Atheos It's My Life, Dammit, Part 1

Feelings are my guide to truth.

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Believing in Ishtar nourishes my soul.

Isn't it dangerous to feed one's body exclusively with something one isn't sure is actually nutritious?

What do you mean by 'nourishes my soul'? Is it like how eating fresh vegetables nourishes my body?

Isn’t that a statement about belief & not about the actuality of Ishtar?

Isn't 'nourishes my soul' an essentially meaningless phrase?

How do you know it's Ishtar & not a demon trying to trick you into thinking it's Ishtar so you'll believe in her?

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Childbirth validates my faith in God.

Childbirth is validated with an understanding of the process through the facts of science. You don’t need a God to explain its wonder.

Don't you think that the process of childbirth is unnecessarily painful & therefore isn't perfect?

Just like how childbirth validates my understanding of natural childbirth by analysis of empirical observations?

What do you think childbirth indicates about the existence of God?

Why? What about the birth of a child indicates the existence of any deity, to say nothing of a particular God?

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God opened my eyes when He gave me new beginnings.

What do you mean by that?

That wasn't a God, that was you. Don't you see?

How do you know it was any God, much less your specific God?

That is just a deepity. Speak English, please.

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God reveals Himself to me.

You should seek professional help.

Funny how priests often do the same...

In what ways, specifically? How do you know it's God?

Fascinating! What sort of tests have you used to confirm that your experiences are caused by this particular God?

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I'm not crazy. I know when God is talking to me.

I suppose you know when you are being stupid, too?

How do you know it's God & not the CIA talking to you? Huh?

Even perfectly sane people often misinterpret observations/experiences. How can you be absolutely sure you're not mistaken?

Those two sentences are contradictory. They can't both be true.

I'm absolutely not calling you crazy. Can you explain how you concluded beyond doubt that a God is what causes these experiences?

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I can feel the existence of God within myself.

Much as I feel in my soul that he doesn't exist—though I'm not sure I believe in souls, so where does that leave us?

How can you know that feeling corresponds to an actual deity? Can you be sure that your interpretation isn't mistaken?

I've never felt that. Why should I believe you?

How might we explain the fact that other people feel different Gods inside? Doesn't that demonstrate the fact that those feelings don't accurately map onto reality?

Why don’t you interpret what you feel as nothing more than mental & physical changes within your body that are explained by neuroscience?

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I feel God.

Interesting. What's the best way to differentiate between "feeling God" & a physical or psychological sensation?

Your body is capable of feeling many sensations. How can you possibly know that what you are feeling is a God?

How do you know it’s God? Mormons feel a 'burning in the bosom' & claim it's evidence that their beliefs are the correct ones.

I feel Bigfoot; in my heart I know he exists.

How could you feel someone who doesn't exist?

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I feel God in my soul.

Much as I feel in my soul that he doesn't exist—though I'm not sure I believe in a soul, so where does that leave us?

Other people in other religions say the same thing about feeling their God(s). How do you know which one you feel, if any?

Are you sure that's not last night's dinner?

What you feel isn't anything more than psychological & physiological changes within your body that are explained by cognitive neuroscience.

How can you know that feeling corresponds to an actual deity? How can you be sure that you've interpreted this feeling correctly?

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I feel & hear God speaking to me in moments of silence.

Are you sure it's God & not Satan?

That is only the inner workings of your 'id' speaking.

What would you say to the many other people who believe in different Gods & who believe they hear those Gods speak to them?

How could one distinguish that from a delusion? Why do you believe what you hear in your head is caused by something outside of your head?

There are psychiatric diagnoses for such circumstances, you should check them out.

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I feel the existence of God clearly & distinctly.

I understand that you feel certain. But is one's certainty about a belief actually a reliable measure of its truth?

I know you feel very sure. But what about young children who are just as sure that Santa Claus is real? Or people of other religions?

I perceived that clearly, distinctly, vividly, that God doesn't exist. What do you think about that?

Said the person tripping on acid & the schizophrenic.

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I feel it in my bones & in my heart.

Does force of conviction indicate truth? Mormons feel a burning in the bosom. Does that feeling justify their beliefs?

Have you ever been wrong about something you felt strongly? Are our subjective feelings really accurate guides to reality?

Yeah, you & every other religious nutjob...

Are you sure that's not just bone cancer & heart disease talking to you?

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I feel that the Gods protect me & watch over me.

Why think feelings lead one to the truth of objective phenomena? Could that lead one to take risks one wouldn't otherwise take?

Ew! They watch you all the time? That sounds a little creepy.

What about people of other faiths who feel the same way?

That's just a feeling & doesn't make it true. Why not focus more on what's actually real?

Have you ever tested that? Why don't you run into heavy traffic & see if the Gods protect you?

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I had a near-death experience & I saw a bright white light.

You must have been hit in the head too many times.

Would you say this is solid evidence for the existence of a God or afterlife? Why can't that experience be attributed to other factors?

That doesn't mean anything. Your memory of that experience is fabricated & doesn't indicate a God or other realm, right?

The presence of a bright light could be either the bleaching process of your retinas, or simply imaginary, but certainly not real.

Aren’t there many possible explanations of your experience which have nothing to do with a deity or afterlife?

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I had a post-death experience & I saw a white light, a tunnel & Odin.

How can you be sure your interpretation of this experience is accurate?

Did you fall asleep while watching 'Thor'?

What did you think when you woke up to reality?

How could you know that what you saw was truly Odin? Could you be mistaken?

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I had a spiritual near-death experience.

What did you conclude from that experience & how did you reach that conclusion?

Yay! That's cute.

Isn't your experience largely imaginary? Brains do lots of weird stuff in times of crisis.

That's interesting. Could you tell me more about your experience?