That is an individual choice that we all must make.
That I can agree with you, Gladiator.
EdenOne
JoinedPosts by EdenOne
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2596
The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday
by cofty inyesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.
we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.
they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.
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EdenOne
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2596
The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday
by cofty inyesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.
we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.
they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.
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EdenOne
Adam,
So, because you're candid and ethical, you chose to despise faith? If you were intellectually honest now, you would acknowledge that there are millions, even billions of people whose faith isn't means to make a living, but means to lead a better life. I don't care how you view your ancesters, but if you accuse them of leading a less than honest trade based on faith, you're being no less dishonest by implying that every man of faith is in it for the material reward or the pleasure of manipulating others.
Eden
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2596
The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday
by cofty inyesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.
we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.
they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.
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EdenOne
WMF
It's the typical interpretation from JW's that Jesus calmed down that storm to demonstrate that he will stop all natural disasters in the future paradise on earth, because he has the power over the elements. It's not how I see it, though. The fact that he has the power to do it, doesn't mean he intends to do it or even that it's his business to do it. He did it then simply to build up the faith of his disciples in him as the Son of God - in which, btw, he succeeded.
Eden
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2596
The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday
by cofty inyesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.
we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.
they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.
-
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EdenOne
Cofty, you said:
Are you seriously proposing that god cocked-up and didn't know about the tsunami until it was too late?
You're putting words in my mouth because you assume that I posite that God would do anything about if if he knew about it beforehand. I didn't say that.
Why did god not prevent the tsunami in 2004?
a) He didn't know about it
He has stepped aside, either permanently or temporarily [I don't know which] from interveining personally in human affairs. To know or not know beforehand about it is therefore irrelevant.
b) He left Jesus in charge so it was his fault
It's not Jesus' business to stop natural disasters, or to stop bad things from happenning to good people. It's up to Jesus to teach people to make the best possible choices in life, find comfort and courage in hope and to attain salvation in the heavenly realm.
c) Physical life is relatively unimportant compared to heaven
The importance of physical life compared with heavely life is indeed relative, but the fallacy of your reasoning is that such relative importance implicates the play down of human suffering. It doesn't.
In essence, my answer is:
d) It's not God's business to exempt human beings from suffering that has always existed in nature. It is God's business to help people to cope with said suffering and to find comfort in a hope for salvation into a better life outside the physical realm.
Eden
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2596
The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday
by cofty inyesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.
we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.
they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.
-
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EdenOne
besty, and if that hope ever comes true, life will be better because...?
Eden
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2596
The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday
by cofty inyesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.
we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.
they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.
-
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EdenOne
Laika, I find the argument persuasive until you introduce:
He would then try to prevent it
Why would he necessarily try to prevent it?
Eden
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2596
The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday
by cofty inyesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.
we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.
they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.
-
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EdenOne
Adam, what is the "ancient wisdom" that faith in God steals from humans? Just curious ...
Will you now preach me about the Vedas?
Eden
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2596
The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday
by cofty inyesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.
we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.
they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.
-
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EdenOne
WMF
Is there a "hope" that an atheist advocate? If there isn't one, I call that a void.
Eden
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2596
The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday
by cofty inyesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.
we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.
they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.
-
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EdenOne
I didn't say that Cofty, but if you're happy to put words in my mouth, I won't offend you by asking you to re-read what I wrote again.
Eden
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2596
The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday
by cofty inyesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.
we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.
they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.
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EdenOne
Adam,
Every theodicy that a believer may come up with will be always met with contempt by an atheist, for he has no intellectual respect for the theist. I find it usually a waste of time to debate with those who don't respect my intelligence but demand that I am in awe of theirs in turn. That's utterly unstimulating and boring. Since faith isn't an item for the atheist, any argument that depends on faith will ultimately fail to convince the atheist. And that's ok. We don't have to agree in order that we may live peacefully with each other. Yet, my hope is better than your void.
you're really no different from the Pope, the GB, priests, etc, who get financial rewards and ego-gratification from prancing about and acting like they're God's prophets on Earth. It's the oldest game in the (Holy) Book, but you just happen to be really bad at it.
Likewise, you're not great at being a nice person. Just wondering if you realize that fact.
Eden