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| Religion, God, and Theology Discussion of God, religion, faith, theology, and spirituality. |
04-08-2011, 01:15 AM
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#106
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banned
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Don't forget. You are loved by God.
Posts: 18,896
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
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Originally Posted by Janabis
Do you think it's possible for cars to do 180 degree spins based on the laws of phsyics alone, or does this only happen through satanic intervention?
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Yes they can do it based on physics.
But in the recent accident the person driving was turning the wheel to the right and they felt the wheel suddenly jerk out of their hand and go to the left. Maintenance and fluid had been done on the steering recently before the accident so its unlikely the problem was mechanical.
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04-08-2011, 01:25 AM
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#107
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banned
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Don't forget. You are loved by God.
Posts: 18,896
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
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Originally Posted by neeeel
where has it said this?
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Haven't scientists tried to explain that morality has its roots in animal nature?
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04-08-2011, 01:38 AM
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#108
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banned
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Don't forget. You are loved by God.
Posts: 18,896
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
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Originally Posted by Le Boeuf
Now that you supposedly know how to discuss respond to post 62 and read the few from me, bp, and kurto before you do so you can respond.
I'd really appreciate if you didn't go off on one
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I'm going to go back and re-read your posts. There are too many people interjecting itt and it has set me behind. Thanks in advance for your patience.
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04-08-2011, 01:58 AM
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#109
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banned
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Don't forget. You are loved by God.
Posts: 18,896
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
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Originally Posted by weaselgirl
Seems like she's trying to throw something crazy enough out there to get us talking in hopes we'll forget the topic at hand.
Splenda, I know you're a big fan of claiming to know everything, but you really can just say, "I don't know." You can say, "I don't have proof that my faith is the true one, but I have had powerful personal experiences (or whatever) that make me feel confident in my choice. It is possible that I am wrong, but I feel very strongly that I'm not. Due to my powerful personal experiences I would find it impossible to choose to have faith in anything else, so this is what I have and will continue to have faith in."
There would be nothing to argue with there, really. But I don't think you're capable of admitting to anything but absolute knowledge. Oh well.
You could even just concede, "That's a valid question, and one I don't really have a response for that would be convincing to anyone but me."
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Where did I claim to know everything? Christianity is far too massive a topic to know everything. But the posters keep changing on here. I'm like the old woman in the shoe...I have so many posters wanting to exchange posts with me I don't know what to do...
But I do have a couple of years of researching Christian topics under my belt. I've run tons of topics and facts in threads on here over the past few years and mostly encountered trolling and agitation. I have made a lot of what I consider to be factual discoveries about Christianity in addition to my beliefs and experiences it's just nobody wants to hear about them.
I've also ran 2 theist only threads hoping to have information the forum could easily access. One of the threads was intentionally disrupted: the Biblical Archaeology thread. Take a look at it sometime...It's a type of evidentiary thread but some posters couldn't leave it alone. It was trolled by people who must not have seen it as valuable thread for people to examine archaeological claims. It was important to certain posters to disrupt it. I think a lot of people on here don't respect the individual's right to examine and decide things for themselves. They just decide to make unilateral decisions for the group on here.
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04-08-2011, 02:05 AM
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#110
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banned
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: balls are warm
Posts: 4,486
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
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Originally Posted by Splendour
Where did I claim to know everything? Christianity is far too massive a topic to know everything. But the posters keep changing on here. I'm like the old woman in the shoe...I have so many posters wanting to exchange posts with me I don't know what to do...
But I do have a couple of years of researching Christian topics under my belt. I've run tons of topics and facts in threads on here over the past few years and mostly encountered trolling and agitation. I have made a lot of what I consider to be factual discoveries about Christianity in addition to my beliefs and experiences it's just nobody wants to hear about them.
I've also ran 2 theist only threads hoping to have information the forum could easily access. One of the threads was intentionally disrupted: the Biblical Archaeology thread. Take a look at it sometime...It's a type of evidentiary thread but some posters couldn't leave it alone. It was trolled by people who must not have seen it as valuable thread for people to examine archaeological claims. It was important to certain posters to disrupt it. I think a lot of people on here don't respect the individual's right to examine and decide things for themselves. They just decide to make unilateral decisions for the group on here.
