LimitedEdition Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I've been reading through some of the topics posted here and the replies that they got. I want to ask you personally what led you to your faith. Were you raised in the church or did you find it later? What makes you stay with the church or what made you go into it? If the answer is that 'god called to you in your heart' why are you convinced that that's what happened? If you had been born to a muslim family, or family of any other religion, do you think you would have rejected that and gone to the bible and become a christian? If so, why would you have still become a christian? If you can walk through any valley, or face any trial, so long as you have god by your side, why is it possible to lose faith? Why is it OK to have anal sex? Alright, I think that's enough questions for now. Sorry for putting so many in one post, I just love to get to know people! Disclaimer - I don't want to berate or belittle your personal stories, and I know this is the lions den, but I do encourage the rest of my fellow atheists to also refrain since we haven't lived your life we have no way of knowing what you've seen or been through. Save the sarcasm for the answers to the anal sex question, pretty please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LimitedEdition Posted February 2, 2015 Author Share Posted February 2, 2015 Hi Human, Thanks for replying, I was going by the little side picture for the "true christians" thing, I think it says something like 'true christian believer' or something lol. I've never thought of it that way before, and I'm really glad you took the time to bring it up because it makes a lot of sense. After posting this, I discovered the pinned topics that are pretty much the same I'm posing here, so I've been reading those but I really wanted to kind of talk to one myself (I don't know why, I haven't learned how pointless it is yet I guess Lol) but I think I'll simply post the butt sex question because that one has been boggling me. Thanks again! ~LE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VahnBlue Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Sorry, that none of these "Christians" have had the decency to respond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LimitedEdition Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 Sorry, that none of these "Christians" have had the decency to respond. They're probably too busy praying for me, how nice of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2PhiloVoid Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I've been reading through some of the topics posted here and the replies that they got. I want to ask you personally what led you to your faith. Were you raised in the church or did you find it later? What makes you stay with the church or what made you go into it? If the answer is that 'god called to you in your heart' why are you convinced that that's what happened? If you had been born to a muslim family, or family of any other religion, do you think you would have rejected that and gone to the bible and become a christian? If so, why would you have still become a christian? If you can walk through any valley, or face any trial, so long as you have god by your side, why is it possible to lose faith? Why is it OK to have anal sex? Alright, I think that's enough questions for now. Sorry for putting so many in one post, I just love to get to know people! Disclaimer - I don't want to berate or belittle your personal stories, and I know this is the lions den, but I do encourage the rest of my fellow atheists to also refrain since we haven't lived your life we have no way of knowing what you've seen or been through. Save the sarcasm for the answers to the anal sex question, pretty please! LimitedEdition, What led me to my faith? Well, here's the nutshell version. As a kid, I lived in a house full of abysmal depression. And even though my parents occasionally darkened the doors of the local, liberal Presbyterian church, (I don't know, maybe 30 or 40 times over an 8 year period - you do the math) we saw no bible and spoke no bible. Despite my thorough ignorance of religion in general I was familiar with superheroes, dinosaurs, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos. When I turned 17, I started wondering if Sagan was right about this being "all there ever was...," and as to why I was so ignorant about religion. So I did what any disaffected youth would do, I checked out the New Testament. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duderonomy Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I've been reading through some of the topics posted here and the replies that they got. I want to ask you personally what led you to your faith. Were you raised in the church or did you find it later? What makes you stay with the church or what made you go into it? If the answer is that 'god called to you in your heart' why are you convinced that that's what happened? If you had been born to a muslim family, or family of any other religion, do you think you would have rejected that and gone to the bible and become a christian? If so, why would you have still become a christian? If you can walk through any valley, or face any trial, so long as you have god by your side, why is it possible to lose faith? Why is it OK to have anal sex? Alright, I think that's enough questions for now. Sorry for putting so many in one post, I just love to get to know people! Disclaimer - I don't want to berate or belittle your personal stories, and I know this is the lions den, but I do encourage the rest of my fellow atheists to also refrain since we haven't lived your life we have no way of knowing what you've seen or been through. Save the sarcasm for the answers to the anal sex question, pretty please! LimitedEdition, What led me to my faith? Well, here's the nutshell version. As a kid, I lived in a house full of abysmal depression. And even though my parents occasionally darkened the doors of the local, liberal Presbyterian church, (I don't know, maybe 30 or 40 times over an 8 year period - you do the math) we saw no bible and spoke no bible. Despite my thorough ignorance of religion in general I was familiar with superheroes, dinosaurs, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos. When I turned 17, I started wondering if Sagan was right about this being "all there ever was...," and as to why I was so ignorant about religion. So I did what any disaffected youth would do, I checked out the New Testament. Philo, so are you here to check it out the New Testament further? