Without citing the bible, what marks the bible as the one book with God's message?

[Minimalist]

The entire bible as a book on archaeology ..

Subtle try but ultimately futile, Frods. It is just that archaeology can show that your bible is a pile of shit about certain very important episodes. You know the old adage, when one lie is detected a thousand are suspected?

Without the whole Exodus story the bible fails.

It never happened.

[fr0d0]

Your bandwagon creaketh

[Minimalist]

But my bandwidth is rocking.

[Cyberman]

I'm not rich. But I'm healthy, happy and have relatively little worry or fear. And a lot of love around me. Which I attribute 100% to my faith in God.

If faith in god is responsible for this, how would you explain someone that has achieved all of this without faith?

Or someone with faith, yet who has achieved none of those things?

[Ryantology]

Through my faith in God and in Jesus, my life has been pretty good! I'm not rich. But I'm healthy, happy and have relatively little worry or fear. And a lot of love around me. Which I attribute 100% to my faith in God.

I'm healthy, happy, and have relatively little worry or fear. In fact, I'm probably as good in all things as I've been in my life. I just got married a few months ago to someone I really love and I'm expecting my first child. Obviously, 0% of this is attributable to my faith in God because I have none and desire none.

Do you know how I know your God doesn't exist? An antitheist like me is happy, fulfilled and wanting for little while thousands of innocent children (many of them too young to even understand faith, many others raised by devout Christian parents) die horribly of starvation and disease every day.

If God existed and was benevolent, those children would have all the comforts and necessities I enjoy.

If God existed and was just, either I'd be just as poorly off as they are, or they'd be just as well off as I am.

If God existed and (as the Bible makes abundantly clear) places belief in himself as the highest priority, they should be well off and I should be the one starving and hopeless.

So, what are we left with? Either we have a God who is crazy and capricious, one who is wicked and possesses a very ironic sense of humor, one who is callously indifferent, or we have no God at all. The God, as depicted in the Bible, is absolutely and inarguably fictional.

[ronedee]

Through my faith in God and in Jesus, my life has been pretty good! I'm not rich. But I'm healthy, happy and have relatively little worry or fear. And a lot of love around me. Which I attribute 100% to my faith in God.

I'm healthy, happy, and have relatively little worry or fear. In fact, I'm probably as good in all things as I've been in my life. I just got married a few months ago to someone I really love and I'm expecting my first child. Obviously, 0% of this is attributable to my faith in God because I have none and desire none.

Do you know how I know your God doesn't exist? An antitheist like me is happy, fulfilled and wanting for little while thousands of innocent children (many of them too young to even understand faith, many others raised by devout Christian parents) die horribly of starvation and disease every day.

If God existed and was benevolent, those children would have all the comforts and necessities I enjoy.

If God existed and was just, either I'd be just as poorly off as they are, or they'd be just as well off as I am.

If God existed and (as the Bible makes abundantly clear) places belief in himself as the highest priority, they should be well off and I should be the one starving and hopeless.

So, what are we left with? Either we have a God who is crazy and capricious, one who is wicked and possesses a very ironic sense of humor, one who is callously indifferent, or we have no God at all. The God, as depicted in the Bible, is absolutely and inarguably fictional.

First off... I made comparisons in "MY LIFE". I never said anything about anyone else outside my family.

Hey if you are happy God Bless...uh...Good for you! Congrats on the new baby.

As far as the "old arguments"? How does anyone know GOD'S PLAN?

But...IF eternal life is in store for us? Well, comparatively I'm not very concerned with what happens on a physical level in this minuscule span of time here!

Sure, I'd like a cozy life with all the trimmings.... But, I won't be trapped in it.

Nothing in life comes without a price! That's something we can all agree on. And I refuse to believe that God owes me, or anyone anything!

He has already given us life! Now we need to turn it into eternal life!

