How Real Is Christianity?

midnight rain · 04-04-2009, 10:28 PM

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Originally Posted by sleepy jack

Then explain how a man can survive his own death. Explain how a man can build an boat and fit every species that exists now (evolution isn't real after all) and has become extinct in the past 5000 years on this boat in addition to a family that only a short less than 5000 years later spawned enough to create billions of descendants. Explain how this same man could live well past his mid-hundreds. Explain how the Earth is only 6000 years old. Explain how the polar ice caps are melting despite Genesis saying only God can destroy the Earth. Explain every claim in the Bible that goes against what we know about how the universe, and more specifically the planet earth, operates. Why don't you prove to me, either empirically or logically, the existence of god

Alot of what you said is represented figuratively in the Bible

Plus, all these 'facts' are more than effective in proving who has faith and who doesn't. It's part of His Plan

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and then explain to me why this all powerful being would have any interest in the human race and why he would want to punish them based on trite issues that he has deemed "moral or immoral." Maybe once you can do this I'll stop treating the views of Christians as such a joke.

You think anyone has the mind capacity to do that? God wouldn't be much if we could easily understand his motives, would he?

And where's all the Christians on these boards?

All these atheists and agnostics think they're so non-conformist, when in fact all I see in today's youth are non-believers

midnight rain · 04-04-2009, 10:31 PM

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Originally Posted by cardboard adolescent

Can't we all just agree to ignore the ridiculous parts of the Bible? Obviously the parts that are true are the parts that speak to you. How's this for a definition of God: "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 Jn 4:16)

it's all about reading between the lines. look past the extravagances that are there to pull you in and see where they're pulling you.

Agreed, I see far more good then bad coming from religion. Does it bother you all so much that people can have faith and waste a Sunday morning?

People seem to like getting hung up on the nut cases that spawn from religion as well, the molesting priests for example?

Well how about we compare that to the number of non-believers that commit crimes?

sleepy jack · 04-04-2009, 10:36 PM

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Originally Posted by zzz

Alot of what you said is represented figuratively in the Bible

Really? So Jesus surviving his own death, which is a belief at the very heart of Christianity is just figurative?

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Plus, all these 'facts' are more than effective in proving who has faith and who doesn't. It's part of His Plan

You keep using the same cookie cutter taught in Sunday school cop out answers. "It's faith!" "It's part of his plan!" It amuses me how much you demand of my arguments but how you little you offer in return.

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You think anyone has the mind capacity to do that? God wouldn't be much if we could easily understand his motives, would he?

Let me get this straight, you're shocked that I would demand that of you yet you demand the very same thing of me despite the fact that I claim no belief. Makes perfect sense.

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All these atheists and agnostics think they're so non-conformist, when in fact all I see in today's youth are non-believers

A generalization; I see just as many wannabe nihilistic atheists as I do sheep like Christians.

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People seem to like getting hung up on the nut cases that spawn from religion as well, the molesting priests for example?

Probably because the Catholic church has try and hide these cases (and there are very very many) and move the Priests around to avoid investigation on the matter. It's a very sick thing they're doing and the fact you're trying to dismiss it as just a "few nutcases" is disingenuous.

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Well how about we compare that to the number of non-believers that commit crimes? The percentages are much higher for non-believers

Where's your source for that?

SATCHMO · 04-04-2009, 10:39 PM

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Originally Posted by zzz

And where's all the Christians on these boards?

We scared them away with our superior intellect

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Originally Posted by zzz

All these atheists and agnostics think they're so non-conformist, when in fact all I see in today's youth are non-believers

Perhaps there's something more to it than the pursuit of non-comformity then.

midnight rain · 04-04-2009, 10:45 PM

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Originally Posted by sleepy jack

Really? So Jesus surviving his own death, which is a belief at the very heart of Christianity is just figurative?

I said alot, not all of what you said. The Earth being 6,000 years old for example. I believe when it says in the Bible, "on the first day... second day... etc" it's using days to symbolize years and years, you see what I'm saying?

