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SpeedRacer

Most Christians accept evolution

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My wife are checking out a new church in the mountains of north GA. First one I attended in years.

Watch out for the snakes!

Don
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Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)

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Do you believe in god?




Yes I do. And at the same time I reject religion that has been created by some as a power grab to manipulate the masses. To some extent Christianity has been corrupted into a religion.



I agree. My wife are checking out a new church in the mountains of north GA. First one I attended in years.



I've seen some wild stuff down there in northern GA...I look forward to hearing about your experience someday.

If you come across a scary old lady with wild eyes and brittle black hair speaking in tongues and whispering "Jesussssssssssssssssssssssss" in your ear as if she were a hissing snake...run dude...just f'ing run!
Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...

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I've seen some wild stuff down there in northern GA...I look forward to hearing about your experience someday.

If you come across a scary old lady with wild eyes and brittle black hair speaking in tongues and whispering "Jesussssssssssssssssssssssss" in your ear as if she were a hissing snake...run dude...just f'ing run!



I ain't skeered.

I've attended Pentecostal churches off and on since 1970 and never saw a snake handler. I think they are mostly in West Virginia. The music is always a calling card for me. Southern rock gospel, dancing is allowed but, I'm getting a little old for that now. It's called dancing in the Spirit.

That is how Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and others got their start.
Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

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Projecting one's negative experience of religion onto everyone else is far from intelligent...it's just typical everyday bigoted ignorance.



What I meant when I said religion has negative effects on us all is that it dramatically restricts your outlook and your worldview. You stop thinking for yourself and asking questions when you think you already know all the answers. In your case, maybe it has had a net positive effect since you claim you would be evil without it.


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My Statement:
"I didn't grow up in a really religious home."

Your response to me:
"I was raised in the church and I used to be a believer just like you."

I've also gave you plenty of reasons why I believe, but you still seem to insist on believing it's because I was raised in the church...I didn't believe until I was 27. Completely different perspectives.

How am I to have a meaningful conversation with you, when it's like talking to a jabberwacky?



Oh so your parents weren't Christian? Did you not encounter any Christians growing up? Did you first hear about the religion at 27? Why aren't you Muslim or Hindu instead?

I didn't catch the reasons why you believe. Maybe you could go over them again.


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Deltron insists that it's meaningless that my faith makes me feel good and that my experience with religion was actually negative.

He's the one projecting his experience onto me...

I never told him that his experience with religion was actually positive but he just didn't know it...lol:S



I never said it was a bad thing that your faith makes you feel good. Earlier in the thread I asked if you care whether your religion is true or not. You obviously don't if the only criterion you measure by is whether it makes you feel good.

I actually do care whether the religion is true, so I need to question it further than just how it makes me feel. You can obviously believe whatever you want, but when your religion starts to have negative effects on the broader society it becomes a problem.

This might help you understand my position a little better:
http://i.imgur.com/BCEDb.jpg

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I was once a full fledged believer and I had my own "spiritual" experiences as you call them so I know exactly what you're talking about. If anyone has a broader spectrum of insight, I've been on both sides of the fence and you have not. You don't know what it's like to see the religion for what it really is.

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Well then I have a question. Since you have gone full circle in your spiritual life and are now back where you began without God, what is driving you so passionately to convert other to your fabricated reality? Especially when your reality has shit to offer except anger and hate. Oh and by the way, scientific discovery is available to all. So concluding God does not exist based on our current technology is a naive delusion.



The only thing I'm angry about is that I was brainwashed and not allowed to make my own decisions as a child. If you need to indoctrinate children into a religion from birth to get them to actually believe it, what does that say about your religion?

I'm not trying to "convert" anyone to my views, nor have I "fabricated" a reality. Reality just is. No one can change what is actually true. God either exists or he doesn't. I'm just trying to let others know that religion is a shitty source for truth and knowledge. It's interesting in an academic sense, but has no practical value.

I'm not trying to spread anger and hate, just truth. Sometimes the truth isn't pretty. For example, there is probably no afterlife. If it weren't for people's urge to seek the truth we'd still be in the Dark Ages. Would you prefer that?

