Sorry, was off doing important king work. Back now, it's
Why aren't you an Atheist?
by Bloody Hotdogs! 697 Replies latest jw friends
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still thinking
I am still asking the question that has yet to be answered. You don't have to beleive, to be able to answer the question...tec
Actually, you do have to believe/be biased to answer YOUR question. Because your question below is already assuming that the verses YOU select as true are the Truth of the Christ concept. It is purely YOUR opinion and selective reasoning. Just like all religion out there that takes what they want and leaves the rest...Trouble is, they all have very different ideas about what is the truth.
How and why do you ignore the verses that are in tune with the Truth of Christ?...tec
You are waiting for a response to your bias? I don't ignore any verses. You attribute certain verses to being truth of christ, other christians use other verses, do you speak for all christians? Or are other christians wrong because you think you have 'special' knowledge and you need to correct them?.
Are you are able to select what is true and what isn't because you just KNOW these things?
Why do you ignore the verses that are not in tune with what you want to believe? Why do you attribute things you don't like to lying scribes? How do you know it wasn't they lying scribes that wrote what YOU specifically claim to be the Truth of the christ concept? Since the OT doesn't align to your version of who god is, was your christ wrong when he speaks of his father who is spoken of in the OT?
I think it is ironic that the ones who have the most to gain by being biased accuse others of ignoring verses...LOL It makes no difference to me either way. UNLIKE YOU. The Jesus concept being mr nice guy all the time, or the god concept of a jealous angry god is irrelevant to me. My world will not come tumbling down if either of these concepts were to be proven wrong. But if your Jesus concept were to be proven wrong would you still want to worship that jealous god? You have a lot more to loose by dropping your belief in fairies Gods.
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Aware!
Re: Why aren't you an Atheist?
Because I don't have all the answers and I like to pretend that there's someone that listens to my concerns when I feel I can't bear them alone. I don't pray to a specific God or Gods, and I'm deist, so I don't believe that God or Gods intervene (but I still like pretending he/she/it/they do/does, even though it's selfish of me when I think about others).
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NewChapter
How and why do you ignore the verses that are in tune with the Truth of Christ... to focus instead upon the ones that are in contradiction? What makes this a more (or just as) valid understanding, when Christ is the truth? Because you HAVE to ignore Christ, to accept some of the things written in the OT. You also have to ignore the verses that ARE in line with Christ and His teachings
I thought I did answer this. Let me try again. I will always take the opposite interpretation and point out the inconsistencies. I did a few weeks ago with a family member. I will show you how dodgy your source, the bible, is on every issue. The purpose is to point out the weaknesses in the reasoning and the source. You claim that the bible is not your authority, yet you freely quote it when it agrees with you. So you've already argued that point---my point is to then show you the scriptures you don't like as much--from the same place you got the happy scriptures---and show that YOU are only presenting half the story. Why would I need to constantly discuss the nice things when you are already doing that? Do you want me to argue your side of the argument too? Sheesh.
Now Sab does not do that. He pretty much gives a great deal of authority to the OT, the killings, rapes, and slavery. In that case, I can point out that Jesus taught something different, but he agrees with that. No argument. So I point out the morality of the interpretation---again showing how weak this source is. There are different arguments, depending on the view of the other person, but I'm not going to make your arguments. You may have a problem with that, but we all know the Sermon on the Mount, yadda, yadda, and nobody is arguing that.
You claim Jesus is the final and only valid word (or those that agree with him). Sab claims they are all valid. I must change my argument to address each of your hugely different understandings.
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tec
Actually, you do have to believe/be biased to answer YOUR question. Because your question below is already assuming that the verses YOU select as true are the Truth of the Christ concept. It is purely YOUR opinion and selective reasoning. Just like all religion out there
that takes what they want and leaves the rest...Trouble is, they all have very different ideas about what is the truth.
Why is it so hard for any of you to answer the question? What difference does it make what I assume? I am asking about you. What you think is not dependent upon what I think.
You also take some and leave the rest. How do you measure what to take and what to discard?
