DNA Proves Existence of a Designer

[T0 Th3 M4X]

- Before, I would say I was more ignorant, but not intentionally.  Even when I'm skeptical of something, I try not to rule it out, but I don't necessarily go out of my way either, just because there's too much to do in life, and I can't focus on everything.  Just like people claiming there is a Bigfoot running around somewhere.  If there is, I'm ignorant of it, but that doesn't mean there isn't.  I'm not an enthusiast for chasing Bigfoot as a hobby, so unless someone gives me a reason to believe, besides a blurry camera picture or video, then I'll just continue on with other things. If they are right, great, I'll look at what they want to show me.  If not, great.  Glad they're doing something meaningful to them.

Well then, call me skeptical of the god notion. There isn't even a grainy video of the guy. Just some people with feelings and pseudo-inspirations.

- There are a lot of things in this world that I wish weren't there as well, but there can still be beauty in those things.  Like finding beauty in what we view to make a mistake.  Someone lays a hot coal on a table and a child places their hand on it.  It's not a good experience for the child at that moment, but he or she knows not to touch hot coals in the future, or anything that might have been subject to large amounts of heat energy.  Not only do they know, they can tell others not to touch hot coals.  But that little singe kept someone else from being burned severely based on their experience and the knowledge they shared from it.  This is kinda what I meant before.  I tend to be very analytical and I like to be somewhere in the center of things. Knowledge is always viewed as a good thing, even when the information is negative.  It allows us all to act accordingly.

That may be so in small scales, but in large scales, for some reason, people forget what is good for them and end up supporting what was once known to be bad.

- I understand how you view Jesus dying and then he's back.  Yep, would seem like an oddity at face value.  But it wasn't just that.  It was like that coal I was just speaking of.  At face value it seems bad that the child burned themselves.  When Jesus died, it was very similar.  Someone died a brutal death because others failed to see their value, and as such felt they had removed the problem.  The thing is, he wasn't the problem, they were.  They got what they wanted, and in return he offered what they needed.  It's not that he had to die, but that he chose to.  I think comparing it all to a bridge going across a gap would be a good comparison.  He became that bridge.  Anybody can cross, but nobody is forced to.

I understand that it works in the story. A story that  helps keep the believers in a state of somewhat suffering and awaiting that next journey... which helps keep them behaving properly, in a way.

But look at it from the point of view of a god who has always been around. A god who has always allegedly loved mankind. A god who would have always kept an eye out.
Even the story of the 10 commandments seems to suggest that god is mostly absent. But is that the story we get from Jesus' disciples points of view?

Anyway, given an always present and loving god, what is the purpose of Jesus' suffering in a single instant in a mostly illiterate era?

I won't go around telling anybody they have to believe what I do.  What I can do is be willing to share why I believe the way I do.  What they do with that is up to them.  Yay or nay, they can be my friend regardless, and if they tell me not to talk to them about it, then I respect that.

I can live with that.
But do you mind if people probe that reason for why you believe?

- It is your right to be skeptical.  It's important for us all to weigh things and determine what it all means.

- I agree about people forgetting what is good.  That's why we need guidelines to remind us, but we must choose to make those things a focal point.  Noted that you aren't a Christian, but proponents of said belief talk about it being a heart thing.  Those guidelines are placed in our hearts rather just written on paper.

- You asked about why Jesus would come and suffer in a mostly illiterate era.  I can tell you from my perspective, but I can't say it is a fully sufficient explanation, so please keep that in mind.  That age was very brutal, and as you stated, there was a lot of illiteracy.  However, not everybody was illiterate, especially those in leadership positions and the wealthy.  When you have people who are assumed to be on a higher tier of understanding, and those who generally aren't, they can assume power based on people's blind acceptance that they know what they are talking about.  I think that's one of the reasons.  A lot of it was saying "NO", go seek on your own.  Don't assume you are limited.  Those people aren't sufficient, but God is, so rely on Him first.  So he entered the world with a humble origin.  He existed in a manner that the "common folk" would exist, did it according to what is right, and then subjected himself to the ignorance of others.  Basically, he just became one of the common folk, but he also did it the right way.  He challenged their ideas, offered them something else, and questioned their traditions for honoring God. The more he did it, the more he drew crowds, and the more the legal authorities of that age were enraged by it.  The Pharisees, who were well excepted by the people as credible sources, would follow him around looking for anything and everything to challenge him, especially based on God's laws.  It's not necessarily that the Pharisees didn't care, but much of what they did was self-serving and legalistic.  It's fine to adhere to certain laws, but it's problematic when we forget the underlying purpose of those laws, and then prioritize those laws over our relationships with others, when in actuality they should go hand-in-land.  The law isn't to hurt the people, but to serve them.  So just to wrap this up because I'm probably talking to much, it was a volatile time, so intervention was needed to get those who were willing to listen back on track.  In doing so, he experienced what many of us will experience for following, but he was also indicating that, "It's all good", because this isn't the end all for me or you.  It's just what needs to be done so that we all have the opportunity to get where we need to ultimately be without relying on that which is unreliable.

- I don't mind if people probe.  Usually it's less about "if" and more an issue of "how" they do so, but regardless I don't usually mind.  As always, I enjoy my conversations with you. So agree or disagree, you have my respect for what it's worth.