What religion are you? And what does it mean?

[Shotgun 1]

Oh. Sorry.... I guess I misinterpreted the fact that you were answering questions addressed to atheists with answers from a famous atheist.

Hmm, this Bobism stuff is sounding more appealing, especially now that I know they don't find Calvin and Hobbes to be very funny - I have to agree there.

[steveorino 7]

Speaking of C&Hs. Watterson frequently begged for his comic to be analyzed; not from an artistic point of view but a moral philosophical viewpoint.

See attached: Do lazy people deserve what they get or get what they deserve?

steveOrino

[jcd11235 0]

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Oh. Sorry.... I guess I misinterpreted the fact that you were answering questions addressed to atheists with answers from a famous atheist.

Hmm, this Bobism stuff is sounding more appealing, especially now that I know they don't find Calvin and Hobbes to be very funny - I have to agree there.

WHAT!!??!!?? That's blasphemy. Where's a stake we can tie you to?

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[Shotgun 1]

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Where's a stake we can tie you to?

In my backyard.

But maybe I was wrong about the C&H thing; the one that steveorino posted was pretty funny.

[Calvin19 0]

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For those who are atheists, I have some questions for you:

1`What's the purpose of life?
2`What's the purpose of living?
3`Where do you turn to when everything in your life gets turned upside down?
4`What hope do you have for things to change?
5`What keeps you going everyday?

Ok, i wil answer.
Im 'other'
I am what we call 'A Hopeless'

1-I dont care
2-I dont care
3-The direction that lets me fix it
4-I dont hope, I make it happen
5-The thought of doing something more fun and Beautiful tommorow.

[br0k3n 0]

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For those who are atheists, I have some questions for you:

1`What's the purpose of life?
2`What's the purpose of living?
3`Where do you turn to when everything in your life gets turned upside down?
4`What hope do you have for things to change?
5`What keeps you going everyday?

Ok, i wil answer.
Im 'other'
I am what we call 'A Hopeless'

1-I dont care
2-I dont care
3-The direction that lets me fix it
4-I dont hope, I make it happen
5-The thought of doing something more fun and Beautiful tommorow.

1.- i dont care - does there need to be a purpose, no.
2 - see comment 1
3 - my family, my friends (real ones)
4 - If I have the power to change something that needs changing I will change if.
5 - The knowledge that I have only a brief spark of existance in which to live my life, and I am going to make damn sure I live my life and not just exist for 80 years or 100 if im lucky with the blind hope that there is a glorious afterlife.

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--+ There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.. --+

[JackC 0]

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What's the purpose of life?

"Life" in a general sense has no purpose other than to perpetuate life. Human life can have whatever purpose you assign to it. It's called being responsible for your own actions. The purpose of my life at the moment is to crack Malmsteen's Far Beyond the Sun in Eb.

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What's the purpose of living? ( Staying alive?)

huh?

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Where do you turn to when everything in your life gets turned upside down?

I'd probably wonder if I'd crashed the car again. Other than that, it's my life so it's my responsibility to sort it out.

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What hope do you have for things to change?

Change is inevitable. Hope is not necessary.

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What keeps you going everyday?

Coffee helps. Also chocolate.

Man you ask some weird questions.

[JackC 0]

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God is God and we are not. His ways are not understandable by us. I gained God's reasonings are often beyond our understanding. Who am I to understand Him?

The ultimate in cop outs. How can you possibly be satisfied with this big god shaped block in your understanding of the world?

[steveorino 7]

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God is God and we are not. His ways are not understandable by us. I gained God's reasonings are often beyond our understanding. Who am I to understand Him?

The ultimate in cop outs. How can you possibly be satisfied with this big god shaped block in your understanding of the world?

Imagine just one second that there was a God. How could you be so arrogant to know Him?

steveOrino

[JackC 0]

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God is God and we are not. His ways are not understandable by us. I gained God's reasonings are often beyond our understanding. Who am I to understand Him?

The ultimate in cop outs. How can you possibly be satisfied with this big god shaped block in your understanding of the world?

Imagine just one second that there was a God. How could you be so arrogant to know Him?

Isn't that the whole point of religion, to know god?

So we're in agreement then, religion is futile.

My point is a bit more subtle perhaps. You say you can't understand god's ways (whatever they are). Now whatever event you assign to god's mysterious ways, there's no point in wondering about because it's god's will and we can't possibly understand it. Therefore, faith in god's will stops you enquiring about the world. And all because of the whole "god exists and you can't tell me different" mental road block. It's tragic.

