How to Authentically Experience God

[fr0d0]

Blimey! What a lot of words from a simple reply!

I wouldn't say that a Muslim experiences the opposite of what I do. It's a fine line (and they're all NUTTERS! </joke>) but the delusion/ ahem! reality is the same.

What is it with christians? Do they always start joking when they can't properly answer a question?

Hmm, handbags out already!

I did actually answer you.

So what does the muslim experience? Is it your god, another form of your god, or another god?

Muslims experience a minor god.

Christianity and islam are by definition, mutually exclusive.

Even though they are both Abrahamic.

Christians follow the way of jesus, but muslims see jesus only as a prophet. They follow mohammed and allah. Both can't be true. It is either none or one. So why is yours right? What makes your 'personal experience' of god any more certain than a muslims?

Both are opposite, but the basic idea is the same. It's all just religion after all. & this is monotheistic religion, is what I meant.

Or is christianity simply 'more real' to you? In that case, you're delusional.

throwaway comment > dustbin

You've stepped away from reason and fact. You say you have faith, yet faith is just an admission that there is no evidence. If there is evidence of something, faith is impossible; its nonsensical.

Show me your logic, because to me it appears that you are bypassing your brain to come up with that.

So: faith, something we have to have if we have no proof, is something we have to have proof of? Are you really tagging your name to that?

There is empirical evidence of the sun, hence we know the sun's there. No one says that they have faith the sun is there, or that we revolve around it, or that it wont rise in the morning.

So you don't NEED faith in the Sun, it's empirically provable.

You DO NEED faith in God, because he ISN'T EMPIRICALLY PROVABLE.

The last stupid argument the religious have is 'faith'. If we were to argue with faith as satisfactory evidence, absolutely anything could be proven real.

You're the one that wants to argue with faith = fact. IT ISN'T.

Go see my undefeated <oops, joke#2> thread on evidence where I explain the futility of that search.

Again another joke, highlighting that you aren't answering my questions.

Thanks for the insight, although I don't see your logic. I didn't mean that one actually, as far as I'm concerned, the IDEA (because that's all it is) is still undefeated.

The futility of the search for evidence of god? Sure. It means his not real. There is a futility in the search for the easter bunny, santa claus, unicorns, and so on. Why is the search for your god any less futile?

I don't know, you're the one doing the searching, you tell me!?!

Acting on base human instinct isn't anti evolution. Denying our human nature is surely?

I'm not talking about human nature, I'm talking about maturity. People seek religion because it brings up feelings of protection and loss of ego that they felt as a young child. How is this productive? It's more like a bad habit. Just because we feel more comfortable doing something (IE religion), does not mean it's good for us.

I know what you said, no need to repeat yourself. See my answer.

Human nature? If you're a christian, you must believe in some sort of original sin, you know, the reason jesus came to save you. If we're sinners, then why would our human nature be a good thing to follow? Our nature is sinful, and destructive, according to the bible. Denying the human nature is what many christians advocate, thinking that this makes them more holy.

So if original sin exists in adam, why is human nature a good thing to follow. Answer me that.

Nice play on words. Back to the subject..

Atheism is destructive (which can also be good to eek out truth). Religion is constructive.

This is where most people misunderstand atheism, as you have just done.

You've got it mixed up - atheism is not destructive; religion is. Take a look at the last 2000 years and all the evil things that have been done in the name of religion. Many times when science made a discovery, the church would hush it up, discredit, burn the person or the papers, and ultimately try to get ride of it. Why? Because the person's discovery had negative implications in the authenticity of their religion. Religion has tried to deny any science that discredits their religion. Religion has been at the forefront of keep humanity in the dark ages (ironically, it was the church who ruled during that time).

You were a Christian yet you don't understand what Christianity is. Christianity is an aim, and not a destination. Whatever people do, they do as people. To aim to be like Jesus is not to do bad stuff, but the opposite. People are scared, hungry for power, greedy, Christ-likeness is the opposite of this.

Atheism is constructive because it is evidence based. It is not a belief in anything, it is simply non-belief. An atheist can do many evil things, but he doesn't do any of them in the name of atheism. Atheism has no dogma; no set of beliefs. It is simply belief in observable, tangible reality.

Atheism's only goal is the destruction of religion. SCIENCE is constructive, but that has nothing really to do with atheism. You apply one rule to Atheism it appears but change the rules to apply to Christianity/ religion. Can you see that?

Would you say it was right or wrong to wan't to follow the example of Christ as opposed to not? Our society mirrors Christian values so you'd think most westerners would welcome the ideology. In my mind (no comments please ) our present zeitgeist seems to suggest that those values suggest an evolutionary goal.

Again, I repeat my question from my last post: Is there anything atheism can't do that religion can?

Christianity has love which is all powerful and trumps atheisms hate every time. See Aesops Fable of the man with the sun and the wind.

Why keep religion if atheism can do it just as well, if not better? The example of christ is a good ideal to aspire to, but do you know that buddhism and jainism had well developed systems of morality similar to jesus' message, except that they thought of it hundreds of years before jesus! Jesus isn't the only one with a nice, pretty message.

Like I said, and you trashed, I see similarities between faiths. Atheism is a pathetic sham in comparison, yet it has merit in stripping away the crap, which is why I appreciate talking with atheists/ agnostics.

Our society mirrors christian values? As well as vilifying homosexuals, slowing science, discouraging birth control, etc. You might want to know too, that the christian states in the US have a higher crime rate than the other states. So what is christianity actually meant to do again? Oh that's right - make people better people.

See above.

Seems like it's doing more harm than good.

Sure, you can list all the good things done in the name of religion. Take charities for example, they help, feed, protect people all around the world. But why does a charity need religion? Many charities are refused access to certain countries because of their religious worldview. Charities could be more effective if they were atheistic, hence save more people.

Then there's all the bad that's been done in the name of religion which would probably send this site offline if I posted it.

Oh and, I'd avoid the jokes. They're not making you look any more intelligent.

In some countries atheism would land you in the same hot water. The statement doesn't hold water.

See above again.

Apologies for trying to make light of this conversation. You are obviously a very serious young man. Sometimes it's nice to keep some sensible hold on your feelings.