Your first post and second post are really 2 entirely different subjects. In this one, it looks like you're looking for proof. There isn't any (or much). That's why it's called faith. I can only speak from personal experience. The majority of the Christian beliefs make sense to me. It allows me to understand that there is a presence larger that myself and what I can fathom. Sometimes we don't understand why things happen, but in the end, we'll see the reason.
Sorry the first response took so long - crappy, slow internet.
Quoting SDarvasi:I found this. But this is a better way of saying how I feel, just, with more words.
It's quoted from a website I found.
"Your religion teaches that if you do not accept Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior you will burn for eternity in hell. More or less. No matter if you are a good person, or are equally devout in another faith. The religion you have as an adult is hugely dependent on the time and place of your birth. If God chose to have you born today to a poor family in India, your chances of converting to christianity to be saved are near zero. If you were born in South America before the conquistador's came, you were not going to hear about Jesus. In essence, God chooses certain people to burn for eternity and they have no say in the matter.
Religion is like football. Everyone wants to believe their home team is special, but the fact is they only think so because they were born there.
there is no credible evidence for the existence of god. two things are generally proffered as evidence of god, scripture and the natural world (argument from perceived design).
1) scripture is mere hearsay, or as more accurately stated by thomas paine: "hearsay upon hearsay". hearsay is generally inadmissible in state and federal court because it is notoriously unreliable. if hearsay isn't reliable enough for use to adjudicate simple disputes, it certainly isn't reliable enough to prove absurd stories about a god upon which you think i should base my life.
2) the natural world provides no more evidence for the existence of your god than it does for the thousands of gods imagined throughout history, which is to say, none. our ignorance relating to precisely how this all came about doesn't justify your speculation that a wizard did it.
I like to play the morality card, e.g. what motivates you to be a good person? If the answer is religion, cue argument about people with different religions (or no religion) still being good people, thus morality does not come from religion. So, what's the point of religion then?
If they bring in heaven and hell, I counter by saying that if there is a god, I would hope that he would judge people on their actions (i.e. morality) rather than their superficial beliefs/practices.
Do you think I'm going to hell? If yes, why? Why would God condemn me to eternal torture just for not believing him in the face of a huge lack of evidence? Why did he create me with my questioning, rational mind if I was going to be punished for exercising it? If no, then there's no reason to bother believing in him anyway.
Do you believe in Zeus? Do you believe in FSM? How about unicorns or fairies? How about Xorplax, a god I just made up? Why not?... Well that's why I don't believe in your god, and why you shouldn't either.
I want to believe as many true things as possible and not believe as many things that aren't true as possible. The best way to do this I have come across is the scientific method. I require evidence to substantiate claims, and a preponderance of evidence to substantiate extraordinary claims.
Faith is a weakness. Faith is the excuse we give ourselves to believe something when there is no good reason to. Faith actively stands in the way of looking for evidence and seeking further knowledge. Instead of faith, let us use reasonable expectation based on observation, and use hope for the things we cannot control.
All religious beliefs are so far objectively unjustifiable. If you can justify yours, please do so. Personal experience is fine for you, but know that if that is your only basis for belief, you have no footing on which to convince others your religion is valid; it is entirely possible you have misinterpreted your experience, or that your senses were unwittingly impaired at the time."Quoting kryptomom:First, how can you invoke the name of Christ to deny Christianity?
Most Christians (and their sects) aren't any of the things named. And I don't believe that any Christian faith requires you vote a specific way ( at least not in the US). If all Christians in the US voted "anti-Democrat", we'd have a different president right now. I'll bet more than a few scientists are Christian. Most Christians believe that science and divine creation go hand-in-hand. And anti-life? I'm really confused about that one. Catholics are very clear they are against abortion, the death penalty, and assisted suicide.
Sure, there may be some Christians who behave in the way suggested, but lumping all Christian faiths into this category is like saying all Americans are cowboys.
Quoting SDarvasi:how so?