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Sounds a lot like church to me.
Maybe both sides would be better off if they just left the other alone (when it comes to theist-only, atheist-only threads).
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04-08-2011, 03:43 AM
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#111
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old hand
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Tdot
Posts: 1,569
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
Quote:
Originally Posted by Splendour
But in the recent accident the person driving was turning the wheel to the right and they felt the wheel suddenly jerk out of their hand and go to the left. Maintenance and fluid had been done on the steering recently before the accident so its unlikely the problem was mechanical.
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Yep, definitely Satan.
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04-08-2011, 04:08 AM
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#112
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banned
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Meat city
Posts: 887
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
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Originally Posted by Splendour
Haven't scientists tried to explain that morality has its roots in animal nature?
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Grunching-
That doesn't prove souls.
Also not specifically; but it is a show of your understanding of science that you can infer from some talk of morality coming from animal nature in some unspecified study that might have been misinterpreted by the media (as in all popular media representations of scientific discovery) that animals have souls.
You can't appeal to science without knowing what its on about
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04-08-2011, 08:04 AM
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#113
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banned
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Don't forget. You are loved by God.
Posts: 18,896
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
Quote:
Originally Posted by Janabis
Yep, definitely Satan.
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I could be wrong.
But about 6 months ago I was trying to pick a church to go to when this person I knew only slightly asked me to come to theirs. She said she felt something had laid it on her spirit strongly to invite me. So I knew the Spirit of God was working through her providing me with guidance. It turned out the Church she invited me to is a rather good one. I detect the spirit working through the Pastor...if you were there you would be able to see what I mean I could point it out to you in action but I'm sure from the vantage point of this forum where you can't observe him you'd dismiss it so I'll leave it at that....
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04-08-2011, 08:56 AM
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#114
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banned
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Don't forget. You are loved by God.
Posts: 18,896
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
A couple of quotes for you to ponder Big Perm since you are actually pondering the nature of experience to faith. I was in the bookstore and looking through books yesterday and came across these Oswald Chamber quotes in Wiersbe's book 50 Great Men.
Chambers wrote in his famous book "My Utmost for His Highest":
"Never make a principle of your own experience; let God be as original with other people as He is with you."
Another quote I liked because it is deep is:
"The snare in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service, to rejoice in the fact that God has used you...If you make usefulness the test, then Jesus Christ was the greatest failure that ever lived. The lodestar of the Saint is God Himself not estimated usefulness. It is the work that God does through us that counts, not what we do for Him."
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04-08-2011, 09:13 AM
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#115
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grinder
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Uncle Murray's Basement
Posts: 476
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
Quote:
Originally Posted by Splendour
"Never make a principle of your own experience; let God be as original with other people as He is with you."
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This is part of the point I'm trying to make to you. This statement cannot be anything but self-contradicting unless it's expanded beyond the realm of Christendom.
And, to clarify, I'm not pondering the nature of experience to faith. I'm quite comfortable with my own understanding of it.
I don't see a danger in people 'experiencing' God. Whatever that means. But when those experiences are used for justification to validate a particular doctrine/dogma, it's at best illogical, and at worst dangerous.
How does a religious experience validate the Christian Faith is correct, when people world wide have experiences through countless other religions.
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04-08-2011, 09:31 AM
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#116
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banned
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Don't forget. You are loved by God.
Posts: 18,896
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
Quote:
Originally Posted by Le Boeuf
I would agree Splendour that you fail to see the meanings of many words and how they don't just mean what you specify to them. I have done it in the past (e.g.I presumed atheist and agnostic were incompatable states); and bulit arguments from it.
If you have a separate understanding of a word, or a different one, you can't implant it into what others are understanding. When you talk of the difference between religion being a word to describe other words as the truth you are implanting your meaning to the questions kurto had, which completely altered the arguments as you then demonstrated (with some pretty faulty thinking, but kurto has gone over that.)
I want you to think about this: Christianity purports to be the one and only truth. Christianity claims its' truth to be the opposite of the world's and that the world is deceived. Christian communication between Christians and between Christian and non-believers is altered by allowing the world to impose on our views, our concepts and our Christian terms.
Christians do have to draw a line between the world's terms and Christian terms. A lot of Christians make doctrinal errors and are deceived about the will of God by language problems.