I have a friend Oliver who has a son and a daughter. Both grew-up in an upper-middle-class home. Both went to college. The daughter did really well with her education from a state college. Moved out on her own and has a great gig in Boston! The son on the other hand went to Brown University....for 10 years! Has been nothing but a pain...doesn't get out of his pajamas....plays video games and surfs the net. Never had a job. Yells at his parents and gets whatever he wants! BTW...he's 35 years old and has a PhD...in something not very useful.

Oliver has cried to me many times... And I have no advice for him! And "O" tells me, "if only my son could get a job, or at least help out in someway." I gave him everything and he hates me." I love him, but I can't help him anymore."

And, all that Oliver's son has to do really, is say that he loves his father! And that would be enough to heal all the wounds he has created.... and they would go on to an "everlasting" relationship together!

You know where I'm going with this.... I'm trying to explain something metaphorically that WE can't agree on. Is his son sick? Maybe. Was it Oliver's fault? Could be!

The real metaphorical point here is the contrast between the son & the daughter. There are many points to make on that level!

But here's where we split! You won't go to the spiritual points...only the physical. Just like the son & daughter.... we have totally different perspectives! To the daughter her father is all the world. To the son, he's all that sucks!

So.... How are we to talk about God's Plan? How are we to get God to serve us? Why didn't He just make everything perfect from the very beginning? And how do we to fit dead babies into this plan?

It's easier to have someone to blame than to try and figure out why.

[Zen Badger]

I'm healthy, happy, and have relatively little worry or fear. In fact, I'm probably as good in all things as I've been in my life. I just got married a few months ago to someone I really love and I'm expecting my first child. Obviously, 0% of this is attributable to my faith in God because I have none and desire none.

Do you know how I know your God doesn't exist? An antitheist like me is happy, fulfilled and wanting for little while thousands of innocent children (many of them too young to even understand faith, many others raised by devout Christian parents) die horribly of starvation and disease every day.

If God existed and was benevolent, those children would have all the comforts and necessities I enjoy.

If God existed and was just, either I'd be just as poorly off as they are, or they'd be just as well off as I am.

If God existed and (as the Bible makes abundantly clear) places belief in himself as the highest priority, they should be well off and I should be the one starving and hopeless.

So, what are we left with? Either we have a God who is crazy and capricious, one who is wicked and possesses a very ironic sense of humor, one who is callously indifferent, or we have no God at all. The God, as depicted in the Bible, is absolutely and inarguably fictional.

First off... I made comparisons in "MY LIFE". I never said anything about anyone else outside my family.

Hey if you are happy God Bless...uh...Good for you! Congrats on the new baby.

As far as the "old arguments"? How does anyone know GOD'S PLAN?

But...IF eternal life is in store for us? Well, comparatively I'm not very concerned with what happens on a physical level in this minuscule span of time here!

Sure, I'd like a cozy life with all the trimmings.... But, I won't be trapped in it.

Nothing in life comes without a price! That's something we can all agree on. And I refuse to believe that God owes me, or anyone anything!

He has already given us life! Now we need to turn it into eternal life!

I have a friend Oliver who has a son and a daughter. Both grew-up in an upper-middle-class home. Both went to college. The daughter did really well with her education from a state college. Moved out on her own and has a great gig in Boston! The son on the other hand went to Brown University....for 10 years! Has been nothing but a pain...doesn't get out of his pajamas....plays video games and surfs the net. Never had a job. Yells at his parents and gets whatever he wants! BTW...he's 35 years old and has a PhD...in something not very useful.

Oliver has cried to me many times... And I have no advice for him! And "O" tells me, "if only my son could get a job, or at least help out in someway." I gave him everything and he hates me." I love him, but I can't help him anymore."

And, all that Oliver's son has to do really, is say that he loves his father! And that would be enough to heal all the wounds he has created.... and they would go on to an "everlasting" relationship together!

You know where I'm going with this.... I'm trying to explain something metaphorically that WE can't agree on. Is his son sick? Maybe. Was it Oliver's fault? Could be!

