time”? You’ve latched onto a term that has no explanation, thinking that you have built a shield to protect your “immaterial entity”, but all you’ve done is wrapped your nonsense in silliness. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/387 "2010-07-12T07:15:45Z")
> [@KellyCriterion](#): > > Czarcasm, I am tired of having to respond to your endless unbacked assertions. > > If you think existence is impossible without having space, time and matter, then please show some evidence. Why should he? He’s not the one claiming the possibility of something there is no evidence for. _You_ should be the one to show some evidence that it _is_ possible. As has been stated about a billion times, I can come up with all kinds of goofy hypotheticals (FSM, IPU, etc. etc.) to explain things that you can’t disprove; that doesn’t make them probable, much less likely. You’re the one using imaginary concepts to explain the universe. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/388 "2010-07-12T11:37:28Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > And I have no problem with this(as long as they keep their beliefs personal, and not try to make them mandatory for others). But when try to assert that, using misapplied terms and bogus definitions, that science and logic support their beliefs, I feel a need to question. I am with you on that. One is free to believe anything…religious or not. When it is factual it can be proven sooner or later! Faith doesn’t use facts! They can have some logicial reason why they believe, but the reason doesn’t necessarily contain truth. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/389 "2010-07-12T11:50:13Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Why should he? He’s not the one claiming the possibility of something there is no evidence for. _You_ should be the one to show some evidence that it _is_ possible. As has been stated about a billion times, I can come up with all kinds of goofy hypotheticals (FSM, IPU, etc. etc.) to explain things that you can’t disprove; that doesn’t make them probable, much less likely. You’re the one using imaginary concepts to explain the universe. but evidence is only required if someone is trying to convince somebody that such a being exists right? If you choose to believe in god and hold that as personal without insisting everybody else must believe, then no evidence is required right? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/390 "2010-07-12T12:18:41Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > but evidence is only required if someone is trying to convince somebody that such a being exists right? If you choose to believe in god and hold that as personal without insisting everybody else must believe, then no evidence is required right? All the more reason to just say that you have no evidence, rather than try the “Baffle them with bullshit” ploy. While I could never go the “blind faith” route, it is a lot more honest than misapplying science. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/391 "2010-07-12T12:19:25Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I admit it. > I have no evidence that existence outside of space/time is not possible. > _This is because you have yet to give us any properties of this “outside space/time” to refute!_ What the hell is “outside space/time”? When the hell is “outside space/time?” Where the hell is “outside space/time”? > You’ve latched onto a term that has no explanation, thinking that you have built a shield to protect your “immaterial entity”, but all you’ve done is wrapped your nonsense in silliness. What I was attempting to do, with my book/author example, was to show how something or someone **could be** “outside space/time”: that a deity could be “outside space/time” by being in a relationship to our world that is in some way analogous to, say, Tolkien’s relationship to Middle Earth. I cannot speak for **KellyCriterion** , but the only thing I am trying to argue for or persuade anybody of here is that the idea of an entity existing outside of space and time is **not nonsense** —not to argue or give evidence for such existence nor to try to describe what it actually consists of. ---
**Author:** ![Gustav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Gustav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gustav)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/392 "2010-07-12T12:22:12Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > but evidence is only required if someone is trying to convince somebody that such a being exists right? If you choose to believe in god and hold that as personal without insisting everybody else must believe, then no evidence is required right? Why wouldn’t it be..? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/393 "2010-07-12T13:06:45Z")
> [@Gustav](#): > > Why wouldn’t it be..? Why would it be? If someone decides to believe in god but doesn’t try to impose that belief on anyone else why would evidence be required? It’s their personal belief and they are not asking anyone to agree or approve " I believe in god" “Can you offer any evidence of such a being” “Nope” “You have no evidence?” “I have no evidence, I just choose to believe” “Isn’t that irrational?” “It works for me, if it doesn’t work for you make your own choice about what to believe” There are things we don’t know, won’t know in the foreseeable future, and IMO don’t need to know. One person believes and another doesn’t. So what? What matters is our day to day interaction with the world we live in. