From: admin@127.0.0.1   
      
   On Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:04:56 +1100   
   MarkE  wrote:   
      
   > On 26/02/2026 3:51 am, DB Cates wrote:   
   > > On 2026-02-24 8:11 p.m., MarkE wrote:   
   > >   
   > > [big snip]   
   > >   
   > >>   
   > >> I maintain that reality is either theism or not ("not" being   
   > >> materialism, atheism, deism, pantheism etc). You seem to reject theism   
   > >> as a *possibility* - why is that?   
   > >>   
   > > Okay, let me play.   
   > >   
   > > I maintain that reality is either naturalism (what you see is what you   
   > > get materialism) or not ('not" being supernaturalism, theism being one   
   > > of an infinite number of supernatural proposals)   
   > >   
   > > As a materialist I reject the supernatural as a legitimate explanation   
   > > for reality. I admit that there is much of reality that we (currently)   
   > > have not coherent explanation for and concede that there may be aspects   
   > > of reality that we lack the intellectual capacity to ever understand,   
   > > but supernatural explanations seem to be be mere personally generated   
   > > placeholders for "I/we don't know".   
   >   
   > I can understand that perspective, and appreciate that many thinking   
   > people hold a view something like that. It has merit logically, in that   
   > it doesn't preference a personal agent among possible supernatural   
   > causes/explanations.   
   >   
   Yet you feel unable to rule out any of the creationist attempts at   
   self-justification.   
      
   > > Theism is one of many supernatural 'explanations'. Among theists there   
   > > are a multitude of incompatible 'explanations'.   
   > >   
   > > I have found that most (all?) defenders of theism have one particular   
   > > version of theism in mind and personally reject most other versions.   
   > > IMHO this is intellectually dishonest.   
   > >   
   >   
   > These are valid concerns. Christianity, for example, faces the charge of   
   > "the scandal of the particular" - Christ's incarnation as an embodied   
   > human in a particular time and place. And as you note, why Christianity   
   > over other religions? Good questions.   
   >   
   One self-proclaimed? son of god (who's individual mission failed rather   
   badly) is a whole different debate to that of the OoL. But feel   
   free to debate it here.   
      
   --   
   Bah, and indeed, Humbug   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)