Faith, and taking a chance

N

notme2000

The Art Of Fact
Registered Senior Member
To those theists who argue that since there may be a God, why take the chance of rejecting him...

Well, to some of us taking the chance that there isn't a God and living life to it's fullest is more important.

Just thought I'd clear up that issue.
 
Originally posted by notme2000
To those theists who argue that since there may be a God, why take the chance of rejecting him...

Well, to some of us taking the chance that there isn't a God and living life to it's fullest is more important.

Just thought I'd clear up that issue.
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That's great, we can also believe in God and live life to the fullest also.
 
Originally posted by notme2000
To those theists who argue that since there may be a God, why take the chance of rejecting him...

Well, to some of us taking the chance that there isn't a God and living life to it's fullest is more important.

Just thought I'd clear up that issue.

Personally, I like Homer Simpson's solution:

"Suppose we've chosen the wrong god. Every time we go to church we're just making him madder and madder."

~Raithere
 
Chosen, YOU can live life to the fullest through religion. I, however, could not. I am built differently, have different priorities, etc... And this is why I take my chance with there not being a God.
 
Personally, I like Homer Simpson's solution:

"Suppose we've chosen the wrong god. Every time we go to church we're just making him madder and madder."

~Raithere
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Dang! You beat me to it, Raithere!
 
Re: Re: Faith, and taking a chance

Originally posted by Raithere
Personally, I like Homer Simpson's solution:

"Suppose we've chosen the wrong god. Every time we go to church we're just making him madder and madder."

~Raithere
Click to expand...

How does one know if you "chose" the wrong God, the "real one" would get madder and madder? That is only an opinion of God, an interpretation of God, based upon a belief in such a God.

I could also shove a half-assed opinion in this also and say, "Suppose we refuse to chose a God, everytime we don't go to the right church we're just making him madder and madder."

Notice, I would never say such an opinion and call it mine, I personally don't even go to church, such a God being angry won't be worthy of my belief. The problem is, most relate to God as a human, God has emotions, he gets angry, he loves, etc. I believe that all is a bunch of crap. God is above all humans, if God has emotions like humans, God is not God.
 
The thought of a human with god-like powers scares the shit out of me. I mean, imagine the horrors that would be wrought... what if you pissed him off? He could slay you with a thought.

Oh wait, I don't need to imagine! Silly me, I have the BIBLE here with all the horrors I can stomach.
 
Exactly

Originally posted by ThatJerk
The thought of a human with god-like powers scares the shit out of me. I mean, imagine the horrors that would be wrought... what if you pissed him off? He could slay you with a thought.

Oh wait, I don't need to imagine! Silly me, I have the BIBLE here with all the horrors I can stomach.
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The Bible, Gospels and all that are religious interpretations of history. One that argues that the Bible is not history is correct to a certain extent; however, another that argues that the Bible is completely fictional is ignorant of what history really is.

I don't believe in the interpretations of God that the Bible depicts, the God that is described through these religious interpretations.

The Bible is great literature and I don't see how anyone could argue that it is not. I don't think the stories are meant to be taken literally, raher they are all parables trying to conveying a higher meaning. Very intelligent authors wrote the Bible.
 
The Bible, Gospels and all that are religious interpretations of history. One that argues that the Bible is not history is correct to a certain extent; however, another that argues that the Bible is completely fictional is ignorant of what history really is.
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We-e-elll... history... ish... we're not really sure if the Israelites ever WERE in Egypt. It's possible, but there's precious little evidence of that fact, and there's some that they never were. History in the bible is distorted, at best... I'll take my high school text-book, thanks.

I don't believe in the interpretations of God that the Bible depicts, the God that is described through these religious interpretations.
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Good; I'd hate for you to believe in a blood-thirsty mass-murderer.

The Bible is great literature and I don't see how anyone could argue that it is not. I don't think the stories are meant to be taken literally, raher they are all parables trying to conveying a higher meaning. Very intelligent authors wrote the Bible.
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How is it great literature? The Old Testament is a veritable cess-pool of violence, cruelty, sex (some of it incestuous), and intolerance. This is only broken up by deadly boring geneologies and minutiae of how God is to be worshipped. While I have no problem with sex and violence per se, I DO have a problem when Christians claim the bible is a parable of virtue and family values. The New Testament is certainly an improvement, but it still has some glaring problems; Jesus approves of slavery and racism, for example, not to mention promising that cities who turn out his rabble-rousers will be destroyed.

If these are parables then they are advocating that Christians either kill non-believers (O.T. style) or try and convert them and then wait for God to destroy them if they resist (N.T. style). If not literally, then how SHOULD I read, say Deuteronomy, to get the 'higher meaning'? While I certainly don't deny that the bible contains some good advice (don't kill people, be nice to strangers (which is contradicted several times), dont' steal, etc.), the good is grossly out-weighed by the bad; Hitler succeeded in getting Germany back on it's feet from the worst depression imaginable, but he's not upheld as a paragon of virtue; quite the opposite in fact. One good thing doesn't outweigh a legion of bad.

Oh, and please explain why you believe the bible's authors were intelligent. They should have, at the very least, got a competant continuity editor; whoever hacked that job sure messed it up royally. Want examples? There are many to choose from.
 