Christians just shouldn't let the world dictate terms to them.
I think you should check out the following links for brief summaries of these things-
phenomenology is the study of experience and what I think you use to claim experiences of God.
Wittgenstein pretty much is a god of language
A bit of an introduction to knowledge
You always post links. These one's are pretty good. Also they are summaries not arguments so don't worry about that
I don't see how you can just ignore this splenda. Surely in your head you see yourself different to followers of Zeus. Can you actually explain your rational thought process?
The best case for faith is made on Jesus Christ himself. He preachs supernatural values at the Sermon on the Mount. I believe him to be the only truly rational and by that I mean truly sane person ever born.
From splenda-
Have you never been wrong before Splendour? Knowledge is a state independent of belief. It is impossible to know you know something without pride.
Yes I have been wrong before and it pains me to be at odds with a lot of the Apologist arguments on the board over free will. I struggle on a right understanding of the free will question but I concluded its better for people if this is in God's hands. God is always less fallible and more sure of success than people are.
I am maturing in my faith and I believe D.L. Moody exemplified modern Christian humility. Moody is considered by many to be the greatest Christian evangelist ever yet he got up every morning at the crack of dawn to spend an hour in prayer on his knees. Moody had no great formal education but he liked to learn from the bible scholars. One time Dr. Weston came to preach where Moody was. Moody took a chair and got down off the podium and listened to Dr. Weston from the audience. While Weston talked he suddenly exclaimed aloud surprised "There goes one of my sermons." A while later he exclaimed "There goes another one." I can change my views just like D.L. Moody though I don't know if I can change as fast because Moody's humility is better. He could be more intelligent than me too even if he didn't have an education.
You can rationally believe something based on logic, and it might be the truth and you therefore know it, however your belief is not knowledge. By being closed minded you reject a greater understanding of your own belief and a greater organisation of belief in your mind. I'm sure you, or maybe some other Christians have said blind faith, just believing for believing, isn't the best way to be a Christian; and by closing your mind you do this
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How do you know I'm closeminded. I've changed and waffled on several opinions on this board over the years while you're new to the forum and have a stereotype about Christians in your head. NotReady and a lot of posters on here can testify I change my views. I changed from believing in eternal damnation to a universalist on the board so stop assuming things...that is your inflexibility not mine...
Last edited by Splendour; 04-08-2011 at 09:41 AM.
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04-08-2011, 09:49 AM
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#117
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banned
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Don't forget. You are loved by God.
Posts: 18,896
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Perm
This is part of the point I'm trying to make to you. This statement cannot be anything but self-contradicting unless it's expanded beyond the realm of Christendom.
And, to clarify, I'm not pondering the nature of experience to faith. I'm quite comfortable with my own understanding of it.
I don't see a danger in people 'experiencing' God. Whatever that means. But when those experiences are used for justification to validate a particular doctrine/dogma, it's at best illogical, and at worst dangerous.
How does a religious experience validate the Christian Faith is correct, when people world wide have experiences through countless other religions.
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Well to me the experiential side is fascinating. I think it shows God working with people and through people particularly with their emotional blocks.
It is very complicated when people become too dogmatic. I think they inadvertently block their spiritual growth and that is why regular bible reading and prayer are so important. God works intimately and particularly with the individual on a case by case basis not just according to His will but according to their needs. God is the Great Psychiatrist...he just never violates the veil of confidentiality revealing everything. You have to be studying circumstances, other people, what other people say and his Word to discover the secrets of what he is doing and to learn to read between the lines. That's when your relationship starts to flourish because then you are really paying attention to him and starting to comply with his plan for your life.
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04-08-2011, 10:32 AM
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#118
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banned
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Meat city
Posts: 887
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
Quote:
Originally Posted by Splendour
How do you know I'm closeminded. I've changed and waffled on several opinions on this board over the years while you're new to the forum and have a stereotype about Christians in your head. NotReady and a lot of posters on here can testify I change my views. I changed from believing in eternal damnation to a universalist on the board so stop assuming things...that is your inflexibility not mine...
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If you read what I quoted you explicitly said things which refused to listen to other opinions.
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I want you to think about this: Christianity purports to be the one and only truth. Christianity claims its' truth to be the opposite of the world's and that the world is deceived. Christian communication between Christians and between Christian and non-believers is altered by allowing the world to impose on our views, our concepts and our Christian terms.