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2PhiloVoid Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I've been reading through some of the topics posted here and the replies that they got. I want to ask you personally what led you to your faith. Were you raised in the church or did you find it later? What makes you stay with the church or what made you go into it? If the answer is that 'god called to you in your heart' why are you convinced that that's what happened? If you had been born to a muslim family, or family of any other religion, do you think you would have rejected that and gone to the bible and become a christian? If so, why would you have still become a christian? If you can walk through any valley, or face any trial, so long as you have god by your side, why is it possible to lose faith? Why is it OK to have anal sex? Alright, I think that's enough questions for now. Sorry for putting so many in one post, I just love to get to know people! Disclaimer - I don't want to berate or belittle your personal stories, and I know this is the lions den, but I do encourage the rest of my fellow atheists to also refrain since we haven't lived your life we have no way of knowing what you've seen or been through. Save the sarcasm for the answers to the anal sex question, pretty please! LimitedEdition, What led me to my faith? Well, here's the nutshell version. As a kid, I lived in a house full of abysmal depression. And even though my parents occasionally darkened the doors of the local, liberal Presbyterian church, (I don't know, maybe 30 or 40 times over an 8 year period - you do the math) we saw no bible and spoke no bible. Despite my thorough ignorance of religion in general I was familiar with superheroes, dinosaurs, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos. When I turned 17, I started wondering if Sagan was right about this being "all there ever was...," and as to why I was so ignorant about religion. So I did what any disaffected youth would do, I checked out the New Testament. Philo, so are you here to check it out the New Testament further? No, not specifically. Mainly I'm here to lurk and chat in what appears to be a bit 'freer' environment than the one I'm use to. Neither am I here to rain on anyone's parade... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I've been reading through some of the topics posted here and the replies that they got. I want to ask you personally what led you to your faith. Were you raised in the church or did you find it later? What makes you stay with the church or what made you go into it? If the answer is that 'god called to you in your heart' why are you convinced that that's what happened? If you had been born to a muslim family, or family of any other religion, do you think you would have rejected that and gone to the bible and become a christian? If so, why would you have still become a christian? If you can walk through any valley, or face any trial, so long as you have god by your side, why is it possible to lose faith? Why is it OK to have anal sex? Alright, I think that's enough questions for now. Sorry for putting so many in one post, I just love to get to know people! Disclaimer - I don't want to berate or belittle your personal stories, and I know this is the lions den, but I do encourage the rest of my fellow atheists to also refrain since we haven't lived your life we have no way of knowing what you've seen or been through. Save the sarcasm for the answers to the anal sex question, pretty please! LimitedEdition, What led me to my faith? Well, here's the nutshell version. As a kid, I lived in a house full of abysmal depression. And even though my parents occasionally darkened the doors of the local, liberal Presbyterian church, (I don't know, maybe 30 or 40 times over an 8 year period - you do the math) we saw no bible and spoke no bible. Despite my thorough ignorance of religion in general I was familiar with superheroes, dinosaurs, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos. When I turned 17, I started wondering if Sagan was right about this being "all there ever was...," and as to why I was so ignorant about religion. So I did what any disaffected youth would do, I checked out the New Testament. Philo, so are you here to check it out the New Testament further? No, not specifically. Mainly I'm here to lurk and chat in what appears to be a bit 'freer' environment than the one I'm use to. Neither am I here to rain on anyone's parade... The other 'less free' environment is home life? Or a web forum? Or something else? No need to answer if you don't want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenstar Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeThinkerNZ Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I've been reading through some of the topics posted here and the replies that they got. I want to ask you personally what led you to your faith. Were you raised in the church or did you find it later? What makes you stay with the church or what made you go into it? If the answer is that 'god called to you in your heart' why are you convinced that that's what happened? If you had been born to a muslim family, or family of any other religion, do you think you would have rejected that and gone to the bible and become a christian? If so, why would you have still become a christian? If you can