You are way behind on points.

When asked to explain God's divinely inspired Holy Word to a skeptic, Jibninjas wrote ... I have not spent a ton of time studying this as I don't see much to be learned from it...

Awesome!

God once said, and I believe correctly, that ...

When did I distance myself? And you do realize that the bible is pretty big right? And whether or not an ass actually did speak or that this was meant to just convey a point is a pretty minor detail, but either way I did answer the question and told you what I believe, my preface was just in case a theist that is more educated on this particular story wanted to chime. I don't like to be dogmatic unlike many atheists I know.

Let's take it to the other atheists of this forum to see who they feel is dominating this little discussion between us.

So atheists of RGT who here is dodging responses and direct questions? Who here is resulting to childish tactics to avoid a big boy conversation?

Tell us. Is this literally true or an allegory?
It is from the Holy Bible. God's one and only divinely inspired written message to mankind.

You have over 6000 posts here. Surely you can spare a few minutes to explain if this is literally true or not, can't you?

First you should be using the the NIV or the NASB for translation, it's way more accurate.

One to you post. I answered, it seems very straight forward. I have no reason to believe at this point that it is not meant to be taken literally.

You also have no idea what my stance is on inspiration or inerrancy or anything else that would shape the way that I view the bible or God's revelations to his creation. But it is always easier to assume then to learn, so I guess that I shouldn't fault you.

Thank you for the belated response.

You may relax now.

I have always been relaxed. I was just bored so I figured I would play for a little. I regularly have a group of atheists firing actually thought provoking questions at me while criticizing everything I say down to grammar and spelling. This was like hanging out at a beach in comparison.

There are two reasons why you are getting very little action in this thread, from Christians that is. First, there are not very many Christians here. This is an atheist site for the most part and most of what you will get here are other atheists saying "Amen brother" (or the atheist equivalent). Second, as has been pointed out, to a Christian you are raising an issue that has very little to do with the essence of Christianity. When they say they do not know the answer, or that they have not given it much thought, it is because they have given their attention and thought to the areas that are important to the message of Christianity.

Of course, you have claimed to be a former Christian so you really should already know all of this. One would have to wonder at the motivation of posing a question that attempts to direct consideration away from the core teachings of Christianity.

Actually, one does not wonder at all. The motivation is obvious, which may well be a third reason why you are getting little discussion.

That would be the high five.

Noted.

I was thinking "el diablo" but yours is friendlier.

You raise an interesting point.

Couldn't one also wonder at the motivation for putting a bizarre story of a talking donkey in the Bible in the first place, since it detracts from the "core teachings"?

Couldn't the "core teachings" have been better communicated in a concise, superbly crafted narrative, rather than a long, convoluted, contradictory one? You know, a story that really is the "Greatest Story Every Told", rather than things that we don't know for sure are literal or not?

Or are you one of those people who actually believe that the Bible is "the greatest book ever written" and "perfect"?

I recently read an article that included this quotation by Howard Jacobson about Holocaust deniers:

“You will know them because they know more about the Jewish religion than you do. As soon as you meet one of those, and think, by God they’ve got a lot of quotations, by God they know everything about Jews—then that’s what they are. And what cheers me about all this, is that your true anti-Semite, like your true Holocaust denier, is doomed to a kind of Dante-esque hell of living among Jewish things, Jewish books, Jewish artifacts. You can see them in the library, they’ve got the Talmud up here, and they’re burrowing away to find more and more evidence against the Jews. Few Jews live a more perfect scholarly Jewish life.”

Obviously I don't view atheism and Holocaust denial as intellectually on par. I also think the study of religion can be interesting and useful for atheists. But I am always a bit bemused by atheists that try to convince Christians that they should believe something the atheists herself regards as absolutely nuts and probably harmful.

I raise. Care to answer the questions?

Could you accept that:

• Your ideas and beleifs you have come to believe as truth through self search are lies?
• Your friends, college professors and senses have lied to you?
• You were brainwashed by the god of this world, the advesary everyday since birth NOT to believe in a God?
• All the wasted time trying to figure things out on your own?
• Your percieved reality is an illusion to rob you of eternal life?

I understand that it is alot to grasp and consider...for you but its the truth.

I have been close to where you are at and I know that mainstream Christianity makes a mockery of the truth and the true God by some of the stupid things they say, do and believe.

Most of what they teach is not truth because they do not have the rightly divided word. So I do not blame you for thinking it bogus, I know it is, but true Christianity is not bogus, there is a God and their is ONE truth and ONE meaning and purpose for life, most never find it because they are talked out of it.........

Sounds 100% possible to me, He created people who can send men to the moon..............who can cause a voice to be heard through a little piece of plastic from 1000's of miles away........

What do you think?

Couldn't he also author a more cohesive narrative?

Which had better writing, this scene, or the bible?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-AXTx4PcKI

Alec had better writers.

It's obvious you do not know the core teachings and are talking out your ass, by the way are you a donkey?

Again you do not know what you are talking about.........the bible is not set up like reading a book from front to back.....

Its set up way differently and when you learn HOW its set up then you are able to read it and make sense of it.......there are some chronoligical story lines but not all is that way, not even close.....

Sigh. Some do. Some don't. I prefer, by and large, that they don't and so don't try to persuade them that they should believe these things.

I am not certain that the passage does detract although I have not tried to put it into the context of the entire document.

There are the "Ten Commandments" in the OT. In the NT, Jesus gave a very concise answer to the question, "What is the greatest commandment?".

Certainly a great book. Out of respect for other religions I would not presume to elevate it above other religious texts. I do not believe anything found in this world is perfect.

I wouldn't think any atheists are trying to convince Christians to believe in these things.

Why do you think that is, especially when the 'average' person in this world is a theist?

I'm sure they don't intend to do so, but the implicit argument here is that the only consistent form of Christianity are extreme forms of fundamentalism. This seems foolish to me. It is possible that someday we'll eradicate religion (I doubt it personally). Until then it seems like atheists should be satisfied with people accepting more pluralistic and reasonable religious conceptions, not arguing that they are incoherent.

Holy derail attempt Batman!