Christians do have to draw a line between the world's terms and Christian terms. A lot of Christians make doctrinal errors and are deceived about the will of God by language problems.
Christians just shouldn't let the world dictate terms to them.
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The thing is you can't see that any other religion could do this.
Also; it barely responds to the point but I get what your trying to say.
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The best case for faith is made on Jesus Christ himself. He preachs supernatural values at the Sermon on the Mount. I believe him to be the only truly rational and by that I mean truly sane person ever born.
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There is no reason for you to believe him not to be fictional, or the points to be lies without relying on the belief that you already belief in him. Its eternally circular; and does not provide rationality for your belief.
As an exercise; can you rationally point out your belief process to come to God. The way I see it, from your posts, is something like this-
P1) I have experienced God
P2) The Christian Bible is God's world
P3) Jesus is given as truth etc., in the Christian bible
C) I am Christian
Would you change any of the premises?
If not; P2 is 100% a presumption.
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04-08-2011, 10:36 AM
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#119
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grinder
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Uncle Murray's Basement
Posts: 476
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
Quote:
Originally Posted by Splendour
Well to me the experiential side is fascinating. I think it shows God working with people and through people particularly with their emotional blocks.
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I agree that's it's fascinating. But I'm nowhere near convinced it's God working.
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It is very complicated when people become too dogmatic. I think they inadvertently block their spiritual growth and that is why regular bible reading and prayer are so important.
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I know you didn't intend it, but this is ironic.
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God works intimately and particularly with the individual on a case by case basis not just according to His will but according to their needs. God is the Great Psychiatrist...he just never violates the veil of confidentiality revealing everything. You have to be studying circumstances, other people, what other people say and his Word to discover the secrets of what he is doing and to learn to read between the lines. That's when your relationship starts to flourish because then you are really paying attention to him and starting to comply with his plan for your life.
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You see a personal God working. I do not. I see nothing in this world which requires a supernatural solution, and see no need for worship of the Christian deity.
It's not about finding 'God's plan' for your life. It's about you finding your own path. People may chose to use 'God' as the motivator, but the end result is the same.
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04-08-2011, 11:21 AM
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#120
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Carpal \'Tunnel
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: in your heart
Posts: 15,881
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Re: A Believer and an Unbeliever on the Poker Table
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I want you to think about this: Christianity purports to be the one and only truth. Christianity claims its' truth to be the opposite of the world's and that the world is deceived. Christian communication between Christians and between Christian and non-believers is altered by allowing the world to impose on our views, our concepts and our Christian terms.
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I think after all these years on the forum you should realize by now that pretty much every religion claims to be the one and only truth; That all other religions are deceived.
I'd like you to consider that you posting this kind of thing repeatedly over the years without consideration that this sort of thing has been addressed over and over again is the kind of thing that makes people get so snippy with you. After years of posting it sometimes feels like there's no listening on your end to what other people say, no consideration of points other people make.
People who have different belief systems are asking you, giving you a chance to give them good solid reasons for why your faith is the one. If you respond with answers that are merely assertions and circular reasoning ("Christianity is the truth because Christianity/Jesus/The Bible says it is the truth) then people get irritated because the problem with these declarations have been rebuffed over and over again for years now. THIS is why people get frustrated. Its not that you're a theist. Its that the dialogue with you has advanced little more then it has when you arrived here years ago.
Do you not understand why this isn't compelling? Here's a little test - take whatever reasons you post as what you think is a compelling case for christianity (ex- I have a personal emotional experience that I credit to my god, Christianity says its the truth, Jesus says he's the way, etc.)... substitute Christianity/Jesus/Bible for any other religion/religious leader/religious text. If others can say the same thing about other religions its probably not a compelling argument.
If you say you know your truth is real because you have a personal relationship with God, do you understand that this isn't compelling to anyone else because believers of all faiths say the same thing. I would like to think that you would see why this is problematic and seek other more compelling and UNIQUE elements that would show others why you think your faith is the one.
And please don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that personal revelation and such are meaningful to you, only to understand that when you're listing things that are elements of believers of all religions, they don't show anyone why your faith is different or more likely the truth.
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