On Sun, 23 Sep 2018 08:47:01 -0600, Chris L Peterson
wrote:
On Sun, 23 Sep 2018 16:30:06 +0200, Paul Schlyter
wrote:

On Sun, 23 Sep 2018 08:07:01 -0600, Chris L Peterson
wrote:
Do really everyone have to be an "evenist" or an "oddist"? If
not,
why do everyone have to be a theist or an atheist? Why exclude
the
alternative of refraining from choosing a belief here?

Because we don't choose beliefs.

OK, so our beliefs are somehow predetetmined then. But why would
that
exclude the third alternative "not decided" or "none of the other
alternatives" or "no opinion"?

It doesn't. But it's extremely unlikely that an even marginally
informed, marginally reflective person would arrive at such a
position. Those are positions from ignorance, given the wealth of
evidence and information that is available.

You seem to believe that the decision of whether to be an atheist or
not is an intellectual decision. Mostly it isn't, it is much more an
emotiomal decision. t is easy for someone living a calm and secure
life to become an atheist. t is much harder for someone living a
restless and unsecure life, for instance soldiers in war. If the
soldier gets woundef in battle the probability of him becoming
religious rises further. And that does not make him semi-retarded,
people react that way. You too would do that.