WHY do we WANT to believe?

Balerion said:
I doubt very much they're teaching her anything, because if they were, then missing a week wouldn't cause her to suddenly forget all of the lessons she previously learned. It's morel likely that she's getting something out of the community aspect of it. Maybe genuine therapy would help her, especially if she's high-strung. There, she'd actually learn ways to cope with stress that wouldn't require her to attend a meeting every week. It could bring about progress, rather than act as maintenance.

Have you talked to her about therapy?
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It's a process. If she went to a shrink she wouldn't change overnight. I believe church helps her because over the last 2 years of going to this new church that is not so evangelical (ie it is not "you're going to hell" type a church), I've seen changes in her that are good. Things that will make her be self sufficient. But, other things she sees in herself she says she wants to change but stress gets in the way. Going to church reminds her again to keep focused on living better.

She is the type that learns from the community (ie wide-spread affirmation of right living). They sing, show videos about the subject, give a lesson, and show more videos on the subject. The multimedia experience is more effective than someone to talk to. The experience leaves a lasting impression that is good for about a week. The goal is to keep doing the right thing and eventually do it without thinking it. There are more direct routes, but it is working for her.

I do not condone going to church lightly though. It is at your own risk. Blind faith is dangerous. Abraham is my case and point. He would've killed his innocent son, Isaac, at the whim of his god without any hesitation had God not stopped him. How in the world do we excuse that act of Abraham? It sounds like attempted murder, but more heinous because of the innocence of the victim. What's more sick, is Christians say that God approved of this behavior as an act of faith!

There are times when I wonder if things went south, would my wife come home and murder me if she saw me as a threat to her god?
 
jayleew said:
It's a process. If she went to a shrink she wouldn't change overnight. I believe church helps her because over the last 2 years of going to this new church that is not so evangelical (ie it is not "you're going to hell" type a church), I've seen changes in her that are good. Things that will make her be self sufficient. But, other things she sees in herself she says she wants to change but stress gets in the way. Going to church reminds her again to keep focused on living better.
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You know more about the situation than I do, but it seems like if she's dependent on church to keep her head straight, she probably needs some kind of help. She could even do both.

She is the type that learns from the community (ie wide-spread affirmation of right living). They sing, show videos about the subject, give a lesson, and show more videos on the subject. The multimedia experience is more effective than someone to talk to. The experience leaves a lasting impression that is good for about a week. The goal is to keep doing the right thing and eventually do it without thinking it. There are more direct routes, but it is working for her.
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I don't know how much stock I'd put in the church's idea of "right living," but if it works, it works.

I do not condone going to church lightly though. Blind faith is dangerous. Abraham is my case and point. He would've killed his innocent son, Isaac, at the whim of his god without any hesitation had God not stopped him. How in the world do we excuse that act of Abraham? It sounds like attempted murder, but more heinous because of the innocence of the victim.
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That, and the fact that this god would test its people in such a cruel way. It's gross.
 
jayleew said:
This is Jan's fallacy at work. His object is to obfuscate the issue and then claim you are dodging the question. Then, your arguments will be dissected to the point where the meanings are lost and you are left with single arguments that do not make sense out of context. It is a good strategy that anyone can employ, but it is dishonest and unproductive. Either ignore or speak succinctly or you will be faced with a mountain of questions that have little to do with the point of the statement you made. It's smoke and mirrors.
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Only if you want to prevail over Jan. Then you indeed face an uphill battle.
 
wynn said:
Only if you want to prevail over Jan. Then you indeed face an uphill battle.
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Prevailing over Jan's argument is easy. The difficulty lies in parsing it from all the rhetoric and noise.

Prevailing over his ignorance, however, is another matter entirely.
 
Balerion said:
Prevailing over Jan's argument is easy. The difficulty lies in parsing it from all the rhetoric and noise.

Prevailing over his ignorance, however, is another matter entirely.
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If one wants to prevail over others, one has already been prevailed.
 
If believing means that I must accept scripture as true, then I no longer want to believe. I'm sickened the more I think about how evil God is, as depicted in the Bible. Killing and asking to kill innocent children for no potential ethical benefit is where I underscore the line.
 
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