Posts by Viviane

754

Theists, why does God allow suffering..

by The Quiet One in

..specifically, the suffering of animals.

you can talk about free will/sin/people choosing to not listen to god etc to explain human suffering being allowed.. but how can you love a god that allows animals, that haven't sinned or chosen to not have anything to do with god, to have their short lives ended in often long, drawn out, painful ways.

i could list stories i've read that would probably make you feel ill, but i'm not looking to shock anyone or start an emotional debate.

Viviane

If you do not believe that God exists, you should not even be here. This is not for you.This is for theists. This discussion is moot for you. And if that is the case then the question asked on this thread is a rhetorical one, trying to show that God does not exist because he allows evil.

How else will theists know when their arguments are irrational without someone to point them out?

Then you have just answered your own conundrum from creation to evolution. Both views are arbitrary.

Evolution is evidence based and has multiple lines of evidence, predictive power and underpins modern biology and medicine.

Creationism has zero evidence.

102

A couple questions for atheists on Suffering

by little_Socrates in

who told you that the world should be free from suffering?.

do you find any value in suffering?.

do you think it is possible to experience all the beauty and goodness and pleasure the world offers without also experiencing the bad?

Viviane

My point about the victims you mentioned... even though they died tragically, it doesn't negate all the great things they experienced in life.

No, it doesn't, but if there is a creator God, then he is either a sh*tty creator or doesn't love his creation enough to give them a safe home.

Would you be fine if someone decided to crush each of your fingers with a hammer? After all, it doesn't negate the lovely dinner you had last night.

when atheists say "Why does God allow suffering" how do they define it? That is the definition I want to work towards.

Why would an atheist ask that? They don't believe in God, by definition. I think when you see that, it's a hypothetical as part of a conversation where the existence of God is assumed for the sake of conversation and there is someone, usually, a Christian, trying to say God is perfectly loving, omniscient and omnipotent.

102

A couple questions for atheists on Suffering

by little_Socrates in

who told you that the world should be free from suffering?.

do you find any value in suffering?.

do you think it is possible to experience all the beauty and goodness and pleasure the world offers without also experiencing the bad?

Viviane

Who told you that the world should be free from suffering?

No one. Why?

Do you find any value in suffering?

Exercise, while painful, is gainful. It's also self-imposed.

I am just trying to understand the atheist argument on suffering. It seems they like to hammer on certain preconceived ideas that theists bring to the table. I am just trying to turn it around and see if I can get atheists to defend and explain their positions. Usually theists are the ones that always have to defend themselves

That's been done dozens of times. In fact, Cofty had a thread over 100 pages long on it. Theists were unable to come up with rational answer for why a loving god would create a universe so excellently suiting to killing and harming it's inhabitants.

The entire human experience is beautiful.

A child being kidnapped, raped and murdered is beautiful? What a sickening notion.

754

Theists, why does God allow suffering..

by The Quiet One in

..specifically, the suffering of animals.

you can talk about free will/sin/people choosing to not listen to god etc to explain human suffering being allowed.. but how can you love a god that allows animals, that haven't sinned or chosen to not have anything to do with god, to have their short lives ended in often long, drawn out, painful ways.

i could list stories i've read that would probably make you feel ill, but i'm not looking to shock anyone or start an emotional debate.

Viviane

1) I agree it may appear a fact based on physical evidence and the human understanding of that evidence. I am not a "blind-faith"er, I've looked at science, still rather enjoy it, actually.

You've described someone with blind faith perfectly. You KNOW there is evidence contrary to your belief but choose to ignore it. How is that not blind faith?

754

Theists, why does God allow suffering..

by The Quiet One in

..specifically, the suffering of animals.

you can talk about free will/sin/people choosing to not listen to god etc to explain human suffering being allowed.. but how can you love a god that allows animals, that haven't sinned or chosen to not have anything to do with god, to have their short lives ended in often long, drawn out, painful ways.

i could list stories i've read that would probably make you feel ill, but i'm not looking to shock anyone or start an emotional debate.

Viviane

First, let me say that atheists are entitled to their view of facts and science. Tangible physical evidence is certainly a strong argument, but to forego any arguing on that point, I'll grant that there could have been an evolutionary process in conjunction with Bible doctrine.

