Coldness does not exist, nor does darkness. Coldness is the absense of heat or energy and can not be measured. The only thing you can measure is the absense of heat. Darkness does not exist either. It is actually the absense of light. You can use a prism to study light, but can not study wavelengths of dark because it's the absense of light. We still have a concept of these words, although they can not be proven and are not real. It may be something you sense though.
Please, no offensive answers. Just talking between adult minds.
I'm not necessarily endorsing any particular religion or spirituality.
2007-01-10 15:43:03 · 10 answers · asked by Nep 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
To Dave P: Can't you measure the relative Godliness in someone by comparing the evilness(behavioral) in someone who does not believe or despises God. You may argue that it may be humanity, as opposed to Godliness. But humanity is the loving by compassion not to create evil on another(loving and hurting are opposites).
The Ancient Greek word for Love and God were interchangable. Just like Logos was also used to mean Logic, and also the 'Order of Reality' in a spiritual sense. 'Love is God', or is it 'God is Love'? Some people even believe that God is basically Love in it's purest form. By humanity being a concept of Loving, and so is God(a concept of Love). They would be equal.
2007-01-10 16:14:16 · update #1
I can see where you are trying to get to but the problem is that, as you point out, coldness and darkness represent things which cannot be measured because they are not there. I don't think you are trying to say that god is not there and that is why we can't detect him.
The distinction is that I can define darkness, for example, as the absence of any photons. I can then create an experiment which will create an environment without any photons and when I observe this environment it will, indeed, be dark. I can also define darkness as a relative term, a certain level of light, for example. In either case I can hypothesize that the darkness I have created will have certain effects which I can test for (e.g. in relative darkness a cat will be able to see but a human will not).
When it comes to god, this is not possible. There is no definition which can be tested and every rigorous test of effect (e.g. the STEP study of the effects of prayer on patients' recovery) fails to validate those informal hypotheses that spiritual people make or that various scriptures assert (e.g. that god answers prayers).
2007-01-10 16:00:12 · answer #1 · answered by Dave P 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I see your logic, with one problem. While coldness and darkness cannot be measures, and may not "exist", their opposites do. Light can be measured, and so can heat. Both can be studied and analyzed physically.
I believe god(any and all) do not exist in the same way you say coldness and darkness do not. But, my non-existence of god does not have an opposite that can be proven to exist. you can't measure god. You can't study god(physically). All you can study are the beliefs and supposed writings of god.
2007-01-10 15:51:16 · answer #2 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When discussing darkness in everyday speech, I see no reason not to use the word for it. Is it a very scientific concept? No, of course not, but it is the way that our culture defines the lack of light in the common, everyday lexicon. When discussing it in this context, we all understand that "darkness" isn't *real* as a separate concept from light. There are lots of things like that; what is a hole in the ground? It cannot exist unless there is dirt surrounding it.
2007-01-10 15:50:34 · answer #3 · answered by N 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
LOL what the hell are you trying to prove. There is still a such thing as cold because there is a word for it. Things are cold open your freezer its cold. So there is a such thing as cold.And dark is the absense of light. But light is the absense of dark haha. They both are real i dont see what your trrying to get at. I understand your thinking but i mean there is a cold even though it is the absense of heat we recognize it as cold so ensofacto there is a such thing as cold haha. But i dont see how atheism has to do with any of this. It has nothing to do with cold and light. Cold and light are man made things like god though. So i guess i know what youre saying.
2007-01-10 15:54:57 · answer #4 · answered by Beaverscanttalk 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You said it yourself, coldness is the absence of heat and darkness is the absence of light. Of course these things exist. Well coldness isn't actually just the absence of heat, it's also the presence of less heat than we feel comfortable with. Anyway the point is that the absence of light does exist. I believe in darkness because there is a logical reason of its existence, specifically the existence of places where there is no light.
2007-01-10 15:50:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Can't an absence of something, be something in and of itself? Since lack of light does happen, the absence of it is real, therefore darkness does exist, since darkness is the absense of light. right?
2007-01-10 15:49:07 · answer #6 · answered by M L 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm sure that atheists believe in coldness and darkness. They are empirical.
Darkness=no light
Coldness=no heat
God=?
I'm not sure what you are getting at, nor why this was posed to atheists...unless you think that God is similar to coldness and darkness!?!?
Did you have another question?
2007-01-10 15:53:07 · answer #7 · answered by Medusa 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The only difference between theists and atheists is god, so we all believe in brightness
2007-01-10 15:48:10 · answer #8 · answered by FAUUFDDaa 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Both darkness and cold are empirical, as you have illustrated. What's the question here?
2007-01-10 15:47:44 · answer #9 · answered by neil s 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Um.... ok.
2007-01-10 15:50:50 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