Question by Sean: Question about the “santa claus” arguement against God, from an Agnostic?
We have in our culture knowledge that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny is fake. Its a clearly defined thing.
While I do NOT believe in God, I also acknowledge it hasn’t been disproven to be a real entity, while Santa Claus has.
I just ask cause it rises I believe a failure in the atheist community, to propose these arguements of “weak atheism”.
“Strong atheism” I think is a more philosophically unnassailable position.
Just asking, food for thought. Still no God, not preaching, more a logic exercise for my Atheist friends.
Not trying to convert them to Agnostocism either I love you just the way you are. Again, its just a question.
Best answer:
Answer by Bud
I see a lot of statements but no question.
Add your own answer in the comments!
“So long as the universe had a beginning, we could suppose it had a creator. But if the universe is completely self-contained, having no boundary or edge, it would neither be created nor destroyed … it would simply be. What place, then, for a creator?”
- Stephen W. Hawking
I refer here to the Christian God, as that is the culture I was brought up in and am most familar with, although a fair amount of what follows applies to all religions. In a technical way, you could call me an agnostic, as I am theoretically willing to believe, if given sufficient evidence. But by the same token I do not have absolute proof that Santa Claus does not exist. It might be possible that God, say, started the Big Bang. However, it is also possible that a race of advanced fungi from another dimension did it, or, more likely, that nothing whatsoever other than the basic physical properties of the universe set things rolling. While on the one hand I can acknowledge that the existence of God is possible, on the other hand, based on what we know about the universe and the astonishing lack of evidence, it would seem extremely unlikely.
lol, and who ever it was i want my $50 bucks!!! haha
Please!!!!! Santa claus not real!….and the Easter bunny….of course they exist…if they exist in my mind then they are real!!
While not disproven, it has not been proven that there is indeed a real entity of a god. Until there is real proof, I do not believe.
Not a question, so not an answer.
Agnostic means not knowing.
Atheistic means against or not god oriented.
Pick whichever you are comfortable with.
Theistic is god oriented – no matter what you name him/her…
I would still like to see the proof that Santa Claus doesn’t exist… if I drop a package off at a random house and it says From: Santa on it… wouldn’t that be the all the proof the receiver needs to say it was really from him?
I would have to agree that this is a weak atheist point of view and there are far better reasons to think there is no god, of which I make question on a daily basis.
Ahhhh, but St. Nicholas was real, and he made and handed out toys. But he died, and doesn’t fly around with deer as sled-dogs.
God sucks major donkey weiners, and I seriously hope no-one ever proves he actually exists, if what the bible says is true. But, I prefer and chose to not believe in him at all. I know that the lack of evidence for both sides must leave the possibility open, scientifically. I just chose to reject it.
They were invented for kids so they could enjoy the holiday because they may not understand the religious overtone. Secondly, there actually was a Kris Kringle who brought toys to many children which set the foundation for Santa Clause. I am not that religious, but believe in God. I do not understand atheist people I really see no harm in believing. What happens on your judgement day if there really is a God? Will you not be sorry. Are you not scared of that?
I do not believe in god for the same reasons I do not believe in Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny; the idea is just too ridiculous to be true
I have that same question. There are these pagan beliefs that have been handed down full of myths and lies and superstition.
while Christians pride themselves on being truthful and good.
Republicans are supposed to be Christians and I read a comments page about the new movie and the Republicans main word was the F@@@ word. Some of there comments were X rated. Why are Christians so contradictory.
did you ask a question?
we don’t like to admit it, but many holidays are based on earth traditons of fertility, solstice and harvests
I believe in what I see, and then know
beliefs are more reserved for deciding juries or lying 3 year olds
religions tend not to unite but divide and I like the theist/a-thiest and agnostic perspectives that do not entirely rule out a divine presence but goes more for proof and waiting for proof than to say there is a god and santa.
look in the mirror. there you are. be a god and give nice things or share in a holiday tradtion like Nick Clause or Valentine and spread charity, love and kindness
do ‘god’ things
(good)
When has Santa or the Easter Bunny been proven to not exist?
Non-existence cannot be proven, nor does it need to be proven.
You are an atheist.
The day that some supernatural entity begins raising people from the grave, or makes any other objectively verifiable appearance, there will be no more atheists.
“Agnostic” literally translates to mean “ignorant.”
Claiming ignorance is not a statement of belief or non-belief, it is an excuse.
