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Tentatively Christian; looking for a reasonable discussion
#1
Tentatively Christian; looking for a reasonable discussion
I am 18 years old, raised as a Christian, and now beginning to ask questions and really figure out what I believe for myself. At the moment, I'm coming from basically a Christian perspective, but I am open to being convinced otherwise and looking to discuss the issues with someone.

To be honest, I'm a bit intimidated by the environment of the forum here. My fear is that if I try to have a serious, full-scale, in-depth discussion in this medium, I'll quickly be overwhelmed and bombarded. I don't want to be unable to reply adequately simply because of the quantity of messages by people disagreeing with me. I'd rather be able to discuss fairly back-and-forth, without being terrifically outnumbered. (which would make it impractical to adequately respond to everyone)

To that end, I'm wondering if anyone would be interested in starting a 1-on-1 correspondence with me? (hopefully it is not too out of place to request that) I'm looking for someone who is willing to be reasonable and civil, and help talk through the questions and issues I'm wondering about.

Looking forward to hearing from you guys!
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#2
RE: Tentatively Christian; looking for a reasonable discussion
I'm free to help out with whatever you have questions about
~ Give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day, give a man a religion and he'll die praying for a fish.
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#3
RE: Tentatively Christian; looking for a reasonable discussion
(March 17, 2015 at 10:13 pm)GriffinHunter Wrote: I am 18 years old, raised as a Christian, and now beginning to ask questions and really figure out what I believe for myself. At the moment, I'm coming from basically a Christian perspective, but I am open to being convinced otherwise and looking to discuss the issues with someone.

To be honest, I'm a bit intimidated by the environment of the forum here. My fear is that if I try to have a serious, full-scale, in-depth discussion in this medium, I'll quickly be overwhelmed and bombarded. I don't want to be unable to reply adequately simply because of the quantity of messages by people disagreeing with me. I'd rather be able to discuss fairly back-and-forth, without being terrifically outnumbered. (which would make it impractical to adequately respond to everyone)

To that end, I'm wondering if anyone would be interested in starting a 1-on-1 correspondence with me? (hopefully it is not too out of place to request that) I'm looking for someone who is willing to be reasonable and civil, and help talk through the questions and issues I'm wondering about.

Looking forward to hearing from you guys!

You can PM me if you'd like. I'd be willing to discuss with you. You can also request a formal debate with a specific member. It's best to try and become engrossed in the community before choosing an opponent.

Generally it'd be better for you to just start a thread. We understand that you cannot respond to everyone. A real show of strength is to not respond to the potshots, but rather to the earnest responses. If you are honestly interested in discussion, then you'll get it there. I understand it can be overwhelming, but 1 on 1 conversations are not really what the forum is for.
"There remain four irreducible objections to religious faith: that it wholly misrepresents the origins of man and the cosmos, that because of this original error it manages to combine the maximum servility with the maximum of solipsism, that it is both the result and the cause of dangerous sexual repression, and that it is ultimately grounded on wish-thinking." ~Christopher Hitchens, god is not Great

PM me your email address to join the Slack chat! I'll give you a taco(or five) if you join! --->There's an app and everything!<---
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#4
RE: Tentatively Christian; looking for a reasonable discussion
You can pm me about physics related topics.
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#5
RE: Tentatively Christian; looking for a reasonable discussion
Rather than making a proposition about something you think you know the answer to, why don't you simply ask a question about an issue of concern and let the rest of us duke it out? Or you can browse old threads.

But you are welcome to PM me, if that's less scary. I grew up in a Christian house and my parents are still Christian. I am atheist as are my teenage girls. My husband is deist. But we don't eat Christians for breakfast, except on special occasions.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god.  If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
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#6
RE: Tentatively Christian; looking for a reasonable discussion
(March 17, 2015 at 11:37 pm)Jenny A Wrote: But we don't eat Christians for breakfast, except on special occasions.

Ah....

*Steel wistfully remembers eating Christians for brekky of a chilly autumn morning....
"There remain four irreducible objections to religious faith: that it wholly misrepresents the origins of man and the cosmos, that because of this original error it manages to combine the maximum servility with the maximum of solipsism, that it is both the result and the cause of dangerous sexual repression, and that it is ultimately grounded on wish-thinking." ~Christopher Hitchens, god is not Great

PM me your email address to join the Slack chat! I'll give you a taco(or five) if you join! --->There's an app and everything!<---
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#7
RE: Tentatively Christian; looking for a reasonable discussion
(March 17, 2015 at 11:37 pm)Jenny A Wrote: But we don't eat Christians for breakfast, except on special occasions.

And only the little ones! Angel

[Image: Baby_Burger_humour.jpg]
Thief and assassin for hire. Member in good standing of the Rogues Guild.
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#8
RE: Tentatively Christian; looking for a reasonable discussion
I suggest you post your questions here. There are those of us who can answer them without needing to resort to overall beliefs.

Examples: Did Paul write Galatians - yes, there's no doubt. Did Mark write the Gospel of Mark? No one knows for sure who wrote it. Did Luke write Luke-Acts? Yes, either "Luke the physician" or another single author wrote Luke-Acts.
For Religion & Health see:[/b][/size] Williams & Sternthal. (2007). Spirituality, religion and health: Evidence and research directions. Med. J. Aust., 186(10), S47-S50. -LINK

The WIN/Gallup End of Year Survey 2013 found the US was perceived to be the greatest threat to world peace by a huge margin, with 24% of respondents fearful of the US followed by: 8% for Pakistan, and 6% for China. This was followed by 5% each for: Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, North Korea. -LINK


"That's disgusting. There were clean athletes out there that have had their whole careers ruined by people like Lance Armstrong who just bended thoughts to fit their circumstances. He didn't look up cheating because he wanted to stop, he wanted to justify what he was doing and to keep that continuing on." - Nicole Cooke
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#9
RE: Tentatively Christian; looking for a reasonable discussion
I understand your concern. When you ask something, those who have already faced that question many times might feel a bit frustrated and agitated and might respond a bit aggressively, but you'll face a similar attitude in every situation where you are coming in as a novice yet with an opposing viewpoint. However when you are trying to learn something, please don't take these to heart, rather know that everyone is trying to help you in their own way. Also instead of doing a 1-on-1 session, I would suggest posting your concerns openly because then you can get many different opinions and have a better chance at finding something that makes sense to you. Sure, I am nowhere near as experienced as some of the other members here, but sometimes the simplest words from the stupidest person can mean more than the most complex explanations of a brilliant mind.
Quote:To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty.
- Lau Tzu

Join me on atheistforums Slack Cool Shades (pester tibs via pm if you need invite) Tongue

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#10
RE: Tentatively Christian; looking for a reasonable discussion
You can pm me if you want.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition

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