As a reflection of God your discernment of truth is your most important tool. Critical thinking being paramount. I don't think you can say that the book is without a stance at all. It's the Judaic style to get to the truth by showing all sides of a problem. There's still a choice to be made, even though sometimes, seemingly most times, the answer is complex. That's just life.

(January 1, 2015 at 10:01 am)fr0d0 Wrote: As a reflection of God your discernment of truth is your most important tool. Critical thinking being paramount. I don't think you can say that the book is without a stance at all. It's the Judaic style to get to the truth by showing all sides of a problem. There's still a choice to be made, even though sometimes, seemingly most times, the answer is complex. That's just life.

Nope. The reality is that humans make up gods.You bought a story someone sold you because the idea of having an after life and a protector is appealing to you. It is not an idea unique to Christianity or Catholics and was an idea and claim that was around in prior polytheism and existed even before the first human writings. It is a product of human ignorance.

(January 2, 2015 at 8:25 pm)Brian37 Wrote: It is not an idea unique to Christianity or Catholics and was an idea and claim that was around in prior polytheism and existed even before the first human writings. It is a product of human ignorance.

It is a product of human ignorance. But it's also one of the ways christianity managed to draw greeks and romans to the fold in the first place. Both cultures didn't have the concept of an enjoyable afterlife. Remember the scene from the Odissee where Odisseus ventures to the underworld and meets the shadows of Achill and Agamemnon, who tell him, they would rather be slaves in life than be kings of the dead.

The only ones having a regional believe in a fullfilling afterlife were the Egyptians, who also had a concept of judgment day. The christians probably took some inspiration from there, since the jews didn't have that concept.

(January 2, 2015 at 8:25 pm)Brian37 Wrote:

(January 1, 2015 at 10:01 am)fr0d0 Wrote: As a reflection of God your discernment of truth is your most important tool. Critical thinking being paramount. I don't think you can say that the book is without a stance at all. It's the Judaic style to get to the truth by showing all sides of a problem. There's still a choice to be made, even though sometimes, seemingly most times, the answer is complex. That's just life.

Nope. The reality is that humans make up gods.You bought a story someone sold you because the idea of having an after life and a protector is appealing to you. It is not an idea unique to Christianity or Catholics and was an idea and claim that was around in prior polytheism and existed even before the first human writings. It is a product of human ignorance.

Not you again.

Humans realised gods were there perhaps, is the other equally valid possibility.

Again with the telling me why I believe something. You just love that don't you. You ARE a preacher.

The afterlife explains justice. There can be none without it. So it's pretty essential to a perfect world view. How's yours coming along?

Who claimed uniqueness? And why is that important? Do you believe that a deity suddenly imparted that knowledge to someone in isolation? I don't. I think human exploration of theology is central to our functioning. You don't, for no reason that you can put into words. Only hate. Hate is what we need to outlaw Brian. Stop making it.

(January 4, 2015 at 5:27 pm)fr0d0 Wrote: The afterlife explains justice. There can be none without it. So it's pretty essential to a perfect world view. How's yours coming along?

Justice?
Why should the Universe be just? As far as we can tell, it is not conscious, hence justice is not on its mind... there is no mind!

Why is a "perfect worldview" a requirement? What does it mean for a worldview to be perfect?

(January 4, 2015 at 5:27 pm)fr0d0 Wrote:

(January 2, 2015 at 8:25 pm)Brian37 Wrote: Nope. The reality is that humans make up gods.You bought a story someone sold you because the idea of having an after life and a protector is appealing to you. It is not an idea unique to Christianity or Catholics and was an idea and claim that was around in prior polytheism and existed even before the first human writings. It is a product of human ignorance.

Not you again.

Humans realised gods were there perhaps, is the other equally valid possibility.

Right; so how would we set about finding out which, if any, is the more likely?

(January 4, 2015 at 6:09 pm)Stimbo Wrote:

(January 4, 2015 at 5:27 pm)fr0d0 Wrote: Not you again.

Humans realised gods were there perhaps, is the other equally valid possibility.

Right; so how would we set about finding out which, if any, is the more likely?

Stimbo you are forgetting something god loves ancient morons.

(January 4, 2015 at 6:08 pm)pocaracas Wrote:

(January 4, 2015 at 5:27 pm)fr0d0 Wrote: The afterlife explains justice. There can be none without it. So it's pretty essential to a perfect world view. How's yours coming along?

Justice?
Why should the Universe be just? As far as we can tell, it is not conscious, hence justice is not on its mind... there is no mind!

Why is a "perfect worldview" a requirement? What does it mean for a worldview to be perfect?

It shouldn't be (perfect). We know it isn't and that a problem if you believe in justice... as we do, otherwise why have a justice system??

We have minds, and we crave justice. Enter God. Justice is served.

No one would have a perfect world view. We all do or best.

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(January 4, 2015 at 6:09 pm)Stimbo Wrote:

(January 4, 2015 at 5:27 pm)fr0d0 Wrote: Humans realised gods were there perhaps, is the other equally valid possibility.

Right; so how would we set about finding out which, if any, is the more likely?

We can't.

We can work out if believing or not is beneficial.

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(January 4, 2015 at 6:44 pm)dyresand Wrote: Stimbo you are forgetting something god loves ancient morons.

He loves young morons too

(January 4, 2015 at 8:22 pm)fr0d0 Wrote: We can't.

We can work out if believing or not is beneficial.

Ah. So belief takes precedence over truth?

If logic leads you to belief, is it not truthful?

You don't believe in something because you don't know anything about it. Like the atheist, you abstain from position. You and I may be on the same footing with that. (I say that i don't know, completely agnostic). No, you believe because you are convinced one way or the other. To the best of your knowledge, truth has led you to your beliefs.