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franciscan - again you say nothing new
You even drag out the old tired ploy of saying that you were once an atheist to suggest that you know my mindset. If you had lived your life up until being "born again" with an absolute self confidence in your beliefs, you would not have been born again. The need or void would not have existed. I also find it mildly insulting that you would attempt to compare my convictions with your thinking as a teenager. You cannot possibly have any idea what it is like to live a life of absolute self reliance, self confidence, while perpetually in the pursuit of self improvement. You give credit for all of these things to your invisible friends.
And please don't tell me that the church you attend does not advance the notion of non believers being inferior. If it is not done in a blatant and forthright manner, it is at the very least and most certainly proliferated in a subtle manner.
posted by
gomedome
on May 15, 2006 at 9:56 PM
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Gomedome, I agree that no one should impose their beliefs on you. We're to witness.
Paragraph 3; As a Catholic I've never known my religion to state or imply that non-believers are inferior in character etc. I'm sure there are atheists and agnostics who are on a higher moral level [as God would see it] than some believing Christians. As for the quality of life let me just say when one is in a relationship with one's greatest Friend, the Triune God, amazing things happen; graces, miracles, moments of true warmth that have touched more deeply than any human friend has touched and yes, those amazing coincidences.
p.4 Garnering approval? Are we doing that?
p.7 I was atheistic in my late teens and let me tell you dawg, you are absolutely NOT privy to what believers experience. My life until my born again experience was purely on the natural plane. [as I experienced it. If God was setting me up for the born again experience then I didn't know it] See below why you don't want to deny miracles.
p.8 Nuances. People who have these discussions are mostly rational humans with five senses. We experience mostly what you do in an awake state of mind.
From 'The Handbook of Christian Apolegetics' p. 110. "First, there is no defense against miracles in God's nature, no assurance that God would not work a miracle. For if there is a God, he is omnipotent [cf. chap. 4], and thus able to work miracles. Whether he would freely choose to do so or not is not a matter we can know a priori, for it would depend on his free choice. An omnipotent God could not be compelled to work or not work a miracle. So there is no obstacle to miracles in God. If there is a God, miracles are possible.
posted by
franciscan
on May 15, 2006 at 5:16 PM
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NOPEACE - I have to go play hockey right now but I may just answer your
comment in a post later on.
posted by
gomedome
on May 15, 2006 at 1:55 PM
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Gome
But what type of Education has led you to doubt the belief of God, what type of world travel had led you to doubt the belief of God, What science has led you to doubt the belief of God. You say I'm brainwashed, but in turn I could easily say that you are brainwashed by the ways and intellect of this world and not open to exploring the thought that there may actually BE a God. You brought up all those points but gave very little substance. I'm trying to understand what makes a person such as yourself doubt that there is an actual God, I'm not trying to MAKE you believe what I believe. And in turn if you are interesting in understanding why I believe what I believe, I'll be more than happy to share that with you because I know that you cant make me NOT believe in God.
posted by
NOPEACE
on May 15, 2006 at 1:47 PM
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NOPEACE -- here's the problem with you asking me to have a simple
discussion concerning religion.
You are completely and utterly brainwashed, I am not. There are countless reasons why I do not believe in a "traditionally defined God", which includes the Christian version of God. All of these reasons are derived from education, an understanding of basic scientific principles and a bit of world travel has factored in as well.
posted by
gomedome
on May 15, 2006 at 1:42 PM
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Gome
Without the sarcasm from both you and me, lets have a true discussion. Why do you not believe in God?
posted by
NOPEACE
on May 15, 2006 at 1:34 PM
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NOPEACE - you have finally figured out how the "caps lock" button works
As for your comment, there is not much for a thinking person to address. You offer simple observations as a means of insisting that your omnipotent sky daddy exists. Then of course you condemn those you have no hope of ever comprehending to hell.. . . as usual your comment makes sense only to you and a few others that have suffered severe cranial trauma......too funny.
posted by
gomedome
on May 15, 2006 at 1:29 PM
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What a Load
I can understand a person saying I don't believe in God because they have no understanding of what God has done or what God does for them. I can even understand a person for saying they don't believe in God because they never seen him. But any person with an open mind would give thought to the existence of a greater being than themselves.
How else could the world and universe have come into existence, how can you explain the very basics of man developing a set of laws if there were no God, who else keeps the earth rotating around the sun among many other scientific elements that are occuring within the world.
There are many people who walk around saying "what's the meaning of life, why are we hear." These are the people who don't know God, for if they did, they WOULD know the meaning of life and why we are hear.
I feel sorry for those who live their lives empty believing that man is the greatest of things in existence because they all reap the same reward in the end. An eternity to burn in hell and recount all the times the blasphamied God's name and existence and belittled those who believed in him.
posted by
NOPEACE
on May 15, 2006 at 1:17 PM
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Gome -
Well said!
posted by
sannhet
on May 15, 2006 at 8:40 AM
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As always, I enjoy your wit and logic
and do patently agree.
posted by
Schatz
on May 15, 2006 at 7:49 AM
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