<p>I don’t know about religion, but I’m pretty convinced that love is a mental illness.</p>
<p>I’d probably agree with that, since it essentially is all about chemicals in your brain etc.</p>
<p>You assume to know the source of what triggers the chemicals in the brain. On that, like many aspects of our reality, science has no answer yet. Hopefully someday.</p>
<p>And you assume that science has no answer yet, when in fact they do.</p>
<p>It literally took 3 seconds searching on google to find research done on the topic, maybe you could read a little bit before assuming something is as mysterious as you think.</p>
<p>[The</a> science of love](<a href=“http://www.youramazingbrain.org.uk/lovesex/sciencelove.htm]The”>The science of love)</p>
<p>[Economist.com</a> | The science of love](<a href=“http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/econ669/love.html]Economist.com”>http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/courses/econ669/love.html)</p>
<p>These are just the first two results I found and both seem to understand it pretty well for them having “no answer” as you say.</p>
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<p>The diffusion of sodium ions via voltage-gated ion channels across a semi-permeable membrane which triggers a dramatic depolarization signal to terminate at the pre-synaptic site where an influx of calcium2+ ions facilitates the bonding of SNARE protein complexes on synaptic vesicle membranes to syntaxin and snap25 complexes on the cellular membrane, initiating an endocitosis process which releases neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft? oh no wait complicated science AHHH ITS ACTUALLY THE DALI LAMA COLD MOVIN’ STUFF gouranga!!</p>
<p>youtube search for gouranga loll</p>
<p>These responses are so fascinating.</p>
<p>You posted links to / explanations of the physical / chemical processes and assumed the answer stopped there. No one denies these basic chemical functions.</p>
<p>My point is that science has no idea what aspects of the mind (not the brain) trigger such reactions in the first place. Evidence is very lacking in that regard because scientists have not even determined yet whether the brain is a processor or a generator.</p>
<p>What you’re trying to do is stop human evolution by asserting definitive answers for one part of the process as if they are complete answers. That would be akin to saying that Newtonian physics represents a complete understanding of all laws of physics. Thanks to the twentieth century, we all know by this point that is not true.</p>
<p>Perhaps in the twenty-first we will find more. It’s a fascinating universe we are only beginning to discover. No need to abort the advancement of knowledge.</p>
<p>^You asked for a chemical explanation of brain function, and you got one. You can’t say it’s incomplete just because you believe it should include mysticism.</p>
<p>If you could give any specific evidence that the answers don’t stop at basic chemical fuctions, or that the mind is separate from the brain, I would love to hear it.</p>
<p>it seems to me that atheism is the same in religion in that both are claiming they know wether or not a god does or does not exist, even though scientifically it could never be proven nor disproven. so the only way of thinking that isnt “mentally ill” would be agnostic which is being open to the possibility of there being a god without commiting to believing or not believing in one/many.</p>
<p>^ exactly. Atheism is a religion based on a BELIEF that there is no God.</p>
<p>^I can’t speak for all atheists, but I think of God the same way I think of alien abduction stories. I suppose it’s possible that they’re real, but I can still say that I don’t believe in them.</p>
<p>applejack, if you’re about to say that you were abducted by/telepathically communicate with/are an alien, I don’t want to hear it.</p>
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<p>Acknowledging the POSSIBILITY of the existence of a god or gods is agnosticism, not atheism.</p>
<p>^Semantics. I define atheism as the belief that god doesn’t exist, and agnosticism as the uncertainty if god exists. I acknowledge the possibility that god exists, but I don’t believe he does. I acknowledge the possibility that the government is hiding aliens in Area 51, but I don’t believe they are. Of course, there are some atheists (I equate them with religious fundamentalists) who deny the possibility of any god, but most of us are more reasonable.</p>
<p>^ ergo atheism is a religion</p>
<p>I just find it absurd when atheists start calling anyone religous stupid or unintelligent, especially when a lot of aspects of science do actually point to a creator</p>
<p>The funny part about atheists, is that they are liars. Nobody has or ever will be able to disprove god. So while atheists say they don’t believe, they are lying, as inside they know it cant be proven. There is a small chunk inside them that believes, and its what they hold onto. Even though they try so hard to be hip and cool, they know.</p>
<p>Now it is possible for somebody to truly believe that there is no god, and we call these people dead. To truly believe there is no god, one must take the route of existentialist philosophies. Once one does that and if they are 100% committed, then suicide is the only option. Ive seen it happen and destroy lives before. Anybody who disagrees with this reasoning, is simply not educated enough on the psychology & philosophy of this subject. You need to read more on existentialism.</p>
<p>So if you claim atheism and haven’t already committed suicide your a liar and a poser. If you want to truly believe then its time to pull the trigger.</p>
<p>Why does lack of belief in a god necessitate suicide? I’m sure that you can still enjoy life as an atheist, even if you believe that it’s the only one you’ve got. Also, the fact that something cannot be disproved does not necessitate belief. You cannot disprove that large creatures made of pasta and meatballs exist only a few light-years away, so obviously that means that you believe they do, right?</p>
<p>oh great here comes some FSM or Russels Teapot stuff…</p>
<p>It’s a legitimate question. His argument makes absolutely no sense. He has associated belief with not being able to definitely disprove something. As an agnostic and someone who is scientifically inclined, I’m struck by the absurdity of his claims.</p>
<p>StellaNova, then you are not atheist. You are pragmatic. Atheism is belief, because most of the atheists (the ones I met actually), are 100% believing in no God. You approach the question in a logical way.</p>