EDIT: I just re-read my text. Where I typed 'the sun is the center of the universe', I of course mean 'the center of our solar system'. I have edited the text accordingly.
Thanks for welcoming to the board. I love a good conversation.
First, let me respond to Aineo: You are absolutely right; men and women of science can also be faithful christians. Some of my greatest fans in history have worshiped your god.
My reasoning is not solely based on THEIR reasoning however. Many people that changed the way the church is looking at the world (Copernicus for example) were christians. HOWEVER: They defied church policy by stating some of their believes were false (like: the Earth is the center of the universe. It took awfully long for the church to actually confirm that it was the SUN which was the center of our solar system, and that we are not the center of the universe. But then again, you're not all catholic as I understand.)
Aineo, I think I see your point; science can be combined with faith. I wil therefore specify what I wrote above:
I do not believe in any diety. By stating that I am 'a man of science' I mean the following: I do not believe in any diety. Science has offered me enough evidence that life forms do not need a divine creator to come into existence. I must admit that I can not specify exact details, I AM HOWEVER convinced that life came into existence and evolved without the interference of a god.
We can discuss this further in another thread if you want.
This brings me to the following point. The point Alpha made.
I think there is a flaw in your reasoning here, Alpha. Let me quote you:
Alpha wrote:... the Bible teaches that we should seek knowledge, so this is faith in reasoning
After this you wrote that it takes FAITH to NOT believe in god. Your exact words are:
it takes more faith to be an atheist than it does to believe in God, so someone saying they do not have enough faith in God is not an excuse by that argument also.
In other words, if I am correct - and please correct me if I'm wrong - If we meet god in an afterlife, and I say 'I never believed in you', I am doomed. God demands us to worship him now or he will send me to hell, where I will be tortured forever by the devil.
Whether or not this is true (which I personally do not believe), it does however take MORE faith to NOT BELIEVE in a god, than it does to DO BELIEVE in a god, according to Alpha. I will not play word word games by saying WHO HAS MORE FAITH; ATHEISTS OR CHRISTIANS, because this whole argument does not make sense to me.
I think that acquiring knowedge of the world around us is a fine initiative. NASA is doing a fine job. We are starting to learn more and more about the universe around us. I think there is no place for any diety in our future prospects. We will see the universe for what it is now, with the help of the Hubble telescope. We are exploring Mars already, in search of extra-terrestrial life. If we should ever find intelligent life, let's approach it like a human, and not like a religious zealot!