(April 26, 2013 at 9:00 pm)Creed of Heresy Wrote: What you call "confidence" I call "arrogance," and the dictionary is far more supportive of me, given the fact that it defines arrogance as: "offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride. " Given how self-righteous and self-important Christians are ("the creator of the universe has time for me personally at any moment of my pitiful little speck of a molecule of an existence and arranges everything just for me!"), it's arrogance you speak of. Not confidence. If it were confidence, there'd be a basis in it, one you could readily and easily demonstrate but get this, bible-thumper: You can't, or you'd have done so by now. But you live by "faith." As in, without any basis do you believe in something wholeheartedly and totally. The very definition of what you consider most important is basically admitting "I have no reason to believe this but I'm a gullible sap so I buy into it wholeheartedly." Why is not relevant when you know how. How, when answered, also answers why, and the answer for why is extremely mundane, always, because that's pretty much what "why" is. Mundane BS we human beings attach to things to try to boost our own egos. Beat your fist against your chest harder and howl louder, monkey; I don't believe you're the biggest ape with the biggest banana yet.
Confidence is exactly what I meant, arrogance belongs to those who believe they know better than the rest, this would include atheist, Christians, Hindus, Islamist and ect. I know what's good for me and yes I ask others to give it a try, I do not however try and force it on others. I know many, many Christians that feel the same. I would bet you are judging all Christians by the ones you've come to despise, now that is being arrogant and a bit lazy.
As for faith yes I live a part of my relationship with God in faith, however not the part of knowing He is real, I have no doubts about that part. I do need my faith at times when I ask for God's help, why, because I'm like all other humans and have times of weakness. Believe this, if I did not know absolutely that God is real and what He did for man was real I would not have stayed with this belief, that's not how I am.
There are times on this forum I assert myself and or beliefs, because I get tired of hearing all the garbage spewed my way, I let much of it roll off as Christ has asked Christians to do, but then myself takes over on occasion. You need to get over all Christians being the same we are not, I do not refer to atheist being all the same arrogant dips, I could but I choose not to for one good reason, you're not.
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.