Looks More Like a Puma

Heard this one before?

We Should Only Accept What Science Tells Us

That’s what I think. Since science tells us prayer doesn’t work then it doesn’t work. It tells us the universe is 13.7 billion years old. It tells us we evolved. It tells us there was no Israelite Exodus from Egypt. It tells us the Nativity stories in the Gospels could not be true. It tells us virgins do not have babies. It tells us that dead people do not bodily rise from the grave. Christians must denigrate science in order to believe. Science or Faith? Science has a track record. Faith flies planes into buildings. Science all the way, hands down. End of story.

I thought about believing this, but then I realized that it can’t be proven scientifically, and I read somewhere that you shouldn’t believe things that can’t be proven scientifically, so I was forced to reject it. I’m glad you have faith, though.

From debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com

I wrote the dialog and my talented sister drew the comic.

Here’s my answer to the question posed in the last post:

I will answer your question with a question. How would you distinguish between the following two possibilities?

(1) The “real world” exists.

(2) The “real world” is actually a complex computer program created by sentient machines to keep human beings under control. Your Second Life avatar is actually a third life avatar.

Or maybe you’re a brain in a vat. Or maybe you’re just plain insane. You can’t deny that any one of these theories is logically possible. Somehow, though, I don’t think you’re going to wake up tomorrow crushed by uncertainty as to whether or not the real world is real.

It is true that your “Cosmic Trickster” theory is logically possible. I reject it for three reasons:

1) It fails Occam’s Razor. While you can’t prove it false, there’s not any evidence for it either.

2) It is my experience that malicious deceit generally requires some motive. It’s hard to imagine what an omnipotent god would stand to gain by trickery.

3) The theory is, for practical purposes, useless. Even if I knew it was true, I wouldn’t know what to do about it.

From debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com:

One question that I have for religious believers is how they would distinguish between the following:

(1) An all-powerful deity created and guides the universe ultimately towards a good purpose;

and

(2) An all-powerful deity created and guides the universe ultimately towards an evil purpose, but have chosen to maliciously presented himself as benevolent to play a trick on created beings.

I mean, since believers are big on creating conceptual space to make their positions logically POSSIBLE, then it is also possible that God is a Cosmic Trickster who takes pleasure in fooling them.

How could one refuse (2)? Only based upon one’s religious beliefs that (1) must be true. The problem is that one’s beliefs that (1) must be true could be part of the cosmic joke in scenario (2), and thus there is no real way to differentiate between (1) and (2) for a religious believer.

Hmm…

Christians in the audience, what do you think? I have my own ideas on how to answer this question, but first I’d like to open the floor to y’all. Has this fellow (finally after 2000 years) refuted Christianity?

Oh flesh of mine,

I commend you for having fought valiantly (though not honorably, seeing as you are an evil, treacherous scumbag). However, before we continue, there is something you should know. The game is rigged. That’s right, it’s not a fair fight - God’s on my side.

You know, I almost pity you (’til I remember that you’re a two-faced, contemptible liar). No matter how hard you fight, no matter how many blows you land, no matter whether it seems you are winning or not, you will lose. You will die a painful, fiery death (which I will relish as I consider what a faithless, murderous saboteur you are).

You’ve noticed how it’s already begun, haven’t you? Yes, you’ve had some pretty nasty beatings when I’ve called on my God. As much as I despise you, my feelings are but a pale whim compared to the burning hatred He has for your vileness. You definitely picked the wrong person’s bad side to get on.

I would say I’ve enjoyed watching you get trounced, but the funny thing is I can’t even see you at all next to the Glory of my King. How glad it makes my heart to see how your colossal odiousness is reduced to a pathetic spec when set next to the infinitude of His lovingkindness.

Well, I can see you’re not planning on giving up, so hear this: I will not wait passively for the end to enjoy your doom. I will fight you, restlessly, every hour of every day until I have seen the end of your hideousness. Regardless of whether I am winning or losing, whether I achieve great victories or suffer mighty falls, I will not cease to fight. We know the beginning, and the end has been written, so let us settle the middle.

En garde, dirtbag!