Mot forcing just discussing! 8)

 

Why would I want to? The discussion is moot really. I will not discuss prophecy because its no different in discussing whether or not the care bears could beat the Teletubbies in a fist fight. I get all kinds of flack when I supposedly "disrespect" something that I have no respect for and that is organized religion and its followers. When you can tell me why the radical Muslims and wrong for blowing people up based on their faith is any more wrong that what other religious nuts of other flavors have done and continue to do then the discussion is worthwhile. The discussion cannot take place as long as you feel that your brand of religion is any better, truer or more important than any other organized religion. And you cannot and will not be able to do that with your viewpoint on your religion.

Not at this time because I just tired and disgusted with the humans on the planet in almost every way. If the end of the world was here.. I'd probably welcome it. Give the world to the roaches, at least they are purely sane species that don't have all the baggage that these mutated monkeys do..

 

Fozzy;
While we disagree in many respects, I share your chagrin with the condition of the world, and the human race as a whole. When I get down like that, I have to stop back and remind myself that it is too much ground to frett over.

I do believe in some form of a Higher Power, although my concepts of that Higher Power are not in keeping with Christianity, Judaism, The Church of Islam, or many other religions as well. I also resent the Hell out of people who use their concept of "The Power of God", and their supposed "Connections With God" to kill, injure, control, conquer, manipulate, extort, and oppress others, and/or for other evil purposes that suit their needs.

IMHO, George Carlin once summed it up best when he said "We have created God in our own image and likeness"!!

In the end, you aren't helping yourself or anyone else by letting it bring you down. I will say that if those who do not believe in any form of a higher power are in fact correct, then the course of humanity as a whole is headed down precisely the right road it should be, or the that we can reasonably expect it to be.

If there is no Higher Power, and if we are truly the higher life form or form of intelligence, then we really have no need to seek a higher plane of existance, (nor is there much point in seeking it!) we have absolutely no obligation to our fellow man, woman, or child, we have no obligation to do anything in this world other than what suits our needs, desires, or personal agendas. Eat, Drink, Be merry, Do unto others, then run like Hell before they have a chance to do unto you!!

There are VERY FEW people that I have ever know or dealt with who are "athiests" in the truest sense of the word; agnostics?? That's a different story. Most of the so-called "athiests" that I have met are either pissed off about life in general, or angry at the "God" that they claim does not exist, or they have rejected other people's, and most religion' perceptions of God.

As for me?? As I stated earlier, I do believe in some form of a Higher Power, and I believe that in whatever form that Higher Power exists, The Universe and The Heavens CAN offer you, and help you to find some sense of Inner Peace, even in this troubled world where there are so many people and events that can rob you of it.

Anyway, try to keep your chin up, for your sake, and also for your son's sake as well. He's going to need all of the positive energy we can send him!!

Peace,
Useless

 

fozzy wrote:
Not until we can peek behind the curtain and see for ourselves what’s beyond death can anyone of us know beyond a shadow of a doubt. So all we can do is gather the evidence both for and against God (#1) and then if you accept there’s a god then (#2) what god and worldview best supports the evidence that you have gathered and fits within your own mind. For me, some of that evidence came from a girlfriend’s grandmother who was clinically dead for 9 minutes and described what happened to her. I will not detail that but for me that was direct evidence that helped line everything else up in place in my mind. Each one of us needs our own evidence and to support whatever our world views are. And if they have done that and are happy with what they believe in, I would never tell them it’s false…..although I would debate them to flesh out how they support their faith.
If we don’t challenge ourselves on our own beliefs then it becomes simple blind faith and then the question becomes….is your blind faith any more valid then my blind faith? Based on that we would have to accept someone telling us Teletubbies and Care Bears could indeed fight and that James Jones had every right to tell those people to drink that cool aid. Oooh…but that gets back into core intrinsic values of good and bad and… and that's a topic for other debates.

Fozzy, I will agree with you on your view of religions. As an example, the Catholic religion has probably killed more people than the Muslim faith has. My personal view is that Religious organizations can easily drift from their core values to become institutions more interested in their own existence and power than the faith and beliefs they were founded on. Where, for example, was the Catholic church during the Nazi holocaust? The Vatican was sadly silent. I personally feel that there isn’t too much worse than killing in the name of God. And yes, before you attack that statement, I do have questions on the Old Testament in which my God was a pretty violent one. But I know I won’t have those answered on this side of the curtain so I will not debate it. And I do want to separate religious organizations from the faiths and world view that underlies them all. Religious organizations are run by us violent, imperfect humans and can be just as violent as any other "organized" group.

fozzy wrote:
Yeah there's a lot of violence in the world which warrants that rather pessimistic view you have of your fellow humans. My take is that there is so much good in the world that happens on a day to day basis that, unfortunately, doesn’t sell the news so all we are exposed to is the negative side. I believe that for every sick violent act done by our fellow humans there are many more done of beauty and kindness that are never reported. It’s too bad.

 

I understand!

[/quote]

Ok Fozzy I can Respect this, and you know where I am, when and If you are ever up to it..Just for the sake of the debate.

And I Echo Popeye's remark on your son, Best wishes and safty!

Slimland

 

Born Again??
I was born just fine the first time!!

Do I believe in a God??
Sure!!

Why??
Because it makes sense to me!!

Do I share the same CONCEPTS of God that are found in Judaism, Christianity, Mormonism, or The Church of Islam??

Nope!!

 

See my signature.

 

I....am God.
The rest are fakes. :lol:

 

It doesn't answer the question...

 

If you really sit down and think about the whole religion think it is kind of hard to believe! It is like a fairly tale. Do as the Bible says and you will live Happy Ever After.

There are people who don't believe but don't have the guts to really say it because of family, friend, the belief that if there is really a God he wil punish you & etc.

Believe what you want but religion is a very big business!!!

The only way a person can really believe in God and practice his own beliefs is NOT ASK TO ANY REALLY HARD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BIBLE and just believe everyrthing in it is true no matter how crazy it may sound.

Most people that believe were taught to believe as a child