(December 30, 2011 at 8:41 am)chipan Wrote: "Why would these theist sign up, in the first place, on a forum that does not share their ideals and beliefs?"
well i signed up to learn from athiests by starting intelligent discussions about certain evidences supporting their beliefs. though i find most do not support their claims.
"How many of us on this forum are members of a Christian forum? I guess none. Why? Because Christianity (or any other religion for that matter) does not threaten us."
well maybe you are not willing to open up to learn about other religious ideals. i've researched many religions, and having debates allows me to encourage myself to research my religion and others. i do not feel threatened by athiests.
I'm afraid I have no evidence to offer you for why I don't believe in gods. There are plenty of things claimed in the world's religions as well as in works of fiction for which I find no evidence and so I develop no belief in them. But, like you, I've been interested to research religious beliefs around the world and have found that they have much in common. Have you read any of Joseph Campbell? His identification of common motifs arising again and again in different places raises some interesting questions. One explanation for the prevalence of religious experience could be that there really are godly beings who interact with humans. Of course, it could also be that it tells us something basic about the way we're wired and how we function at a deep level psychologically. I assume the latter.
I'd like to ask you a couple questions. First, knowing that the bible only came into being many generations after the life of Jesus, why do you insist on its inerrancy? Unlike the stone tablets which Moses was said to have received directly from God, the bible went through a period of time during which it only existed as an oral tradition before anything was written down. Eventually a council of men decided which written bits would be included. Add to this the problem of translation from the original Aramaic through other languages before it ever made it into English. So why do so many Christians insist on taking the bible literally? I can see why it would be precious to you and you would be justified in insisting that there is much wisdom in it .. but all of it? Really? Even Leviticus which says you may sell your daughter into slavery and acquire slaves yourself?
Second, why would you expect to get answers to empirical questions from the bible? Knowing how and when the bible was cobbled together it seems an unlikely choice? You say the relationship between God and man is that of father and son. So why would God give man a mind capable of utilizing the scientific method if what he really wanted was for them to infer the answers to all such questions from the bible? This seems inconsistent to me.
I have lots of questions but lets see if you're in the mood to think about these first. It is up to you.
