Because theists try to make the argument “you think you must know everything if you could rule out god for 100% sure, that’s as much a faith based belief as believing in god 100%”
FWIW, I think that’s a stupid, bullshit argument, but it resonates with some people.
But in reality, I would suggest that the vast majority of atheists aren’t saying “I know everything, and that includes knowing for sure that god doesn’t exist”, but rather, “I put him in the same category as leprechauns and the tooth fairy - sure, in a pedantic, technical sense, I can’t rule them out entirely, but practically it’s exceedingly unlikely”
A 7 if we are talking about a specific idea of God, e.g. Abrahamic God, being logically impossible and not a particularly nice character even if he were possible; Zeus, etc.
I leave a small possibility that some undefined kind of god could exist, but find the idea extremely unlikely. If a god does turn out to exist, I hope it turns out to be the Flying Spaghetti Monster - now there’s a god I’d be willing to believe in.
Not to speak for RickJay, but I would say that he’s certain it would be a delusion if he were to witness God which, (in his opinion), would be impossible, because to him there’s no God.
I feel the same way. If I saw things or heard voices, I would get help too.
Never having had a psychotic episode, I’m hoping I’ll manage to save enough of my sanity to get to the hospital, but of course I can’t say for sure. But if you start hearing voices and seeing impossible things, wouldn’t you seek help? I’m not proud; I don’t mind seeing a shrink if something’s wrong with my brain.
If I can’t manage that, it means I’m full-fledged insane, at which point I won’t really have a position on the Dawkins scale at all.
It’s a psychotic hallucination if the person/being/voice/writing on the wall in it is addressing you personally; advising you, haranguing you, belittling you, etc. If you don’t recognize the person, voice, etc., and they’re simply doing stuff unrelated to you then it is a likely harmless hallucination, a brain fart of sorts likely related to some fault in one of your sense processing systems.
ETA: IOW, a person of generally sound mind, or someone who has never before had a psychotic hallucination, is likely to recognize it as such.
I never expected such a response to this thread, which I started on a whim after I saw a suggestion in something Skammer posted. And I’m particularly delighted by the thoughts everyone has posted. Thank you all.