You are waiting for a response to your bias? I don't ignore any verses. You attribute certain verses to being truth of christ, other christians use other verses, do you speak for all christians? Or are other christians wrong because you think you have 'special' knowledge
and you need to correct them?.
Very well. The next time you state something about God, based on a verse in the OT, I will remind you of this... and show you the verses you ignore in order to make your statement. And turning it around as to what I think about other christians has nothing to do with the question i am asking.
Are you are able to select what is true and what isn't because you just KNOW these things?
No. Because i look and test against Christ.
Why do you ignore the verses that are not in tune with what you want to believe?
Has nothing to do with what I want to believe. Has to do with understanding that Christ is Truth, and so ignoring anything that conflicts WITH Christ, and therefore, truth.
Why do you attribute things you don't like to lying scribes? How do you know it wasn't they lying scribes that wrote what YOU specifically claim to be the Truth of the christ concept? Since the OT doesn't align to your version of who god is, was your christ wrong when he speaks of his father who is spoken of in the OT?
See, I have answered all of these questions, for you and for others. No one has answered mine. How do you choose which verse is true, when they are in conflict? I choose by looking at Christ. The Truth and Word and Image of God.
I think it is ironic that the ones who have the most to gain by being biased accuse others of ignoring verses...LOL It makes no difference to me either way. UNLIKE YOU.
For something that makes no difference to you, you sure do spend a lot of time arguing about it, and on one side of it, at that.
You are just as biased as me.. I just don't know what your basis is.
The Jesus concept being mr nice guy all the time,
Your words. Not mine. Truth can be nice, but it does not have to be, and it certainly is not always.
or the god concept of a jealous angry god is irrelevant to me.
But you choose to argue the jealous angry god concept.
My world will not come tumbling down if either of these concepts were to be proven wrong. But if your Jesus concept were to be proven wrong would you still want to worship that jealous god?
There is no such being. I do not worship such a being to begin with, so there would be no 'still want to' involved.
You have a lot more to loose by dropping your belief in fairies Gods.
Then it makes sense that I am here, doesn't it?
Though that would depend. If I dropped my belief... and God is real... then i might have something to lose. If there is no God, and I dropped belief in Him, then I would have had nothing to lose, to begin with.
None of this, however, answers my one question.
Peace,
tammy
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tec
I thought I did answer this. Let me try again. I will always take the opposite interpretation and point out the inconsistencies
So you have no actual stance, then, other than trying to point out that the bible is inconsistent? Because on that we are in agreement. I simply do not see it as an all or nothing book, and you seem to take is as an all or nothing book.
In your mind, with no stance one way or the other, God absolutely could be exactly as Christ showed Him to be, and not as some of the OT seems to paint Him?
Peace,
tammy
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still thinking
Why is it so hard for any of you to answer the question?...tec
Because your question is already biased. It's like asking.... Am I right or am I right?
It would appear your bias is so strong you can't even see that. Either that or you are being dishonest.
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tec
That was a really good article Shamus.
I know that some believers also disrespect atheists, and toss stereotypes at them, thinking that they are immoral, etc. But there are also many believers who could not care less about such things. Who respect the person and what they do, caring nothing at all for whether or not they are a theist or atheist. Who do not look down on a person... their morality or their intellect... for their faith or non-faith. I am one of those people. I would like the same to be shown to me, and to others of faith who show respect to people of any faith or non-faith. People of faith and non-faith do want peace, tolerance, acceptance, respect. Some, unfortunately, want to look down their noses at the other side, and to feel superior. Sometimes discussion board such as this one foster the latter spirit, because we get only the talk and no actions. With actions, one can see the nature of a person more, and it should not matter to anyone else what faith or non-faith a person has.
But then, it was also this discussion board and some of the atheists/agnostics on this board that taught me that not all atheists were the angry, superior, insulting type. It was a stereotype in my head, due to my limited perspective, which changed the moment i saw that it was wrong.
Peace,
tammy
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tec
I'll save the question for you for when we are having a conversation about the nature of God, Still. So that there is something specific to base it on. Then perhaps it will be more clear.
Peace,
tammy