RE: Christians, what is your VERY BEST arguments for the existence of God?
May 7, 2010 at 1:12 am
1-I wasn't using them as willy-nilly as you make it seem. As a definition for believe I usually use "conviction of the truth of some statement " or to know something. And for faith I tend to use "firm belief in something for which there is no proof " If yoou couldn't gather that from my abbreviation, I apologize.
2-That would, of course, depend on what you define as evidence. Big seperation between theist and atheist here usually as well. Remember it's not evidence to the contrary.. that would be intellectually dishonest or wilfully lying, but an agreed level of evidence.
3-I left out "first" in my statement, but yes, experience, define, establish relevance to reality, determine value would be the order I do things usually
4- To answer your question: I believe my subjective evidence of what aspects of God I can percieve through revelations lead me to a general definition of what God is, therefore I use God as a valid jumping point for further assertions and assumptions on various subjects, IMO.
As much as I hate to quote, (At least I don't force people to read it)
Even as I quote it I will have to say it's a little dishonest for me to say God is unknowable, I'll say, I don't personally know ALL of what God is, but I have a generally agreed upon idea with my peers. Christians are a little more sceptical about saying they know God, mainly due to the old Jewish practice of seperating the people from God. I would say it is possible for those whom he has revealed himself to know some aspects of God. Actually one of the key principles that Jesus taught was that you'll never know when judgement is coming and jews idea of who God was and how to worship him was wrong. They sepeated the people from the experience of knowing God. He literally ripped down the barrier. Bottom line to know God is to experience God. Any Christian who gives you a hard time for not knowing God you can simply say ,"Well he hasn't revealed himself to me and I'm not waiting around for him" I think that will go over pretty well and still not be as confrontational as fuck off bible thumper.
2-That would, of course, depend on what you define as evidence. Big seperation between theist and atheist here usually as well. Remember it's not evidence to the contrary.. that would be intellectually dishonest or wilfully lying, but an agreed level of evidence.
3-I left out "first" in my statement, but yes, experience, define, establish relevance to reality, determine value would be the order I do things usually
4- To answer your question: I believe my subjective evidence of what aspects of God I can percieve through revelations lead me to a general definition of what God is, therefore I use God as a valid jumping point for further assertions and assumptions on various subjects, IMO.
As much as I hate to quote, (At least I don't force people to read it)
Even as I quote it I will have to say it's a little dishonest for me to say God is unknowable, I'll say, I don't personally know ALL of what God is, but I have a generally agreed upon idea with my peers. Christians are a little more sceptical about saying they know God, mainly due to the old Jewish practice of seperating the people from God. I would say it is possible for those whom he has revealed himself to know some aspects of God. Actually one of the key principles that Jesus taught was that you'll never know when judgement is coming and jews idea of who God was and how to worship him was wrong. They sepeated the people from the experience of knowing God. He literally ripped down the barrier. Bottom line to know God is to experience God. Any Christian who gives you a hard time for not knowing God you can simply say ,"Well he hasn't revealed himself to me and I'm not waiting around for him" I think that will go over pretty well and still not be as confrontational as fuck off bible thumper.
"There ought to be a term that would designate those who actually follow the teachings of Jesus, since the word 'Christian' has been largely divorced from those teachings, and so polluted by fundamentalists that it has come to connote their polar opposite: intolerance, vindictive hatred, and bigotry." -- Philip Stater, Huffington Post
always working on cleaning my windows- me regarding Johari
always working on cleaning my windows- me regarding Johari