I honestly don't know if there is a god or not so I've reset to the default position that there is no god, and I reject your claim that there is one. So far no one can even give a reason why they believe in one, so that's hardly convincing. If you have a good reason to believe there is a god, please share it with us.


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Do you believe in god?

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Yes I do. And at the same time I reject religion that has been created by some as a power grab to manipulate the masses. To some extent Christianity has been corrupted into a religion.



Ok, then what do you believe in exactly? Why even follow a religion that has been so bastardized and corrupted over the years? How do you know which bits are good and which were added later?

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it dramatically restricts your outlook and your worldview. You stop thinking for yourself and asking questions when you think you already know all the answers.



Again, this is your experience, not mine...stop projecting.

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I didn't catch the reasons why you believe. Maybe you could go over them again.



Wow...got double standards?

Deltron:
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I do think he should read the whole thread before he asks me about things I've already covered.



See what I mean, it's like talking to a Jabberwacky...lol

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You obviously don't if the only criterion you measure by is whether it makes you feel good.



That's a big "IF"

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I actually do care whether the religion is true, so I need to question it further than just how it makes me feel.



It seems as though you've already made up your mind and have given up. If not, I wish you well in your journey...Godspeed.
Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...

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>I honestly don't know if there is a god or not so I've reset to the default position that
>there is no god, and I reject your claim that there is one.

You've just contradicted yourself. "I don't know the answer, but your answer is wrong!"

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>I honestly don't know if there is a god or not so I've reset to the default position that
>there is no god, and I reject your claim that there is one.

You've just contradicted yourself. "I don't know the answer, but your answer is wrong!"



I'm agnostic -

I reject any claim there absolutely is one
I reject any claim there absolutely isn't one

I don't reject a person's claim that they choose to 'believe' one way or another

I applaud those that just don't care or, at least believe one way but let others live and let live - but I'm biased to that opinion.

I don't see a contradiction from Del on this particular rejection.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

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>I don't reject a person's claim that they choose to 'believe' one way or another

I feel a similar way, which is why I both disagree with del's statement and think he is contradicting himself by saying "I don't know the answer but I know you are wrong."

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it dramatically restricts your outlook and your worldview. You stop thinking for yourself and asking questions when you think you already know all the answers.



Again, this is your experience, not mine...stop projecting.

Oh really? So you believe in evolution and being gay is not an abomination? ok cool

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I didn't catch the reasons why you believe. Maybe you could go over them again.



Wow...got double standards?

Deltron:
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I do think he should read the whole thread before he asks me about things I've already covered.



See what I mean, it's like talking to a Jabberwacky...lol

Sorry, but I re-read your answers and you never actually answered the questions why do you believe in god and why do you believe the bible is true? They're very specific questions. The answer, "it makes me feel good" states how the belief makes you feel, but the question I asked is why do you believe in the first place.

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You obviously don't if the only criterion you measure by is whether it makes you feel good.



That's a big "IF"

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I actually do care whether the religion is true, so I need to question it further than just how it makes me feel.



It seems as though you've already made up your mind and have given up. If not, I wish you well in your journey...Godspeed.



I haven't given up at all. It seems you've given up trying to convince me since you have nothing substantive to say about why you even believe it.

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>I honestly don't know if there is a god or not so I've reset to the default position that
>there is no god, and I reject your claim that there is one.

You've just contradicted yourself. "I don't know the answer, but your answer is wrong!"



I don't know the answer. You and others are claiming to know the answer. I am not claiming to know the answer. Until I hear otherwise I will assume god doesn't exist.

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>I honestly don't know if there is a god or not so I've reset to the default position that
>there is no god, and I reject your claim that there is one.

You've just contradicted yourself. "I don't know the answer, but your answer is wrong!"



I'm agnostic -

I reject any claim there absolutely is one
I reject any claim there absolutely isn't one

I don't reject a person's claim that they choose to 'believe' one way or another

I applaud those that just don't care or, at least believe one way but let others live and let live - but I'm biased to that opinion.

I don't see a contradiction from Del on this particular rejection.



They are accusing me of being a gnostic atheist, asserting god definitely doesn't exist.

I'm actually an agnostic atheist. I don't know if god exists, and therefore I do not accept that god exists.