Re: Re: Faith, and taking a chance

Originally posted by ~The_Chosen~
That's great, we can also believe in God and live life to the fullest also.
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HECK YEAH your right the chosen. People are being lied to when they think living a christian life is troubl-esome, it just depends what is troublesome to you, does it trouble you to love, to visit the lonely, comfort the deppressed, sing praising songs, live peacefully, in abundance of happiness, no fear of death, confident in all things you do knowing God is on your side, if this is hard for you to do, then I guess you are not called to be a christian, otherwise being a believer has given me ABUNDANT LIFE TO ITS FULLEST, I may not have millions of dollars BUT I HAVE ALL I NEED AND I ENJOY EVERYTHING I HAVE, I am fully saitisfied, I love sports, I play, I sing, I help, I love, and I suffer and cry together with my poor brothers as well, I share my bro and sisters suffering. Life with Christ is the best for all and a true life. INDEED JESUS IS THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE, I DONT KNOW ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS THAT IS NOT WHY I WANT TO FOLLOW JESUS, I WANT TO FOLLOW HIS MORAL VALUES AND GOOD VIRTUES, AND IF ETERNAL LIFE GOES ALONG WITH IT, THEN I GUESS BE IT, BUT THATS NOT IMPORTANT, WHATS IMPORTANT IS I ENJOY LIFE NOW TO ITS FULLEST. Physically and emotionally.
 
Muscle Man, I am not claiming a christian can't enjoy life to the fullest, I'm just saying that way doesn't work for me, personally. I help the wounded, depressed, lonely, etc... You don't need religion to do that. I am not against religion. If it works for you, then by all means, do it. All I was pointing out is that it doesn't work for me. I'm not an evil person. I agree with Jesus' values (except a few) but I just don't worship him. I may be wrong and go to hell for not accepting his salavation, but concidering the odds, from my point of view, it's worth the risk.
 
HECK YEAH your right the chosen. People are being lied to when they think living a christian life is troubl-esome, it just depends what is troublesome to you, does it trouble you to love, to visit the lonely, comfort the deppressed, sing praising songs, live peacefully, in abundance of happiness, no fear of death, confident in all things you do knowing God is on your side, if this is hard for you to do, then I guess you are not called to be a christian, otherwise being a believer has given me ABUNDANT LIFE TO ITS FULLEST, I may not have millions of dollars BUT I HAVE ALL I NEED AND I ENJOY EVERYTHING I HAVE,
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Does anyone ever wonder if this guy is not some form of fundie spam-bot?

YOUR PRIEST IS A LIAR AND YOUR GOD IS DEAD! The day of the serpent is nigh when your god will be denied you will burn in the flames of the hell you created while hordes of demonic legions sweep over a blackened and corrupt earth brining terror and destruction in their wake BLASPHEME THE GHOST SELL YOUR SOUL your satanic father is calling you to drown in the pleasures of degraded flesh without hope of heaven without redemption AVE SATANIS AVE SATANIS AVE SATANIS!
 
A perfect example of how different athiests can be... Muscleman, I hope you don't think all athiests are like Xev. I respect your choice, I just ask you respect mine as well.
 
Nope, not all athiests are like me. Some are prudish twits with no sense of humour who haven't had a bowel movement since the Triassic period (see above).

Most of the ones who attend my Black Masses are like me, though.
 
Xev, I have a sense of humor, I do! But Muscle Man does not, on the given topic, and I'm only trying to instill some tolerance in to him. I found your post very funny. Though the bowell movement one makes me sad :( , but I'll cope.
 
RAPE THE HOLY VIRGIN!

Sorry. I get all tense from WORSHIPPING THE DARK LORD.

I should go to bed, it gets tiresome when I FOLLOW THE LEFT HAND PATH!
 
Also, it should be said that some of us have realized that trying to persuade theists into the grand lifestyle that is atheism is a gigantic waste of time. So, we joke and laugh.

That, and if I did try to put forth my points, Cris would come along and explain my points far more articulately than I anyway.
 
Exactly. If she actually believed what she was saying there then she wouldn't be an atheist. :)

Problem is, the church has done such a good job of propoganda that the term 'atheist' has come to mean someone who is evil, deluded, or a Satanist.

Which makes it all the more fun to yank muscleman's chain.
 
Ridiculing the way of another, what does that accomplish? Xev it sounds like you have some pent up hostility, your an atheist go jerk off :D (Put that left hand to good use)

Xev I have read many intelligent posts from you in the past. If some one is ignorant is it really there fault? Or have they only just leared steps one through three when your already on eight. Not to say I agree or disagree with you Xev. We are all ignorant in some form or another.

Do any of you here know the truth? I sure as hell don't. Every individual on this planet most likley has one or two lessons to teach you. You may not learn the lesson that they intend to teach you but hey you learn something. Isn't that what the search is all about?

If your an atheist why does the church concern you?
 
The only honest answer.

Why, I know the truth.

The world is as we can percieve it with our five senses (and now with more efficient instruments as science progresses). When science answers the 'how' and 'why' of one thing 100 more questions arise.

The only intellectually honest answer any person can give when asked "why did the universe begin?" or "what's after death?" is this.

I don't know.

It takes a mature individual indeed to admit, honestly and openly, that they simply don't have the answers.
"If you're so smart, why did the universe begin?"
"*shrug* I don't know. Nobody does."

It takes an even bigger person to leave the question open, rather than attempt to fill the void with wild claims.
"Well, what do YOU think happened, then?"
"*shrug* I have no way of knowing. I can conjecture until the end of time and I still won't be any closer to knowing, so why bother?"

What more is there?
 
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