God, the devil, and your neighbor

[NuMessJew]

Originally posted by ebenz47037


That's okay. We're allowed to disagree. I will tell you how I feel about it and you tell me how you feel about it. No problem. I don't act morally because of God or heaven. I treat others how I want to be treated. I put myself on a high moral standard because I grew up watching people who did the opposite. Sure, I believe in God and heaven. But, that's not why I act the way I do. But, the Bible is a great blue-print on how I should act.

And, Godless One, I think I like you. You speak your mind, yet you're respectful about it.

"I treat others how I want to be treated. "
Sounds very religious to me..." Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" In fact is sounds downright religious.

NuMessJew

 

[NuMessJew]

Originally posted by Godless_One


I also understand the fact that there are things unable to be explained by science, but I'm not going to rush to a conclusion by throwing in an idea of God to suddenly make anything possible. There could be a completely scientific explanation to the creation of the universe, but there's no sure way of knowing, so I'm not going to attach myself to any theories yet.

Please explain what you mean by god?

NuMessJew

 

[Goose]

Originally posted by Godless_One


I also understand the fact that there are things unable to be explained by science, but I'm not going to rush to a conclusion by throwing in an idea of God to suddenly make anything possible. There could be a completely scientific explanation to the creation of the universe, but there's no sure way of knowing, so I'm not going to attach myself to any theories yet.

Have you studied this is respect of the Laws of Thermodynamics?

 

[billwald]

"There could be a completely scientific explanation to the creation of the universe, but there's no sure way of knowing, so I'm not going to attach myself to any theories yet."

1. This is an agnostic, no an athiestic position.

2. Thermodynamics has nothing to do with the problem of first cause. This is a humbug raised by people who understand neither thermo or or the problem first cause. (Years ago I understood both but now every day I get a little stupider. Sign of old age. <G>)

 

[shilohproject]

Originally posted by billwald

Thermodynamics has nothing to do with the problem of first cause. This is a humbug raised by people who understand neither thermo or or the problem first cause.

This is exactly right.

(Years ago I understood both but now every day I get a little stupider. Sign of old age. <G>)

Me too!

 

[ebenz47037]

Originally posted by NuMessJew


"I treat others how I want to be treated. "
Sounds very religious to me..." Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" In fact is sounds downright religious.

NuMessJew

But, I've been doing this since before I became a Christian. I didn't know it was in the Bible (never opened it before I became a Christian) until I became a Christian.

I grew up seeing too many people live by their own version of the golden rule: Do unto others before they do unto you. I didn't want to be that way. I felt that I would get along better in life if I treated people the way I wanted to be treated.

 

[NuMessJew]

Originally posted by ebenz47037


But, I've been doing this since before I became a Christian. I didn't know it was in the Bible (never opened it before I became a Christian) until I became a Christian.

I grew up seeing too many people live by their own version of the golden rule: Do unto others before they do unto you. I didn't want to be that way. I felt that I would get along better in life if I treated people the way I wanted to be treated.

Very nice.

NuMessJew

 

[.Ant]

Here's what the survey really means

Here's what the survey really means

This is what your friends and neighbors believe in:

* God (as in he/she/it is a nice idea): 90 percent
* Miracles (as in things that are hard to explain, with a dash of political correctness): 89 percent
* Survival of the soul after death (as in, I don't want to die, it must be true): 84 percent
* Resurrection of Christ (as in, this seems to be a popular belief, I'd better tick the box): 80 percent
* Virgin birth (wouldn't want to alienate the Catholics, my aunt is Catholic, I'd better tick the box): 77 percent
* Devil (he might get me if I say I don't believe in him): 68 percent
* Hell (some people, like those sicko child-molesters, deserve to go there. But me? Of course not.): 69 percent
* Ghosts (see Miracles - I think UFOs are real too. Plus real Christians who count demons as ghosts): 51 percent
* Astrology (it works! Really!): 31 percent
* Reincarnation (see Survival of the soul after death, plus a dob of New Age philosophy): 27 percent

Where will you go after you die?

* Expect to go to heaven (I'd better darn well go there, after all this): 63 percent
* Expect to go to hell (scarily honest): 1 percent
* Expect to go to purgatory (Catholic influenced): 6 percent
* Expect to go someplace else (I make my own religion mixture): 11 percent
* Don't have a clue (honest): 18 percent

 

[Lion]

If the animals couldn't be reincarnated, how could the evolved humans?

If the animals couldn't be reincarnated, how could the evolved humans?

Here’s a good one.

I was talking to an elderly man the other day who claimed to be an atheist. After we talked for a few minutes he admitted he believed that he had been reincarnated several times, maybe thousands of times. He told me that animals don’t come back, only people. He then stated he believed in evolution.

So apparently Christians that get polled aren’t the only ones that are mixed up.

 

[Gerald]

Why is that odd, Lion?

An atheist, by definition, lacks a belief in dieties. One can believe in reincarnation without believing in dieties.

 

[NuMessJew]

Originally posted by Gerald
Why is that odd, Lion?

An atheist, by definition, lacks a belief in dieties. One can believe in reincarnation without believing in dieties.

"An atheist, by definition, lacks a belief in dieties. "

Most atheist I have spoken with reject the Christian view of a God. When presented with an alternative view such as a "first uncaused cause" many are intrigued by this alternative to the silly Christian anthropormorphic view. Others reject it also though.

"One can believe in reincarnation without believing in dieties."

Maybe? Depends on what you mean by dieties?

NuMessJew

 

[Zakath]

Originally posted by NuMessJew
Most atheist I have spoken with reject the Christian view of a God.

Atheists generally reject any concept of a personal deity. That is a deity that is a self-aware individual entity.

When presented with an alternative view such as a "first uncaused cause" many are intrigued by this alternative to the silly Christian anthropormorphic view. Others reject it also though.

This probably demonstrates the point that atheists are not monolithic in their beliefs.

There are differing degrees of atheist, just as there are different degrees of theism.