D

@davis, @tomsarbeck, thanks for your ideas.  This is how it seems to play out:

It’s interesting to consider the ancient evolutionary conditions of the human race, when “unconditional love” was likely to be the dominant social environment, and how this links to present-day ideas of human rights, and also, our instincts to care about…[Read more]

Also, to talk technical, as @davis pointed out, there’s a spectrum of conditionality of cooperation (or reciprocity) with “tit-for-tat” at one end, and “unconditional love (cooperation)” at the other.  Tit-for-tat would usually apply to casual or business relationships, while unconditional love is naturally at home in long-term relationships or…[Read more]

Belle Rose wrote:
@davis

I’m not sure why you’re trying to pass judgement on these things as “good or bad.

Because not all traits we have that came from evolution are beneficial or good. And we have evolved some features for no good reason. And some of the features we have evolved were useful in the past but now they are not. And some featu…[Read more]

Belle Rose wrote:
@davis:

RE: We are asking for ANYTHING that can be scrutinized.

There is plenty to to be scrutinized. We are BETTER OFF mentally with some sort of belief http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/12/believe.aspx Or is the APA wrong? Why would we evolve to believe in a God if there wasn’t one?

That is NOT EVIDENCE! Being happy or not has n…[Read more]

@davis – you could just tell them they’re entitled to their opinion.

Simon Paynton wrote:
@davis – how do you politely tell someone they’re arrogant?

Perhaps you can just tell the person directly instead of a cheap-shot in a snarky message?

Belle Rose wrote:
@davis We have evolved to believe in Gods. Why? Can you answer why?

I have already answered your question here twice (just like with your “what evidence would you need for God”) and other users here have answered this question at length to no avail. It is infuriating retyping the same thought-out explanation again and again.…[Read more]

@davis – how do you politely tell someone they’re arrogant?

It’s true that we may have evolved to believe in God, however, this in itself doesn’t prove that there is a God.  It’s just proof (or a suggestion) that we have evolved to believe in one.

However, it would seem unlikely that this evolved belief is completely “blank” and without reason.  It seems likely that we have this belief because of s…[Read more]

Belle Rose wrote:
@davis RE: Show me mobilization of troops and defense strategy briefings and specific threats from a political leader US Bombers are in action off the course of NK right now. Seismic activity was detected this morning at a NK nuclear site….

Sigh. That is not mobilization. The US has been flying planes close to North Korea for d…[Read more]

Belle Rose wrote:
@davis

Show me mobilization of troops

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/22/politics/pentagon-f-22-raptor-f-35-upgrades/index.html

This is what I was talking about. That is not mobilization. It is not even close. This is what I mean by hysterical over reaction. They are not mobilizing troops. They are showing off technology…[Read more]

Belle Rose wrote:
@davis

Show me mobilization of troops

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/22/politics/pentagon-f-22-raptor-f-35-upgrades/index.html

Belle, every day I face terrorist threats. The train I take to university was blown up 10 years ago and the train station I pass through was bombed. The airport in both Madrid and Brussels (which I pass…[Read more]

Belle Rose wrote:
@davis

Did Dr. Bob write this non-answer?

What do you mean?

What I mean is, Reg obviously spent time thoughtfully phrasing a problem (the conflict between God’s plan vs praying to him to change his plan) and then asking you a clear question about it. What he asked was an interesting, reasonable and valid question as part of a…[Read more]

There are countless moral/ethical systems that give a variety of answers.

Nice summary @davis

@davis Hedonism has always appealed

Belle Rose wrote:
@davis Money

So if I bought you your flight and vacation time…you’d go to Mecca, submit to Islam and marry a muslim man?

Belle Rose wrote:
@davis the reason your examples from the Bible (or similar to it) just don’t cut it for me is because I KNOW you don’t believe in the Bible. So why even use that as an example if you don’t believe it? It doesn’t add anything to my knowledge of what you would accept because you already don’t accept it.

That is a package of redicu…[Read more]

@davis: I’m not lying! I’m being honest. I don’t feel like anyone has given me an answer that is both serious and tangible.

Davis is one of the people who did give you a tangible answer. I guess you decided his answer wasn’t serious–which is odd, because I got the impression that if any of those things happened they would seriously cause Davis…[Read more]