walk through any valley, or face any trial, so long as you have god by your side, why is it possible to lose faith? Why is it OK to have anal sex? Alright, I think that's enough questions for now. Sorry for putting so many in one post, I just love to get to know people! Disclaimer - I don't want to berate or belittle your personal stories, and I know this is the lions den, but I do encourage the rest of my fellow atheists to also refrain since we haven't lived your life we have no way of knowing what you've seen or been through. Save the sarcasm for the answers to the anal sex question, pretty please! LimitedEdition, What led me to my faith? Well, here's the nutshell version. As a kid, I lived in a house full of abysmal depression. And even though my parents occasionally darkened the doors of the local, liberal Presbyterian church, (I don't know, maybe 30 or 40 times over an 8 year period - you do the math) we saw no bible and spoke no bible. Despite my thorough ignorance of religion in general I was familiar with superheroes, dinosaurs, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos. When I turned 17, I started wondering if Sagan was right about this being "all there ever was...," and as to why I was so ignorant about religion. So I did what any disaffected youth would do, I checked out the New Testament. Did you also check out the old testament? If not, why not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2PhiloVoid Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I've been reading through some of the topics posted here and the replies that they got. I want to ask you personally what led you to your faith. Were you raised in the church or did you find it later? What makes you stay with the church or what made you go into it? If the answer is that 'god called to you in your heart' why are you convinced that that's what happened? If you had been born to a muslim family, or family of any other religion, do you think you would have rejected that and gone to the bible and become a christian? If so, why would you have still become a christian? If you can walk through any valley, or face any trial, so long as you have god by your side, why is it possible to lose faith? Why is it OK to have anal sex? Alright, I think that's enough questions for now. Sorry for putting so many in one post, I just love to get to know people! Disclaimer - I don't want to berate or belittle your personal stories, and I know this is the lions den, but I do encourage the rest of my fellow atheists to also refrain since we haven't lived your life we have no way of knowing what you've seen or been through. Save the sarcasm for the answers to the anal sex question, pretty please! LimitedEdition, What led me to my faith? Well, here's the nutshell version. As a kid, I lived in a house full of abysmal depression. And even though my parents occasionally darkened the doors of the local, liberal Presbyterian church, (I don't know, maybe 30 or 40 times over an 8 year period - you do the math) we saw no bible and spoke no bible. Despite my thorough ignorance of religion in general I was familiar with superheroes, dinosaurs, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos. When I turned 17, I started wondering if Sagan was right about this being "all there ever was...," and as to why I was so ignorant about religion. So I did what any disaffected youth would do, I checked out the New Testament. Philo, so are you here to check it out the New Testament further? No, not specifically. Mainly I'm here to lurk and chat in what appears to be a bit 'freer' environment than the one I'm use to. Neither am I here to rain on anyone's parade... The other 'less free' environment is home life? Or a web forum? Or something else? No need to answer if you don't want to. I've been reading through some of the topics posted here and the replies that they got. I want to ask you personally what led you to your faith. Were you raised in the church or did you find it later? What makes you stay with the church or what made you go into it? If the answer is that 'god called to you in your heart' why are you convinced that that's what happened? If you had been born to a muslim family, or family of any other religion, do you think you would have rejected that and gone to the bible and become a christian? If so, why would you have still become a christian? If you can walk through any valley, or face any trial, so long as you have god by your side, why is it possible to lose faith? Why is it OK to have anal sex? Alright, I think that's enough questions for now. Sorry for putting so many in one post, I just love to get to know people! Disclaimer - I don't want to berate or belittle your personal stories, and I know this is the lions den, but I do encourage the rest of my fellow atheists to also refrain since we haven't lived your life we have no way of knowing what you've seen or been through. Save the sarcasm for the answers to the anal sex question, pretty please! LimitedEdition, What led me to my faith? Well, here's the nutshell version. As a kid, I lived in a house full of abysmal depression. And even though my parents occasionally darkened the doors of the local, liberal Presbyterian church, (I don't know, maybe 30 or 40 times over an 8 year period - you do the math) we saw no bible and spoke no bible. Despite my thorough ignorance of religion in general I was familiar with superheroes, dinosaurs, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos. When I turned 17, I started wondering if Sagan was right about this being "all there ever was...," and as to why I was so ignorant about religion. So I did what any disaffected youth would do, I checked out the New Testament. Philo, so are you here to check it out the New Testament further? No, not specifically. Mainly I'm here to lurk and chat in what appears to be a bit 'freer' environment than the one I'm use to. Neither am I here to rain on anyone's parade... The other 'less free' environment is home life? Or a web forum? Or something else? No need to answer if you don't want to. The other environment of which I spoke is another web forum that I frequent. Although it is Christian, it sometimes gets a bit repetitious and stiff, so I'm finding other avenues for enjoyable interactions. As far as my home life is concerned, it is now no problem (being that the portion I related above reflects my life as it was almost 30 years ago, and of course, I've 'moved on' since then.