Quoting kryptomom:Wow.
A little confused about Christian beliefs.
Quoting SDarvasi:I like this....but you might not agree.....
Congrats. That is quite a feat.
Quoting Anonymous:I agree 100 percent. That is why our nation is as it is. God is taken out and the homos are taking over.
I do! a lot!
Quoting SDarvasi:why? do you like it?
Quoting moosesmom:
Umm...where did you find this?
Quoting SDarvasi:I found this. But this is a better way of saying how I feel, just, with more words.
It's quoted from a website I found.
"Your religion teaches that if you do not accept Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior you will burn for eternity in hell. More or less. No matter if you are a good person, or are equally devout in another faith. The religion you have as an adult is hugely dependent on the time and place of your birth. If God chose to have you born today to a poor family in India, your chances of converting to christianity to be saved are near zero. If you were born in South America before the conquistador's came, you were not going to hear about Jesus. In essence, God chooses certain people to burn for eternity and they have no say in the matter.
Religion is like football. Everyone wants to believe their home team is special, but the fact is they only think so because they were born there.
there is no credible evidence for the existence of god. two things are generally proffered as evidence of god, scripture and the natural world (argument from perceived design).
1) scripture is mere hearsay, or as more accurately stated by thomas paine: "hearsay upon hearsay". hearsay is generally inadmissible in state and federal court because it is notoriously unreliable. if hearsay isn't reliable enough for use to adjudicate simple disputes, it certainly isn't reliable enough to prove absurd stories about a god upon which you think i should base my life.
2) the natural world provides no more evidence for the existence of your god than it does for the thousands of gods imagined throughout history, which is to say, none. our ignorance relating to precisely how this all came about doesn't justify your speculation that a wizard did it.
I like to play the morality card, e.g. what motivates you to be a good person? If the answer is religion, cue argument about people with different religions (or no religion) still being good people, thus morality does not come from religion. So, what's the point of religion then?
If they bring in heaven and hell, I counter by saying that if there is a god, I would hope that he would judge people on their actions (i.e. morality) rather than their superficial beliefs/practices.
Do you think I'm going to hell? If yes, why? Why would God condemn me to eternal torture just for not believing him in the face of a huge lack of evidence? Why did he create me with my questioning, rational mind if I was going to be punished for exercising it? If no, then there's no reason to bother believing in him anyway.
Do you believe in Zeus? Do you believe in FSM? How about unicorns or fairies? How about Xorplax, a god I just made up? Why not?... Well that's why I don't believe in your god, and why you shouldn't either.
I want to believe as many true things as possible and not believe as many things that aren't true as possible. The best way to do this I have come across is the scientific method. I require evidence to substantiate claims, and a preponderance of evidence to substantiate extraordinary claims.
Faith is a weakness. Faith is the excuse we give ourselves to believe something when there is no good reason to. Faith actively stands in the way of looking for evidence and seeking further knowledge. Instead of faith, let us use reasonable expectation based on observation, and use hope for the things we cannot control.
All religious beliefs are so far objectively unjustifiable. If you can justify yours, please do so. Personal experience is fine for you, but know that if that is your only basis for belief, you have no footing on which to convince others your religion is valid; it is entirely possible you have misinterpreted your experience, or that your senses were unwittingly impaired at the time."
Quoting kryptomom:First, how can you invoke the name of Christ to deny Christianity?
Most Christians (and their sects) aren't any of the things named. And I don't believe that any Christian faith requires you vote a specific way ( at least not in the US). If all Christians in the US voted "anti-Democrat", we'd have a different president right now. I'll bet more than a few scientists are Christian. Most Christians believe that science and divine creation go hand-in-hand. And anti-life? I'm really confused about that one. Catholics are very clear they are against abortion, the death penalty, and assisted suicide.
Sure, there may be some Christians who behave in the way suggested, but lumping all Christian faiths into this category is like saying all Americans are cowboys.
