God...whatever!

[jayleew]

You have heard of Him though, you see the world around you, you can easily believe in Him.

I've also heard that a corked bats make you hit farther. Did anyone catch the last Mythbusters?

If it were easy to believe in God, why don't I believe? God, and what I know from the Bible, are comforting thoughts that any person would want to believe. But, that does not give any credit to their validity.

The Bible talks about times when God was silent for generations, like the time before Jesus Christ was born (if there was in fact a Jesus). If God is silent, and the belief was not properly passed down to the next generation, and the first-hand accounts were not retold, how can we believe? The Bible just does not have credence. What gives a historical document credence?

I just think that if there is a god, then it would better serve its purpose (for all) to know that it does in fact exist. Believers could live strengthened knowing the promises in the Bible. Seekers could become believers. And those that didn't want any part of it could embrace that too, accepting their fate in exchange for having the option to live according to their own rules (moral or not).

It's rather like being born, not knowing your parents. The people who raise you, tell you about what your parents wanted for your life and that they love you very much. When push came to shove, do you think it is wise to listen to the parents that you never knew? What if the people who raised you lied?

How fair is it then if the parents came back and said to the child, "You did not listen to me, even though I was not there physically for you...you did not prepare your life to live in my house...away with you."

How helpful is it when you are going through a tough time, and someone one-thousand miles away says, "I love you, I know what you are going through." How much better is it for someone to be face-to-face to comfort and help through the situation? If someone is there for you in this fashion, how much more apt are you to trust them?

Something fishy here...:bugeye:

 

[Wisdom_Seeker]

What if the people who raised you lied?

This is a fact, not something to be put into a debate, even if they meant well. They were lied, humanity has been lied for centuries, and our parents are no exception.
This doesn´t mean to hate your parents, I say love them, respect them; but the things they taught you since childhood are your obstacles towards inner-realization.

 

[Medicine*Woman]

I've also heard that a corked bats make you hit farther. Did anyone catch the last Mythbusters?

If it were easy to believe in God, why don't I believe? God, and what I know from the Bible, are comforting thoughts that any person would want to believe. But, that does not give any credit to their validity.

The Bible talks about times when God was silent for generations, like the time before Jesus Christ was born (if there was in fact a Jesus). If God is silent, and the belief was not properly passed down to the next generation, and the first-hand accounts were not retold, how can we believe? The Bible just does not have credence. What gives a historical document credence?

I just think that if there is a god, then it would better serve its purpose (for all) to know that it does in fact exist. Believers could live strengthened knowing the promises in the Bible. Seekers could become believers. And those that didn't want any part of it could embrace that too, accepting their fate in exchange for having the option to live according to their own rules (moral or not).

It's rather like being born, not knowing your parents. The people who raise you, tell you about what your parents wanted for your life and that they love you very much. When push came to shove, do you think it is wise to listen to the parents that you never knew? What if the people who raised you lied?

How fair is it then if the parents came back and said to the child, "You did not listen to me, even though I was not there physically for you...you did not prepare your life to live in my house...away with you."

How helpful is it when you are going through a tough time, and someone one-thousand miles away says, "I love you, I know what you are going through." How much better is it for someone to be face-to-face to comfort and help through the situation? If someone is there for you in this fashion, how much more apt are you to trust them?

Something fishy here...:bugeye:

*************
M*W: Welcome back, jayleew! I just want to say that I am impressed with your new wisdom. I'm glad you came back to share it with us.

 

[lightgigantic]

jayleew

If it were easy to believe in God, why don't I believe?

maybe you are good at making things complicated

God, and what I know from the Bible, are comforting thoughts that any person would want to believe. But, that does not give any credit to their validity.

such descriptions however may act as an impetus to adopt practices

The Bible talks about times when God was silent for generations, like the time before Jesus Christ was born (if there was in fact a Jesus). If God is silent, and the belief was not properly passed down to the next generation, and the first-hand accounts were not retold, how can we believe? The Bible just does not have credence. What gives a historical document credence?

hence its god's eternal duty to re-establish religious principles amongst a recalcitrant population that has the habit of making things complicated

BG 4.2: This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.

I just think that if there is a god, then it would better serve its purpose (for all) to know that it does in fact exist.

and he does so, without of course infringing on our independence (if we would prefer to teach other things in school, hey that's okay)

Believers could live strengthened knowing the promises in the Bible. Seekers could become believers. And those that didn't want any part of it could embrace that too, accepting their fate in exchange for having the option to live according to their own rules (moral or not).

perhaps god is addressing these issues through enabling us the opportunity to express our independence within the material world

It's rather like being born, not knowing your parents. The people who raise you, tell you about what your parents wanted for your life and that they love you very much. When push came to shove, do you think it is wise to listen to the parents that you never knew? What if the people who raised you lied?

therefore religion is primarily a process about getting to know god

How fair is it then if the parents came back and said to the child, "You did not listen to me, even though I was not there physically for you...you did not prepare your life to live in my house...away with you."

its more a case of we don't want to live with god and the material world is an attempt to secure god's kingdom without god

How helpful is it when you are going through a tough time, and someone one-thousand miles away says, "I love you, I know what you are going through." How much better is it for someone to be face-to-face to comfort and help through the situation?

how sincere is a person who wails for help one moment a year and spends the other 364 days in contempt

If someone is there for you in this fashion, how much more apt are you to trust them?

Something fishy here...

something fishy with this

Heaven n. A place where the wicked cease from troubling you with talk of their personal affairs, and the good listen with attention while you expound your own.

 

[KennyJC]

therefore religion is primarily a process about getting to know god

That's impossible, even should god exist. We have no way of knowing wether or not knowing god exists, so how is it possible to then 'get to know god' (as you put it), without it merely being a construct?