Whats weird is that they stole many of these holidays from the original Pagan holidays and put their own twist on them. Easter was a pagan holiday of the god œstera and christmas was the winter solstice etc..
I thought people in general have always tried to disprove god as not ever existing, but there is in my mind not enough evidence to show either way, although i also believe we will soon see new evidence that may shake some beliefs,
whilst i am not a devout religious anything i do believe people need there spiritual beliefs whatever they are to live happily.
I believe you Jim, that there is a question in there somewhere
But I can’t see it…is it like one of those ‘magic eye’ pictures where you have to squint at it abit and suddenly a picture of a ship appears?
What about the FSM? You left him out of the argument, has he been disproved?
I haven’t seen any evidence disproving any of your examples really. I know a bunch of people who would attest to their existence. Of course, most of them are under 7 yrs old, but why should that matter??
Hmm? Atheists believe that the material world is all that exists. In other words, the supernatural does not exist. Therefore, if you can’t observe it or find evidence for it, it is irrational to believe that it exists. There is no need (or method, or even possibility) to disprove something if it does not exist in the first place. There would first have to be some kind of evidence for God for it to be disproven, according to this philosophy.
Many agnostics, as I understand it, are fence-sitters. They know there’s no evidence for God, but they don’t want to subject themselves to the stigma of being atheist. So they walk the middle road, saying they believe there’s a higher power only because lots of other people say it is so.
If it turns out that there is a God, I don’t think that he’s evil. But the worst that you can say about him is that basically he’s an underachiever.
Woody Allen
Calling Atheism a religion is like calling bald a hair color.
Don Hirschberg
Sorry havent anwsered your question but I find these quotes absolutly hilarious…..
Has anyone ever stopped to consider the tooth fairy, I think she feels a little left out on this. Its always about Santa and the Easter Bunny!
Actually you are minstaken. The Santa Clause we know yes is not real but is still based on a real person known as Saint Nicholas. One year he saw in his village that people were in need and so he started finding out exactly what they needed,i.e. clothes, food, a few toys for the kidies and set out in secret every night and left these things on their door step. Every myth has it’s reality based truth. By the way he also used reindeer to pull his sleigh althogh we all know they don’t fly.lol:-)
Why did you say: “oh my god you rule!!!!!!” Whereas you don’t believe in God? That’s in the human nature!
What is strong athiesm vrs weak athiesm?
I ask you to reject the closed mindedness that precludes you from seeing God. Or if you rather a “Greatly Advanced Multi-dimensional Seintient”
If The Theory of general relativity is correct then there is ample evidence of a creation event. If this “Big Bang” Occured then logic states that there must be a causal event that triggered this Creation event. Since science can prove that nothing can escape from a quantum singularity, then this event needs another method of excecution. Now if you follow out from the stated creation point in time. you understand a incredibly complex universe full of many diverse things up to and including the extreamely complex forms of life.
Now unless the Law of Entropy is completely wrong. Objects and Systems become less ordered as Time passes. Leading from a Chaotic event such as the Big Bang, To a more ordered Proto- Universe to a more ordered early universe to the even more ordered star systems leading to a more ordered carbon/nitrogen cycle, to an even more ordered life sequence, to evolution, to man, who creates a God? Not very Entropic. It is more logical to understand the universe was placed together like an architect, who takes a pile of wood,stone,mortar,glass and creates a building of extreame beauty of unbelieveable proportion, but only through the guidance of the architect. Not because some random clod put a stick of dynamite under the pile and lit the fuse.
I tell you this not to change your mind or convert you. Nor to preach, but to give you the opportunity to understand.
which takes more blind faith this scenario or the random truck theory?
Just between us.
Not to belabor the point, but from a strictly logical point of view, no one can “disprove” the existence of Santa Claus. And this is not a trivial point. Even if we could hunt down the chap who made up the story and force him to confess to it, it still would not disprove his existence.
But if it makes the argument seem more respectable, we can certainly exclude infantile mythology from the mix. But keep in mind that atheism has to deal with mythology in a general manner. The point cannot be how “important” a particular belief is for a particular group.
With Santa, as well as with that hazy category called “superstition,” most are inclined to place their trust in the well established rules of evidence – as they are practiced in any methodological endeavor. And so we all find ourselves in agreement that it’s just poppycock.
When some consider the concept of God, or Gods, the agreement breaks down. But that’s not because the categories are logically different. It’s because they are socio-logically different.