TaraK
probably at the coffee shop
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Core_Models wrote >>
michaelcoyote wrote >>
Is it OK if i never wonder what the bible is all about?
Really? I would find it hard not to wonder what the best selling book of all time is all about, even if I disagree with most of it.
Oh, I've read it.. It was pretty boring.. I preferred my book of o'henry short stories better
TaraK
probably at the coffee shop
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Core_Models wrote >>michaelcoyote wrote >>
Is it OK if i never wonder what the bible is all about?Really? I would find it hard not to wonder what the best selling book of all time is all about, even if I disagree with most of it.
Oh, I've read it.. It was pretty boring.. I preferred my book of o'henry short stories better
Yeah, I read the dirty parts as a kid and realized that was the best of it. Poe has a novella that seems like it was written by someone trapped in the bottom of the arc.
B_C_B
Upper Arlington
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I don't believe there is a god. (Which is different than BELIEVING there IS NOT a god.)
How can one be so sure? Why not believe in a flying spaghetti monster? http://www.venganza.org/
thefiercelime
the 4th Dimension
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I never heard a good explanation of the line that goes something like: "Happy is he who bashes the heads of their babies against the rocks". I guess that's the only thing I was wondering.
The Bible is mostly obsessed with marital and child abuse. When I was a kid I was pretty sure that it was the word of Satan.
StowCbusCleveland
Jackson Township, Canton, OH
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B_C_B wrote >>
I don't believe there is a god. (Which is different than BELIEVING there IS NOT a god.)
How can one be so sure? Why not believe in a flying spaghetti monster? http://www.venganza.org/
And it turns out the answer was 3. It would only take until the 3rd page to get from an open invitation to a Bible study to someone bringing up the Flying Spaghetti Monster...
B_C_B
Upper Arlington
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StowCbusCleveland wrote >>
B_C_B wrote >>
I don't believe there is a god. (Which is different than BELIEVING there IS NOT a god.)
How can one be so sure? Why not believe in a flying spaghetti monster? http://www.venganza.org/And it turns out the answer was 3. It would only take until the 3rd page to get from an open invitation to a Bible study to someone bringing up the Flying Spaghetti Monster...
FSM aside, seems like most on the CU forum are pretty intelligent. I would pay a little more credence to the comments I hear on this board than the guy preaching on a street corner, so I'm just wondering what makes one believe in a god.
Core_Models
Columbus
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B_C_B wrote >>
StowCbusCleveland wrote >>
B_C_B wrote >>
I don't believe there is a god. (Which is different than BELIEVING there IS NOT a god.)
How can one be so sure? Why not believe in a flying spaghetti monster? http://www.venganza.org/And it turns out the answer was 3. It would only take until the 3rd page to get from an open invitation to a Bible study to someone bringing up the Flying Spaghetti Monster...
FSM aside, seems like most on the CU forum are pretty intelligent. I would pay a little more credence to the comments I hear on this board than the guy preaching on a street corner, so I'm just wondering what makes one believe in a god.
Well, one of the biggest reasons that I tend to believe in something is the fact that while I sit here and type into a PC, posting a message on to the internet about my thoughts on the existence of God...the next most evolved being on the planet is probably tossing feces at something. The disparity between how evolved we are and everything else has always seemed like more than just some totally random roll of the dice to me. I'm not a follower of any organized religion though, nor do I assign a name to the guiding force that I mostly believe is out there.
p.s. I also OD'd on drugs once and had an after death experience of a kind that was pretty startling and very real to me.
michaelcoyote
!seabus
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Core_Models
Columbus
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michaelcoyote
!seabus
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ChrisSunami
King-Lincoln District
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B_C_B wrote >>
I don't believe there is a god. (Which is different than BELIEVING there IS NOT a god.)
How can one be so sure? Why not believe in a flying spaghetti monster? http://www.venganza.org/
The reason I don't find FSM a valid critique of my religion is that it assumes that religious people pick a set of beliefs at random, and hold to them without any evidence.
I would say rather that I've received a number of convincing proofs of God's existence during my life, but that they were of such a personal nature that they cannot be meaningfully shared. This means of course that they cannot be considered scientific --i.e. replicable and able to be decontextualized --nor can they serve as evidence for others, but they are more than adequate for me.
That's one answer to your question, and it explains why I believe in a personal God. However, even in the absence of those experiences, I would probably still believe in the "philosopher's God" --the unity of all perfections --which is a concept that makes sense to me from an intellectual point of view.
Speaking of which, if you, or anyone else is interested in a good intellectual debate on the subject of religion, I would recommend the Columbus Philosophers Meetup. We run about equal parts theist/atheist/agnostic and often discuss religion, yet I've never once seen it degenerate into a shouting match or for people to treat those of opposing views with anything less than complete respect.
LarryTotzke
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Well it's been quite interesting reading through everyone's responses to my post.
The study at the Arena Grand, which begins next Thurs. evening, will be a presentation, with opportunity for questions and interaction, about what lots of people believe the Bible is all about. It's for people who are serious or curious to find out. I think it's important to note that people can't be forced or coerced to believe anything about God or Jesus. Those are personal choices that people make between God and themselves.
I'm looking forward to enjoying the experience with those who want to come.
KSquared
Literally Hell
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Core_Models wrote: The disparity between how evolved we are and everything else has always seemed like more than just some totally random roll of the dice to me. I'm not a follower of any organized religion though, nor do I assign a name to the guiding force that I mostly believe is out there.
p.s. I also OD'd on drugs once and had an after death experience of a kind that was pretty startling and very real to me.
Well, there are days I want to differ on how "evolved" we really are. :)
There are actually some pretty striking similarities between human and chimp behavior (obviously not contemplating God) not to mention about 98% of our genes. If we ever figure out how to decipher dolphin language we might be in for a surprise there as well.
I agree with you on the organized religion part, and while I really want to believe that there is a guiding force out there, I think in the end, guiding force or not, we belong to nature just the same as the rest of the living creatures out there. We just make bigger messes.
Core_Models
Columbus
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B_C_B wrote >>
LarryTotzke wrote >>
Those are personal choices that people make between God and themselves.Well, the only thing wrong with this is that people don't just keep it personal. How many people have died in the name of religion?
And yet, I'm pretty sure Larry isn't rounding up a group to storm the city and root out heretics and non-believers.
Lots of people have died in the name of lots of things, including food...money...water...land...religion...civil rights...and yet, it doesn't make those things universally bad.
p.s. This argument could also be flipped to talk about how much good has been done, how many lives saved in the name of religion as well.
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