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Debate Info

27
38
Yes No
Debate Score:65
Arguments:24
Total Votes:80
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Argument Ratio

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 Yes (10)
 
 No (14)

Debate Creator

KingOfPopForever(6910) pic



Do You Believe You Were Put On Earth For A Reason?

Yes

Side Score: 27
VS.

No

Side Score: 38
3 points

Be wary of the purely empirical responses of the nay sayers; we all absolutely have a reason to be here, and can choose to find the answers according to the dictates of our own conscience, that's why there are many religions and belief systems. Although I am a research engineer, I am terrified of a nihilistic fatalistic single scientific philosophy that may permeate the human spirit. We should believe in something because we CAN. Atheistic nay sayers can be as blind concerning the continuance of life and its purpose as religious fanatics are against the world of science.

Side: yes
aveskde(1935) Disputed
3 points

We should believe in something because we CAN.

Go ahead and believe in things, but it gets you nowhere when those things are false.

Atheistic nay sayers can be as blind concerning the continuance of life and its purpose as religious fanatics are against the world of science.

Not even remotely. You see, this is an attempt at sounding reasonable through compromise when it's really a loaded statement that tries to paint the people who provide rightful criticism as intolerant.

It's telling of a weak position when after centuries, millennia, indeed maybe even tens of thousands of years, not ONE strong argument to support the idea that we have a purpose granted to us by the universe exists. But on top of that, a mere three centuries after what could be called a proper scientific methodology was established, we're already closer to finding out the origin of the universe than any philosophy ever dreamed it could be.

Although I am a research engineer, I am terrified of a nihilistic fatalistic single scientific philosophy that may permeate the human spirit.

Atheism isn't nihilistic, or fatalistic. I can speak from experience that coming out of a religion can make you nihilistic because your whole perspective on life was crushed, but that's not the same.

Side: No
casper3912(1581) Disputed
2 points

appeals to emotion provide no evidence.

I find nothing terrifying in a world where there is no ultimate purpose. I also can not see why a single human being would be relevant to what ever would of put them here. Maybe as a species we might be relevant to aliens, perhaps their going to eat us once we're "ripe". However to a god figure, what do we matter? In other words, what is the purpose of an ultimate purpose?

We should believe in something because its useful. Beliefs should be our tools, and as much as possible emotion and logic to.

Side: No
2 points

That's why I've always classified atheism as a religion. They'll 'burn heretics' by saying religious people oughtn't serve as doctors if they can't accept evolution. They'll defend their stance against all others, criticizing those who disbelieve (er, believe) like religious people. The only difference is their lack of a supreme being.

They don't realize that empirical evidence is not everything - there is room for error in empiricism. If there isn't enough empirical evidence, they say that it doesn't exist. They'll amend their beliefs if and when empirical evidence is discovered.

Side: yes
aveskde(1935) Disputed
4 points

That's why I've always classified atheism as a religion.

Atheism has no dogma. Your statement is ludicrous, you're smarter than this.

They'll 'burn heretics' by saying religious people oughtn't serve as doctors if they can't accept evolution.

This is a rather ironic thing to say, seeing as atheists were burned at the stake by religious people only a few centuries ago, and have never yet as a group immolated other people whom they disagreed with philosophically, scientifically, or politically.

It's also an odd thing to say because doctors presently don't use evolution much in their field.

They'll defend their stance against all others, criticizing those who disbelieve (er, believe) like religious people.

This isn't religious, it's human nature to be stubborn or passionate.

They don't realize that empirical evidence is not everything - there is room for error in empiricism. If there isn't enough empirical evidence, they say that it doesn't exist.

Not really. Empiricism is only a part of science, but that isn't the end-all of knowledge. I think what you're angry at is the sceptical mindset which doesn't just believe in things without good reason.

They'll amend their beliefs if and when empirical evidence is discovered.

This is a good thing.

With all these criticisms of atheism as being religious, persecuting, intolerant, etc. I think I should assemble a church of atheists and start burning religious people en mass, at least then the criticisms would be accurate because simply correcting people all the time has had no effect.

