Posts by THE GLADIATOR

42

Are Atheists open minded? are you?

by cyberjesus in

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?.

THE GLADIATOR

cyberjesus

Are you avoiding confrontation. is that it?

A very astute observation!

caliber

No we're having a wonderful open minded discussion without taking personal offense...

Ah - this is the beginning of wisdom. The portal to an adventure that enjoys the unknown and often unexpected.

I have learned that it is not the swift that win the race or the mighty that win the battle but those who find peace without war.

jaguarbass

So really being agnostic is detrimental to my health, I need to move on over to the believer category based on

my own empirical evidence.

Finding what works for you is a personal responsibility. I am pleased you have found a way that suits your needs.

42

Are Atheists open minded? are you?

by cyberjesus in

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?.

THE GLADIATOR

cyberjesus Can you expand on what sitting on the fence means? and its advantages?

Sitting on the fence is about taking the time I need to arrive at my destination. Not somewhere I need or desire to be but where my journey takes me. It's about being free of defending a particular belief that is likely will change in time anyway.

Its about not needing to be right or convince other that I all the answers. Birds sit on the fence watching for the right opportunity to take flight. I watch the robin in my garden and he has taught me a lot.

42

Are Atheists open minded? are you?

by cyberjesus in

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?.

THE GLADIATOR

I appreciate your comments cyberjesus

PSacramento summed up what I was trying to say.

By the way - sitting on a fence has certain advantages.

42

Are Atheists open minded? are you?

by cyberjesus in

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?.

THE GLADIATOR

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.

11

How do we identify the true Born Again Christyian's?

by wannabe in

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.

THE GLADIATOR

How do we identify the true Born Again Christyian's?

They know how to spell 'Christians.'

198

Why It Matters...

by AGuest in

jw
friends

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.

THE GLADIATOR

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.

198

Why It Matters...

by AGuest in

jw
friends

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.

THE GLADIATOR

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?

185

Why did God kill children?

by brotherdan in

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.

THE GLADIATOR

PSacramento

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.

40

Why do people defend monsters?

by AK - Jeff in

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.

THE GLADIATOR

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.

40

Why do people defend monsters?

by AK - Jeff in

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.

THE GLADIATOR

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.