Storm Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 I have been reading through some of the old debate forums and I've noticed that there hasn't been anything currently posted in there in some time. I will admit to ignorance regarding my next line of questioning, but, I am guessing that there hasn't been much challenging going on (with the exception of barnacleben). So I pose this question: Has there ever been someone who posed a good actual point regarding christianity or biblegod? Is there any actual meat on the skeleton of Christianity? or has everyone been pretty much shot down and sent packing with their tails between their legs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted July 26, 2013 Super Moderator Share Posted July 26, 2013 Has there ever been someone who posed a good actual point regarding christianity or biblegod? Not that I'm aware of. The problem is that religious beliefs rely on faith, which by definition excludes proofs and evidence. History, archaeology, biology, cosmology, neuroscience, physics and logic itself do not support any religious beliefs. Generally, the Christians who try to prove their god is real and their dogma correct have to rely on the Bible, and in reality, that's not reliable in any sense. What they try to do is the only thing they can do and that is argue dogma from Scripture. Of course we get the classic Pascal's Wager, Goldilocks, etc. arguments frequently; those can't go anywhere either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centauri Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Most of the apologetics have been rehashed many times but the transcripts are buried in threads that have rolled off. There have been many strident apologists that have passed through, all convinced they were "True Christians". Usually, the debates devolve quickly into mere repetition because in the mind of just about every apologist, they equate repetition to validation. There are some questions they cannot answer, and when that happens they plead special exemption, miracles, or concoct some other rationalization. In my opinion, these types of threads are most useful to lurkers, as the regulars have plowed these fields many times and have endured dozens of preachers. When they eventually move on to more fertile fields for their preaching, they make sure to inform unbelievers that they (Ex-Christians) have no real understanding of God, the Bible, Jesus, etc. Some of the more notable apologists and preachers have been LNC, Thumbelina, Rayskidude, and Ordinary Clay. There are many others but those names come to mind immediately. Some of them come back from time to time and start the whole process and topics all over again. That's actually a popular tactic that they use. You might search their postings to get an idea of the apologetics presented. In the end, it's just a game where one person tries to force their reality on others using a "holy" tool to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 It's all bible-babble. They just can't fathom that we dont consider their big book of Jewish fairy tales as fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Has there ever been a single Xtian who came here to argue, bu instead deconverted because of the points made in exchristain? (I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to that.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExCBooster Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Wow, Norm, that's a really good question... this board aside, I've been arguing with Christians literally my entire life. Still not Christian. To my mind, the problem is that they're trying to win people over, and they need BETTER evidence than anyone else... and the Bible just doesn't cut it, any better than any other holy book. (And there are lots of those.) So, as far as independent proof goes, they don't have a lot. They have faith, and, frankly, my philosophical approach to the world doesn't allow faith as proof. It's not exactly independent, either: lots of other people, who don't believe what they do, have faith too. So, do Christians make better, more humane people than others? (That's pretty much what's left.) Uh, no. Not at all. In my experience, everybody - no matter what they believe - are statistically pretty much the same, in how good to other people they are. Ren, or humanity, is a basic guiding concept in Confucianism (basically, being to enact empathy). Charity is not just a good idea, but a pillar of the faith and requirement in Islam. Honestly, a very real factor is that the Christians inclined to go door to door and shove bibles in your face are the very ones relying on faith above everything else, and so are prevented quite solidly from ever examining, getting familiar with, or building an argument based on evidence. Just can't do it. In my experience, in a real argument, and not against a strawman - the Christian side is doomed to lose. (If you're prevented from even researching the other side of a debate because you might catch demon cooties, of course you'll fail.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skepticalme Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 For the theology aspect no, it's just myth and superstition. Much of the philosophy has merit; treating others as you want to be treated, showing kindness and mercy to others, etc. These are good morals, but they aren't unique to christianity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
directionless Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 I'm surprised by the absence of any testimonials as evidence. Of course testimonials aren't good evidence but they are weak evidence. I suppose they believe the Holy Spirit miraculously makes people believe the gospel with no evidence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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