Originally posted by Starlight
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I don't disagree with the points you make here. We know the universe we experience came into being at the so-called "Big Bang," but we do not know what came before. I am comfortable with saying, "I don't know" when asked about what caused the Big Bang or what came before. Infinite regression (turtles all the way down) makes me uncomfortable, but I have to admit I cannot rule it out as a possibility. As I said, I don't know. If it is infinite regression, then First Cause appears to be a moot point. It's also not clear to me that First Cause must be sentient. We simply don't know.
Originally posted by Starlight
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But the U.S. is, I believe, moving more and more to the European model, where religion appears to waning in influence, but the influence still exists and is real. It is stronger rurally than it is urbanly; it is stronger on the right than on the left; but it still storngly influences the discussion. Note that even a reprehensible man like Trump suddenly feels a need to position himself as "a man of god" to gain the favor of this significant political force. And an open atheist has little/no chance of being elected to a high office in the U.S. That is changing, but we're not there yet.
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