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You keep using the same cookie cutter taught in Sunday school cop out answers. "It's faith!" "It's part of his plan!" It amuses me you seem to think

Well I don't know what else to say, besides it being the very foundation of Christian belief. You can't avoid it when discussing Christianity

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A generalization; I see just as many wannabe nihilistic atheists as I do sheep like Christians.

Sure it's a generalization, but I wasn't speaking on your behalf, more the atheists I know who live by fact but can't present it when I ask for proof of God's existence. Just a random, frustrated comment thrown in to vent.

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Probably because the Catholic church has try and hide these cases (and there are very very many) and move the Priests around to avoid investigation on the matter. It's a very sick thing they're doing and the fact you're trying to dismiss it as just a "few nutcases" is disingenuous.

They hide it because they want to set a good example. Shockingly enough, there are phonies who pretend to follow the Lord. Their actions will have consequences in the form of divine retribution

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Where's your source for that?

Don't have one, that's why I edited that part out

However, based on purely observation I still agree with what I said

Blue · 04-04-2009, 10:51 PM

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Originally Posted by zzz

Sure it's a generalization, but I wasn't speaking on your behalf, more the atheists I know who live by fact but can't present it when I ask for proof of God's existence. Just a random, frustrated comment thrown in to vent.

I understand you say you don't have to prove anything because it's a matter of faith, but how can you claim someone who doesn't believe has to prove the non-existence when you don't have to prove the existence?

sleepy jack · 04-04-2009, 10:53 PM

I'm not going to do this point for point thing as apparently it annoys many people. Religion can lay no claims to morality though; it existed before the advent of monotheism. You can't look at a murderer and go "well he was an atheist" and leave it at that. There were other ideas operative there that drove him to murder, be they greed or envy. I'm so sick of Evangelicals looking at secularists and claiming them to be immoral. I've never heard of a murder driven by skeptical inquiry. I have however heard of the crusades.

Secondly your arguments are all some of the most arrogant I've heard. Not only all they are faith based and anecdotal, as opposed to fact based but they're vague and can be applied to anything. I can tell you right now that I think you're Mary Tofts reincarnated and you've returned to this life to try and atone for your previous sins of deception. I can tell you that is a metaphysical claim and I have no proof for it because it's faith based. Now why don't you prove to me that I am wrong.

midnight rain · 04-04-2009, 10:55 PM

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Originally Posted by Blue

I understand you say you don't have to prove anything because it's a matter of faith, but how can you claim someone who doesn't believe has to prove the non-existence when you don't have to prove the existence?

As stated before, Atheists base everything they do off facts. They say God doesn't exist because there's no evidence of his existence.

But to say God doesn't exist, you have to be sure of it right? That means you need facts to support his non-existance, and we all know atheists and facts are a match made in heaven (or whatever atheists consider a utopia)

Terrible Lizard · 04-04-2009, 10:56 PM

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Originally Posted by zzz

As stated before, Atheists base everything they do off facts. They say God doesn't exist because there's no evidence of his existence.

But to say God doesn't exist, you have to be sure of it right? That means you need facts to support his non-existance, and we all know atheists and facts are a match made in heaven (or whatever atheists consider a utopia)

Atheists are smart enough to realize Utopia would be a worse hell to endure.

Blue · 04-04-2009, 10:56 PM

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Originally Posted by zzz

I ask atheists on this board one question, are you 100% sure there is no God?

I'm not sure I'm an atheist per say, but no, you can never be sure of anything like that, and that goes for both sides of the fence; one who doesn't believe can't be 100% certain there is no God, and one who does can't be 100% certain there is because we will never know. Only if you choose to never question yourself and your own beliefs can you be "certain," which would be a big flaw if you ask me. I just think it's extremely improbable because the basis for God would be of a supernatural phenomenon, which I just find extremely unlikely. I see no reason to believe it.