Atheist - no belief in god
Theist - belief in god
Agnostic - thinks we can't know whether god exists
Gnostic - thinks we can know whether god exists

Me - Agnostic Atheist
Coreece - Gnostic Theist

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>I don't reject a person's claim that they choose to 'believe' one way or another

I feel a similar way, which is why I both disagree with del's statement and think he is contradicting himself by saying "I don't know the answer but I know you are wrong."



It's odd how people scrutinize how I word my rejections of their claims when they can't even enunciate why they believe a claim they are making.

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Jerry Lee started as a child molester.
:P



Nope, unless you additional info. He legally married his 14YO cousin.
Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

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Me - Agnostic Atheist
Coreece - Gnostic Theist



Still trying to label me with anything other than what I actually said?

You apparently haven't even studied what gnosticism actually is...

...and I never condemned you to hell several times. Where do you get this stuff from?

btw...your turing test = Fail :P
Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...

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Sorry, but I re-read your answers and you never actually answered the questions why do you believe in god and why do you believe the bible is true?.



If you don't succeed at first, try try again...

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The answer, "it makes me feel good" states how the belief makes you feel, but the question I asked is why do you believe in the first place.



that really wasn't my answer, though I did agree that it does make me feel good. (at times)

You don't really seem to be seeking understanding as much as filtering out that which you can twist to support your denial.

If you're truly interested, may I recommend something other than the internet. It may also be beneficial to stop worrying about everyone else and concentrate on you. Our experiences are going to be different at times, and if all you do is concentrate on that to which you can't relate, you'll continue to distance yourself in order to bolster disbelief.
Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are...

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Ok, then what do you believe in exactly? Why even follow a religion that has been so bastardized and corrupted over the years? How do you know which bits are good and which were added later?



I believe in the teachings of Christ, that He is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. That He provided the means for us know God and have fellowship with Him. My reason for believing in God is as basic as my need to eat and breathe. It is a relationship I require. If you like some of the others here are repulsed by the idea of a personal relationship with God, then you are as much of a mystery to me as I & others are to you. I have found that the Truth has set me free and given me a spiritual life beyond my wildest expectations. The failings of others does not negate the Grace of God.

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Ok, then what do you believe in exactly? Why even follow a religion that has been so bastardized and corrupted over the years? How do you know which bits are good and which were added later?

I believe in the teachings of Christ, that He is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. That He provided the means for us know God and have fellowship with Him. My reason for believing in God is as basic as my need to eat and breathe. It is a relationship I require. If you like some of the others here are repulsed by the idea of a personal relationship with God, then you are as much of a mystery to me as I & others are to you. I have found that the Truth has set me free and given me a spiritual life beyond my wildest expectations. The failings of others does not negate the Grace of God.




That does not answer his question.
The teachings of Christ are highly debatable. There are four official versions of his story and at least 2 unofficial ones... How do you decide which ones to believe or to follow ?

What exactly is the grace of God ? I've heard that a bunch of times but I simply do not seem to understand the concept....

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You've just contradicted yourself. "I don't know the answer, but your answer is wrong!"



I don't know if there is a God, but I do know that the Christian God is a nonsensical figment of the imagination.

There's loads of situation I can think of where one doesn't know the answer, but one can identify a wrong answer. The Christian God simply falls with the nonsense in the bible.

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I applaud those that just don't care or, at least believe one way but let others live and let live - but I'm biased to that opinion.



If there is a God, he/she/it doesn't seem to care about us, or at least not in a way we can understand. It's btw extremely unlikely that the hypothetical God and human beings could understand one another, it would be comparable to ants understanding humans, and visa versa. I can understand an ant to a certain extent but a personal relationship won't happen. And for the ant it would be even worse. I really like ants, I think they're fascinating creatures, ant they come in handy when it's time to feed my plants. [cue evil laughter] It would be a bitch for an ant to understand that I really like ants while he's digested by my vegetables, I reckon. Anyway, God is pretty much irrelevant to us IMHO, whether he/she/it exists or not.

What others believe is only interesting to me at an academic level, as long as those believes don't include the belief that non-consenting *) others should be bothered with ones believes (or lack thereof).

*) I assume that anyone who writes on SC consents to me bothering them with my lack of belief, btw. IRL I keep my non-belief to myself, unless someone asks direct questions about it.

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