Religious Freedom

[Godscreated]

You are right Min however that's not the way true christianity works.

Oh? really?

Then tell us how it does work.

Read the Bible you will find the answer there.

[theVOID]

That's the problem, there have been thousands of different conclusions reached from the bible, you need to not just insist that you are the one who has it right, you need to demonstrate it.

[Zen Badger]

Read the Bible you will find the answer there.

I have and I've reached the conclusion that god is a genocidal loonie with father figure issues and so ignorant that he doesn't know that bats are mammals and not birds.

Is that the answer you arrived at?

[TheDarkestOfAngels]

It is said that people choose to believe and so also choose not to believe.

But is belief a choice?

Can I, if I wanted to, choose to believe that Thor is god and exists?

I don't see how this isn't the case. Either you believe something to be true or you don't. You can certainly choose to believe something to be true for any reason. It doesn't always necessarily mean you'd be right but it does mean that belief is a choice.

[Godscreated]

Read the Bible you will find the answer there.

I have and I've reached the conclusion that god is a genocidal loonie with father figure issues and so ignorant that he doesn't know that bats are mammals and not birds.

Is that the answer you arrived at?

To answer your question even though you already know what it is NO!!!!
Why do you think that God doesn't know what a bat is?

---

That's the problem, there have been thousands of different conclusions reached from the bible, you need to not just insist that you are the one who has it right, you need to demonstrate it.

No one has it completely correct and only a fool would say so, I do believe I understand what it teaches and will continue until someone or God shows me differently. The reason there are so many different interputations of the scriptures, because many want God to fit their lives and it just doesn't work that way. We are to model our lives after Christ and so many just do not want to sacrifice who they think they are for who God knows they can be.

[Anomalocaris]

You can't force yourself to believe something.

Yes, you can. You can also tempt yourself into believing something. It depends on how much native clearheadedness you have, and how high you value intellectual integrity.

[Minimalist]

Read the Bible you will find the answer there.

I've read it. It's fucking bullshit. And the people who push it most tend to be the biggest bullshitters.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Godschild Wrote: Read the Bible you will find the answer there.

I did and 'it' isn't.

People who think there is such a thing as THE answer don't understand the questions.

[Zen Badger]

Read the Bible you will find the answer there.

I have and I've reached the conclusion that god is a genocidal loonie with father figure issues and so ignorant that he doesn't know that bats are mammals and not birds.

Is that the answer you arrived at?

To answer your question even though you already know what it is NO!!!!
Why do you think that God doesn't know what a bat is?

---

Because your bible says so buddy,

To whit, Leviticus 11:13 to 11:19

11:13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls ; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
11:14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
11:15 Every raven after his kind;
11:16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
11:17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
11:18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
11:19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

And just in case you are not up on your bible studies, this is god speaking directly to Moses.