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2PhiloVoid Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 I've been reading through some of the topics posted here and the replies that they got. I want to ask you personally what led you to your faith. Were you raised in the church or did you find it later? What makes you stay with the church or what made you go into it? If the answer is that 'god called to you in your heart' why are you convinced that that's what happened? If you had been born to a muslim family, or family of any other religion, do you think you would have rejected that and gone to the bible and become a christian? If so, why would you have still become a christian? If you can walk through any valley, or face any trial, so long as you have god by your side, why is it possible to lose faith? Why is it OK to have anal sex? Alright, I think that's enough questions for now. Sorry for putting so many in one post, I just love to get to know people! Disclaimer - I don't want to berate or belittle your personal stories, and I know this is the lions den, but I do encourage the rest of my fellow atheists to also refrain since we haven't lived your life we have no way of knowing what you've seen or been through. Save the sarcasm for the answers to the anal sex question, pretty please! LimitedEdition, What led me to my faith? Well, here's the nutshell version. As a kid, I lived in a house full of abysmal depression. And even though my parents occasionally darkened the doors of the local, liberal Presbyterian church, (I don't know, maybe 30 or 40 times over an 8 year period - you do the math) we saw no bible and spoke no bible. Despite my thorough ignorance of religion in general I was familiar with superheroes, dinosaurs, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos. When I turned 17, I started wondering if Sagan was right about this being "all there ever was...," and as to why I was so ignorant about religion. So I did what any disaffected youth would do, I checked out the New Testament. Did you also check out the old testament? If not, why not? FTNZ, Yes, I checked it out too. Interesting read, to say the least. All kinds of 'R' rated things going on to build the drama and keep the reader tuned in. Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violetbutterfly Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Philo, if you're interested in having an objective opinion, you should also check this out for some checks and balances. http://www.kyroot.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ ficino ♦ Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Hi Philo, welcome. A few weeks ago I was revisiting the transcendental argument for God. Do you have any familiarity with it, and if so, views on its soundness? That could be a separate thread. Your story about what sparked you to look into Christianity is somewhat like mine. Not surprising, I guess, at least in the US. Cheers, ficino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2PhiloVoid Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Hi Philo, welcome. A few weeks ago I was revisiting the transcendental argument for God. Do you have any familiarity with it, and if so, views on its soundness? That could be a separate thread. Your story about what sparked you to look into Christianity is somewhat like mine. Not surprising, I guess, at least in the US. Cheers, ficino Hello Ficino, Thank you for the welcome! I don't find many people who come to Christianity by simply being 'drawn' in a search for religious understanding. So, if a semblance of that was your 'original' experience, that's something for me to keep in mind. The Transcendental Argument.... Well, while I know of it, it isn't something I've dealt with in an extended manner. However, I am prone to agree (to some extent) with Kant's assessment of the nature of various Transcendental considerations, but without integrating any Reformed Christian / Presuppositional appropriation of TAG. Even though I had a few Presbyterian influences early on, they did not influence my Christian thinking after I became a Christian. (Frankly, I learned very, very little during my occasional stints at the Presbyterian church.) If you have source, document, paper that you'd like me to look and discuss, I'd be more than happy too (assuming it's not more than 30 or 40 pages). Or, if you have some insights on this topic you'd like to run by me, I'm open to reading what you have to share. Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2PhiloVoid Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Philo, if you're interested in having an objective opinion, you should also check this out for some checks and balances. http://www.kyroot.com Hi Violetbutterfly, I'll take a look at it. I'm sure it will prove to be an interesting read. Thank you for the reference. Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeThinkerNZ Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 I've been reading through some of the topics posted here and the replies that they got. I want to ask you personally what led you to your faith. Were you raised in the church or did you find it later? What makes you stay with the church or what made you go into it? If the answer is that 'god called to you in your heart' why are you convinced that that's what happened? If you had been born to a muslim family, or family of any other religion, do you think you would have rejected that and gone to the bible and become a christian? If so, why would you have still become a christian? If you can walk through any valley, or face any trial, so long as you have god by your side, why is it possible to lose faith? Why is it OK to have anal sex? Alright, I think that's enough questions for now. Sorry for putting so many in one post, I just love to get to know people! Disclaimer - I don't want to berate or belittle your personal stories, and I know this is the lions den, but I do encourage the rest of my fellow atheists to also refrain since we haven't lived your life we have no way of knowing what you've seen or been through. Save the sarcasm for the answers to the anal sex question, pretty please! LimitedEdition, What led me to my faith? Well, here's the nutshell version. As a kid, I lived in a house full of abysmal depression. And even though my parents occasionally darkened the doors of the local, liberal Presbyterian church, (I don't know, maybe 30 or 40 times over an 8 year period - you do the math) we saw no bible and spoke no bible. Despite my thorough ignorance of religion in general I was familiar with superheroes, dinosaurs, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos. When I turned 17, I started wondering if Sagan was right about this being "all there ever was...," and as to why I was so ignorant about religion. So I did what any disaffected youth would do, I checked out the New Testament. Did you also check out the old testament? If not, why not? FTNZ, Yes, I checked it out too. Interesting read, to say the least. All kinds of 'R' rated things going on to build the drama and keep the reader tuned in. Peace Sounds like a fictional work, doesn't it? It's a shame so many people started taking it literally and calling it an instruction manual for life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenstar Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 I am deeply and pleasantly surprised to have a christian here that can use the english language… and without any condescension - a rare breed you are - at least here. I will be reading and watching with interest. Welcome to Ex-C. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ ficino ♦ Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 The Transcendental Argument.... Well, while I know of it, it isn't something I've dealt with in an extended manner. However, I am prone to agree (to some extent) with Kant's assessment of the nature of various Transcendental considerations, but without integrating any Reformed Christian / Presuppositional appropriation of TAG. Even though I had a few Presbyterian influences early on, they did not influence my Christian thinking after I became a Christian. (Frankly, I learned very, very little during my occasional stints at the Presbyterian church.) If you have source, document, paper that you'd like me to look and discuss, I'd be more than happy too (assuming it's not more than 30 or 40 pages). Or, if you have some insights on this topic you'd like to run by me, I'm open to reading what you have to share. Hi, cool. If you haven't gone into TAG in much depth, no prob. It's such a tangle that I'm not up right now to summarizing and setting forth its various versions. Maybe later... There have been some threads on it on here over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thackerie Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 I am deeply and pleasantly surprised to have a christian here that can use the english language… and without any condescension - a rare breed you are - at least here. I will be reading and watching with interest. Welcome to Ex-C. Good language skills, no condescension, AND honest, too. I like this one so far. I think we oughta keep him. (Actually, I'm hoping/predicting that we will -- with a change to his icon.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 I'm not so much interested in why a person became a Christian, because the stories are so similar. I am more interested in why they continue to believe the things they do in light of all the scholarship that challenges their beliefs, as well as just plain old common sense. I know the reason they continue to believe things they know could not be possible. They have been indoctrinated, brainswashed, and programed to believe it. They are not able to think outside the box where their minds have been imprisoned. They are likely also unaware of the scholarship dedicated to the historical critical analysis of religion and the sacred text associated with that religion. Even if they become aware of this field of study it isn't likely they would read it, or even give it any degree of serious consideration because they have been programmed to believe this information is a product of Satan and his demons and is intended to create doubt, and that would cause them to lose their faith, and that is an unforgiveable sin that will doom them to an eternity in hell. Brainwashed people are not aware they have been programmed to believe the things the do. If they were aware they would be able to reject their programming and objectively examine the evidence, and come to an unbiased rational conclusion based on evidence and facts rather than emotion, but that isn't possible if your mind has been programmed to believe what you're been told to believe. