Strong Atheism starts from faith

[tavarish]

You act like I'm afraid to lose my belief? Do I really seem to be that unopen to new ideas? Am I not a Christian talking openly on an atheist forum? True I didn't come here to question my belief ony to understand a different POV, but that doesn't mean I'll reject it outright because I'm afraid I'll lose some reward in heaven... that's preposterous. Make your points or don't, but don't try to save me from your almighty logic, before you even posit a response.This is just an exchange of ideas.. in no way a formal debate (which I refuse to participate in) and I'm fully capable of accepting new ideas.

Whoa there, buddy. I didn't say anything about you being scared of losing anything, it was not my intention for the tone to imply such a prospect, so I apologize if I misspoke.

Take a chill pill, I'm not here to mess with your beliefs or try to invalidate your experiences.

1- correct but you also assume the possibility that God exists, unless you're an absolutist, which I don't gather. So we'll discus my concept of God then.

There is a possibility that God exists, sure. There is also a possibility of fairies in my underwear drawer, both equally devoid of evidence to support the claims. You can't make a positive claim that they don't, so there is a possibility. However, the odds of this are ridiculously tiny. I try not to assume anything. I'll consider something with evidence though.

2-Empirical as in data produced through experiment or experience (subjective or objective). Verifiable through continuous and exploration and logical inference.

Do you understand how subjective evidence is irrelevant to everyone else?

3-The validity is sound only when all variables are accounted for. Since we're talkigng on a scale as large as God then I simply look for more varialbles to eliminate and reassess. The whole of me being on this forum is a search for variables I've missed.

What are the variables you have accounted for thus far?

3.5-Do you really expect a peer review article published in a scientific journal? Yoiu can do better than that. If you would like documented or shared experience look up the word testimonial.

This is what you wrote:

That doesn't equal "there's no evidence for God". Those mental constructs (which I would group with math, etc.) along with inductive reasoning and subjective personal perspective and peer-review help me form my belief, which is well above the threshold of belief in God for me.

You mentioned peer review, I simply asked you to establish that point a bit better.

4.3- I too was in wresting as a youth and definately had that dopamine/adrenalin rush before a game when we were psyching ourselves up. That is dependant on either suggestability or seeking a "high". I rarely seek the holy spirit's intervention, in fact that's probably my worst trait as a Christian not seeking God's help in my daily life. People are deemed to be suggestible if they accept and act on suggestions by others. I only act of my own volition whenever I'm not forced to do something, which is rarely I'm 6'4" and 260 lbs.

You accept God intervenes in your life and you say you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. That's fine. Then you say he has control of you, but yet you act of your own volition. The fact that this exact response can be independently tested and replicated kind of puts the whole experience into perspective. There is a high probability that it's not an outside force acting on you, it's your brain doing what it does best - providing stimuli.

By the way,the best kind of illusions are the ones that absolutely convince you of their validity.

4.5-I agree that my perceptions of synchonicity have greatly increased since my reentering into religion. I wouldn't say I didn't see any coincidence while a nonbeliever. The causality train just seem far smaller without religion. Perhaps I was just paying attention less to why I was doing what I was doing?

It's the same effect if I buy a Volkswagen Jetta, then I suddenly start noticing all the Jettas on the road. Your brain has a way to filter out the information that's not relevant to your immediate worldview.

4.6healing by prayer is probably more of a psychological stress relief allowing the immune system to work better I'll conceed that. How then could I know when to "randomly" pray for someone in need when consciously I had no thoughts on that person's wellbeing or life?

I don't understand the question. You randomly prayed for someone in need? Did you know they were in need beforehand? Can you shed some more light on this?

I'd dismiss this as a coincidence, but I'm not sure I fully understand the situation.

4.7-Once again another atheist saying I need clinical help... really? Why when I rationally and honestly answer the quesitons in as concise a manner as I can, am I reffered to psychiactric help or told to jump into traffic? Sounds like someone has a psychological defence mechanism preventing them from actually looking at themselves and focusing solely on others for accountability.. and it's not me. I'm away I act on my own, I have no puppetmaster pulling strings so that I grab a girls butt as she walks by... ridiculus. I don't take credit for anything the holy spirit does, it's actually a common Chrisitan habit. I do however take complete responsibility for everything my body does. I've never heard a Christian that I've know say I stole her purse because God told me to do it, not a rational one at least. Maybe you should take some responsibility for that vomit you just threw up, or am I responsible for that?

I'll make this known and I'll write it clearly so anyone can understand without strife.

If you believe that an entity can control you against your will and control your body via proxy or extreme influence, you may have a psychological illness. Doing something not only because something told you to do it, but something MADE you do it is downright scary.

I'm not trying to patronize you, I'm trying to tell you that it's not normal. I'm being as brutally honest as I can be, and I'm not making fun of you. I'm not saying to jump into traffic. I want you to realize that something taking control of you beyond your own control can be a big indicator of mental illness. Whether that applies to you or not is up to you.

Personally, I try to take responsibility for everything I do, and don't hold a belief that I have a guiding force(s) pushing me to a certain predestined goal.

"They have happened before and will happen again to people. They are not isolated or unique phenomena. " That's exactly my point. They're not unique, just shared experience. atheists say they're unique not theists. Perhaps you're missing out?

If they weren't unique to you you wouldn't be listing them as subjective evidence for the existence of God. I just told you that I don't regard them as unique. Why would you maintain a blanket statement that applies to all atheists?