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/394 "2010-07-12T13:09:52Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > All the more reason to just say that you have no evidence, rather than try the “Baffle them with bullshit” ploy. While I could never go the “blind faith” route, it is a lot more honest than misapplying science. I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/395 "2010-07-12T13:59:50Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > What I was attempting to do, with my book/author example, was to show how something or someone **could be** “outside space/time”: that a deity could be “outside space/time” by being in a relationship to our world that is in some way analogous to, say, Tolkien’s relationship to Middle Earth. > > I cannot speak for **KellyCriterion** , but the only thing I am trying to argue for or persuade anybody of here is that the idea of an entity existing outside of space and time is **not nonsense** —not to argue or give evidence for such existence nor to try to describe what it actually consists of. But all you have shown that “no space” is a real as “Middle Earth”-not at all. It is thought without fact. ---
**Author:** ![KellyCriterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@KellyCriterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyCriterion)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/396 "2010-07-13T09:11:48Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I admit it. > I have no evidence that existence outside of space/time is not possible. > _This is because you have yet to give us any properties of this “outside space/time” to refute!_ I don’t need to. You’ve already claimed that existence outside of space/time is impossible. Either you already have all the information you need to make your absolute statements about existence, or you’ve flubbed. So, either change your answer to “I don’t know if existence outside of space/time is impossible”, or, show the evidence to the contrary. Here, I’ll even help you out. Forget about “outside of space/time”, just show us the evidence that space and time are pre-requisites for existence. Naturally, any argument that pre-supposes that space and time are needed for existence will be disregarded. Likewise, unbacked assertions such as “you can’t have existence without space and time” will likewise be disregarded, for patently obvious reasons. We’re up to page 8 here, Czarcasm. Show some evidence already! ---
**Author:** ![KellyCriterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@KellyCriterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyCriterion)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/397 "2010-07-13T09:16:04Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Why should he? He’s not the one claiming the possibility of something there is no evidence for. _You_ should be the one to show some evidence that it _is_ possible. **Me:** I don’t know for sure if existence outside of space/time is possible. **Czarcasm:** I know for sure whether existence outside of space/time is possible. On whom lies the burden of proof, as far as **woodstockbirdybird** is concerned? On me, apparently. > [@](#): > > As has been stated about a billion times, I can come up with all kinds of goofy hypotheticals (FSM, IPU, etc. etc.) to explain things that you can’t disprove; that doesn’t make them probable, much less likely. You’re the one using imaginary concepts to explain the universe. And I say I’m _not_ using imaginary concepts to explain the universe. (I’m getting good at this game, I’ve already been playing it with **Der Trihs** and **Czarcasm** ). Your turn. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/398 "2010-07-13T09:29:41Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > but evidence is only required if someone is trying to convince somebody that such a being exists right? If you choose to believe in god and hold that as personal without insisting everybody else must believe, then no evidence is required right? I’d along with that. It’s like believing that the plants in your garden are actually put there by elves and pixies. You can make whatever justifications, rationalisations, etc you want to reinforce your belief, but the second you try to convince others of your beliefs, you are going to have problems, because in the Real World, “I believe it is so.” doesn’t cut it. ---
**Author:** ![Latro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@Latro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latro)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/399 "2010-07-13T10:26:36Z")
I believe Kelly. The entity which he thinks created earth is called Uranos, and he did create our universe. Of course Uranos( and the others like him) too was created, by the immaterial pink entities that live in “deep non space”. Which were themselves created by an entity that dwells in the darkest netherregions of “negative dark no space”. But of him you had better not speak, lest you awaken the Old Ones… ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965/400 "2010-07-13T11:18:48Z")
Kelly…I wonder is no space, nowhere? If it is some where, then it must be something,If it is something it had a beginning…or did it? In order to exist something must be in existence or it doesn’t exist. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/believers-why-are-you-so-sure-of-your-beliefs/543965.md?page=21)