(November 6, 2016 at 5:17 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: I don't "reject" god(s). I simply don't believe they exist.

So... why do you hate God then?

(November 6, 2016 at 5:07 pm)ParagonLost Wrote: I don't think you have to believe in anything supernatural to be a Christian. I myself don't believe in miracles literally for example. Or a Afterlife. When Jesus healed the Leper I don't believe he did it by miraculously touching him and instantly he was healed. But rather I think he spent time with him by caring for him and eating food with him. The Jews of that time thought it to be bad to eat with the sick or be around them.

And it turns out they were kind of right about that (my bolded), wouldn't you say?  But you really impress me when you say you reject the idea of a literal afterlife.  I'm repping you right now for that alone.  Keep up the good work.

(November 6, 2016 at 5:12 pm)Alex K Wrote: @ParagonLost

Cool, so you're an atheist in the sense we here use the term?

Christian Atheist yes. A paradox or contradiction perhaps? I call myself a Atheist because when i explain my religious views to my brothers in faith they don't accept me. They call me a Atheist and unbeliever. It's stuck with me ever since. For example, I don't believe in a literal Resurrection. This is blasphemy in Christianity but no matter what i Cant believe in a physical resurrection. Perhaps it's because I live in a post enlightened world where philosophy and science are at the forefront of knowledge. Logic doesn't curtail such a phenomenon.

For example, Imagine Caesar who was also son of god, called liberator, redeemer, all the titles applied to Jesus were applied to Caesar. There's a picture of Caesar on a silver Denarius where his spirit is rising from his body which is burning on a funeral pyre. Its on the coin. It's evidence. Now the question is which story or "evidence" are you going to believe? The Romans had the same evidence that Christians do today. They had the same arguments and its really a matter of Faith which one you choose. Do you go for Caesar and all he stands for? Or do you choose this low class peasant who is a non violent Resistor.

@ParagonLost

You keep messing up the quote feature. I strongly recommend using the editor in source code mode, and making sure that you write your own response after the closing of the quote tag.

(November 6, 2016 at 5:34 pm)ParagonLost Wrote:

(November 6, 2016 at 5:12 pm)Alex K Wrote: @ParagonLost

Cool, so you're an atheist in the sense we here use the term?

Christian Atheist yes. A paradox or contradiction perhaps? I call myself a Atheist because when i explain my religious views to my brothers in faith they don't accept me. They call me a Atheist and unbeliever. It's stuck with me ever since. For example, I don't believe in a literal Resurrection. This is blasphemy in Christianity but no matter what i Cant believe in a physical resurrection. Perhaps it's because I live in a post enlightened world where philosophy and science are at the forefront of knowledge. Logic doesn't curtail such a phenomenon.

For example, Imagine Caesar who was also son of god, called liberator, redeemer, all the titles applied to Jesus were applied to Caesar. There's a picture of Caesar on a silver Denarius where his spirit is rising from his body which is burning on a funeral pyre. Its on the coin. It's evidence. Now the question is which story or "evidence" are you going to believe? The Romans had the same evidence that Christians do today. They had the same arguments and its really a matter of Faith which one you choose. Do you go for Caesar and all he stands for? Or do you choose this low class peasant who is a non violent Resistor.

If you want to be some kind of follower of Christ while being an Atheist, feel free to do so. Calling yourself Christian might however lead to some unnecessary misunderstandings, because everyone will assume that you subscribe to the supernatural stuff which the biblical Jesus figure clearly endorses.

@Alex: It's not that those Biblical writers told stories that were supernatural and we're smart enough to take them as metaphor. It's that they they told them symbolically and were confused and take it literally.

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(November 6, 2016 at 5:23 pm)Alex K Wrote:

(November 6, 2016 at 5:17 pm)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: I don't "reject" god(s). I simply don't believe they exist.

So... why do you hate God then?

Because the sonofabitch owes me twenty bucks and won't pay up, that's why.

(November 6, 2016 at 5:34 pm)ParagonLost Wrote: Christian Atheist yes. A paradox or contradiction perhaps? I call myself a Atheist because when i explain my religious views to my brothers in faith they don't accept me. They call me a Atheist and unbeliever. It's stuck with me ever since. For example, I don't believe in a literal Resurrection. This is blasphemy in Christianity but no matter what i Cant believe in a physical resurrection. Perhaps it's because I live in a post enlightened world where philosophy and science are at the forefront of knowledge. Logic doesn't curtail such a phenomenon.

If all of that is true, you're the classic agnostic. Although I don't see why you go with christianity. The only conclusion that can come from being an agnostic is to consider the existence of a totally neutral higher intelligence. Certainly not some deity being concerned over humans.

Scienctific facts speak quite clearly against that.

@Valkyrie 1. I don't think it's science that really convinces people because back then there was no such thing.
2. Yeah there are contradictions I can't debate that. But its kind of necessary when you have so many writers spanning decades with different view points.
3. Hermeneutics or different interpretations has always been part of christian history.
4. Yeah there is a lot of violence in the bible and some things are challenged by. There are no excuses here.

(November 6, 2016 at 6:09 pm)ParagonLost Wrote: @Valkyrie 1. I don't think it's science that really convinces people because back then there was no such thing.
              2. Yeah there are contradictions I can't debate that. But its kind of necessary when you have so many writers spanning decades with different view points.
              3. Hermeneutics or different interpretations has always been part of christian history.
              4. Yeah there is a lot of violence in the bible and some things are challenged by. There are no excuses here.

Have you ever considered them to be campfire legends put into writing at some point in time? Codes of conduct for an otherwise lawless half nomadic society? And a healthy dose of chest pounding at the same time.