(June 15, 2015 at 7:09 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: The bigger question is, why would you even bother or care? Lol.

I don't mean to be rude. But honestly, what concern is it of yours if there are people out there who believe in God? My advice it to just not let it bother you. There will always be people out there who believe differently than yourself, and the best response is to just learn to be tolerant and respectful of different minded people.

Well, personally I find these sorts of debates to be fun, but at the same time... there are a good many christians who could stand to learn what you've written here, and who think nothing of extending their concern over people believing other things out into the real world, not just the confines of an atheist forum.

Tolerance and respect are wonderful things, but until you've been accosted and told you can't be moral unless you believe like I do, unless you've been told that you secretly believe as I do and are simply saying otherwise for malevolent purposes, unless you've had every aspect of your belief system interrogated and dismissed, labelled as theft from the worldview of another because that's what their holy book says, -or hey, how about if I tried enforcing my beliefs upon you via law?- then there's a sort of bitter irony in you asking what concern it is of ours what your group believes. It's actually quite a bit of our concern for all those reasons and more.

(June 14, 2015 at 1:20 pm)Randy Carson Wrote:

(June 13, 2015 at 6:56 pm)Jenny A Wrote: Asked and answered:

Well, so much for that proof. You've already inserted all the wiggle room you would need to avoid admission of God's existence.

Quote:I did mention the idea that Jesus might demonstrate resurrection repeatedly for the disbelieving.  Why not?  If he's god, he gave us the brains to demand that level of proof.  No need for the pain of crucifixion.  Just a living man demonstrably dead getting up and going about living over and over until the scientists are satisfied would do just fine.

That runs into theological problems...and ironically, one that Catholics get from misguided Protestants all the time. The mass is a sacrifice, but it is a re-presentation of the one sacrifice of Jesus and not a re-sacrificing of Him at every mass.

Your proposal sounds like Jesus would die again and again and again...which defeats the purpose of the one sacrifice of Christ which put an end to the sacrifices offered in the Temple day after day, year after year.

Quote:Anything less is much to small for the enormity of the claim.

Anything this big strikes me as being coercive.

Coercive?  How?  I'm merely pointing out the reality of the situation.  You claim a god that defies everything we know about the way the world works.  You claim he's very interested in the world, but provide no proof of his having any affect on the world.  It is an extraordinary claim.  You claim the being is extraordinary, so much so that there's only one and that one is all powerful. 

Yet the proof offered is essentially nothing. 

You yourself don't consider Allah in the same light or Vishnu.  But they are extraordiary claims offering similar evidence.  Why not?  Because you too, except in this one case, demand proof.   I see no reason to make an exception for this one case.

(June 15, 2015 at 7:09 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: The bigger question is, why would you even bother or care? Lol. 

-asked the christian whose first interactions on the site demonstrated precisely why we -should- bother and care.  There are people who couldn't explain why they shouldn't stab me in the eye with a fork if, for whatever reason, they stopped believing in a god.  People stop believing in gods all the time...I'm trying to keep your fork out of my eye if and when that day comes Cath.

But go ahead, continue to espouse disturbing positions and then dismissively wonder...why people bother.

-You're- why people bother, dear heart.

(June 15, 2015 at 7:09 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: The bigger question is, why would you even bother or care? Lol.

I don't mean to be rude. But honestly, what concern is it of yours if there are people out there who believe in God? My advice it to just not let it bother you. There will always be people out there who believe differently than yourself, and the best response is to just learn to be tolerant and respectful of different minded people.

I don't care what you personally believe, but the religious have a nasty habit of pushing their religion into politics, down everybody's throats and up little children's asses.

Hold all the abhorrent beliefs you please, but leave the rest of us alone. Live and let live, all that.

(June 14, 2015 at 9:34 pm)Esquilax Wrote:

(June 14, 2015 at 7:18 pm)Randy Carson Wrote: He did. First for the Jews, and then for the earliest followers of Jesus - both before and after the ascension. And yet, there are still those who refuse to believe.

I have no way of confirming that, and it contradicts everything I understand to be true about the world I currently live in. There are stories just like that for the existence of every other god; why should I privilege yours over theirs?

Don't.

Study everything you can get your hands on about Zeus. Read up on Mithra. Go down to the local First Church of Horus and talk to the pastor. But you've got to get involved, too. Sacrifice a goat to Baal. Slaughter a few chickens if you have them. Pray five times a day to Mecca if you like. Burn some incense in a shrine to a few million Hindu gods. You could even spend some time with the Orthodox monks on Mount Athos.

If you're really seeking the true God, he will eventually see that you're serious. But only if you are.

(June 15, 2015 at 1:57 am)Wyrd of Gawd Wrote: How big is God?

God does not occupy space. He is pure spirit.

(June 15, 2015 at 2:38 am)Pandæmonium Wrote:

(June 14, 2015 at 7:44 pm)SnakeOilWarrior Wrote: Randy does like those.

Not the sharpest tool in the shed either it seems.

(June 17, 2015 at 11:09 pm)Randy Carson Wrote: [...]
If you're really seeking the true God, he will eventually see that you're serious. But only if you are.

Either that, or - more likely - everyone (except you) will see that you're crazy...

(June 15, 2015 at 3:29 am)robvalue Wrote: In god's own stories about himself, in his first book, he walked around on Earth, fully visible and talked to people. So let's pretend that actually happened for a minute.

If he did it once, he could do it again. So why doesn't he?

He did. And we nailed him to a cross. Three days later, He rose again.

(June 15, 2015 at 7:09 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote:

(June 7, 2015 at 8:33 am)Britney blue Wrote: How can I corner, of course with my words, Christians and make them feel they have no choice but admit to rethinking their position or part of their positions when it comes to the bible or their god? I usually go fishing online at conservative news sites like Breitbart News Network. I'll click on a story or headline, look down at the comments and either look for key words that Christians use or post a stimulating comment, which they would of course feel the need to correct me or defend their so called faith. Is there any tools or creative weapons of reason and logic that I can use to stump them?

The bigger question is, why would you even bother or care? Lol.

I don't mean to be rude. But honestly, what concern is it of yours if there are people out there who believe in God? My advice it to just not let it bother you. There will always be people out there who believe differently than yourself, and the best response is to just learn to be tolerant and respectful of different minded people.

The actual answer to the question, CL, is that some atheists believe that religion - all religion - is dangerous for a variety of reasons. Therefore, they want all theists to come to their point of view. Thus, they want to confront and mock Christians wherever they can.

Not all...but some.