 

[Photizo]

how is it possible to then 'get to know god'

i.e. Study the NT Gospels, in particular, the Person of Jesus.

 

[lightgigantic]

That's impossible, even should god exist. We have no way of knowing wether or not knowing god exists, so how is it possible to then 'get to know god' (as you put it), without it merely being a construct?

how do you know that there is "no way to know god"?

 

[geeser]

i.e. Study the NT Gospels, in particular, the Person of Jesus.

To what!, you have yet to establish a god or a Jesus existed, which is what Kenny was saying, so until such time as you can show a god/Jesus exists, it is nothing but a construct/idea/imaginary.

how do you know that there is "no way to know god"?

Well as you have yet to establish that any person can have direct perception/know a god/gods, it can only remain a construct/idea/imaginary until you can show they exist.

 

[lightgigantic]

geeser
“

Originally Posted by Lg
how do you know that there is "no way to know god"?
”
Well as you have yet to establish that any person can have direct perception/know a god/gods, it can only remain a construct/idea/imaginary until you can show they exist.

never encountered a normative description in scripture, eh?

 

[Enmos]

geeser
“
never encountered a normative description in scripture, eh?

Quit using your scriptures. The scriptures provide no evidence in this because they are questioned aswell.

 

[lightgigantic]

Quit using your scriptures. The scriptures provide no evidence in this because they are questioned aswell.

evidence is arrived at through practice
practice is established from a foundation of theory

Scripture establishes a foundation of theory and recommendations of practice

if you disagree with this it appears you have a wider issue with the nature of acquiring knowledge outside of any issues of religion/god/etc ......
:shrug:

 

[Enmos]

evidence is arrived at through practice
practice is established from a foundation of theory

Scripture establishes a foundation of theory and recommendations of practice

if you disagree with this it appears you have a wider issue with the nature of acquiring knowledge outside of any issues of religion/god/etc ......
:shrug:

Ok i was under the impression you meant religious scripture.. but i guess you didnt then ?

 

[lightgigantic]

Ok i was under the impression you meant religious scripture.. but i guess you didnt then ?

never encountered a normative description in religious scripture, eh?

 

[Enmos]

never encountered a normative description in religious scripture, eh?

So you are refering to religious scriptures... :bugeye:

 

[lightgigantic]

So you are refering to religious scriptures... :bugeye:

you are not going to post something that indicates you have a wider issue with the nature of acquiring knowledge outside of any issues of religion/god/etc .... are you?

 

[Enmos]

you are not going to post something that indicates you have a wider issue with the nature of acquiring knowledge outside of any issues of religion/god/etc .... are you?

No i just came by to tell you the previous. Keep looking for evidence..

 

[geeser]

Scripture establishes a foundation of theory and recommendations of practice

what your doing is a logical fallacy, called a generic fallacy you cant use the same source to verify itself, what extra-sources do you have to verify your beliefs.
I know the answer is none, so do go away and get an education you've been on these boards, for some time now unfortunately, but you've learnt nothing.

 

[KennyJC]

i.e. Study the NT Gospels, in particular, the Person of Jesus.

I could study every word of the gospels and come to the same conclusion. I could study every popular nursery rhyme and still conclude that they are fiction. Jesus, even if he existed, is still almost 100% fiction.

The writers of religious scripture borrow ideas from past scriptures, and liberally embellish new ideas for what they think will help them gain more followers and power. That is it.

how do you know that there is "no way to know god"?

Well, I know one thing for sure - I know a man can not write a document and proclaim "THIS ENABLES ME TO KNOW GOD!"

 

[jayleew]

I could study every word of the gospels and come to the same conclusion. I could study every popular nursery rhyme and still conclude that they are fiction. Jesus, even if he existed, is still almost 100% fiction.

I agree it is fiction until proven. You say "almost". What do you mean?
I know my college history professor used the Bible for historical reference, but how much of the Bible is really based on historical events?

From my knowledge, I have not confirmed any of it aside from some of it being copied from ancient texts and laws. Like sumerian and babylonian texts.

How much of the Bible can be confirmed by duplicate historical accounts?
Does anyone here have real knowledge of these figures?

Well, I know one thing for sure - I know a man can not write a document and proclaim "THIS ENABLES ME TO KNOW GOD!"

As far as knowing a real god from just a document, I see your point. But you can know a fictional character (but in the case of God, not completely).

Someone like me, I know the Christian God in the Bible as much as any average person could, but not in real life because God has not introduced itself.

Your main point is well taken, a document written by man is not enough to embrace a theology as the truth.

 

[Christenstein]

what your doing is a logical fallacy, called a generic fallacy you cant use the same source to verify itself, what extra-sources do you have to verify your beliefs.
I know the answer is none, so do go away and get an education you've been on these boards, for some time now unfortunately, but you've learnt nothing.

The Bible is not one source, but a collection of different sources or books. The last time I checked, the Bible was not written by one person, but many people.

I could study every word of the gospels and come to the same conclusion. I could study every popular nursery rhyme and still conclude that they are fiction. Jesus, even if he existed, is still almost 100% fiction.

If Jesus were to exist, how is He fiction? Could you elaborate?

The writers of religious scripture borrow ideas from past scriptures, and liberally embellish new ideas for what they think will help them gain more followers and power. That is it.

What motive will these people have when Christians were being persecuted. Saint Paul went to jail and remained on house arrest for most of his life. Stephan and others were stoned to death for believing in Christ Jesus. What does it profit all these men and many other figures to go to the death for merely a myth?

Well, I know one thing for sure - I know a man can not write a document and proclaim "THIS ENABLES ME TO KNOW GOD!"

Man did not write the books of the Bible. Man was assisted by the Holy Spirit in writing those books.