Religious beliefs need to stop.

[Minimalist]

Seek him and you shall find.

You seem to forget that most of us began life as theists and have rejected it for the shit that it is. When we sought him there was nothing there. Just ancient fairy tales.

[The Reality Salesman01]

Seek him and you shall find.

But, the Muslims say the same thing about their God. But, I'm sure you agree that they are wrong and are clearly deluding themselves. The problem is, that's what I think you are doing too. Do you have any methods of discovering your God that do not have the same characteristics as self delusion? That would be much more helpful.

But not the genuine Christ so anything he's talking about I can just agree with.

Good. As soon as we find a way to nail down the Christ you are talking about, we can have an intelligent conversation about it. The problem is, I have access to the same literature that lead you to the one you speak of. You say that's not the one you believe in, yet you didn't conjure the supposition of your Christ's existence. What you are doing now is indistinguishable from lying.

There is some terrible stuff in the Bible but that's because our moral standards have actually improved since then. They improved for a good reason, and it's not because of science.

Actually, that is false. There were cultures in different parts of the world practicing religions and beliefs that were far tolerant than the ones being written in The Bible at the same time. If religious tolerance in Christians has improved since then, it did so in spite of the bible. You're right. If the bible dictated our morals today, we'd still have slaves.

it's not because of science.

What a nonsensical statement. Who in the world claims that science changes morals? If you wish to have a conversation I will ask that you refrain from leading us down paths of nonsense.

[Jackalope]

As soon as we find a way to nail down the Christ

I see what you did there.

[The Reality Salesman01]

...

[The Reality Salesman01]

@Sword
I take a hard line with the things people extend beyond their own subjective experience of what is real. Religious beliefs extend to greater lengths than I think a lot of people want to realize. In the US especially. Votes on important issues (and some not so important) are swayed by the superstitious religious beliefs of people like you. If everyone took the same hard line towards ideas like the ones you are propagating, people like yourself would have a clear discernible critierion for truth. The hard line is not conflict, its a challenge to make people justify their beliefs with solid reasons, and not resort to faith as a conversation ender. When people get backed into an intellectual corner pertaining to their Gods, they tend to resort to…It’s just faith, convo over! I heard Sam say something and its truth is hard to argue with-“We have two ways of dealing with other countries when it comes to indifference-Conversation or War, and Faith is a conversation ender.” Unfortunately, as long as there are religious moderates like yourself, there is a safe haven for the fundamental extremist. Most Americans protect the concept of faith-truth without evidence, and this is the concept that motivates suicide bombers. These suicide bombers are not poor fools, yet they are filled with the same certainty of their God as you are about A/S/K. Extremists come from comparably wealthy families, they are highly educated with degrees, sometimes multiple degrees. This is the kind of society religion has created. A society where you can be smart enough to obtain a degree in physics and biology which can be used to construct a biological weapon with the capacity to kill millions, but also ignorant enough to think that sending the weapon to kill 100 infidel babies will award you with 72 virgins in an afterlife. Or that Jesus was born from a virgin mother. Granted, two different outcomes for these kinds of beliefs, but the foundations of both are equally intellectually and rationally bankrupt! Those extremist have moderates dwelling within our very country. Muslims who view their faith the same way you do, and they, nor you, have any basis to make any objection to those acts because they can all be derived from reading the same old books you have sitting on your coffee table. While most people such as yourself have no problem cherry-picking and casually dismissing the parts that don’t give you warm and fuzzies, the people crashing planes into buildings are reading the entire thing, and they are taking it quite seriously. They are getting the same warm and fuzzies, but they’re getting it from murder in the name of their God. It’s terrifying, and true.

Christianity has no more of a rational foundation than Islam. For all the reasons you reject any other faith, you can reject Christianity. For you to think anything else is illusory.

[Sword of Christ]

You seem to forget that most of us began life as theists and have rejected it for the shit that it is. When we sought him there was nothing there. Just ancient fairy tales.

They may have had Christianity as a religion but they didn't have the genuine Christ. Well they do but they don't know they do if you see what I mean? Christ himself isn't in the Bible, it's just a book and Christ is more than just a man.

"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20

You can see that he talking about himself as an individual physical man, even though he was he was suggesting something else.

I take a hard line with the things people extend beyond their own subjective experience of what is real. Religious beliefs extend to greater lengths than I think a lot of people want to realize. In the US especially.

If it's any interest to you Jesus wasn't very keen on religion or wealthy so called spiritual elites and hypocrites either. What you say against as a state run human business organisation he may well have agreed with everything you say. Bear in mind also when he said "render to Caesar what is Caesars and to God that which is God" Except of course about any point you make on the existence of God. But at the end of the day Christianity is a communal religion it is intended to be a community of brotherly fellowship in God.

You have a fairly good set-up in the US in that Church and state are officially separated. This is how it should be imo, it should be about politics, money or worldly power.

Christianity has no more of a rational foundation than Islam. For all the reasons you reject any other faith, you can reject Christianity. For you to think anything else is illusory.

It's because Islam is a copy of the Torah/Bible remixed by Mohammed. Also Islam was set up as a religion of worldly political and military power right from the start it was added on later.

[CleanShavenJesus]

You seem to forget that most of us began life as theists and have rejected it for the shit that it is. When we sought him there was nothing there. Just ancient fairy tales.

They may have had Christianity as a religion but they didn't have the genuine Christ. Well they do but they don't know they do if you see what I mean? Christ himself isn't in the Bible, it's just a book and Christ is more than just a man.

Very bad blank assertion. A while back, I ditched Catholicism and simply worshipped Christ as a person, for what he did, and as my savior, for who he was (you know, the whole "hate religion, love Jesus" shtick). Took me a couple of years to realize how stupid that was too.

[Sword of Christ]

Very bad blank assertion. A while back, I ditched Catholicism and simply worshipped Christ as a person, for what he did, and as my savior, for who he was (you know, the whole "hate religion, love Jesus" shtick). Took me a couple of years to realize how stupid that was too.

Christ/God is a person that's the idea. Jesus was a man and he was God. As a man he's no longer physically here with us but as God he is right in the heart of humanity, and that's where you will find him.

[CleanShavenJesus]

Very bad blank assertion. A while back, I ditched Catholicism and simply worshipped Christ as a person, for what he did, and as my savior, for who he was (you know, the whole "hate religion, love Jesus" shtick). Took me a couple of years to realize how stupid that was too.

Christ/God is a person that's the idea. Jesus was a man and he was God. As a man he's no longer physically here with us but as God he is right in the heart of humanity, and that's where you will find him.

Yes, I know. That's what I believed. And now I don't. Because there's no reason to actually believe it's true.

[catfish]

They may have had Christianity as a religion but they didn't have the genuine Christ. Well they do but they don't know they do if you see what I mean? Christ himself isn't in the Bible, it's just a book and Christ is more than just a man.

Very bad blank assertion. A while back, I ditched Catholicism and simply worshipped Christ as a person, for what he did, and as my savior, for who he was (you know, the whole "hate religion, love Jesus" shtick). Took me a couple of years to realize how stupid that was too.

So, you worshipped a man named Yeshua (Jesus) as your savior when Yeshua litteraly means "Yahweh is salvation"??? Yup, that was pretty stupid.