Quoting SDarvasi:how so?
Quoting kryptomom:Wow.
A little confused about Christian beliefs.
Quoting SDarvasi:I like this....but you might not agree.....
Quoting SDarvasi:why? do you like it?
Quoting moosesmom:
Umm...where did you find this?
Quoting SDarvasi:I found this. But this is a better way of saying how I feel, just, with more words.
It's quoted from a website I found.
"Your religion teaches that if you do not accept Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior you will burn for eternity in hell. More or less. No matter if you are a good person, or are equally devout in another faith. The religion you have as an adult is hugely dependent on the time and place of your birth. If God chose to have you born today to a poor family in India, your chances of converting to christianity to be saved are near zero. If you were born in South America before the conquistador's came, you were not going to hear about Jesus. In essence, God chooses certain people to burn for eternity and they have no say in the matter.
Religion is like football. Everyone wants to believe their home team is special, but the fact is they only think so because they were born there.
there is no credible evidence for the existence of god. two things are generally proffered as evidence of god, scripture and the natural world (argument from perceived design).
1) scripture is mere hearsay, or as more accurately stated by thomas paine: "hearsay upon hearsay". hearsay is generally inadmissible in state and federal court because it is notoriously unreliable. if hearsay isn't reliable enough for use to adjudicate simple disputes, it certainly isn't reliable enough to prove absurd stories about a god upon which you think i should base my life.
2) the natural world provides no more evidence for the existence of your god than it does for the thousands of gods imagined throughout history, which is to say, none. our ignorance relating to precisely how this all came about doesn't justify your speculation that a wizard did it.
I like to play the morality card, e.g. what motivates you to be a good person? If the answer is religion, cue argument about people with different religions (or no religion) still being good people, thus morality does not come from religion. So, what's the point of religion then?
If they bring in heaven and hell, I counter by saying that if there is a god, I would hope that he would judge people on their actions (i.e. morality) rather than their superficial beliefs/practices.
Do you think I'm going to hell? If yes, why? Why would God condemn me to eternal torture just for not believing him in the face of a huge lack of evidence? Why did he create me with my questioning, rational mind if I was going to be punished for exercising it? If no, then there's no reason to bother believing in him anyway.
Do you believe in Zeus? Do you believe in FSM? How about unicorns or fairies? How about Xorplax, a god I just made up? Why not?... Well that's why I don't believe in your god, and why you shouldn't either.
I want to believe as many true things as possible and not believe as many things that aren't true as possible. The best way to do this I have come across is the scientific method. I require evidence to substantiate claims, and a preponderance of evidence to substantiate extraordinary claims.
Faith is a weakness. Faith is the excuse we give ourselves to believe something when there is no good reason to. Faith actively stands in the way of looking for evidence and seeking further knowledge. Instead of faith, let us use reasonable expectation based on observation, and use hope for the things we cannot control.
All religious beliefs are so far objectively unjustifiable. If you can justify yours, please do so. Personal experience is fine for you, but know that if that is your only basis for belief, you have no footing on which to convince others your religion is valid; it is entirely possible you have misinterpreted your experience, or that your senses were unwittingly impaired at the time."
Quoting kryptomom:First, how can you invoke the name of Christ to deny Christianity?
Most Christians (and their sects) aren't any of the things named. And I don't believe that any Christian faith requires you vote a specific way ( at least not in the US). If all Christians in the US voted "anti-Democrat", we'd have a different president right now. I'll bet more than a few scientists are Christian. Most Christians believe that science and divine creation go hand-in-hand. And anti-life? I'm really confused about that one. Catholics are very clear they are against abortion, the death penalty, and assisted suicide.
Sure, there may be some Christians who behave in the way suggested, but lumping all Christian faiths into this category is like saying all Americans are cowboys.
Quoting SDarvasi:how so?
Quoting kryptomom:Wow.
A little confused about Christian beliefs.
Quoting SDarvasi:I like this....but you might not agree.....
