(October 26, 2011 at 4:42 pm)SeekerOfTruth Wrote: Hello, I'm new here and I'm looking for someone who can debate with me. I am a Christian in College and I'm actively searching for truth. First, I will point out that I believe that there is no way you can 100% know that a God exists or doesn't exist and I believe that Christianity revolves on not knowing God exists.So then why do you choose to believe he exists? Why do you choose to believe something that cannot be substantiated and may very likely not be true at all?
Even if you don't take the position of even "I believe god/jesus does exist" then why do you honestly bother?
If you're in search of the truth, then why not go down the path of things that can be proven as true?
Things like evolution, gravity, and the speed of light are all things that have been studied, measured, and proven to work consistently often despite interests against those things (like christian creationism against all of those things or conservatism vs. climate change.)
More to the point, there is no evidence anywhere that anything in the bible is true and in fact scientific inquiery over the past several centuries has basically been systematically proving that the bible is anything but true - even the study of human history essentially discounts much of the events of the bible are true, even in certain people and places did, in fact, exist (like how spider man is fictional but New York is not.)
(October 26, 2011 at 4:42 pm)SeekerOfTruth Wrote: For instance I am a Christian who believes in God, but do I think God exists? Maybe, however Christianity revolves around faith in God and you receive "salvation" based on that faith. If I knew God exists then there's no faith involved therefor I am neither Christian nor do I receive "salvation." I'm not looking to convert anyone I'm simply looking for what others believe. I'm not looking to attack anyone's beliefs only to defend mine. I am open to any questions that you have for me. Finally, I will also point out that I hate ignorant Christians, and Christians who don't intelligently defend their faith with respect.
Even the bible says to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" (Luke 10:27)
and "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15)
In my opinion these are two of the most ignored verses int he bible
To be fair, most christians don't follow any of Jesus' teachings. I can only hope it's the reason why people still vote republican and scoff at universal healthcare because then there'd bea reason beyond mere apathy and hate. That's another topic for another day, however.
Yes, if you knew god exists, then that makes the concept of "Faith in God" pointless.
However, I have a hard time believing that if someone asked you to give them 10% of your income in tithes to someone who has saved your life (he says his name is bob) and constantly protects you from unicorn rape but you cannot meet bob, see bob, then I have a hard time believing that you'd take it seriously.
Think about this the next time you get an email from a Nigerian Prince who wants to give you millions of dollars if you'd just front him a few thousand.
Given that even you admit that you cannot discern god in the sense of fact vs. fiction, then why are you involved at all? Thinkn about this the next time you hear about the nigerian email scam or any other con game because you've chosen to believe in one over the other and you've told me that you recognize this but you have given me no other reason to stay in it other than the possibility of 'maybe.'
It's very poor reasoning.
If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach in the public schools, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools and next year you can make it a crime to teach it to the hustings or in the church. At the next session you may ban books and the newspapers...
Ignorance and fanaticism are ever busy and need feeding. Always feeding and gloating for more. Today it is the public school teachers; tomorrow the private. The next day the preachers and the lecturers, the magazines, the books, the newspapers. After a while, Your Honor, it is the setting of man against man and creed against creed until with flying banners and beating drums we are marching backward to the glorious ages of the sixteenth centry when bigots lighted fagots to burn the men who dared to bring any intelligence and enlightenment and culture to the human mind. ~Clarence Darrow, at the Scopes Monkey Trial, 1925
Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. ~Ronald Reagan
Ignorance and fanaticism are ever busy and need feeding. Always feeding and gloating for more. Today it is the public school teachers; tomorrow the private. The next day the preachers and the lecturers, the magazines, the books, the newspapers. After a while, Your Honor, it is the setting of man against man and creed against creed until with flying banners and beating drums we are marching backward to the glorious ages of the sixteenth centry when bigots lighted fagots to burn the men who dared to bring any intelligence and enlightenment and culture to the human mind. ~Clarence Darrow, at the Scopes Monkey Trial, 1925
Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first. ~Ronald Reagan
