Zone1 Why do you need gods?

[presonorek]

Did Aesop's fables speak truths?

No. Animals can’t talk.

 

[Cardinal Carminative]

Atheism is ultimately a path to suicide.

Ironically enough for some people religion is a path to great pain. Things you wouldn't understand but exist out in the world.

Enjoy your faith! If it brings you happiness and peace that's cool. It doesn't do that for everyone.

 

[Cardinal Carminative]

It's nice that you worry about me

I don't care about YOU, per se. I care about intellectual property rights. (Remember our earlier discussion where it became clear you don't understand how patents work? Yeah, copyright is also intellectual property. )

You should not add "theft" to your collection of sins.

 

[presonorek]

Ironically enough for some people religion is a path to great pain. Things you wouldn't understand but exist out in the world.

Enjoy your faith! If it brings you happiness and peace that's cool. It doesn't do that for everyone.

I don’t believe the god of the Bible exists. If He doesn’t then I have a hard time believing He is the only god that exists. My point is that life doesn’t matter. If you spend too much time focusing on the reality that life doesn’t matter then suicide ultimately becomes the only solution especially if you have a difficult life.

Atheism is a very dangerous philosophy but a logical one.

 

[ding]

Atheism is ultimately a path to suicide. You are right about that but that doesn’t mean god exists. If someone robbed my house every month and I chose to believe it wasn’t going to happen again for my own peace of mind, that wouldn’t make it true or logical.

I don't know that atheism is a path to suicide. I just know there's nothing there to stimulate one's intellect at all. How can it? It doesn't attempt to investigate any of the origin questions.

And that statement was never meant to prove the existence of God. If the universe popping into existence hardwired to produce intelligence - which is decidedly an unnatural universe - doesn't give you pause, I doubt anything will.

 

[ding]

I don't care about YOU, per se. I care about intellectual property rights. (Remember our earlier discussion where it became clear you don't understand how patents work? Yeah, copyright is also intellectual property. )

You should not add "theft" to your collection of sins.

So no linking to websites anymore or posting quotes from websites?

 

[presonorek]

I don't know that atheism is a path to suicide. I just know there's nothing there to stimulate one's intellect at all. How can it? It doesn't attempt to investigate any of the origin questions.

And that statement was never meant to prove the existence of God. If the universe popping into existence hardwired to produce intelligence - which is decidedly an unnatural universe - doesn't give you pause, I doubt anything will.

I’m not an atheist in general. I’m just an atheist of all the gods I have heard of so far.

 

[presonorek]

I don't know that atheism is a path to suicide. I just know there's nothing there to stimulate one's intellect at all. How can it? It doesn't attempt to investigate any of the origin questions.

And that statement was never meant to prove the existence of God. If the universe popping into existence hardwired to produce intelligence - which is decidedly an unnatural universe - doesn't give you pause, I doubt anything will.

I think you and I both agree that the god in the Bible doesn’t exist.

 

[Cardinal Carminative]

So no linking to websites anymore or posting quotes from websites?

No, it's that you shouldn't quote entire chapters or extremely large blocks of the text. Some fora actually put a limit on how large a block you can quote.

You did good in that you put your reference there but it was not clear where your commentary ended and the quote began. (That's just poor form, due to a lack of education or experience in writing papers).

In reality it is unlikely anything bad would happen, just be careful.

 

[ding]

In reality I read it as just more propaganda from an ancient society trying to describe its "victories" and who it has destroyed. I assume a lot of it is made up.

Apparently I have higher standards than you. Because I do research before I assume something is made up. Every historical account in the Bible is describing a historical event. They used embellishment for several purposes but the underlying history is correct. Something happened.

 

[ding]

I think you and I both agree that the god in the Bible doesn’t exist.

We do not agree on that. Your problem is how you read the Bible.

 

[Cardinal Carminative]

I don't know that atheism is a path to suicide. I just know there's nothing there to stimulate one's intellect at all.

That's because you have almost no actual education.

How can it? It doesn't attempt to investigate any of the origin questions.

No, it does, it just doesn't invoke magical invisible sky beings. The difference is sometimes the answer is "I don't know". But religion brooks no answer like that.

And that statement was never meant to prove the existence of God. If the universe popping into existence hardwired to produce intelligence - which is decidedly an unnatural universe - doesn't give you pause, I doubt anything will.

"Hardwired to produce intelligence". There's no evidence for this claim.

 

[Meriweather]

God is presumably powerful enough to NOT hide his truths in some unfamiliar language and social structure, hidden behind the words of another flawed human.

Do you see my point here? Yes, it is good to appreciate that the Bible is written by a foreign group, both linguistically, socially and temporally. But what does that say about the nature of God?

I find if we want to know someone, simply reading about them is a poor substitute for meeting them ourselves. I always recommend seeking and finding God, and then reading the Bible. Also, knowing that God is goodness and love helps center us on God, not any story.

 

[presonorek]

That's because you have almost no actual education.



No, it does, it just doesn't invoke magical invisible sky beings. The difference is sometimes the answer is "I don't know". But religion brooks no answer like that.


"Hardwired to produce intelligence". There's no evidence for this claim.

I don’t know is an easy conclusion to make. I’m not sure why Christians have such a hard time with it. Certainty is always demanded and asserted by Christians. It’s funny. There is a lot I don’t know and I have no reason to pretend I do.

 

[ding]

But then I don't see evidence for God's existence. Unfortunately for those who DO believe in God they must accept either that God of the OT was a lot more bloodthirsty and has now "changed" OR they must accept that large swaths of the initial stories of God were simply made up.

If they were made up I don't see reason to believe in God.

And yet here you are discussing something you don't believe. Your actions belie your words.

 

[Cardinal Carminative]

Apparently I have higher standards than you. Because I do research before I assume something is made up.

I'm sure you do.

Every historical account in the Bible is describing a historical event.

So you DO worship a God that commands genocide and you do so willingly.

They used embellishment for several purposes but the underlying history is correct. Something happened.

What is the difference between "embellishment" and "lie"?

If you wish to get God off the hook for the genocides and murder he commands in the OT by suggesting "embellishment" then you must have a way to determine which ones are lies and which ones are "historical events" as you claim.

(There's a lot in the OT that lacks archeological evidence so I'm more than willing to accept that a big chunk of the Pentateuch is wholesale made up but I'm curious how someone is a Believer and still has to figure out which parts of the holy book are lies.)

 

[ding]

So what other parts of the Bible are lies and made up? Was the story of Jesus also made up?

Why not just toss all the discussion of invisible beings in the sky altogether? If you don't like the bloodshed God appears to command in the OT why not just toss the whole concept?

Why do you care?

 

[Cardinal Carminative]

And yet here you are discussing something you don't believe. Your actions belie your words.

Given the DECADES of time I spent investigating my faith journey, reading theology, attending church, going to philosophy classes I think I've more than earned a right to talk about faith.

I find it interesting that you are SO uneducated that you can't talk about a topic without fully believing in it. Very limited.

 

[ding]

So you DO worship a God that commands genocide and you do so willingly.

I'm not bound to your interpretations.

 

[Cardinal Carminative]

Why do you care?

I've already explained it to you.

If you are unable to deal with someone who doesn't believe as you do perhaps you should put me on "ignore" so you don't have to see my blasphemies.