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2PhiloVoid Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 It's am not so much interested in why a person became a Christian, because the stories are so similar, I am more interested in why they continue to believe the things they do in light of all the scholarship that challenges their religion, as well as just plain old common sense, I obviously know the answer. They are unaware of this information & they wouldn't read it if they became aware of it. Common sense doesn't factor in because they have been indoctrinated. Brainwashed people are not aware they have been programmed to believe the things the do. If they were aware they would walk away like we did. It's am not so much interested in why a person became a Christian, because the stories are so similar, I am more interested in why they continue to believe the things they do in light of all the scholarship that challenges their religion, as well as just plain old common sense, I obviously know the answer. They are unaware of this information & they wouldn't read it if they became aware of it. Common sense doesn't factor in because they have been indoctrinated. Brainwashed people are not aware they have been programmed to believe the things the do. If they were aware they would walk away like we did. Hello Geezer, You make a valid point; the continuance of believing in something as seemingly ethereal as the Christian faith does seem to indicate the presence of a particular kind of mindset, one that is perhaps already bent to quite an extent by Christianized organizational and psychological rhetoric and/or propaganda. The result being an individual who bleats like Pavlov's dog when the shepherd calls at the Sunday morning service. While I can't guarantee I haven't been 'affected' by the above kinds of rhetoric over the years, with the educational routes I have taken, and what with the fact that I was 'born' with a predisposition to question everything, and everyone, around me, the potential that I fully or truly qualify as a brainwashed mind-in-a-vat is probably fairly low. But, who knows? Maybe I'll surprise myself through my interactions here. I'm open to possibilities...just don't get to anxious though about those possibilities. (Good to meet you, Geezer). [...and could someone be nice enough to briefly explain to me what I need to do to prevent the duplicate citing, as obviously appears above. What am I missing here?] Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Hello 2PhiloVoid, nice to meet you too. I don't patrol Christian sites because I have no interest in debating the various beliefs held by a variety of Christian groups nor do I have any interest in trying to de-convert anyone. Believers that come here, however, should expect some tough questions and be prepared to defend their beliefs, but they rarely are prepared to do more that recite their beliefs and dire warnings of eternal punishment if we don't agree with them. An honest exchange of ideas and information requires all participants have an open mind that will honestly evaluate new information objectively, at least as much as humanly possible. It would be rare to find anyone with a truly open mind when the subject matter involves an emotionally charged subject, such as politics or religion. Any degree of open mindedness would be difficult to find in a situation like that. People tend to seek confirmation rather than information and that is especially true when the topic is highly emotional. Add information bias into the mix and real communication becomes virtually impossible. It has been my experience that unless or until a religious person develops doubts on their own it is pointless to discuss anything of a religious nature with them. When doubt set in minds generally tend to become more receptiveness to new information and a willingness to honestly evaluate that new information, but until that happens people tend to view questions about their beliefs as attacks and people do not like to be attacked. And that is true for former believers too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2PhiloVoid Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I am deeply and pleasantly surprised to have a christian here that can use the english language… and without any condescension - a rare breed you are - at least here. I will be reading and watching with interest. Welcome to Ex-C. Thank you, Ravenstar, for the welcome. I fully intend to be mindful of other people's feelings, for we all know that the act of condescension doesn't typically facilitate amiable relations or good will. Nevertheless, I can't promise you that I won't occasionally split my infinitives or dangle my participles... ...but, at least I'll try not to do so in front of everyone. Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2PhiloVoid Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 FreeThinkerNZ, "Sounds like a fictional work, doesn't it? It's a shame so many people started taking it literally and calling it an instruction manual for life." I agree, there are sections of the Bible that seem to standout as being fictional in nature. Just taking the passage of the Garden of Eden as a primary example, I'll admit that I have never been able to take the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Genesis in a literal fashion. Even when I first became a Christian nearly 30 years ago, I didn't accept Adam and Eve as historically literal people (and we all know how a non-literal interpretation of Adam impinges upon a Christian attempt to own a fully functional, streamlined, and shiny Christian theology). Additionally, being that I had already imbibed the elixir of evolution while studying in Biology class (as many of us do in high school), as well as having received a good measure of it from Carl Sagan, I had to wrestle for quite some time (i.e. decades) with the opening chapter of Genesis to fully find some kind of appreciation for it. Despite my initial hesitancy with parts of Scripture, I found early on that the Bible actually prompted me to be a more loving person, and it gave me some usable moral principles that seemed to ameliorate at least some of the relational dysfunctions my family experienced back at that time. It has also enabled me to be more cognizant being loving and patient as I work to keep my marriage intact and hopefully happy (an endeavor which isn't always an easy thing to do for many of us, is it?) So, while I don't prefer to use the somewhat cliche description of the Bible as "THE manual for living," I would at least cite its positive social influences in my own life, despite some of the apparent fictions therein. Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts