(May 12, 2016 at 8:27 am)Drich Wrote:(May 9, 2016 at 9:05 am)Emjay Wrote: What are your most convincing reasons for not believing in god? I don't mean convincing to other people (necessarily) but convincing to yourself... what reasons stop you going back (if you are an ex-theist) even if you wanted to?
I'm an ex-Christian so I have baggage and I admit that very occasionally I am tempted back but one of the reasons that prevents me is simply the fact of contradictions in the Bible: if there are contradictions it can't be infallible, and if it's not infallible but only 'inspired' then how can you trust any of it (or know what to trust)? Ultimately it is that reason that stops me in my tracks if I'm ever tempted to read the Bible again... I literally cannot get past the first few pages of Genesis without thinking 'this is silly' even if I actually want to go back to Christianity.
I'd love to hear what other core reasons people have for not believing... reasons that act like mental blocks to ever returning. Ashamedly I do have doubts from time to time and so am not 100% certain like Rob, but I'd like to be, and I think having a few more core reasons (rather than superficial/semantic reasons) would help
...And if nothing/no one in the bible never claimed to be infallible? The closest thing we have is "All Scripture is ·inspired by God [breathed out by God; L God-breathed] and is useful for teaching, for ·showing people what is wrong in their lives [refuting error; rebuking], for correcting faults, and for ·teaching how to live right [training in righteousness]." from 1 Tim 3:16
The idea of biblical infallibility was to counter the authority of Papal Infallibility in the reformation movement. Meaning it is a foolish doctrine of man, and not a decree from God.
I say that because Paul seems to understand that the bible does not have to be perfect as 'prefection' is not required from us. We have been given the bible not as a item to worship or revere as holy, but as a tool so that we may seek the Holy Spirit/God which is perfect, and to use as a standard to 'proof' that what we sought and found was indeed the Holy Spirit.
People who 'need' the bible to be infallible do not understand what Basic Christianity is. Nor how it was intended to be established or maintained.
Well at least one Christian admits it's fallible. But a fallible Bible could never be enough for me... if I'd known that when I was growing up I might not have been a Christian at all, who knows. If I'm gonna believe in a supernatural deity I need to be damn sure I know when I'm talking to him and hearing from him but with a fallible Bible that's impossible. All it can be in that case is what I think/feel to be inspired in it... but that's how you've got a million different flavours of Christianity... each one thinking it knows the inspired part. Can you at least acknowledge that problem? Maybe we can agree to disagree on the value of A/S/K but being very interested in psychology and neuroscience I personally can't ignore that it is perfect example of confirmation bias. So it may be enough to convince you but it could never be enough to convince me... no judgement there, just personally it could never convince me because of what I know about psychology... and psychology is my life. I've seen it in action too many times to ever trust it... particularly playing mafia... how you can believe to the core of your being that you're right when you're completely wrong. Maybe you should have a game some time, see for yourself what I'm talking about? You'd be perfectly welcome down there - it's one place on the forum where religion doesn't come into it in the slightest... plenty of theists play and we all get on like a house on fire.
