I appreciate your comments cyberjesus
PSacramento summed up what I was trying to say.
By the way - sitting on a fence has certain advantages.
some people accuse atheists of not being open minded for not believing in the existence of a creator.
but is not believing a sign of close mindedness?
can you believe in god and be open minded?.
I appreciate your comments cyberjesus
PSacramento summed up what I was trying to say.
By the way - sitting on a fence has certain advantages.
some people accuse atheists of not being open minded for not believing in the existence of a creator.
but is not believing a sign of close mindedness?
can you believe in god and be open minded?.
Personaly, I am not comfortable with wearing a lable that says 'atheist' or any other lable. It would suggests that I have come to definite conclusions and closed the door to further advancement. I don't believe in a personal biblical god, but I am still open to new ideas. Sometime there can be a temptation to seek certainty, that there is a god or there is not. I am comfortable living with uncertainty.
I wouldn't want to loose my awe of the universe and its unrealised potential in eternity. I will continue to explore and seek understanding; to look for a deeper meaning in life and a desire to focus on all that is positive about life. Whether that amounts to walking a spiritual path or is just adopting a personal philosophy, is for others to decide.
Despite the advances of science, there is so much that is still unknown about our world and the vast universe. Religion has attempted to find an explanation but has not managed to satisfy everybody. I simply don't know, or have all the answers but I refuse to close my mind because the mystery of life has not revealed itself to me.
note his words on this: "most truly i say to you, unless anyone is born from water and spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of god.
look again, at what jesus said about being born again: "most truly i say to you, unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of god.
" unless anyone is born from water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of god.
How do we identify the true Born Again Christyian's?
They know how to spell 'Christians.'
to the household of god, israel, and those who go with... may you all have peace!.
well, the predecessor thread really invoked some emotions, didn't it?
good and bad.
AGuest
Is it possible that stating the truth, even though one knows others are going to chide, deride, ridicule, smear, slander... even blaspheme [against the Holy Spirit]... is evidence of one's underestimation of one self?
Shelby, Thank you for your reply.
Having Christ talk to you personally must be an awesome confidence booster. I feel important if the postman smiles and says hello to me. You do attract a great deal of abuse for you efforts to educate others in the ways of righteousness. There are times when even my hard heart feels empathy for you.
I wonder if you realize why you receive such a reaction? Your style of delivery suggests that you enjoy attention. Whether negative or positive, you like to be in front of the class. We all enjoy attention from time to time but the wrong kind of attention is not healthy. Despite you humble servant and slave of Christ signature, your posts don't appear to show genuine humility. That is a desirable attribute in anyone; for a slave of the Lord, essential. This is just my observation.
Perhaps you could get your message across more successful if you gave consideration to comments that people make about your style of delivery? I have a number of Christian friends, including a vicar who comes for dinner in my house and invites me to his. I also have a close friend who is a Buddhist and other friends who follow no particular spiritual path. We are able to get on because we respect each others present understanding of the meaning of life.
So you see, I bear you no ill-will and hope you receive a more gentle ride in the weeks ahead.
to the household of god, israel, and those who go with... may you all have peace!.
well, the predecessor thread really invoked some emotions, didn't it?
good and bad.
AGuest Have you ever looked into the vastness of the universe? The most distant known galaxy in the Universe is located an estimated 13 billion light-years away. This only what we know from our perspective. The farthest is unknown to us.
We are less than ants in real terms. Why would any 'one' responsible for this mind boggling achievement, care one jot how humans pronounce, spell or conjecture the name they attach to the force behind the universe?
Is it remotely possible that you have overestimated your importance in the scheme of things?
the atheists and bible deniers love to talk about how hateful and murderous god is.
i suggest the following.
i believe that the children that were killed in warfare by the israelites were taken to heaven with god.
I admire your tireless efforts to explain and come to terms with what can seem inexplicable.
For what its worth, your generosity, persistence and patience with me, has rekindled my interest in re-examining my spiritual journey.
the 'god' of the jw's is a god that will kill billions at armageddon.
the christian 'god' in general is a god that [according to their own holy book] already killed millions in the ot.
this 'god' ordered the slaughter of innocent virgins and children and old men and old women so that his people could take the land.
Thank you VAMPIRE. I have noticed form your posts that you have not arrived at a conclusion yet and wish you well in your search. Congratulations on your 1000th post.
the 'god' of the jw's is a god that will kill billions at armageddon.
the christian 'god' in general is a god that [according to their own holy book] already killed millions in the ot.
this 'god' ordered the slaughter of innocent virgins and children and old men and old women so that his people could take the land.
My above statement is, as it was meant to be, an impersonal generalisation of the search for truth .
On a more personal note, If there is a supreme intelligence to which we are answerable, I don't think it will be found in any book. There are clues in Zen buddhism, Tao and the Bible. They are just clues, which lead towards a spiritual life. There are also clues in nature which includes the vast galaxies.
I observe these things with interest. The jury is still out; which means no verdict has been arrived at by me. Due to this there is no guilt or innocence for me to attribute to any monster or God. Jesus has yet to contact me but I am a patient man. Should God ever find me, I have a feeling that she will be most agreeable.
the 'god' of the jw's is a god that will kill billions at armageddon.
the christian 'god' in general is a god that [according to their own holy book] already killed millions in the ot.
this 'god' ordered the slaughter of innocent virgins and children and old men and old women so that his people could take the land.
Why do people defend monsters?
The search for truth has occupied man’s thoughts, shaped his dreams, and been the cause of many struggles throughout history. Eternal life has been seen as the ultimate quest since the beginning of time. Religions of the world have sought to show that this goal can only be achieved through belief in a higher being – a supreme spirit.
In some cases they fear the monster will turn on them if the fail to support it. Others do not see the god of the bible as a monster but as a god of love. Different cultures demand alegience to the god or gods of their holy book.
Some people steer their way through life by the application of absolute logic. Most do not. There is a deep emotional desire in us to want to believe we are not alone and that this life is just one phase of an eternal journey. The mind is capable of rationalising away all objections, to hold onto the comfort that belief in an all powerful god can provide.
when the wtbs says;bethel expansion god's blessing,bethel consolidation god's blessing.. judiciary favorable ruling god's blessing,unfavorable ruling god's blessing.. pray for a court ruling (france/russia).if they win god's bless.if the lose god's bless.is it not the same when football/baseball pray for victory.if the win god blessed them,if they lose god bless them.. b.
The number of members leaving is seen as proof that we are living in the last days as the Bible states that “the love of the greater number will cool off.” When enough replacements join the organization to swell the number again, the Scripture that says, “Jehovah will speed it up in his own time” is quoted to again prove that these are the last days. Witnesses are expert at finding a verse of Scripture to support any belief they hold. In their eyes, to disagree with them is to contradict the Bible and therefore God.