Side: No
casper3912(1581) Disputed
3 points

I would say that there is a class of atheists like you described, but there are others which are not like that. The first class of atheists do have a religion, the others, well under the common definition, don't.

There is room for error in empiricism, and many things can not be approached empirically. A lack of evidence, is a lack of evidence; not evidence against something, unless there should be evidence if it was true. A deist god, would have no empirical evidence. A god active in the universe, depending on how he is defined, could necessarily be discoverable empirically. If it could be determined the lack of evidence is not due to instruments, etc; then one could count the lack of evidence as evidence against that god.

Side: No

Yes. I was put on this planet in order to be a thorn in the liberals' side ;)

Side: yes
1 point

God has a plan for me. I just got to figure out what it is....

Side: yes
4 points

If god is greater than you and god has a plan for you, does god need your help to fulfill his plan for you?

Should not god create a plan which you can’t thwart? Otherwise god has planned for you to thwart his plan.

God did not create a plan for your ‘will’ to supersede his. If he did, then your will supersedes his.

(I am not attempting to undermine your faith. I do however show unto you the possibility that god has no faith in you to fulfill his plan.)

Here is the root axiom:

An omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God cannot plan. If he does, he is not omni-anything.

Note: your reply is not necessary. But I think you may want to consider the aforementioned.

Side: yes

God bless you thats why I believe I was put here because God has a plan for me to do and succed in with His Grace =)

Side: yes
1 point

yeah we were put on earth for a reason

all we do is figure it out n work on it..................

Side: yes
2 points

No, I wasn't put on Earth, but I do feel lucky to be here. My two sons are reason enough to be grateful for that.

Side: No
2 points

Humans have reasons, the universe doesn't. To say it does is anthropomorphism.

Side: No
Scumbarge(116) Disputed
2 points

And why does a human have more reason than, say, a horse or a dog? Haven't we, for lack of a better term, anthropomorphized ourselves?

Side: yes
2 points

Good insight. i suppose we have anthropomorphized ourselves. :)

reason is an emergent property.

A dog and horse both have reasons, i wouldn't say they have more or less. I will say that the human animal is capable of establishing goals beyond what other animals are able. That to, is an emergent property.

asking for a Reason/purpose is basically retrospectively looking for the goal of something. The universe just is, it has no goal. I think that fact is something many people have trouble comprehending because as humans they have goals and desires; and relate/ understand things by not only noticing similarities around them but also by making them symbolically similar. Unfortunately the signpost becomes the destination at times. Simple rules exist, and complex things happen from them. Why those rules are that way, etc; we'll probably never really know. It would be very difficult to make an experiment to find out.

Side: No
nthdegreeman(39) Disputed
0 points

The universe does have a reason...to allow us as humans to find the reason ;)

Side: yes
Scumbarge(116) Disputed
3 points

But by reaching that conclusion, haven't you in effect FOUND the reason, thus rendering life both meaningless and devoid of hope?

Side: No
2 points

We are born, we die, and the waves roll on .

Side: No

Humans on Planet Earth is pure coincidence and nothing more. It is the path that life will always find a way, and not the path of a deity.

Side: No
2 points

We got to where we are through evolution and trial and error. Every person has a purpose in life but we evolved into this earth. Nobody created our world, our world evolved from a rock and some gas but we shape the world.

Side: No
2 points

We weren't put on earth, but we evolved upon it, and isn't a reason behind it except that we are successful at replicating our genomes.

Side: No
2 points

We are part of the evolution of life. We live then we die and sometimes we get buried. That is simple as it gets. You know the old saying life is too short so live it the best you can and respectfully. And when you’re dead someone may have kind words to say about ya!

Side: No
2 points

You should really reformulate the question. This is a christian only question so I will not give my opinion.

Side: No
2 points

There is no reason in our existence. If we were God must have been a bad one because so much people are living in poverty and countless suffering. What happens in our lives is decided by our own actions and perspectives and not because it is predetermined by another being.

Side: No