Psacramento - AGuest and myelaine all together on one thread.
This could be a sign that a new world is almost here or perhaps the Lord is visiting again?
THE GLADIATOR
JoinedPosts by THE GLADIATOR
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77
What is Truth?
by AK - Jeff inif one 'googles' the phrase, you get 167,000,000 hits!.
'bing' it, and you get 129,000,000 hits.. here is a sampling of opinion from just the first page of google hits.. 1] douglas groothuis, ph.d., teaches philosophy at denver seminary.
here is his 'take' on truth: http://www.leaderu.com/theology/groothuis-truth.html.
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If Jesus came in 1914, where is he?
by cyberjesus insd-7 thread got me thinking!.
1) so if jesus was in heaven and came in 1914 where exactly was he and where is he now?
is he on earth?
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THE GLADIATOR
Jesus came figuratively.
The whole understanding of of all things biblical depends upon mastering this wonderful open everything skeleton-key.
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CHOICE may be a mere illusion. FREE WILL a trick of the mind's ego
by Terry inthings are what they are.. everything acts according to its nature.. nothing escapes its own nature.. we cannot be other than what we are and our "choices" follow our nature.. consequently, can we not say correctly that free choice is merely our ignorance of the fact that all our actions and choices are predetermined by our nature?.
1. if you are offered either a handful of dog poop or a cold dove bar---is your "choice" really much of a choice?
2. offer a heterosexual male a night with a hot chick or a hot dude...is the outcome really "choice"?
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THE GLADIATOR
I have stopped commenting on this thread because I am completely out of my depth in this particular subject. It is not my area of expertise. I suspect that many others who are interested have stood aside for the same reason.
notverylikely, I said on page 6 that: "You appear to have a need to paste - dissect and contradict everything that is placed before you. It is unlikely that you are aware of this need. You see it as a preference to make things clear in other people's mind."
This does seem to be an overriding need in you, driven by forces that you have no control over. A lack of free will no less! Terry has, as always, avoided becoming rattled. His overriding need appears to be a thirst for truth and intellectual exercise; perhaps caused by being tricked as a JW.
Let me thank you both for the entertainment and insight you are providing. I watch and learn.
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Best Argument for Atheism?
by leavingwt inmy own faith did not survive an 'outside test for faith'.
below, the author gives an example of how outsiders to most religions examine those religions critically, and dimiss them.
turning a critical eye towards my beliefs was a bit scary, but i decided it was the only proper thing to do, for me.
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THE GLADIATOR
The difference is you don’t turn that critical side of your mind to your own beliefs.
The mind acts like this most of the time with religious and secular matters. It is selective. We do not really listen to other people we automatically edit what is said and remember the argument or discussion in the way we want to.
We are also often unaware of what we say and will swear that we did not say something, even though several witnesses assure us we did. People do this after a row when they are in a defensive mode.
We see the world in the way that makes sense to us and exclude what is inconvenient. If we were to consciously register every piece of information we hear or see we would be overwhelmed and break down.
Logically, all religions cannot be right - but they could all be wrong.
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What is the main issue you have with this religion?
by Quillsky infor me there are many obvious issues, but the big one is......... the big daddy of the universe, the father of all this incredible creation, is not about to annihilate everybody who is not a member of this late 1800's american religion, jehovah's witnesses.. that's it for me.. what is your big issue?.
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THE GLADIATOR
The same issue I have with all religion. It claims to know the unknowable and offers an instant answer to unanswerable questions. In doing so it closes people's mind to seeking truth.
Organised religion stands in the way of progress. Claiming the earth is just 6000 or 10000 years old robs us of understanding the true awe of our existence and the billions of years that the development of life on earth has taken. It stops us taking full responsibility for how we treat the earth.
Truth is not a rigid set of beliefs. Once we think we posses the truth, we close our minds to other possibilities. In that moment we have lost our connection with the infinite.
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CHOICE may be a mere illusion. FREE WILL a trick of the mind's ego
by Terry inthings are what they are.. everything acts according to its nature.. nothing escapes its own nature.. we cannot be other than what we are and our "choices" follow our nature.. consequently, can we not say correctly that free choice is merely our ignorance of the fact that all our actions and choices are predetermined by our nature?.
1. if you are offered either a handful of dog poop or a cold dove bar---is your "choice" really much of a choice?
2. offer a heterosexual male a night with a hot chick or a hot dude...is the outcome really "choice"?
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THE GLADIATOR
When Eve said 'eat it' Adam had no choice - he was married and feared her more than God!
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THE GLADIATOR
The same issue I have with all religion. It claims to know the unknowable and offers an instant answer to unanswerable questions. In doing so it closes people's mind to seeking truth.
Organised religion stands in the way of progress. Claiming the earth is just 6000 or 10000 years old robs us of understanding the true awe of our existence and the billions of years that the development of life on earth has taken. It stops us taking full responsibility for how we treat the earth.
Truth is not a rigid set of beliefs. Once we think we posses the truth, we close our minds to other possibilities. In that moment we have lost our connection with the infinite.
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Is Atheism a 'Personal Rebellion' Against God?
by leavingwt ini try to understand why other people believe what they believe.
the author discussed in the article below evidently wants to hide his head in the sand and paint all atheists with the same broad, incorrect brush.
it's as if he's never actually sat down with an atheist and had friendly conversation.. .
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THE GLADIATOR
The difficulty is that what many reject is the idea of a personal God with human emotions that needs to be worshiped, loved and feared.
Many so called non-believers accept that there may be an impersonal force at work in the universe. Some have even said that the universe itself may be God, rather than the creation of a God. There is certainly something awesome going on that demands respect.
We have to be clear what is meant by the term 'God' before we can line people up and pin name badges on them. It is possible we will never have the answer in our lifetime.
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Is Atheism a 'Personal Rebellion' Against God?
by leavingwt ini try to understand why other people believe what they believe.
the author discussed in the article below evidently wants to hide his head in the sand and paint all atheists with the same broad, incorrect brush.
it's as if he's never actually sat down with an atheist and had friendly conversation.. .
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THE GLADIATOR
"Atheism is not the result of objective assessment of evidence, but of stubborn disobedience; it does not arise from the careful application of reason but from willful rebellion. Atheism is the suppression of truth by wickedness, the cognitive consequence of immorality.
"In short, it is sin that is the mother or unbelief."
The Watchtower Society had a similar idea. Anyone who was unable to make sense of their beliefs was labeled an apostate.
They were sinners who had rebelled against 'the truth' and were in league with the Devil. The only reason they had left was to practise immorality. The penalty was death.
And quite right too!
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CHOICE may be a mere illusion. FREE WILL a trick of the mind's ego
by Terry inthings are what they are.. everything acts according to its nature.. nothing escapes its own nature.. we cannot be other than what we are and our "choices" follow our nature.. consequently, can we not say correctly that free choice is merely our ignorance of the fact that all our actions and choices are predetermined by our nature?.
1. if you are offered either a handful of dog poop or a cold dove bar---is your "choice" really much of a choice?
2. offer a heterosexual male a night with a hot chick or a hot dude...is the outcome really "choice"?
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THE GLADIATOR
One day you will take a day of work to play golf and say that you just felt like doing it. The motivation will come from the unconscious part of your mind. You will of course claim it as a preference for that day, an act of free will.
You are not predestined to play golf but you are genetically predisposed or programmed to feel the need for a break after working for a certain number of hours and noticing that the sun is out.
You appear to have a need to paste - dissect and contradict everything that is placed before you. It is unlikely that you are aware of this need. You see it as a preference to make things clear in other people's mind.
Or perhaps the idea that you have less control over your life than you like to think is scary?