The real metaphorical point here is the contrast between the son & the daughter. There are many points to make on that level!

But here's where we split! You won't go to the spiritual points...only the physical. Just like the son & daughter.... we have totally different perspectives! To the daughter her father is all the world. To the son, he's all that sucks!

So.... How are we to talk about God's Plan? How are we to get God to serve us? Why didn't He just make everything perfect from the very beginning? And how do we to fit dead babies into this plan?

It's easier to have someone to blame than to try and figure out why.

You don't actually get it do you?

We don't blame your god for anything , we don't believe he exists.

All the ills of the world are humanities fault and far too many of them are causing those ills in the name of you imaginary friend.

[Faith No More]

First off... I made comparisons in "MY LIFE". I never said anything about anyone else outside my family.

You stated that your father's lack of faith is the reason for his unhappiness, which has broader implications, namely that a lack of faith causes unhappiness in general. Or are you now saying that your father cannot cope without faith but others can?

Regardless, you have yet to answer the question that if faith is so important to happiness, how can atheists be happy, and how can those with faith be miserable.

[ronedee]

It's easier to have someone to blame than to try and figure out why.

You don't actually get it do you?

We don't blame your god for anything , we don't believe he exists.

All the ills of the world are humanities fault and far too many of them are causing those ills in the name of you imaginary friend.

No...you don't get it!

Ok...YOU don't blame God (my imaginary friend)...Good for you! And we can agree that human's have made this world the way it is.

But, at least you have a stationary target. I do not....because every Atheist has his own "non" belief system.

That's what makes it hard to communicate with Atheists! We have to first figure out what form of hate they have. Just look at all the different replies I get! And each one of you disects my statements differently!

Also, most of those who do believe in God are not making the most trouble in the world....at least not the ones who believe in Christianity!

Governments make the most trouble. And again, they are ruled by humans.

[downbeatplumb]

That's what makes it hard to communicate with Atheists! We have to first figure out what form of hate they have.

Ah the christian martyr syndrome again.
You assume that all atheists are beings of bile and froth at the mouth.
We get frustrated sometimes with the circular logic employed by the more ...how shall I put this... intrenched theists....and some dislike religion but we do not hate god because that would be like hating Homer Simpson or the Pink Panther.

Oh and why do you have the monster Mother Theresa as a hero.

Regardless of your personal beliefs; adoration of suffering, medical negligence and financial fraud are human right violations.

Mother Teresa's was NO ONE'S mother. This supposedly celibate nun's name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, an Albanian native who lived most of her life without speaking to her own family and proselytizing her religion under the disguise of charity. There is absolutely nothing normal or "saintly" about this.

Standing firm against planned parenthood, modernization of equipment, and a myriad of other solution-based initiatives, Mother Teresa was not a friend of the poor but rather a promoter of poverty.

It was Mother Teresa's own admission during an interview that more than 23,000 people had died in the halls of the particular home I had worked in, as if boasting at the figure and missing entirely the point of the enormous compilation of unnecessary deaths.



Mother Teresa also repeatedly admitted that she was not a social worker, and her followers continue to assert the same to this day. So under what motives do they tend to the poor, you may ask? The mantra of the operation rests solely on the belief that suffering and poverty are ways of loving God, a seriously troubling statement to say the least.

http://www.thinkatheist.com/profiles/blo...m-hitchens

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_p...arest.html

who turned out to be a self confessed Atheist.

Lord, my God, who am I that You should forsake me? The Child of your Love — and now become as the most hated one — the one — You have thrown away as unwanted — unloved. I call, I cling, I want — and there is no One to answer — no One on Whom I can cling — no, No One. — Alone … Where is my Faith — even deep down right in there is nothing, but emptiness & darkness — My God — how painful is this unknown pain — I have no Faith — I dare not utter the words & thoughts that crowd in my heart — & make me suffer untold agony.

a quote penned by Mother Teresa

http://www.jewcy.com/post/hitchens_on_mo...as_atheism

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articl...20,00.html