Yeah, I don't know what anti-secular huamism is and I'm too tired to look it up. lol
Quoting Angeldolphine:Yeah...that's weird, I am a Christian who is pro gay rights, a feminist, for "unnatural" birth control, a democrat, very scientific, (I believe in MICROevelution too), and I am pro-choice (which doesn't mean I am for abortions, but for the mother's right to choose) The only one I am unsure about is secular humanist. You can be these things and be a christian lol.
Quoting kryptomom:Wow.
A little confused about Christian beliefs.
Quoting SDarvasi:I like this....but you might not agree.....
Secular Humanism is...
The philosophy of secular humanism (alternatively known by adherents as Humanism, specifically with a capital H to distinguish it from other forms of humanism) embraces human reason and ethicswhile specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, pseudoscience or superstition as the basis of morality and decision-making.
Quoting kryptomom:Yeah, I don't know what anti-secular huamism is and I'm too tired to look it up. lol
Quoting Angeldolphine:Yeah...that's weird, I am a Christian who is pro gay rights, a feminist, for "unnatural" birth control, a democrat, very scientific, (I believe in MICROevelution too), and I am pro-choice (which doesn't mean I am for abortions, but for the mother's right to choose) The only one I am unsure about is secular humanist. You can be these things and be a christian lol.
Quoting kryptomom:Wow.
A little confused about Christian beliefs.
Quoting SDarvasi:I like this....but you might not agree.....
exactly my point.
I don't look down on your for what you choose to believe in., I just don't think it makes any sense...and no matter what questions you ask or the proof you search for...people always say "I speak from my own personal experience...it's what I believe...i just KNOW there's something out there".
Well, I believe that aliens could possibly exist too. Does that make them real? I'd like to think that if I concentrate really hard, I can move that pencil along the table, because I saw someone do it on tv and it made me believe......but does that mean it was real?
Hey, I used to believe in God...and all that jazz. I went to church. I read my Bible. Heck, I even went to Bible meetings...for coffee and group discussions.
I can't believe how blind I was back then. So young, and naive.
I decided after a few years...wasn't truthful enough for me. No amount of praying did anything for me. Like talking to a wall. There was too many contradictions in the Bible, and in church.My life HASN'T been horrible since I left Religion. And I am open to the idea that SOMETHING may exist out there.....just not Religion. That is man made, in my opinion.
What people portray it as now, is "understanding" and "forgiving" and "openminded". But it's not! You can't just suddenly change the rules and regulation of the game just because the times are changing...and people are losing faith. You can't all of a sudden, have different types of Christian Churches...all claiming they "Accept everyone"...but then refer to the BIBLE that states otherwise, when preaching their sermon.
Quoting kryptomom:Your first post and second post are really 2 entirely different subjects. In this one, it looks like you're looking for proof. There isn't any (or much). That's why it's called faith. I can only speak from personal experience. The majority of the Christian beliefs make sense to me. It allows me to understand that there is a presence larger that myself and what I can fathom. Sometimes we don't understand why things happen, but in the end, we'll see the reason.
Sorry the first response took so long - crappy, slow internet.
Quoting SDarvasi:I found this. But this is a better way of saying how I feel, just, with more words.
It's quoted from a website I found.
"Your religion teaches that if you do not accept Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior you will burn for eternity in hell. More or less. No matter if you are a good person, or are equally devout in another faith. The religion you have as an adult is hugely dependent on the time and place of your birth. If God chose to have you born today to a poor family in India, your chances of converting to christianity to be saved are near zero. If you were born in South America before the conquistador's came, you were not going to hear about Jesus. In essence, God chooses certain people to burn for eternity and they have no say in the matter.
Religion is like football. Everyone wants to believe their home team is special, but the fact is they only think so because they were born there.
there is no credible evidence for the existence of god. two things are generally proffered as evidence of god, scripture and the natural world (argument from perceived design).
