SMBC Comics Forum

[quote=Rat post_id=161332 time=1589958223 user_id=45241]Of course, proof of an actual god would be welcome.[/quote]
That's what people don't understand about the scientific method, and how it relates to atheism: You don't make a conclusion and then try to find proof for it. You take the evidence, and come to a (tentative) conclusion. As an atheist I don't want there not to be a god. I just don't want to lie to myself about whether there is any sound reason to believe in this or that particular one.

As an aside, why didn't Blaise Pascal try his best to die in battle, just in case the Valkyries really did pick who goes to Valhalla?

That makes me think of relative theology: "And on the third day, everything but Jesus lowered."

'Placebo god' sounds kinda pleonastic to me. The only opposite I can think of that would feature in a scientific study is a nocebo god, but I'm not sure there's an appreciable difference. Well, there probably would be to its followers. "And on the third day..." "The prophet rose?" "No, the rest died."

Of course, proof of an actual god would be welcome.

What we need is a double blind study. Have half of the study group, selected at random, praying to a placebo god.

[quote=RyanW post_id=161314 time=1588602008 user_id=45140]
There's a "desperation placebo" going on here. Because they want their actions to have meaning, they ascribe the meaning to them regardless of the outcome.
[/quote]Well, yes, but that's if you don't let Mark Rober design your rituals.

There's a "desperation placebo" going on here. Because they want their actions to have meaning, they ascribe the meaning to them regardless of the outcome.

"I did my ritual and still failed. Imagine how much worse I would have failed if I hadn't."

[url=https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/lean]Lean[/url] made me think Zach really pays too much attention to religion. I mean, you win one stupid game of bowling by leaning over, and immediately people assume god* is involved?

Just... [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM5NHC97JBw]no[/url].

As a military tactic... well, it could work. Just tell everyone to intentionally miss their shots and make their god* change the projectile trajectory to hit the target after all. Pretty sure that would lead to world peace. Unless, of course, world peace isn't your goal, in which case you're not going to hell because there's no such thing. But you would if they could.

*) not capitalized because of missing denomination. Also, who cares.