There is no such thing as an "atheist view" of facts and science. There are simply facts and science. Evolution is a fact beyond all reasonable doubt.

I will ask those who are avid evolutionists to grant, for the sake of the current argument only, the possibility that God created the world in aged form because as a creator, that was His vision. I'm not asking for belief, simply establishing "neutralish ground" for the sake of addressing animal cruelty and sin from a Biblical standpoint and attempting to reconcile a loving God in all of this.

That is certainly possible, but it's not "neutral" because all, literally ALL of evidence points against that.

The illness is contained so it doesn't spread beyond the quarantine area, but it would be awful to destroy everyone because they were exposed to the disease. And the results often bring about immunities. And, because this is a "theist" point of view, I'll go out on a limb and argue that God didn't wipe them out because He wanted them to have that right to choose, and still establish that immunization against any other "disease" of the type.

That argument doesn't hold water. According to your holy book we are all already sick, infected, diseased, and there is a doctor who can heal us, but only if we grovel and pay with blood and look the other way while he murders millions with no discretion.

754

Theists, why does God allow suffering..

by The Quiet One in

..specifically, the suffering of animals.

you can talk about free will/sin/people choosing to not listen to god etc to explain human suffering being allowed.. but how can you love a god that allows animals, that haven't sinned or chosen to not have anything to do with god, to have their short lives ended in often long, drawn out, painful ways.

i could list stories i've read that would probably make you feel ill, but i'm not looking to shock anyone or start an emotional debate.

Viviane

When thinking for an answer one can feel hopeless and defeated and helpless. I try not to think about this because it is very painful.

Closing your eyes doesn't make it go away. You're experience the pain of attempting to reconcile what you clearly know to be bad with the concept of woshipping a god you've been told is love is clearly a blood god of death.

One tries to find some reason some justification but it cannot be done. One way to view this is: God knows and who am I to judge God.

That's not a way to view it. That's a way to avoid having to think about the obvious and irrefutable contradiction. It's called cognitive dissonance.

24

Education, education, education....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

an update on my life post education..... as the governing body continue to denounce higher education, reality continues to prove their words ignorant, ill informed and blatant lies.

i am proud and astonished to say i have just been accepted for a university teaching hospital post.

i have a seriously sought after, senior house officer job in intensive care, endocrinology and clinical pharmacology.

Viviane

That's a great story! Congratulations!

6

Paranormal Witness

by Clambake in

does anyone watch this show?

it literally scares the hell of out of me..

does anyone here have an interest in the paranormal, demonology , ghosts or general weird stuff.

Viviane

I know this is totally against what Christianity teaches but I kind of gives me hope of something beyond the grave.

Ghost and witches are in the Bible. Why do you worry about what happens after you die?

59

Asshole Atheism – Not for me, now or ever.

by donny in

to start off with let me clarify that by asshole atheism i am not referring to strong atheism or any other type of upfront atheism.

what i am referring to is the belligerent, hateful atheism that smacks of trolls and other types who want to derail conversation or comments at any cost..

i enjoy hearing comments from both sides of the subjects of theism, nationalism or politics, especially from those who have intense opinions.

Viviane

Science “ which is just anti-christian rubbish.

Then, by all means, please stop using the internet, cell phones, cars, watching television, eating food, using medicine, seeing doctors, flying, taking a train, using anything with a battery or electricity or wearing clothes made in the past 100 years.

All of those are things science, not Jesus, has given the world. Put your money where your mouth is and live by your convictions. Otherwise you are an utter hypocrite interested only in promoting ignorance.

Real science has nothing to do with religion.

You got it 100% right. Real science has zero to do with bronze age death cults and those who worship blood gods.

41

Nethanyahu speach to US Congress - not in sync with NRA position on weapons

by RubaDub in

i don't quite understand why mr. nethanyahu is so fearful if iran or other nations have nuclear weapons.

as the nra espouses, the more people are armed and the more weapons on the street, then the safer we should feel.

we all should have the right to protect ourselves.

Viviane

Like I said, the US was involved before that. It's factually true.