[steveorino 7]

What I said was I can't understand about God completely. I don't and will not understand all his reasonings. This is what the book of Job teaches.

However, I do believe it makes sense that whatever aspect about God that He wanted me to know about Him, he could make known to me, through Christ, scriptures, Holy Spirit, creation and nature.

steveOrino

[JackC 0]

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What I said was I can't understand about God completely. I don't and will not understand all his reasonings. This is what the book of Job teaches.

However, I do believe it makes sense that whatever aspect about God that He wanted me to know about Him, he could make known to me, through Christ, scriptures, Holy Spirit, creation and nature.

Right, so after all that it is possible to know god, at least partially (arrogance notwithstanding).

So what was your point again?

[steveorino 7]

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So what was your point again?

I think I could ask you the same question.

steveOrino

[JackC 0]

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So what was your point again?

I think I could ask you the same question.

Well, I asked you "How can you possibly be satisfied with this big god shaped block in your understanding of the world?"

Then you asked me how I could be so arrogant to know god. We discussed that and you conceded that is is possible to know god after all, so your point sort of fizzled out.

So again, doesn't it bug you that whenever you have a question to answer about the real world, you're shackled to a incoherent concept (god) that by your own admission you don't even understand?

That'd drive me nuts.

Well, I dunno about religion being futile, but talking about it sure is.

[steveorino 7]

It can be. Especially in a forum where you can't immediately correct misassumptions or mistakes in word choices.

I believe we can know some of God (what He has revealed through scripture, nature, the life of JC, the HS) but I do not assume I can fully comprehend Him.

Like I said IF there was deity that created everything from nothing the it stands to reason I could not understand all there is about him. The fact he is outside time because he created it is a good example. BUT it also stands to reason IF this creator wanted me to know something about Him he could make that way possible.

steveOrino

[steveorino 7]

What questions do you think I have about the real world that I'm struggling with, and in order to cope I must assign my insecurities to an unfathomable God?

steveOrino

[JackC 0]

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What questions do you think I have about the real world that I'm struggling with, and in order to cope I must assign my insecurities to an unfathomable God?

As far as I know, you don't. But then if you don't assign something to an unfathomable god, what use is god?

[steveorino 7]

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What questions do you think I have about the real world that I'm struggling with, and in order to cope I must assign my insecurities to an unfathomable God?

As far as I know, you don't. But then if you don't assign something to an unfathomable god, what use is god?

I'd love to tell you what God means to me and what us I have for him. Perhaps I will do so in a PM. This forum is not a good place to do that IMHO. PM me if you want that PM

ADDED THOUGHT: For me it is not the unanswered questions about God that bother me the most, but what I know God wants me to do that is contrary to how I feel at times. Like being loving to those whose intent is to do me harm. THAT I struggle with. How God exists outside the time continuim is not a big struggle for me.

steveOrino

[JackC 0]

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How God exists outside the time continuim is not a big struggle for me.

Really!?! Are you sure you understood the question? I'm pretty sure there's a Nobel Prize waiting for you if you can explain it.

[steveorino 7]

Okay, you get the intentially obtuse award.
Its not a struggle because I understand it, but rather because I don't care. Are you bothered by the fact you cannot determine the cause of the universe from a scientific viewpoint? If you know how it all started -- there is a Nobel prize for you too.

steveOrino

[JackC 0]

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Okay, you get the intentially obtuse award.
Its not a struggle because I understand it, but rather because I don't care.

I'm not trying to be obtuse (honest). For a scientist, it is a legitimate question. How come you don't care about this but do care about loving enemies?

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Are you bothered by the fact you cannot determine the cause of the universe from a scientific viewpoint?

Yes. I'm a physicist. That stuff is my career.

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If you know how it all started -- there is a Nobel prize for you too.

I doubt it, I'm not that smart (or lucky).

[steveorino 7]

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I'm not trying to be obtuse (honest). For a scientist, it is a legitimate question. How come you don't care about this but do care about loving enemies?

I'm not too scientifically minded. I wanted to help people, so I went to nursing school when I got out of Special Forces. My goal was to be a nurse anethesitist. After one year I realized while I passed chemistry and microbilogy with Cs I didn't comprehend enough. But the pysch and sociology courses were easy to comprehend. Theology is interesting to me as I'm convinced we are mental/physical/spiritual people.

steveOrino