1) scripture is mere hearsay, or as more accurately stated by thomas paine: "hearsay upon hearsay". hearsay is generally inadmissible in state and federal court because it is notoriously unreliable. if hearsay isn't reliable enough for use to adjudicate simple disputes, it certainly isn't reliable enough to prove absurd stories about a god upon which you think i should base my life.
2) the natural world provides no more evidence for the existence of your god than it does for the thousands of gods imagined throughout history, which is to say, none. our ignorance relating to precisely how this all came about doesn't justify your speculation that a wizard did it.
I like to play the morality card, e.g. what motivates you to be a good person? If the answer is religion, cue argument about people with different religions (or no religion) still being good people, thus morality does not come from religion. So, what's the point of religion then?
If they bring in heaven and hell, I counter by saying that if there is a god, I would hope that he would judge people on their actions (i.e. morality) rather than their superficial beliefs/practices.
Do you think I'm going to hell? If yes, why? Why would God condemn me to eternal torture just for not believing him in the face of a huge lack of evidence? Why did he create me with my questioning, rational mind if I was going to be punished for exercising it? If no, then there's no reason to bother believing in him anyway.
Do you believe in Zeus? Do you believe in FSM? How about unicorns or fairies? How about Xorplax, a god I just made up? Why not?... Well that's why I don't believe in your god, and why you shouldn't either.
I want to believe as many true things as possible and not believe as many things that aren't true as possible. The best way to do this I have come across is the scientific method. I require evidence to substantiate claims, and a preponderance of evidence to substantiate extraordinary claims.
Faith is a weakness. Faith is the excuse we give ourselves to believe something when there is no good reason to. Faith actively stands in the way of looking for evidence and seeking further knowledge. Instead of faith, let us use reasonable expectation based on observation, and use hope for the things we cannot control.
All religious beliefs are so far objectively unjustifiable. If you can justify yours, please do so. Personal experience is fine for you, but know that if that is your only basis for belief, you have no footing on which to convince others your religion is valid; it is entirely possible you have misinterpreted your experience, or that your senses were unwittingly impaired at the time."Quoting kryptomom:First, how can you invoke the name of Christ to deny Christianity?
Most Christians (and their sects) aren't any of the things named. And I don't believe that any Christian faith requires you vote a specific way ( at least not in the US). If all Christians in the US voted "anti-Democrat", we'd have a different president right now. I'll bet more than a few scientists are Christian. Most Christians believe that science and divine creation go hand-in-hand. And anti-life? I'm really confused about that one. Catholics are very clear they are against abortion, the death penalty, and assisted suicide.
Sure, there may be some Christians who behave in the way suggested, but lumping all Christian faiths into this category is like saying all Americans are cowboys.
Quoting SDarvasi:how so?
Quoting kryptomom:Wow.
A little confused about Christian beliefs.
Quoting SDarvasi:I like this....but you might not agree.....
Quoting m3lissa_16:Umm.. it's only impossible if the persons being governed have no morals without their god and their bible.
Luckily, plenty of athiests and agnostics, do have morals and values without a book and spirit to guide them.
What do you mean by new revised one?
There are different ways to interpret the Bible...
Quoting SDarvasi:Well..not according to your Bible. Or are you reading the new revised one?
How does the morals of religion change? How can mankind decide what is acceptable if it is "God" who rules all?
Quoting Angeldolphine:Yeah...that's weird, I am a Christian who is pro gay rights, a feminist, for "unnatural" birth control, a democrat, very scientific, (I believe in MICROevelution too), and I am pro-choice (which doesn't mean I am for abortions, but for the mother's right to choose) The only one I am unsure about is secular humanist. You can be these things and be a christian lol.
Quoting kryptomom:Wow.
A little confused about Christian beliefs.
Quoting SDarvasi:I like this....but you might not agree.....
are you ok with another woman calling your husband "hun" or "babe"
- scorpiomama1985
on May. 15, 2012 at 11:04 PM